Leadership Styles
Autocratic, Democratic & Laissez-Faire
BY Mark Avery & Fuzzy
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Autocratic Leadership Style
Autocratic leadership Is a leadership style in which decisions that effect the business are
made without consulting employees and their opinions. It is based on the principle that
there is only “one” best way of doing things.
Common Features
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Staff perform simple repetitive tasks
Single skilling
Task specialisation
Division of labour
Democratic Leadership Style
• A democratic leadership style is a leadership style in which employees have
a say and input into decisions that effect the business. It allows workers a
high degree of participation in the decision making process as well as open
communication channels between workers and management.
• Common Features
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Leaders encouraging employee participation in decision making
Expertise and information shared between management and employees
Laissez-Faire Leadership Style
• French for “let it be”. Laissez-Faire is when leaders delegate the employees
the authority to make decisions without necessarily consulting the manager.
• This leadership style is prominent in research based organisations.
• Common Features
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Employees making their own judgments and determine what needs to be done and
how to do it.
Entire workforce sharing organisation’s mission to move towards a common goal
Adaptive Leadership Style
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Adaptive leadership style is a leadership style that can switch between the previous three
depending on the situation.
Some examples include:
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Using autocratic style on a new employee who is just learning the job.
Using a democratic style with a team of workers who know their job
Using laissez-faire style with a worker who knows more about the job than you
Using all three: telling employees that a procedure is not working correctly and a new one must be
established (autocratic). Asking for their ideas and input on creating a new procedure (democratic).
Delegating tasks in order to implement the new procedure (laissez-faire).
Forces That Influence Leadership Style
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How much time is available
Relationships based on respect and trust or distrust
Who has the information
How well employees are trained
Internal conflicts
Stress levels
Type of task