Different leadership styles in an organization

In a organization there are various types of managers that can be categorized on their basis of their leadership styles. This topic is also an important topic of discussion in various management and other professional courses. There are also various studies, theories and research that are related to the different styles of leadership. In this article, we will discuss the various leadership styles that are present in an organization.

Autocratic style: Autocratic types of leaders are also known as autocrats and it is an extreme form of transactional leadership where the leader has the ultimate power over his employees and his team. Such type of leaders does not consult their teammates and subordinates before taking any decisions and he takes all the information by himself. The subordinates are bound to obey him and that to without taking any decisions. The subordinates or the team members have little opportunity for making any suggestions even if the suggestion is on the best interest of their team.

Most people tend to resist this kind of leadership, as they do not like being treated in such a way. This may result in high level of absenteeism and staff turnover. This style remains effective only in unskilled jobs where labors are involved. However, the authoritarian style should be used in rare occasions only and this style in most cases does not result in commitment and motivation from employees.

Participative style: This style is suggested as the best style to follow in any organization. In this style, the leader includes one or more of his employees in the decision making process but the leader is the final decision maker. This is not to be considered a sign of weakness but rather it is a sign of strength that will gain respect from the employees. This style is used when the leader and employees both have information relating to work and involves knowledgeable and skillful employees. This style allows the team member to have positive feeling towards the team and he feels part of the team if his leader allows him to take important decisions and looks for suggestions from him.

Delegative leadership style: in this style of leadership, the leader allows the employee to make decisions and delegates the responsibility to the employees. This leadership is used when the employees have the capability to analyze the situation and determines what is to be done and in what way. A leader cannot do everything and so he delegates and set priorities. One must note this is not a style where one blames others when things are not done but rather this is a style which is used when one is able to completely trust a person and have confidence in his abilities. The leader must learn to use his power wisely.

Charismatic leadership: These leaders inspire and motivate his team by his leadership style. His style inspires the team to move forward. These kind of leaders believe in themselves and in their teams to achieve maximum result and they are more focused on themselves. The entire organization is fully dependent on such leaders and if the leaders leave then the whole organization might just collapse. The follows have great respect for such leaders and a charismatic leader carries great responsibility. The downside of such kind of leadership is that the leaders believe in themselves more than others and does not necessarily wants to change anything in the organization.

These are some of the basic styles of leadership that can be present in the organization. A good leader however understands the situation and the employees and takes decisions accordingly.