Path Goal and Expectancy Theories in Invictus Glory Road Miracle

Path-Goal and Expectancy Theories

During the 1980 Winter Olympic Games held in Lake Placid, New York, the United States Men's ice hockey team, comprised of predominantly college players with no experience in international play, performed one of the most celebrated feats in the annals of team sport. In the midst of an increasingly hostile Cold War with the Soviet Union, the underestimated U.S. team advanced through Olympic group play to play the heavily favored Soviet team in the medal round. Faced with incredibly daunting odds against a juggernaut of a Soviet squad, one which had captured virtually every significant world hockey championship since 1954, head coach Herb Brooks rallied his untested team of American amateurs to an astonishing victory known forever after as the "Miracle on Ice." While the astounding athletic achievements of the U.S. men's team cannot be overstated, the theoretical foundation of the legendary leadership skills displayed by Brooks certainly warrants closer examination. By applying the techniques described by two fundamental theories of leadership, Robert House's Path-Goal Theory and Victor Vroom's Expectancy Theory, to the 2004 film Miracle, a biographical depiction of the U.S. men's hockey team and their inexplicable run to glory, it is possible to observe these immensely powerful leadership skills applied in a real world setting. ***

1.) Using examples from the movie Miracle, explain and support ALL the various aspects of Path-Goal theory. This is a leadership theory, therefore, you need to look at the 'leader' for examples (how can his/her actions be explained using the theory). Please note that 2-3 examples of each area are expected along with a discussion that demonstrates your understanding of the theory.

The original research on Path-Goal Theory published by Robert House in 1971 asserted that "a subordinate's motivation, satisfaction and work performance are dependent on the leadership style chosen by their superior," while identifying four distinct leadership styles used consistently by the most successful motivators of men and women. The effectiveness of each of these four leadership styles is directly related to the situational circumstances dictating their use, and leaders who identify the ideal leadership behavior across the situational spectrum are the most capable of inspiring ordinary people to behave in extraordinary ways. The four leadership styles which form House's Path-Goal Theory are described as follows:

Directive Leadership

Also known as directive path-goal clarifying leader behavior, the directive leadership style is suitable for situations when subordinates require direct instruction. When a leader informs followers of preconceived expectations and standards, in an effort to clearly define baselines for production, effort and other intangible contributions this is directive leadership in action.

- The film Miracle begins with University of Minnesota head hockey coach Herb Brooks interviewing before the United States Olympic Committee, and the viewer is given a glimpse of Brooks' distinctively directive approach to leadership in the very first scenes. When Brooks expounds on his philosophical approach to the game, reveals his precise plans for vanquishing the vaunted Soviet team, and alludes to the systemic alterations he would implement, he is exemplifying the persuasive power of directive leadership.

- After convening the U.S. Olympic men's ice hockey team for their first practice preceding the start of the Games, coach Brooks is immediately forced to confront his team's lack of cohesion after forward Rob McClanahan and defenseman Jack O'Callahan engage in a heated physical altercation based on their college rivalry. Brooks reprimands his undisciplined players and demand that they refocus on the task at hand, warning them that if "you wanna settle old scores, you're on the wrong team. We move forward starting right now. We start becoming a team right now! Skating. Passing. Flow. Creativity. That is what this team is all about, gentlemen, not old rivalries." By decisively stepping in to stop the infighting, while warning his players that they are now playing for their country and must become united to succeed, Brooks demonstrates how directive leadership can be used to assert authority and instill respect.

Supportive Leadership

The concept of achievement-oriented leader behavior is an essential element of the supportive leadership style, and is most effective when utilized to incentivize productivity-based efforts. The establishment of a tangible goal system which challenges workers to exceed their previous expectations of excellence, while rewarding those who perform at optimal levels, is the conceptual core of the supportive leadership style.

- The realm of competitive athletics is perhaps the most conducive environment for utilizing the motivational aspects of supportive leadership, because even the most team-oriented sporting contests require superlative individual efforts to score points and surpass opponents. Coach Brooks engages in a reversal of achievement-oriented leader behavior when he informs starting goaltender Jim Craig that his position is in danger of being usurped by his backup Steve Janaszak. By providing a tangible potential outcome to be reached depending on Craig's performance, Brooks successfully motivates his struggling player to realize his full potential and play to his maximum ability.

- During an especially inspirational scene in Miracle, coach Brooks addresses his team with a rousing pregame speech designed to appeal to their pride and their patriotism. When Brooks solemnly declares to his players that "great moments ... are born from great opportunity. And that's what you have here, tonight, boys. That's what you've earned here tonight. One game," his subtle positioning of the upcoming game as an opportunity to realize a lifelong ambition is an adept use of the supportive leadership style.

Participative Leadership

Proponents of participative leadership behavior are collaborative by nature and often consult with their subordinates to solicit informative input before coming to a collective consensus. The advantages of the participative leadership style are most prominent in situations involving the transfer of expertise or similarly unique skill sets, because the most competent practitioners of any profession are typically independently minded, individualistic people.

- The underappreciated value of the participative leadership style was made clear early in the course of Miracle, when coach Brooks partners with his assistant coach Craig Patrick to determine the team's final roster decisions. While Brooks is receptive to Patrick's criticisms of his personnel choices, allowing him to vent frustration and express contrary opinions, the final authority ultimately resides with Brooks. His willingness to remain accessible as a leader is an admirable trait and one which serves Brooks' overall priority to assemble the most productive team possible.

- Brooks also engages in participative leadership behavior during the team's arduous practice sessions, when the coach illustrates a newly designed play to Buzz Schneider and McClanahan. Engaging his subordinates in the leadership process by soliciting their direct input on policy changes that will affect their performance expectations is an effective element of the participative leadership style, and Brooks shows his mastery of this ability throughout the film.

