UNIVERSITY OF ZAMBIA
SCHOOL OF NURSING SCIENCES
PROGRAME: MASTER OF SCIENCE IN CLINICAL NURSING
COURSE: LEADERSHIP, MANAGEMENT AND GOVERNANCE PRACTICE
COURSE CODE: NRS 5175
LECTURERS: DR. D. CHANDA, MS. P. SINKAMBA, MR. K. LYAMBAI
INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT: 1
NAME: DICKSON LUNGU
COMPUTERS NUMBER:
A leadership style is a leader's method of providing direction, implementing plans,
and motivating people. (Kotter 2001). Leaders are characterized as individuals who have differential
influence over the setting of goals, logistics for coordination, monitoring of effort, and rewards and
punishment of group members. This paper discusses the leadership styles that the author has
experienced at the 3 different facilities that he has worked. One of the key reasons why certain
leadership styles are blocked with positive outcomes for employees and organizations is the extent to
which they build follower trust in leaders. Trust in the leader has been linked to a range of leadership
styles and evidence suggests that when followers trust their leaders they are more willing and able to
go the extra mile to help their colleagues and organization. Trust also enables them to feel safe to
speak up and share their ideas. In contrast, when a leader does not inspire trust, a follower’s
performance may suffer as they must spend time and energy watching their backs.( Legwood 2021)
LEADERSHIP STYLES
AUTOCRATIC: Autocratic leadership is a management style wherein one person controls all the
decisions and takes very little inputs from other group members. Autocratic leaders make choices or
decisions based on their own beliefs and do not involve others for their suggestion or advice. ( Kotter
2001). An authoritarian leadership style is descried as being as "leaders behavior that asserts absolute
authority
and
control
over
subordinates
and
demands
unquestionable
obedience
from
subordinates.(Cheng B.S 2004) Such a leader has full control of the team, leaving low autonomy within
the group. The group is expected to complete the tasks under very close supervision, while unlimited
authority is self-bestowed by the leader. Subordinates' responses to the orders given are either punished
or rewarded. A way that those that have authoritarian leadership behaviors tend to lean more on
"...unilateral decision-making through the leader and strive to maintain the distance between the leader
and his or her followers. (Cheng 2004)
Advantages of automatic leadership style: Ensures faster decision making: an autocratic leadership style
is considered ideal in emergencies situation as the leader makes all decisions without taking into account
the opinion of staff. Moreover, mistakes are not tolerated within the blame put on individuals. Ensures
easy communication: Communication in the workplace is sharing information from one person to
another. As the leader clearly defines goals, expectations, and other information to employees, it helps
in simplifying and enhancing workplace communication. An autocratic leader often sends direct
information to the employees, ensuring accuracy in information. Disadvantages of autocratic leadership
style Results in mismanagement: An autocratic leader typically supervises small details of the work
their team members are performing, resulting in micromanagement. Lacks creativity: It can sometimes
be challenging for a single person to develop creative ideas, compared to people who work as a team.
Restricting ideas leads to predictable work patterns that don't foster a culture of creativity in the
workplace. Low satisfaction: Because of one-way communication and lack of recognition employees
do not get the answers to the questions they deserve. They are bound to follow whatever the leaders ask
them. ( Cheng B.S 2004)
DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP STYLE: The democratic leadership style, or participative
management, actively involves the people being led. Democratic leaders often seek feedback and input
from subordinates. They encourage conversation and participation in the decision-making process.
(Kotter 2001). Democratic leadership attempts to manage with democratic principles, such as selfdetermination, inclusiveness, equal participation and deliberation. The following three features
characterize democratic leadership: Distribution of responsibility - A manager that leads democratically
will distribute responsibility among his group to facilitate participation in decision making.
