LEADERSHIP THEORIES AND STYLES

What is Leadership?

Leadership has been described as the process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task

From Mahatma Gandhi to Adolf Hitler to Barack Obama ,there are as many leadership styles as there are leaders..

LEADERSHIP STYLES

Leadership style is a manner and approach of providing direction ,implementing plans and motivating people. Leadership style in traditional leadership theory is how you relate to your subordinates.

Leadership stylesThe leadership style we will discuss are:

AUTOCRATIC STYLE BUREAUCRATIC STYLE DEMOCRATIC STYLE

LAISSEZ FAIRE STYLE

AUTHORITARIAN (AUTOCRATIC) This style is used when leaders tell their employees what they want done and how they want it accomplished, without getting the advice of their followers. The motivation environment is produced by creating a structured set of rewards and I want both of you to. . . punishments.

When is the Autocratic Leadership Style Effective?1. Short term projects with a highly technical, complex or risky element. Work environments where spans of control are wide and hence the manager has little time to devote to each employee. Industries where employees need to perform low-skilled, monotonous and repetitive tasks and generally have low levels of motivation. Projects where the work performed needs to be completed to exact specifications and/or with a tight deadline. Companies that suffer from a high employee turnover, i.e. where time and resources devoted to leadership development would be largely wasted. Although one could argue that a lack of leadership development in the first place caused the high turnover.

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Autocratic leaders

Bureaucratic Manages by the book Everything done according to procedure or policy

If not covered by the book, referred to the next level above A police officer not a leader Enforces the rules

Most effective When: Staff performing routine tasks over and over Staff need to understand certain standards or procedures Safety or security training conducted Staff performing tasks that require handling cash

Ineffective When: Work habits form that are hard to break, especially if they are no longer useful Staff lose their interest in their jobs and in their co-workers Staff do only what is expected of them and no more

DEMOCRATIC STYLE (PARTICIPATIVE STYLE) Encourages decision making from different perspectives. Consultative.

Persuasive.Let's work together to solve this. .

When Is The Democratic Leadership Style Effective? Democratic leadership is applied to an extent in the manufacturing industry, to allow employees to give their ideas on how processes can become leaner and more efficient. Democratic leadership is effective in professionals organizations where the emphasis is clearly on training, professional & leadership development and quality of work performed.

Non profit organizations also tremendously benefit from drawing upon the creative energies of all their staff to bring about cost cutting techniques or fund raising ideas. As previously mentioned, creative industries such as advertising and television enjoy a lot of benefits from the free flow of ideas that democratic leadership brings.

Indra Nooyi Leadership is hard to define and good leadership even harder. But if you can get people to follow you to the ends of the earth, you are a great leader. As a leader, I am tough on myself and I raise the standard for everybody; however, I am very caring because I want people to excel at what they are doing so that they can aspire to be me in the future." Indra Nooyi in an interview to CNBC

Narayana Murthy and Infosys Narayana Murthy turned a small software development venture that he had set up with his friends in 1981, into one of the leading companies of the country. Infosys grew rapidly throughout the 1990s. He distributed the companys profits among the employees through a stock option program and adopted the best corporate governance practice.

LAISSEZ-FAIRE Let it be the leadership responsibilities are shared by all.

Relies on good team work. Relies on good interpersonal relations.You two take care of the problem while I go. .

This is an effective style to use when: Employees are highly skilled, experienced, and educated. Employees have pride in their work and the drive to do it successfully on their own. Outside experts, such as staff specialists or consultants are being used Employees are trustworthy and experienced.

OTHER LEADERSHIP STYLES Transformational Leadership Transactional Leadership Paternalistic leadership

Situational leadership

ConclusionThree factors that influence which leadership style to use. The managers personal background: What personality, knowledge, values, ethics, and experiences does the manager have. What does he or she think will work? Staff being supervised: Staff individuals with different personalities and backgrounds; The leadership style used will vary depending upon the individual staff and what he or she will respond best to The organization: The traditions, values, philosophy, and concerns of the organization influence how a manager acts