Leadership Categories

Leadership Categories:

In every individual, all kinds of leadership skills may be present but their relative concentrations vary.The implication for the top management is that organizational success depends on allocating tasks and responsibilities to individuals based on their talents and capabilities. The message for the individual is that one should identify where his/her predominant leadership skills lie and as far as possible try to seek tasks which are in tune with them. When there is little scope for choosing tasks in accordance with ones leadership endowments, developing skills required for the tasks at hand become imperative.

Leadership Styles

Based on “how” a leader performs his/her tasks, various leadership styles can be identified, viz.

(i) - Authoritarian

(ii) - democratic

(iii) - Laissez faire (free rein)

The basis for the above classification is two fold, viz.,

(i) - mode of decision making

(ii) - manner of implementation

(i) Autocratic leadership style : As the term suggests, this is a leader-centered style where followers are reduced to insignificance. The autocratic leadership style itself has two variations, viz., authoritarian and paternalistic.

(a) Authoritarian Leadership Style : The authoritarian leader takes all decisions by himself/herself and will try to implement them even resorting to the use of force or coercion. The authoritarian leader is only concerned about the “tasks” but not the “people” with whom the tasks have to be achieved. If his/her followers/subordinates approach him/her with a problem, they face in implementing the leaders decisions or carrying out his/her orders, the leader takes the stand, I am not bothered about your problems. You …………… expedite and report”.

(b) Paternalistic leadership style: Leaders who exhibit this style assume the parental role for

themselves. They also take all decisions like the authoritarian leaders, but when it comes to

implementation they resort to tact and diplomacy rather than force and coercion.

The paternalistic leader considers his followers as immature children incapable of making decision and needing about the task as well as the people. If subordinates approach a paternalistic leader with their problems, they can expect empathic understanding and consideration. The paternalistic leader may be expected to sit with the subordinates to sort out their problems and help them reach or identify solutions.

(ii) Democratic leadership style: The style of leadership which recognizes and respects every member of the group or team as an individual with capabilities, rights and responsibilities and a potential contributor to the group processes including task achievements, is called democratic leadership style. Where democratic leadership style is followed, decision making and implementation are consultative and participative processes. It should be appreciated that the situation is not akin to one, where say, in a group of w00, what 51 people suggest is accepted and the opinions and suggestions of the remaining 49 are rejected mercilessly. That at best be termed monocracy. Where democratic leadership style is practiced, one is free to express his/her opinions as everybody’s opinions and their right to express them is respected. A member gets an opportunity to understand why his/her suggestions are not accepted as the group’s decision, even when that is the case. The ultimate group decision is everybody’s. When one had a say in the making of a decision, a high level of commitment may be expected to be exhibited by the group members for its achievement.

(iii) Laissez faire or free rein leadership style: Whether one follows autocracy or democracy as a leadership style, the leader will be performing the basic functions of providing direction and control to the group. The autocratic and democratic leaders differ only in the manner in which they perform the direction and control functions. Apart from this, there are leaders who follow a policy of “no intervention” in group processes. Their style is called “Laissez faire” or “free rein”.

There are behavioural scientists who even object to considering this as “leadership” as the “leader” does not discharge the basic functions of direction and control. However, one may find many in leadership positions practicing this style.