Business & Management

Ultimately, the success of a business might be determined by the successes and failures of the leaders – among other possible factors, of course. There’s no one-size-fits-all attitude to leading staff that’ll be successful for every leader in all instances, therefore based on a variety of issues, which may include a business’ goals, its staff skill-level and the industry it’s in, one type of leadership style could operate more productively than another.

Psychologist Kurt Lewin categorised three main types of leadership styles: autocratic, democratic, laissez-faire. The details on what they are, their pros, their cons and also their best implementations in the business world are mentioned below.

Autocratic Leadership

Autocratic leadership (also known as authoritarian leadership) is a type of leadership where the leaders make most or all the decision-making, without the involvement or input of the employees. Autocratic leaders inform their subordinates on what must be done, along with how it should be done and when it has to be done by. If a member of staff makes a suggestion, it is likely to be unheeded or simply ignored by this kind of leader.

Pros: Where quick decision-making is key, this particular type of leadership style might work well. Inevitably, there mightn’t be any time to consult with staff for their involvement anyway. It might also be useful when implemented on people who don’t possess the skills – or simply the motivation – to look after their own individual work.
Cons: The main things that will be perhaps negatively affected may include creativity and motivation, particularly if staff member’s ideas are shot down and/or not taken into account.
Best used: When staff participation and creativity aren’t as pressing as simply getting the job done as effectively and quickly as physically possible.

Democratic Leadership

Democratic leadership (which is also known as participative leadership) gives some decision-making powers to the group (i.e. the other members of the team), but in the end the final say still rests with the leaders – staff members just have an opportunity to provide their opinions and recommendations going forward.

Pros: Staff members will feel more wanted, with the added responsibility and the fact that their opinions matter. This in turn should result in a higher standard of motivation.
Cons: With more people involved, decisions might take longer to implement. This might be okay when things can take time, but can become more of an issue when a decision must be made in a hurry.
Best used: When things don’t have to get done immediately and creativity and innovation are important factors.

Laissez-faire Leadership

Laissez-faire leadership (a.k.a. delegative leadership) is a rather relaxed leadership style, giving complete decision-making control to the staff. It is virtually up to them to manage their workload, while the leaders neither get in the way nor closely oversee what they’re doing.

Pros: Laissez-faire leadership grants independence, and for that they will feel important – it’s a huge responsibility for them to make the decisions themselves and to be in charge of their own workloads.
Cons: Productivity is at risk of falling if this leadership style is implemented on someone who could benefit from more guidance and direction. It might also backfire, as it could look like the manager’s just lazy or can’t be bothered to lead properly.
Best used: This particular type of leadership style may only operate best on employees who are independent and also responsible on keeping in control of their work, plus at a particular skill-level where they don’t need a push from their superiors.

bali – Complete range of things to do in Bali. Bali attractions, Bali tours and Bali activities, charged in $$AU with secure online booking. Visit us for all your Bali tour needs.

Conveyancing Melbourne | Empowered Sales Training California | Insinkerator Repair | Kitchen Benchtops Melbourne Don’t know what type of stone you would like in your kitchen? Visit one of our Melbourne showroom

Speed Dating NYC | discount commodity broker – We are a discount commodity broker specializing in trading the futures and commodity markets. We offer commodity trading, online trading, and options trading.

Comments are closed.