Empowering group members - Leaders must empower their members so that the members can
accomplish their responsibilities. Empowerment includes providing training and education necessary
for delegated task completion. Aiding group decision-making process - A major role of a democratic
leader is to ensure democratic deliberation in making group decisions. This means that a leader should
act as a facilitator and mediator between group members and ensure that a psychologically healthy and
respectful environment is maintained.(kotter 2001)
Advantages of democratic leadership style: Emphasizing a people-first culture: As we mentioned
earlier, a democratic management style can improve your culture of employee engagement,
commitment, and job satisfaction. Strengthening workplace relationships: This leadership style
also leads to deeper relationships. Specifically between the democratic leader and their team
members. Upskilling teams: Also, democratic leaders allow the team to think through problems
and decisions. This teaches their teams important skills. Like problem-solving and critical
thinking. Supporting employees to manage up: Over time, these team members are in a better
position to take on bigger responsibilities and operate more independently. Ultimately, developing
new leaders. (Kotter 2014)
LAISSEZ-FAIRE LEADERSHIP STYLE: The laissez-faire leadership style is where all the rights and
power to make decisions is fully given to the followers.(Kevin 2013). Laissez-faire leaders allow
followers to have complete freedom to make decisions concerning the completion of their work. It
allows followers a self-rule, while at the same time offering guidance and support when requested. The
laissez-faire leader using guided freedom provides the followers with all materials necessary to
accomplish their goals, but does not directly participate in decision making unless the followers request
their assistance. This is an effective style to use when: Followers are highly skilled, experienced, and
educated. Followers have pride in their work and the drive to do it successfully on their own. Followers
are experts, in situations where followers have more knowledge than the group leader. Followers are
trustworthy and experienced.( Kevin 2013)
TRANSFORMATIONAL
LEADERSHIP STYLE:
Transformational leadership is a
theory
of leadership where a leader works with teams or followers beyond their immediate self-interests to
identify needed change, creating a vision to guide the change through influence, inspiration, and
executing the change in tandem with committed members of a group; This change in self-interests
elevates the follower's levels of maturity and ideals, as well as their concerns for the achievement.(Bass
& Riggio, 2014) As transformational leaders work with their employees to implement effective change,
they rely on things like communication, charisma, adaptability and empathetic support.
Transformational leaders listen to employees’ concerns and needs so they can provide adequate support.
They operate from the understanding that what motivates one person may not motivate someone else.
As a result, they’re able to adapt their management styles to accommodate various individuals on their
team.Transformational leaders are able to articulate a unified vision that encourages team members to
exceed expectations. They understand that the most motivated employees are the ones who have a
strong sense of purpose. These leaders are not afraid to challenge employees. They remain optimistic
about future goals and are skilled at giving meaning to the tasks at hand. Transformational leaders model
ethical behavior. Their moral conduct earns a necessary level of respect and trust. This can help leaders
steer decision-making that works to improve the entire organization. (Bass & Riggio 2014)
SITUATIONAL LEADERSHIP STYLES: Situational Leadership means adapting your leadership style
to each unique situation or task to meet the needs of the team or team members. Directing: This
leadership style is mostly a one-way street with little input from the follower or employee. This should
be used when one needs detailed guidance on a specific task. Take them through, step-by-step, what
needs to get done, how it should be done, and when it needs to be completed.( Hersey & Blanchard
1985) Coaching: This leadership style is more effective when your followers need a lot of guidance but
are highly motivated. In other words, this is primarily for people who want and need to learn. The leader
might say, “Here’s what I’d like you to do. What do you think?” ( Hersey & Blanchard 1985)
Supporting: This is for followers with the skills to complete the task but who may lack the confidence
to do it on their own. This style features below-average amounts of direction. You might hear your
leader say, “Here’s the task. How do you think it should be done? Let’s talk about it. How can I help
you on this one?” ( Hersey & Blanchard 1985). Delegating: This leadership style is ideal for followers
and employees who score high in motivation, ability, and confidence. These types of people know what
to do, how to do it and can do it independently. For example, the leader might delegate an assignment
and say, “If I can help, just ask. If not, you’re on your own.” (Hersey & Blanchard 1985). Advantages
of situation leadership styles. Leaders are able to use whichever leadership style they believe is best in
a given situation.This type of leadership style is fairly simple, as all that is needed is the ability to assess
a situation and adjust to it. Situational leadership can create a more comfortable environment for
employees as the leadership style implemented will typically match their needs. This type of leadership
accounts for the various levels of development in employees and helps to address each employee's skill
level and needs. Disadvantages of Situational leadership could cause confusion within an organization,
as a situational leader may constantly change their approach to address each team or individual's needs.
Situational leadership tends to only focus on short term goals and as a result, may overlook long term
goals..(Hersey & Blanchard ,1969)
REFRENCES
Kotter, John P., 1947- (2001). What leaders really do. Harvard Business School Pub. Corp. ISBN 157851-382-0. OCLC 57299317
Legood, A., van der Werff, L., Lee, A., & Den Hartog, D. (2021). A meta-analysis of the role of trust in
the leadership-performance relationship. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology,
30(1), 1-22.
Chira, Robert (2016). International Logistics Management. p. 412. ISBN 978-1524632090
Cheng, B. S., Chou, L. F., Wu, T. Y., Huang, M. P., & Farh, J. L. (2004). Paternalistic leadership and
subordinate responses: Establishing a leadership model in Chinese organizations. Asian Journal of
Social Psychology, 7(1), 89–117.
Kevin Wren (2013). Social Influences. Routledge. p. 75. ISBN 978-1-134-66357-6.
Bass, B. M., & Riggio, R. E. (2014). Transformational leadership. Routledge.
Hersey, P. and Blanchard, K. H. (1969). Management of Organizational Behavior – Utilizing Human
Resources. New Jersey/Prentice Hall.