Autocratic Leadership
Autocratic Leadership of Mathies Airman Leadership School (MALS)
Performance Gap Analysis Paper
Danny R. Taylor, SSgt, USAF
A Paper Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of
LEAD 500 Leadership Styles and Theories
Southwestern College
June 21, 2009
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ABSTRACT
In every organization there are leaders and there are followers. Some leaders are very
effective in their pursuit of achieving organizational goals and some are not; but why is that?
The answer to the question is simple; every leader has a choice in their leadership style and
approach. Some leaders are born with good leadership intuition while others learn it along the
way. In any case, it is possible to learn and apply the wrong leadership approach to a work
center causing sub-standard results. This report will examine the autocratic leadership approach
present in the Mathies Airman Leadership School and the disruption it causes between the leader
(commandant) and the followers (instructors). Also covered will be improvement
recommendations to remedy this issue and return free-flowing ideas and positive communication
between all levels the MALS work center. The recommendations include alignment with current
Air Force guidelines and procedures along with remedial training for the commandant to ensure
understanding of leadership principles.
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INTRODUCTION
Leadership is taught in different levels as personnel progress through the Air Force (AF).
The first level of that leadership path for any enlisted AF member is Airman Leadership School
(ALS). While in ALS, students are provided with the basic tools necessary to conduct
themselves as professional supervisors and leaders. They learn about the Nation’s National
Security Strategy, Military Doctrine and AF Doctrine. They develop a heightened sense of
awareness to current threats, cultural differences and possible personal issues from lessons like
Foreign Terrorism, Global Diversity, Stress Management, Substance Abuse, Expeditionary
Airmen and many others equaling 192 hours in total. Throughout all of the AF, spread all
around the world, this instruction takes place in 72 locations; the Mathies Airmen Leadership
School is rated in the top ten for size in all of the Air Force.
Mathies Airman Leadership School sits nestled in the middle of Royal Air Force (RAF)
Feltwell, England. The $3.5M educational complex is housed in two historic 1930’s era,
remodeled buildings. The main building consists of four educational classrooms, a learning
resource center, student lounge, DV lounge, cadre offices and break area and a state-of-the-art
auditorium built to accommodate 82 personnel. The secondary building is reserved as a
recreational area for the students; it provides them a place to eat lunch, study or just relax on a
break. Mathies ALS is the only school of its kind on the entire island servicing more than 100
organizations and units.
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To become a member of staff in the school, prerequisites must first be met. Applicants
must be a Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) between the ranks of Staff Sergeant and Technical
Sergeant, which means they must have already completed ALS themselves. Also, they must
have, or be within 12-months of having, a Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) degree.
If they do not have the degree they are accepted on academic probation with the understanding
that if the degree is not complete within the 12 months allotted, the applicant can be returned to
their career field. All of the above information is submitted to the institution along with copies
of a clear medical profile, performance reports, physical training exam results, letters of
recommendation from Commanders and Chiefs and a letter of intent from the applicant
themselves.
Once the package is received it is reviewed by the ALS Commandant and cadre.
Packages that meet all of the criteria above make the first cut in the selection process. From
there the packages are re-checked for performance report content; items that make the
individuals stick out from the rest; statements like the applicant is a self-starter, highly motivated
and can work well by self-guidance. Individuals like this are needed because as a flight
instructor, they have to be able to control their own flights. Being an ALS instructor is very
much a job where direction is not really needed unless someone asks for it. It’s these qualities
which lead to the purpose of this report: to show the effects of autocratic leadership being placed
on the highly motivated instructors of Mathies Airmen Leadership School and the disruption it
causes.
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Another reason the autocratic style of leadership is bad in AF work centers is that it does
not line up with the Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century (AFSO21) improvement
initiative used to systematically eradicate waste, unevenness and variability, overburden and
inflexibility (USAF, 2005). In keeping with the AFSO21 program work center supervisors,
including the MALS Commandant, should use the Three Elements of Transformation (operating
system, management infrastructure and mindsets and capabilities: see diagram in Appendix A)
to maximize the use of the AFSO21 program in their respective work centers. Applying the
Three Elements of Transformation requires the leaders to use a more democratic leadership style
and not as much of an authoritarian/autocratic style (USAF, 2005). Employment of these
principles by the commandant will maximize the communication and effectiveness of the
instructor staff.
THE LEADERSHIP OF MATHIES AIRMAN LEADERHSIP SCHOOL
The Commandant
In the MALS organization the leader is called the Commandant. The individual in this
position has competed in the same selection process and has received the same training as the
rest of the staff. Commandants are qualified to teach, but rarely ever do because of their
clerical/leadership duties. Their lack of experience in front of students causes a breakdown
between what the commandant does and what will work in the classroom. Due to the
commandants’ position they want to make decisions and place guidance and direction for the
school. Usually this guidance and decision is totally based on what the commandant wants; not
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so much on what the general consensus is amongst the staff. There are instances where the
commandant will ask the opinion of the cadre before implementing a new guidance only to
totally disregard their thoughts and opinions to go with his own plan. No one knows why the
commandant likes using the autocratic form of leadership when the entire teaching staff is
compiled of highly motivated individuals who competed for their position.
