Describe the advantages of a
democratic leadership style
1. Increased job satisfaction-When employees feel included in the organization, their job
satisfaction increase because they realize how useful they are to the group.
2. Increased innovation-Thanks to open discussion, creativity is encouraged. People share, discuss
new ideas and constantly challenge the existing procedures or products. This practice induces a
search for improvement and leads to more innovation.
3. Multiple opinions-When the decision-making process requires collaboration and multiple
opinions, the discussion covers more possible issues. The group can analyze more aspects of the
project they work on and make decisions that better answer the organization’s needs.
4. Relationships built on trust-When employees and management have equal decision-making
power and access to the same information, it increases the feeling of trust among them. Every
group member knows the motives behind their leader’s decision and doesn’t need to question
them. Trust improves motivation.
5. Higher productivity-Thanks to their involvement in the decision-making process, employees feel
more motivated and committed to their tasks. They are satisfied at work, waste less time
questioning their leaders because they trust them. All these elements lead to higher
productivity.
6. It increases team knowledge – Diverse opinions and ideas are important for the creative
process. Different people on any given team are experts at something. Giving each person a
chance to contribute their personal expertise to the conversation, it gives everyone an
opportunity to expand their knowledge base.
7. It works well when trying to solve a complex concern- Leaders know how to solve problems,
but they may not be able to solve all problems. The democratic leadership style empowers
leaders to work with their team, based on consensus, to create open lines of communication
that acknowledge the problems being faced. By allowing everyone to work on a solution using
their own education and experience, innovation is encouraged, making it possible to address
complex and critical concerns.
8. It is a leadership style that anyone can practice- Any leader in any industry has opportunities to
implement the democratic leadership style. Even leaders who don’t use this style naturally can
begin to use its techniques to shift their perspectives over time. Team members tend to prefer
this leadership style because it makes them feel like they are a valued member of the
organization.
9. It encourages honesty within the workplace- The democratic leadership style does not work
unless the leader using it is honest. Leaders must be able to communicate the situation
accurately to ensure the decisions and feedback being generated are based on real information.
Even when leaders have the final say, the honesty required for this style forces each leader to
share their ideas on an equal level for discussion.
10. It encourages stronger commitment levels- When workers feel like their contributions are
taken seriously and are important, then stronger commitment levels appear because there is
more ownership to the task that is required.