Leadership styles Flashcards
Advantages of autocratic
It ensures the leader has complete control of the operations.
It speeds up the business decision-making process.
It provides workers with a clear sense of direction and clarity over their roles, as they understand exactly what is expected.
It is appropriate and effective when critical and urgent decisions need to be made.
Disadvantages of autocratic
Creativity and innovation are suppressed and discouraged as employees are not involved in the decision-making process.
Similarly, it does not develop internal talents of the workforce.
It can demotivate employees as their opinions are not valued.
It does nothing to build an intrapreneurial spirit in the workplace (building an organizational culture of future leaders within the organization).
Ultimately, these disadvantages can result in a higher labour turnover rate, which is costly to any organization.
Advantages of paternalistic
It can motivate staff as they feel guided and that their interests are protected
It can ensure harmonious relationships at work as the leader genuinely values the staff
It promotes loyalty to the leader and the organization
It can create a sense of belonging, helping to meet workers’ safety and social needs (Maslow’s hierarchy of needs)
Overall, these advantages are good for staff morale, motivation and productivity and hence beneficial to the organization (such as lower staff turnover and higher profitability).
Disadvantages of paternalistic
Decision-making is still centralized, so workers can become dissatisfied if their views are ignored
Communication is mainly top-down, from senior management
Paternalistic leaders may not always make the best decisions, which can lead to conflict and disagreement.
Advantages of democratic
Workers feel valued as they are actively encouraged to participate in the decision-making process.
Workers feel motivated as they are empowered.
The most is made out of the skills, experiences and creativity of the employees.
Collaboration leads to higher morale and improved productivity.
The organization takes advantage of the innovative potential of its employees.
Getting regular feedback and consulting employees also helps the organization to better understand their concerns.
These advantages benefit the organization from higher levels of motivation and staff loyalty.
Disadvantages of democratic
It may result in disagreement and disharmony; it is not realistic to please everyone, all of the time.
It is ineffective when critical decisions need to be made quickly, and sometimes workers just need to do what they are told to get their jobs done.
It can be time consuming, especially if managers do not have the time to consult everyone, so decision-making is often delayed.
Hence, democratic decision-making can be costly.
These disadvantages can cause negative impacts on the daily operations of the organization.
Advantages of Laissez Faire
A laissez-faire leadership style can be motivational as employees have freedom to carry out tasks in any effective way they wish.
It also encourages individuals to be creative, and thus helps the firm become more innovative.
It helps to develop an intrapreneurial culture (where workers take on an entrepreneurial role) in the organization, helping the business to gain competitive advantages.
It helps to build drive (Pink’s motivation theory) amongst employees because the l\der is places implicit trust in the workforce by giving them autonomy in decision-making.
Overall, the positive impacts of laissez-faire leadership help to achieve greater productivity, staff morale, lower labour turnover and higher profitability.
Disadvantages of Laissez Faire
Monitoring and coordination of business operations are made more difficult and time-consuming, especially as there is an absence of managerial control.
Slack (complacency) can arise due to a very minimal level of supervision involved.
It does not suit all workers as they may want or prefer clear guidance and direction; having a large amount of freedom to make decisions can worry some workers.
Advantages of situational
It recognises that effective leaders have to be adaptive, rather than rigid in their leadership style
Situational leadership is possibly the most practical of leadership styles as it applies to almost all business organizations
The dynamic nature of the external business environment means that leaders have to adjust their style to suit different situations and changes in the market.
Disadvantages of situational
If workers become used to a particular leadership style, they may become disheartened and unsettled if the leader or manager needs changes their style
Most people have a preferred or natural leadership style, so changing or adopting a different style can be difficult and uncharacteristic for them.
