LEADERSHIP STYLES
CHOOSING A
LEADERSHIP
STYLE
1.
2.
3.
4.
The skills and experience of the workforce.
The time available to make a decision.
The personality of the manager.
The task to be completed
• Leadership is an important role of a
successful manager. Employees will want
to follow and help a popular leader
achieve business goals.
• There are three main styles of leadership.
Leadership styles
1. Autocratic Leadership
• An autocratic leader will make all of the
decisions without any discussion with
others.
• Instructions are passed down to the
employees and the leader will check to
make sure the tasks have been
completed.
• It is likely that motivation will be low and
close supervision will be required.
• This style makes for faster decision
making.
2. Democratic Leadership
• Is the opposite of an autocratic leader.
• A democratic leader will discuss with employees before taking any decision.
• This improves the quality of making decisions, especially with employees who
have years of experience in the workplace.
• Communication is two-way: employees can start discussions and also provide
feedback with their leaders.
• A democratic leader is more likely to delegate authority and employees are
likely to complete tasks without supervision.
• This type of leadership is suitable where staff are already skilled and
experienced, hence can be involved in decision making.
Laissez-faire
Leadership
• Laissez-faire means ‘let them do it’.
• It is a style of leadership which allows
employees to make decisions and
carry out tasks with very little or no
input from the leader.
• The leader will provide support and
coordination for the team members.
• This leadership style could be effective
for employees involved in creative
tasks, for example those working in
research and development of new
products, or designing a new
advertisement.