By not involving the staff in decisions when the opportunity is there to do so hinders the
communication in the work center and causes the staff to withdraw. In performing this way the
commandant is ignoring the third element of transformation as described by AFSO21; mindsets
and capabilities (USAF, 2005). The commandant should be creating an environment which
makes the instructors feel comfortable and causes both individual and collective acceptance
(USAF, 2005). This information leads to a further investigation as to why the
authoritarian/autocratic style of leadership is not appropriate for use in the MALS organization.
Why Not Autocratic Leadership?
Research for this report turned up many instances where the autocratic style of leadership
proved to be successful. In one such study, M. E. Shaw noted while working with
communication networks on problem solving issues, the group with the autocratic leader took
less time to solve an issue (Pierce & Newstrom, 2008). Another study showed that workers
spent 24% more time working on actual job production under the autocratic leadership than those
working under the democratic style of leadership (Pierce & Newstrom, 2008). There are also a
few instances where the autocratic style of leadership is perfectly suited.
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One of the more prominent uses for the autocratic style of leadership occurs during an
emergency situation (McCrimmon, 2007). Another is in a situation where only the leader can
make the final decision concerning a work center issue (McCrimmon, 2007). In the emergency
situation, it’s easier for one person to be in control to maintain accountability for all personnel
involved. Also, having only one overall leader eliminates any confusion about where orders are
coming from. In the second instance, a leader may have new followers that are not yet familiar
enough with the work center to make decisions; so the best alternative is for the leader to make
all of the decisions for the work place.
A more negative perspective of the authoritarian leadership style can be seen from a
study performed by Kurt Lewin and Ronald Lippitt. While monitoring the affects of democratic,
authoritarian and laissez-faire styles of leadership they found the authoritarian style of leadership
brought rigidity, hindered creativity and dysfunctional decision making into the group in which it
was introduced (SBC, 2009). Lewin and Lippitt also found that the group with the autocratic
style showed greater amounts of discontent, hostility scapegoating, and aggression than that in
the group with the democratic style (SBC, 2009).
Results as the ones above show there is a time and place for the autocratic style of
leadership; there is just not a place for the autocratic style in the Mathies organization. In order
to be used effectively the leader should correctly determine that his or her work center actually
needs this type of leadership. The Air Force has adapted its own form of the Situational
Leadership Model (Appendix B) that was developed by Paul Hersey and Kenneth Blanchard
(Pierce & Newstrom, 2008).
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The adapted model incorporates the leader’s ability to read the follower and apply the
right style of leadership necessary to effectively accomplish the mission. The main difference in
the Air Forces product and that of Hersey and Blanchard are the adapted model along with
established leadership principles proves the autocratic leadership style should be used very
sparingly in today’s Air Force.
By the Mathies Commandant applying the autocratic style to our organization, he has
unsuccessfully determined the involvement stages of every staff member (Appendix B). This
mistake could be reversed if the commandant were to take the following recommendations in
consideration. Using these recommendations could help the commandant to see the error of his
ways and reevaluate the involvement stage of his work center to begin applying the correct
leadership approach. This is also reinforced by the closing remarks contained in the research.
The overall survey investigation for the above cases leads to the conclusion that democratic
leadership leads to higher production than that of autocratic leadership (Pierce & Newstrom,
2008).
There are ways to repair the damage done by this miss-match of leadership upon the
instructors of the Mathies Airman Leadership School. If the commandant is open to the
recommendations that follow, the work center could become more efficient in its mission.
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RECOMMENDATIONS
There are three recommendations for a solution and they are as follows: The first
recommendation requires the Commandant of MALS to grasp the concepts of the Air Force
Smart Operations for the 21st Century (AFSO21) (USAF, 2008b). The concepts outlined in the
AFSO21 Concepts and Playbook and the Air Forces Contemporary Leadership Model
(Appendix B) requires leaders to use a leadership approach that will entice all of the work center
staff to participate in open communication. Open communication allows for flowing ideas,
creativity, teamwork and builds over-all team cohesiveness.
The second recommendation is for the Commandant to attend a class provided by the
bases Professional Development Center (PDC). The PDC offers multiple classes to enhance all
the skills necessary to be an effective supervisor, to include a class on Leadership Styles
(Montgomery, 2009). By taking this class, the commandant could hear about other choices of
leadership and maybe even catch the negative side of the autocratic style currently in place. As
Air Force leaders are taught, often a mistake is made just because someone does not realize what
they are doing is having a negative effect. It’s possible the discussion in a PDC could open the
eyes of the commandant.
