Types of Leadership
As you can see, leadership is important in the business world, however, there are different types of leadership. While all leaders work towards a bigger vision and the ability to move the organization forward, not all leadership styles are effective in all situations. Good leadership is judicious, yet courageous and provides guidance. As we review the types of leadership, remember that certain situations can call for different types of leadership; and while some types might seem unfair or even hard to work under, the situation might call for a leadership type to fulfill the vision and overcome challenges.
Autocratic leaders are task-focused and tend to make decisions alone without involving their followers or people who work for them. Autocratic leaders thrive in workplaces where there is a need for consistency or large numbers of employees who must complete tasks uniformly. A fast-food restaurant might be an ideal workplace for an autocratic leader because the recipes must be consistent, and there is typically a high turnover rate of employees (Reuter & Hoff, 2021). It is not an inherently bad idea to have a leader take responsibility for decision making particularly when the situation calls for quick action or decisions need to be consistent and from a single source (Schoel, Bluemke, Mueller, & Stahlberg, 2011).
The second type of leadership style is democratic, where the leader asks for input from followers before they make decisions. This leadership style includes fair praise for good work and constrained criticism as well as active involvement in the workday by the workers or followers. The democratic leadership style is exemplified by the United States government where one person leads, but all citizens have a vote in electing the leader. Employee-owned and smaller organizations typically function well with a democratic leader (Flynn, 2021). Democratic deliberation can take time, however, which tends to be a downside of this style. Allowing everyone to have a say in the decision requires time to vote which extends the time needed to reach a final decision. Also, not everyone wins in a democracy which may lead to feeling discontent or unheard if your side loses. Even with its disadvantages, democracy is the best way to involve employees.
The third leadership style is laissez-faire. This leadership style is characterized by the leader taking a very removed approach to leadership, turning over decisions to the followers or workers in the organization. This leadership style might be thought of as an absence of leadership because it involves little to no direction or decision-making from the leader. While this might seem ideal to many of us who might like to see less of our bosses, laissez-faire leadership can create stress for followers because they must make decisions without much guidance. A laissez-faire leadership style would work best in an organization that has highly skilled workers such as a science laboratory, or a company with long-term employees who self-manage. While laissez-faire is the most interactive leadership style for the employee, it also puts the most demand on employees in terms of determining the best decisions and how to accomplish tasks. While being empowered as an employee is highly valued, having support in decision-making is also helpful for employees.
Different types of organizations and environments require different types of leadership styles. Because leadership is dependent upon the situation, the task, the people, and the needs of the organization, there is no one best type. Each leader must determine what style works best for them and the situation at hand. You can discover your own leadership style by taking the assessment from the University of Southern California linked below.