Methodology.
In preparation for this assignment, Learning Team "B" (the team) reviewed various behavioral motivational and leadership theories and studies including the Ohio State studies, the University of Michigan studies, the Motivation Hygiene theory, the Hawthorne Experiments, the traditional theories X and Y, Maslow's theory Z, McClelland's Achievement Motivation, Blake and Mouton's Managerial Grid, the Fiedler Model, the Leader Participation Model, and the Path-Goal Theory. The team's review indicated that the most logical leadership theory around which to base our leadership plan is the Path-Goal Theory. As mentioned by Robbins in Organizational Behavior, "The essence of the theory is that it's the leader's job to assist his or her followers in attaining their goals and to provide the direction and support or both needed to ensure their goals are compatible with the overall objectives of the group or organization (2001, p.229)." The team came to this conclusion after reviewing the given scenario: An American company (we chose to call Acme Widget, Inc.,) was the target of an acquisition by another corporation (the E-Z Widget Corporation). …