The third recommendation for the commandant is to develop more of a democratic style
of leadership. This recommendation is related to the second because during the PDC lessons, the
democratic style of leadership is discussed in-depth. Also, the democratic style of leadership is
known to bring more creativeness, team work and overall productivity to the work center (Pierce
& Newstrom, 2008).
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CONCLUSION
This report examined the fall-out incurred by the Commandant of Mathies Airmen
Leadership School unnecessarily applying the autocratic style of leadership to the work center.
The report opened with a synopsis of the situation and the environment surrounding MALS.
Moving on, research provided some insightful information concerning both the positives
and negatives associated with applying the authoritarian/autocratic style of leadership. Backing
up the negative effects of the autocratic style were studies performed by psychologist like Lewin
and Lippitt which provided concrete evidence that the autocratic style inhibited group
productivity. Not all the information collected pointed to a negative outcome, in fact there are
instances where the autocratic leadership style is very effective; unfortunately, the MALS
organization does not meet any of the criteria for effective use, thereby making it a poor choice
of leadership style.
Not counting the fact autocratic leadership has been shown to have a negative effect in
most of the studies conducted; this report has also show it does not line up with established Air
Force policy. In order for an Air Force supervisor to effectively incorporate AFSO21 into their
work centers, the leadership applied should match the subordinate’s involvement stage; not
merely sticking to the leaders way of doing business.
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While wrapping up, the report mentions a few recommendations for the correction of the
over-use of an autocratic leadership style being used in MALS. The first recommendation
requires the commandant to utilize the AFSO21 concepts and playbook, tailoring leadership style
to elicit the most productivity from the instructor staff. The second recommendation requires the
commandant to take advantage of Professional Development Classes (PDC) offered on base at
no charge. The third and final recommendation is for the commandant to adopt a more
democratic style of leadership and apply while carrying out his daily duties. By doing so, he
would be embracing all of the possibilities brought by the style, but he would also be in
accordance with Air Force regulation.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
McCrimmon, M. (2007, August 6). What is autocratic leadership? Retrieved June 15, 2009, from
Business Management Suit101 Web site:
http://businessmanagement.suite101.com/article.cfm/what_is_autocratic_leadership
Montgomery, M. SMSgt (2009). Air Force Knowledge Now. Retrieved June 17, 2009, from
RAF Lakenheath's Liberty Wing PDC/FTAC Web site:
https://afkm.wpafb.af.mil/ASPs/CoP/OpenCoP.asp?Filter=OO-OT-FE-16
Pierce, J. L., & Newstrom, J. W. (2008). Leaders & the leadership process. New York:
McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
Sweet Briar College (SBC), (2009). Psycology.SBC.edu. Retrieved June 15, 2009, from Kurt
Lewin Web site: http://www.psychology.sbc.edu/Kurt%20Lewin.htm
United States Air Force (USAF), (2005). AFSO21 Concepts and Playbook. Retrieved April 19,
2009, from http://www.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-070205-088.pdf
United States Air Force (USAF). (2008a). CML: An Approach To Leadership [Brochure].
Montgomery, Alabama: College for Enlisted Professional Military Education.
United States Air Force (USAF). (2008b). Problem Solving [Brochure]. Montgomery, AL:
College for Enlisted Professional Military Education.
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APPENDIX
Appendix A: Three Elements of Transformation
3 Elements of Transformation
Operating
System
Mindsets and
Capabilities
Management
Infrastructure
Operating System: The physical tools and techniques to create value and minimize losses
Management Infrastructure: The formal structures, processes, and systems through which the
operating system is managed to deliver war-fighting capability
Mindsets and Capabilities: The way people think, feel and conduct themselves in the
workplace, both individually and collectively
(Information sourced from USAF, 2005 AFSO21 Concepts and Playbook)
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Appendix B: Contemporary Military Leadership Model
LEADER
COMMANDING
PROVIDING
ENGAGING
EMPOWERING
Highly directive, mostly
one-way
communication; used
to increase capability
and inclination
Provide training,
encouragement,
equipment; leader
explains why tasks are
done a certain way
Clarify expectations,
reinforce standards,
counsel, motivate by
encouragement or
administrative action
Little telling, guiding, or
directing; Continue to
observe and monitor
Supervisor still
responsible for I4
INCAPABLE AND
DISINCLINED
INCAPABLE BUT
INCLINED
CAPABLE BUT
DISINCLINED
CAPABLE AND
INCLINED
I1
I2
I3
I4
a
n
d
FOLLOWER
Other Contributing Factors
Task Circumstances: What needs to be done? Are there any time constraints? Will safety be an
issue?
Subordinate Effectiveness Attributes: Aptitude + Conditioning = Capability and
Attitude/Confidence/Willingness drives Inclination
Subordinate Involvement Stage: I1, I2, I3, I4
Subordinate Needs: Information, Education, Training, Counseling, Corrective Action,
Recognition
Circumstantial Variables: Lack of equipment, Lack of time, High operations tempo
(Information sourced from USAF, 2008a CML: Approach to Leadership)