Leadership style is the characteristics of interaction with the team that are characteristic of a particular leader. The leadership style is formed under the influence of the individual personal characteristics of the leader and objective conditions.
All managers perform the same functions: organizing a group, making decisions and distributing responsibilities, developing a plan and tasks, monitoring the team, organizing feedback and relationships with external partners, and much more. But these functions can be performed in different ways, which speaks about the management (leadership) style.
What is leadership style
The idea of rational distribution of human resources arose at the stage of tribal communities. Then the foundations of management were born. Management science today is, of course, very different from resource allocation back then. Gradually, another science emerged - management psychology, which studies the styles and characteristics of management and leadership, their influence on the team.
Leadership style is the individual and personal characteristics of the system of methods, techniques and means of influencing the leader on the team in order to ensure the effectiveness of its work. This includes the manager’s communication style, behavioral norms, and the nature of the activity.
The main characteristics of leadership style include:
- activity/passivity;
- collectivism/individualism;
- instructiveness/connivance;
- positive/negative stimulation;
- contacts with subordinates/maintaining distance;
- centralization/decentralization of information flows;
- feedback from the team/lack thereof.
A mixed leadership style or the predominance of one over the others is possible. Then several contradictory features occur at once.
The leadership style incorporates the characteristics of the leader as a person and personality (temperament, character), the specifics of this particular activity (field of work), and the characteristics of relationships with each member of the team.
So how should it be done?
We found our own flaws in each of the three styles. So what management style should you choose and how to behave with subordinates? Much, of course, depends on your personality and character type. A dictator by nature will never “deliver snot” and care about the personality of each employee. But a quiet, intelligent woman is simply not capable of slamming her fist on the table and forcing her subordinates to work.
What to do? Combine management styles depending on the situation. This is called situational management. For example, if force majeure occurs, you need to turn on the dictator mode and give clear instructions that can save the situation. If you see that an employee is not coping with his job, use an individual approach, talk to the person personally, find out what worries him. If you need to solve a new problem, stick to a democratic style, find out the opinions of all employees and solve the problem together. Moreover, even when interacting with the same person, it is possible to use different management styles, again depending on the situation. Somewhere to be a tough leader, somewhere to be a wise mentor, sometimes to provide the necessary fatherly support. Here's a chart to help you skillfully navigate between multiple management styles.
Of course, to do this you need to be an experienced leader and a fairly flexible person. All this comes with time. Good luck to you, may everything work out!
Types of Leadership Styles
The most popular classification is the one in which it is customary to distinguish between authoritarian, democratic and permissive leadership styles.
Authoritarian style
This is a tough style in which orders, directions, and demands predominate. The leader decides everything for the team. He suppresses any initiative of employees, he himself prescribes technical issues and features of activities, and does not accept opinions that contradict his opinion. Orders are given in an energetic, sharp tone, and goals are clearly stated.
At the same time, team members always live in ignorance about their future, since the tasks are of a private and short-term nature. All that remains is to wait and guess what the manager will think of. Relations between team members are also strictly controlled by the leader or completely suppressed. If it is necessary to work in groups, the leader, at his own discretion, distributes the participants.
An authoritarian leader is not hostile, but he is distant, alienated from the team, and their relationship is impersonal. However, within the framework of this style, it is possible to distinguish 3 of its subtypes: hard, masterly, and inconsistent.
Hard
This is a strict but fair leader. Treats subordinates well, but strictly observes chain of command and demands the same from subordinates. He tries to maintain the relationships that have developed in the team, no matter how the circumstances change. This style discourages independence, but some workers like it because it relieves them of responsibility.
Master's
The leader takes the position of a caring father. He is overly interested in the lives of his subordinates and even tries to participate in personal affairs. Interested in improving the material, mental and physical well-being of his team. Most often, this style is found in teams; for example, coaches often adhere to this style.
The danger is that excessive care can cause resistance and aggression on the part of subordinates, because the leader “does not allow you to breathe.” But other members of the team are not at all against this nature of the relationship, because all their desires and actions are prescribed in advance. That is, risks and responsibility are removed, independence and activity are not required.
Inconsistent
The authoritarian style is akin to despotism, characteristic of inept leaders. Such a manager is not confident in himself, but does not want to show it; with his whole appearance he creates the illusion of power. Among subordinates, he prefers the weak, but submissive, rather than the competent and independent. An inconsistent leader tries to avoid failures and responsibility for them. For this reason I am ready to make compromises. Picky about little things.
Democratic style
The team is always involved to some extent in organizing activities. The leader encourages initiative, asks for the team’s opinion, establishes relationships between participants, distributes responsibility, and avoids orders. Interested in creating a favorable psychological climate, an atmosphere of trust, camaraderie and cooperation; prevents and relieves tension in the relationships of participants; objective in praise and criticism; consistent, persistent and tactful.
