Northouse, Leadership 8e
SAGE Publications, 2019
Case 6.2: Direction for Some, Support for
Others
Case Synopsis and Analysis
Daniel is an effective leader and owner of a profitable copy center near a large university.
Some of his employees are part-time college students who work on standard copy and
duplication jobs. Daniel knows this work is repetitive and mundane, but he provides a fun
environment for these employees and works to get to know them on a personal level.
Daniel’s other employees work desktop publishing, a more complex and demanding job.
These employees are autonomous, self-motivated, and assured. Daniel is a resource person
for these employees, giving them space to conduct their work while being available for
support and assistance when needed.
This case study allows students to see supportive and achievement-oriented leadership in
action. By example, students should be able to see the need for differing behaviors based on
subordinate and task characteristics.
Learning objectives:
• Students should be able to decipher subordinate characteristics for two unique
groups of followers.
• Students should be able to decipher task characteristics for two different groups of
followers.
• Students should be able to determine appropriate leadership behavior based on
subordinate and task characteristics using path–goal theory.
Answers to questions in the text:
1. According to path–goal theory, why is Daniel an effective leader?
Daniel is an effective leader because he adjusts his behavior based on the followers’
needs and the complexity of the tasks. He is able to help followers work toward their
goals while removing obstacles for them and providing needed support.
With the part-time duplication employees, Daniel sees that the task is mundane and
Northouse, Leadership 8e
SAGE Publications, 2019
2. How does his leadership style affect the motivation of employees at The Copy
Center?
Daniel’s leadership style directly affects the motivation of the employees. The
3. How do characteristics of the tasks and the followers influence Daniel’s leadership?
The characteristics of the tasks and followers seem to directly influence Daniel’s
leadership. He senses that the part-time employees need affiliation and that they have
4. One of the principles of path–goal theory is to make the end goal valuable to workers.
What could Daniel do to improve follower motivation in this area?
Potential teaching approaches:
This case study is conducive to small-group discussions and role plays.
Below is a way to structure a class, based on the path–goal theory and Case Study 6.2:
• First hold a small-group discussion: Break your class into groups of three to five
students. Have each group develop a list of the top 10 ways to motivate a team in
general, based on past experiences.
• Then discuss those lists as a larger class.
Northouse, Leadership 8e
SAGE Publications, 2019
• Next, hold a lecture about path–goal theory.
• Read Case 6.2.
• After the lecture is complete, break the class back into small groups and have
each small group discuss the case study. Students should determine: (a) the role of
the subordinates, (b) task characteristics for each group, (c) leadership behavior
required, and (d) tangible ways Daniel can motivate each group.
• Next, return to the larger group and share findings based on (d) above.
• Discuss Questions 1–4 in the case study.
• Consider the exercises listed below.
Exercises for this case study:
1) If the class has 30 or fewer people: The professor asks students to decide what type of
leadership behavior most motivates them: directive, supportive, participative, or
2) Small-Group Work: Daniel has become ill and needs to train employees to lead the
desktop publishing and duplication units. Should he train one or two people? Students
3) Role-Play: The setting for the role-play is the break room at the copy center. Employees
from the copy side and the graphic design side begin to talk about Daniel’s leadership.