Leadership styles

Authoritarian

• Make power and decisions over subordinates
• power with manager
• communication is top down
• formal systems of command and control
• rewards and penalties used
• little delegation
• Theory x style
• used for unskilled workers, ideas not valued

Paternalistic

• leader decides whats best for employees
• parent/child relationship
• "father" figure
• little delegation
• softer form of authoritarian leadership
• explains why certain decisions were made

Democratic

• power with group as a whole
• functions are shared
• greater involvement with decisions - slow it down
• emphasis on delegation and consultation
• most popular form
• trade off between speed of decision making and motivation
• most effective with skilled,free thinking employees

Laissez-faire

• leave alone, independent
• little input from leader in decision making
• manager/employees have freedom to do what is best
• conscious to delegate power
• result in poor role?
• effective when staff are willing to take responsibility

Mcgregor's management theory

• Theory X
• Individuals who don't like work and avoid when possible
• lack ambition, hate responsibility
• prefer to be led
• desire security
• management: achieve organisational objective, business would need to improve management
• Theory Y
• enjoy work, seek satisfaction
• take responsibility, organise
• poor performance is down to poor work/management
• Share contributions

Influences

• - Nature of task
• - Personality of leader/ manager
• - Organisational culture
• - Skills of labour force
• - Time frame of decision