Each employee is aware of the stages of achieving the goal and can turn to the manager for advice. The manager, in turn, always offers several options for completing the work. When working in groups, participants divide themselves into groups.
The democratic style presupposes the availability of the leader. It is easy for his subordinates to communicate with him. These roles are rather conditional. Such relationships contribute to the personal growth of team members, as they allow them to show independence and initiative.
Permissive style
The manager is not at all interested in the activities of the team, the work process and its result, or the nature of relationships in the team. The same applies to information on work, materials and instructions. If they ask, he will give it. The manager is ready to intervene only if one of his subordinates contacts him. Prefers to use advice and explanations, does not make comments. All responsibility for making decisions, performing tasks and their results falls on the shoulders of the team.
There is also a broader classification, in which, in addition to those mentioned, 7 more styles are distinguished:
- Diplomatic. The leader is particularly flexible and can instantly adapt his style and tactics to suit changing conditions. The danger of this style: resourcefulness and demagoguery.
- Emergency. With such leadership, private short-term problems are solved very quickly, and all the forces of the team are mobilized to the maximum. The danger is a decrease in labor productivity.
- Business style. It assumes operation not at maximum speeds, but in optimal mode. Acceptability, safety and necessity are taken into account. With a stable orientation toward this style, there are no risks.
- Constructive. Under such leadership, harmful things turn into useful things, and the product becomes competitive. Everything people work with undergoes beneficial changes.
- Documentary style. This is the formal activity of the manager, reflected on papers.
- Compromise style. A leader's ability to accommodate people with different interests to achieve common goals. Danger: with frequent use, principles disappear.
- Demo. Involves creating situations of competition and praising success. Danger: development of window dressing.
Mistakes that leaders with an authoritarian management style make
Using an authoritarian management style can only be beneficial for a short period. If a leader is not able to be flexible and practices only this style, abuse of power with all the negative consequences of this phenomenon is inevitable. Since friendly communication on equal terms with employees is not combined with authoritarianism, some managers cross the line and, instead of issuing instructions, begin to humiliate, insult and viciously find fault with employees. There are practically no rewards, but punishments follow for everything: violation of discipline, failure to follow orders, misunderstanding, etc. This turns into real persecution and tyranny.
An authoritarian leader strives to take maximum responsibility, considering it unacceptable to shift it to subordinates or ignore it. But the pursuit of performance and unlimited power lead to the fact that his nerves give out, and he begins to take out his anger for all the mistakes, delays and mistakes on his employees. And, naturally, people do not want to tolerate such an attitude and leave the company one after another. Punishment is necessary if it is a one-time and justified measure, but when control turns into terror, people quickly lose motivation and no longer believe in the positive outcome of their efforts.
The influence of style on climate
Each leadership style has its own impact on the psychological climate in the team. I propose to consider the influence of 3 main styles (democratic, permissive, authoritarian).
Authoritarian
Suppression of initiative and creativity of employees, arrogance and disrespect for the personality of subordinates creates an unfavorable psychological climate:
- relationships in groups deteriorate;
- some participants repeat an authoritarian style towards other employees;
- someone withdraws and avoids contact;
- Some workers suffer from depression.
Employees have a negative attitude towards an authoritarian leader, are tense, and are quick-tempered. Conflicts often arise. Due to inadequate and strict discipline, anger, fear, and negative work motivation arise in employees.
Productivity decreases because employees are afraid to ask questions to the manager and try to avoid work or do it reluctantly. Responsibilities are performed under duress and under strict supervision.
Democratic
A favorable psychological climate is created, based on trust, mutual assistance, mutual respect and a sense of camaraderie. The manager encourages the initiative of employees, employees respond with activity and good performance of their duties. Employees are satisfied with their work and position. The field for creativity is open to them. Productivity increases. Personnel turnover is reduced to a minimum and safety at work increases. Relationships are good, conflicts are kept to a minimum and are productive.
Conniving
In most cases, a favorable psychological climate arises, since people are completely left to self-government. Everyone can express themselves and come to an agreement. This is both good and bad at the same time. Depends on the psychological compatibility of employees. If they are compatible, then complete freedom of action will be good, otherwise frequent conflicts are likely.
In general, the psychological climate is better influenced by persuasion, trust, cooperation and cooperation as the basis of leadership style.
Typical mistakes of a manager
When identifying shortcomings in the DSR, the lack of strict control on the part of superiors was noted. Reliance on the independent actions of employees, without proper verification of task performance at all levels, leads to unpunished relaxation in the team.
Familiarity can reduce the authority of the boss and become an obstacle to establishing clear business relationships. Control is mandatory, but not direct, but indirect (through other channels, through immediate managers). Improper delegation of responsibilities leads to failure of the entire system.
Typical mistakes of a manager
The style of democratic management of a company does not depend on gender. An organization can be headed by either a man or a woman. The image of a professional leader is what employees see before them. Properly established communication with staff is expressed in the fact that feelings of duty and guilt towards colleagues motivate the “work through mistakes” of the guilty team member more than punishment.
