Leadership styles

Autocaratic style :
An autocarat is the one who takes all decisions by himself and expects to be obeyed by this subordinates. The subordinates have no scope to question the superior. Certain points to be noted in this respect The superior makes the decision. The superior does not consult the subordinats in decision making. The superior is responsible for the decision. The relatins beteeen superior and subordinates are formal.

This style is suitable when Quick decisions are to be made . Subordinates are inexperienced and it does not make any sense to consult them Subordinates are not affected by the decision. Autocratic leadership is an extreme form of transactional leadership, where leaders have complete power over their people. Staff and team members have little opportunity to make suggestions, even if these would be in the team's or the organization's best interest. The benefit of autocratic leadership is that it's incredibly efficient. Decisions are made quickly, and work gets done. The downside is that most people resent being treated this way. Therefore, autocratic leadership often leads to high levels of absenteeism and high staff turnover. However, the style can be effective for some routine and unskilled jobs: in these situations, the advantages of control may outweigh the disadvantages. Autocratic leadership is often best used in crises, when decisions must be made quickly and without dissent. For instance, the military often uses an autocratic leadership style; top commanders are responsible for quickly making complex decisions, which allows troops to focus their attention and energy on performing their allotted tasks and missions.

Bureaucratic atyle :
This type of leadership style is more followed in government departments. The bureaucrats often follow rules and regulation in totalty. They do not use their discretion ,even to do away with mere formlites. They strictly follow the scalar chain principle even in the case of urgency. The following ponts to be noted . The bureaucrat takes the decision by strictly folloeing formlites, or rules and regulations. The subordinates are often not consulted. The bureaucrat may avoid responsblity . The relations beteen superior and subordinates are formal. The style results in delay and red tapism, and unwanted paper work.

Bureaucratic leaders work "by the book." They follow rules rigorously, and ensure that their people follow procedures precisely. This is an appropriate leadership style for work involving serious safety risks (such as working with machinery, with toxic substances, or at dangerous heights) or where large sums of money are involved. Bureaucratic leadership is also useful in organizations where employees do routine tasks (as in manufacturing). The downside of this leadership style is that it's ineffective in teams and organizations that rely on flexibility, creativity, or innovation. Much of the time, bureaucratic leaders achieve their position because of their ability to conform to and uphold rules, not because of their qualifications or expertise. This can cause resentment when team members don't value their expertise or advice.

Consultative style :

In this type, the leader consults his subordinate before taking a deciosn. The leader feels that it is always advisable to consult the subordinates this type of leader is more open minded and would welcome suggestions from the subordinates before making a deciosin. The following points to be noted: The superior consults the subordinates before making a decision. The subordinates may give thir suggestions or comments, which the superior may or may not accept. The superior makes the decision The superior is responsible for the decision The relations betewwn superior and subordinates are informal. This type of style is suitable when. There is no urgency of the decision which allows the leader to consult subordinates The suggestions and comments of the subordinates are vital in making a decision. The subordinates are experienced and matured and can provide auggestion and comments. A consultative leadership style can resemble transformational leadership because these leaders inspire enthusiasm in their teams and are energetic in motivating others to move forward. This excitement and commitment from teams is an enormous benefit. The downside to consultative c leaders is that they can believe more in themselves than in their teams. This can create the risk that a project or even an entire organization might collapse if the leader leaves. A consultative c leader might believe that she can do no wrong, even when others are warning her about the path she's on; this feeling of invincibility can ruin a team or an organization. Also, in the followers' eyes, success is directly connected to the presence of the consultative c leader. As such, consultative c leadership carries great responsibility, and it needs a long-term commitment .

Participative style :

The leader not lonely consultys te subordinates but allows them to take part in decision making. The following ponts are to be noted The superior consults his subordinates before making a decision The leader a long with group take part in decision making Both the leader and the group share the responsibility for making the decision The relations are informal. This type of style is suitable when Group decision making is required. There is an immediate possibility of opposition fron a group of followes. Ther are experienced and matured followes .