Environmental Contingency Factors

A wide array of external factors works to affect the leader-subordinate relationship in both positive and negative ways, including time sensitive deadlines, the confines of legality, and other restrictions outside of a leader's direct control. By remaining cognizant of the environmental factors which might undermine the establishment of authority or fracture a cohesively working unit, an effective leader is able to manage morale by compensating for organizational deficiencies overcoming institutional obstacles.

Subordinate Contingency Factors

Within the confines of a collaborative team-based dynamic, through which the efforts of individuals are co-opted for the greater good of the group, effective leadership necessitates a continual process of evaluation to determine the most effective and efficient pattern of deployment for subordinates. The relative skill of a worker in comparison to that of their peers, intangible benefits like perseverance and personal resolve, and the ability to maintain emotional stability under duress are among the most common follower characteristics that an effectual leader learns to observe and intuit through an instinctual process of professional appraisal.

2.) Using the Expectancy Theory of Motivation, give examples from the movie Miracle that support and/or contradict ALL three 'links' which are designated as 'Effort-Performance', 'Performance-Rewards', and 'Rewards-Personal goals'. Each link should be addressed separately and be clearly identified.

The original research on Expectancy Theory, published in 1964 by Yale business professor Victor Vroom, asserted "that the strength of a tendency to act in a certain way depends on the strength of our expectation of a given outcome and its attractiveness." When the tenets of Expectancy Theory are applied to the leader-subordinate relationship, this conjecture can be described by the three-pronged tendency of employees to perform to their peak ability when they believe that this will result in positive appraisals; that accruing these positive appraisals will result in organizational incentives such as bonuses and promotions, and that these rewards will satisfy their personal and professional needs. The three relationships, or links, which form the foundation of Vroom's Expectancy Theory are described as follows:

Effort-Performance Relationship

This link within the Expectancy Theory's motivational chain is connected to an individual's personal perception as to the importance of exerting maximum effort. Employees who believe for one reason or another that their hard work will inevitably go unnoticed are unlikely to be motivated by the prospect of a positive performance appraisal, which is why effective leaders strive to create legitimate linkages between effort and performance.

- Throughout the film Miracle, the young group of college players comprising the U.S. men's national ice hockey team proves the efficacy of Expectancy Theory's three-pronged series of links, as they are consistently pushed to the limits of their endurance and ability through the leadership of Coach Brooks. The effort-performance relationship is demonstrated many times during the course of the film, as the players show themselves to be highly motivated by the prospect of earning the approval of both their coach and their fellow teammates. Because they view their leader as respected figure who does not indulge in favoritism and treats his charges equally, every member of the U.S. men's ice hockey team becomes highly invested in reaching their peak performance because they are confident in Brooks' ability to recognize their achievements.

Performance-Reward Relationship

Earning positive feedback from one's superior, whether in the form of a positive performance evaluation, simple words of encouragement, or other organizational rewards, has always been a natural motivating factor within any structured pursuit. In the often highly competitive environment fostered by cooperative effort, from team sports to interoffice politics, the distribution of established rewards to designate exceptional performance typically results in augmented production from subordinates of all skill level. Even for those individuals who are restricted by deficiencies in their skill set, simply the prospect of earning a reward for their performance tends to motivate the expenditure of additional effort.

- Within the confines of organized team athletics, especially those games which are contested at the highest level of international competition, the organizational rewards used to motivate players typically come in the form of increased playing time, promotion to captaincy of similar positions of team leadership, and the collective appreciation of the entire team. For the players on the famed "Miracle on Ice" team, who mostly consisted of amateurs, college players and long aspiring professionals, the performance-reward relationship inherent to the achievement of Olympic success extended far beyond the boundaries of the hockey rink. The players were privately motivated to exert their maximum effort because doing so would likely attract the notice of the National Hockey League, which would lead to secure employment at the peak of their profession. Finally, the uniquely nationalistic venue afforded by the 1980 Winter Olympic Games, held on American soil during an era of heightened tension with the Soviet Union, offered the young American players to seek the rewards offered by patriotic accomplishment. The prospect of defeating America's sworn enemy in a sport at which they had been dominant for decades provided each player on the team with a full measure of internal motivation, a fact which was confirmed by their extraordinary performances against elite opponents.

Rewards-Personal Goals Relationship

The ability of organizational rewards to stimulate genuine increases in effort by workers is distinctly dependent on the value individuals ascribe to these incentives. Providing compensatory rewards like bonus checks or paid vacation days, luxuries which the typical office employee are sure to value highly, are commonly utilized motivational tools. For leaders in more specialized areas, identifying which rewards are best used to motivate their subordinates is a vitally important aspect of leadership, because if a reward does not satisfy an individual they will not strive to earn it, and therefore their effort and production will be minimized.

Those athletes who reach a position of primacy within their chosen sport, by qualifying to represent their country at the quadrennial Olympic Games, have invariably spent their entire lives training to become the best at what they do. This is undoubtedly true for the players who pulled off the "Miracle on Ice," because for devotees of ice hockey the sport is far more than a simple athletic activity; it is a way of life from infancy onward. Simply reaching the Olympics was likely the fulfillment of a lifelong goal for many of the players, so the potential reward of winning a gold medal and being crowned the best at what you love to do would represent a highly inspirational incentive in terms of the rewards-personal goals relationship. The story presented in the film Miracle is surely a rousing tale of triumph writ large, the courageous underdogs defeating their dominant rivals through sheer will and determination, but for the individual members of that team the greatest reward was the opportunity to accomplish their life's greatest ambition.