In this part of our guide to organizational management we cover leadership…
Three leadership styles are frequently seen in organizational leaders: autocratic; democratic; and laissez-faire; and leaders perform in their role by employing one, or a combination of any, of these styles.
While an autocratic leadership style can be beneficial in instances where there are advantages of such control, such as when workers are performing routine or unskilled tasks, overall, this style of leadership can result in high turnover and employee absenteeism. This is because the autocratic leader will exert his or her power over employees, giving staff little opportunity to provide input, even input that would ultimately benefit the organization. This can lead to resentment on behalf of the workers.
Within a democratic leadership, although the leader will make the final decision, he or she invites other members of the team to contribute to the decision-making process. This not only increases job satisfaction by involving employees or team members in what’s going on, but it also helps to develop people’s skills. As participation takes time, this style can lead to things happening more slowly than an autocratic approach, but often the end result is better.
Laissez-faire (a French phrase meaning ‘leave it be’) leadership is used to describe a leader who leaves his or her team to get on with their work. It can be effective if the leader monitors what is being achieved and communicates this back to his or her team regularly. Most often, laissez-faire leadership works for teams in which the individuals are very experienced and skilled self-starters. Unfortunately, it can also refer to situations where managers are not exerting sufficient control.
There is no one leadership style that fits all situations. A good leader will take into account factors that play into productivity – things like the organization’s structure and culture (does the company effect radical change frequently, or is it stable and conservative?), the type of work being performed, and the general skill-level and experience of its staff.
The best leaders will frequently toggle among leadership styles, employing the best style for the situation in front of them and the personalities with which they are working.