Understanding the 5 Leadership Styles in Management
Leadership is at the heart of management in every business. Businesses are changing rapidly and to keep up with the rising trends, managers need to adapt to different types of leadership styles in management.
If you’ve ever been in a position where your responsibility was to guide, train or co-ordinate people to work, you’ve inadvertently engaged in a leadership style. As much as this can greatly be affected by your personality, how you approach and adopt the various leadership styles is what counts.
Managers can draw upon different styles of leadership in management to make the most out of their teams. However, do you know how to develop these leadership competencies? How do you know when to use a particular style? And what are the leadership styles you should avoid?
In this guide, we’ll explore the 5 styles of leadership in management that every manager must use to take their business to unprecedented heights!
1. Democratic
Popularly known as participative leadership, this is one of the most sought-after leadership styles. In democratic leadership, a leader/manager encourages employees to pitch in ideas during decision-making, working closely to find a middle ground.
While the final call is made by the manager, the inputs and suggestions given by employees can prove to be invaluable. Among the different styles of leadership in management, this one focuses on seeing a particular issue or situation from multiple perspectives.
Employees take part in the decision-making process and feel empowered, which in turn, fosters a healthy and positive work culture.
2. Authoritarian
As the name suggests, the authoritarian style is the most commonly followed leadership style. The boss has absolute power and control over the working of an organisation and employees are usually not asked for any opinions or suggestions.
Team members are expected to comply with all the decisions and abide by all the orders, rules and regulations set by the leader. Although it might seem like an oppressive leadership style, there are scenarios where this style is preferred over more democratic leadership styles.
Authoritative leaders tend to spend more time learning about each team member’s unique assets than other leadership types. This makes them adept at team-building and allows them to manage weak spots among the cumulative team skills.
3. Transformational
Among all the styles of leadership in management, transformational leadership is perhaps the most focused on a leader’s personality. When performed in its truest form, this type of leadership can enhance the role of a leader which further improves team morale, motivation and performance.
Instead of using micromanaging techniques, a transformational leader entails a charismatic personality which allows them to foster a sense of autonomy and ownership. Managers who adopt this style of leadership strive to inspire employees to achieve more by tapping into their potential.
Good transformational leaders are problem-solvers and decision-makers who can make or break any organisation.
4. Laissez-Faire
Laissez-faire is a French term that translates to “To let people do as they choose.” Unlike other styles of leadership in management, the laissez-faire policy lies in giving full autonomy to the employees, making it almost a leaderless leadership style.
Every opinion, suggestion, drawback or input, regardless of job position or performance is taken into consideration equally. However, the major drawback with this hands-off leadership style is that you and your employees can lose sight of where you’re going as a company. Too much autonomy and freedom can sometimes cause more harm than good, making this leadership style less reliable.
5. Transactional
Under this leadership style, employees are self-motivated as they’re given a pre-structured environment to work in. Among the various styles of leadership in management, this one is based on using clear rewards and the policy of punishment to drive employee performance.
Transactional leaders make use of various tools such as HR analytics, data collection, and key performance indicators to gauge the abilities of their employees. Essentially, this style of leadership involves a "give and take" philosophy between the employee and the manager, which means the harder your employees work, the more likely they are to receive bonuses and rewards.
Choose Elston HR to Transform Management for Your Business
Revolutionising your business to suit the demands of modern-day trends and challenges can be overwhelming. Having a professional by your side can provide you with support that allows you to transform your business's management and take it to the next level. However, the choice you make determines whether your brand will make or break success. That’s where we come in!
By booking our HR courses and leadership programmes, you can get informative insights into the different styles of leadership in management. Through targeted training, coaching and development, we at Elston HR specialise in helping businesses leverage their human resource.
Beyond leadership management, we also offer services and courses revolving around time management, employee relations, e-learning, and employee well-being!
To further get insights into our leadership processes and programmes, explore our services today!