Participative leaders make the final decisions, but they include team members in the decision-making process. They encourage creativity, and team members are often highly engaged in projects and decisions. There are many benefits of participative leadership. Team members tend to have high job satisfaction and are productive because they're more involved in decisions. This style also helps develop people's skills. Team members feel in control of their destiny, so they're motivated to work hard by more than just a financial reward. Because participation takes time, this approach can slow decision-making, but the result is often good. The approach can be most suitable when working as a team is essential, and when quality is more important than efficiency or productivity. The downside of participative leadership is that it can often hinder situations where speed or efficiency is essential. For instance, during a crisis, a team can waste valuable time gathering people's input. Another downside is that some team members might not have the knowledge or expertise to provide high quality input.

Laissez-faire style :
In this style, the leader shares the problem with the group. He acts more as a chirperson in generating and evaluating alternatives in search of group consenseus. He is prepared to do what the group wants to do . the folloeng points are to be noted

The superior allows the subordinates to take decision. The superior acts more as a guide in arriving at decision . The superior and the subordinates share the responsibility. The relations are very informal.

This French phrase means "leave it be," and it describes leaders who allow their people to work on their own. This type of leadership can also occur naturally, when managers don't have sufficient control over their work and their people. Laissez-faire leaders may give their teams complete freedom to do their work and set their own deadlines. They provide team support with resources and advice, if needed, but otherwise don't get involved. This leadership style can be effective if the leader monitors performance and gives feedback to team members regularly. It is most likely to be effective when individual team members are experienced, skilled, self-starters. The main benefit of laissez-faire leadership is that giving team members so much autonomy can lead to high job satisfaction and increased productivity. The downside is that it can be damaging if team members don't manage their time well or if they don't have the knowledge, skills, or motivation to do their work effectively.

Paternalistic style :
This style aims at creating a family atmosphere with the organization the leader is respected and treated as a father figure by the subordinates the folloeng points to be noted

This style is mostly followed in Japanese ofrganisations. The leader considers himself as a parent figure. The leader may consult his subordinates. Mostly the leader takes the decision. The leader is responsible for decision making The relations are very homely.

This type of style is more suitable in small organistions, where there are a handful of employees and jst one leader or boss the leader advises, guides, consoles, and helps the subordinates even during their personal hardships.

Sociocratic style :

Sociocrats attempt to run their organization like a social club. They believe that good fellowship or friendship is more important than productivity they keep people happy even at the cost of the organization. They believe in a warm and pleasant social atmosphere. For them, the interest of the subordinates comes first, and then that of the organization. The following point to be noted The superior takes a decision by keeping the interst of the subordinates. The interest of organization may be secondary, The superior consults the subordinates for decision making.

Neurocratic style :
A neurocratic leader is highly task oriented and wants to get the things done at any cost. He is highly sensitive and gets quckly upset at failures. The following ponts to be noted. The leader may e emotional and eccentric. The leader may not consult the sunorkinates in decision making . The leader takes the decision. The leader is responsible for decision making, but he may shift the responsibility on to his subordinates.

Supporters of the neurocratic leadership model suggest that it's a good way to move ahead in a world where values are increasingly important, and where neurocratic leaders can achieve power because of their values, ideals, and ethics. This is an approach that can help to create a positive corporate culture and can lead to high morale among team members. However, other people believe that in competitive leadership situations, people who practice neurocratic leadership can find themselves left behind by leaders using other leadership styles. This leadership style also takes time to apply correctly: it's ill-suited in situations where you have to make quick decisions or meet tight deadlines. Although you can use neurocratic leadership in many situations, it's often most practical in politics, or in positions where leaders are elected to serve a team, committee, organization, or community.

Situational style :

Now days in most well managed organizations the managers follow situational leadership style. this means the leadership style varies depending upon the situation in other words the leader may be autocrat at times consultative at times and participative at time depending upon the decision and the situation. As we discussed earlier in this article, situational leadership is often the best leadership style to use in business situations. Situational al leaders are inspiring because they expect the best from everyone on their team as well as themselves. This leads to high productivity and engagement from everyone in their team. The downside of situational al leadership is that while the leader's enthusiasm is passed onto the team, he or she can need to be supported by "detail people." That's why, in many organizations, both transactional and situational al leadership styles are useful. Transactional leaders (or managers) ensure that routine work is done reliably, while situational al leaders look after initiatives that add new value. It's also important to use other leadership styles when necessary this will depend on the people you're leading and the situation that you're in.