Direction and functions of management
In addition to leadership style, it is customary to highlight focus. It reflects the manager’s priorities in the performance of general functions. According to this, the orientation can be distinguished:
- to solve production problems;
- to primarily solve socio-psychological problems;
- for optimal solutions to current problems.
The main functions of a manager, in turn, include goal setting (setting goals, comparing them with real conditions, changing tactics if necessary), planning and forecasting (selecting optimal ways to achieve a goal), organization (creating a flexible, economical, self-regulating, reliable and operational system of one the whole, coordination and regulation (adjustment, polishing of the organized system), stimulation, control, accounting and analysis.
Main goals of HR management
The main goals of HRM include:
- selection of managers to fully staff the company;
- using tools to help improve operational efficiency and reduce the percentage of errors;
- search and dismissal of personnel who cannot cope with the responsibilities assigned to them;
- orientation of labor personnel towards collective activities and new achievements;
- taking measures necessary for systemic development: advanced training, courses, seminars;
- identification of promising employees.
HRM implies complete control of all work processes. The introduction of the basics of HR management into the work of an online store allows you to avoid negligence in duties, conflicts, and payment for the work of unqualified managers.
Leadership Classifications
Scientists identify different types of leadership:
Classification by Kurt Lewin. According to her, there are three types of leadership:
- authoritarian
- democratic
- liberal
Blake-Mouton Management Grid Concept:
- authoritarian
- command
- production-team
- social
- primitive
Theory X and theory Y. According to it, all people are conventionally divided into unmotivated (X) and ambitious (Y). The former, as a result, need to be strictly controlled, the latter only need to be adjusted from time to time).
Full Spectrum Leadership Model:
- transactional
- transformational
- principle of non-interference
Not all existing management models are popular in business. There are six types that are most common—we’ll talk about them.
#4. Transactional
With this leadership style, all work is done using the carrot and stick method. Successful employees receive rewards, usually financial. Those who fall behind are - although not always - punished (for example, they are not given a promotion or a new task until the employee improves their performance).
In companies with this approach, work is often controlled by special rules and regulations that employees must follow.
A leader who practices this management model is called “passive.” He has little interest in developing the skills of his subordinates - only their performance indicators are important.
Bill Gates is considered one of the most prominent supporters of the style.
Interesting twist
But perhaps the most interesting finding comes from a 2018 study conducted by researchers at Binghamton University. They studied which leadership style had the best effect on subordinates' performance. To do this, scientists observed the work of various leaders, not only in business, but also in the army.
As a result, employees who were managed by a paternalistic leader showed the highest performance. This leadership model turned out to be the best in both the group of office workers and the group of soldiers.
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Scientists attribute its success to a successful combination of “carrot” and “stick”. The leader in this case is demanding and seeks to deeply control the work of the team. But at the same time, he cares about his subordinates and is ready to help them develop.
The main conclusion of the study: to be effective, a manager needs to think not only about goals, but also about the well-being of the team.
#2. Democratic
A key feature of a democratic management style is collective discussion of problems. The decision is made after everyone has spoken and/or voted. At the same time, a democratic leader is not afraid to delegate authority and strives to maintain team spirit in his work.
This style is most effective for managing a team of professionals who know their job and do not need constant supervision.
Famous followers of the style:
- Indra Nooyi, CEO PepsiCo
- Mukhtar Kent, CEO of Coca-Cola
- Ginni Rometty, CEO of IBM
- Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook
- Steve Jobs, founder of Apple
HRM methods
If a manager wants to be listened to, then it is important to use the basic methods of influencing HR management:
- economic impact. We are talking about bonuses, other types of financial incentives, loans, and a percentage of sales. Along with “good” incentives, the opposite ones are being introduced: sanctions, penalty points, deprivation of the same bonus. If you work hard, you get a bonus; if you work poorly, you get financial sanctions;
- organizational and administrative (administrative). These are directives, internal orders, a fixed set of rules. Implemented to maintain discipline and enhance the leader’s reputation;
- socio-psychological. They create a favorable microclimate in the team: unity, similar goals, initiative.
Social-psychological methods go hand in hand with economic ones. It is recommended to implement not just one of them, but several, assessing the local labor situation.
#5. Transformational
In this case, the leader acts as the main source of motivation for employees and plays the role of “ringleader.” He knows how to inspire with words and often holds meetings with employees where he shares his views and values.
Such a leader strives to instill optimism and confidence in people. He transmits these emotions through his behavior and uses various techniques (trainings, corporate events, team building, lectures and courses).
Transformational leadership involves individual work with employees. The leader explores the potential of each team member and strives to give him opportunities for development. Particular attention is paid to the development of creative and innovative ideas of employees.
Famous followers of the style:
- Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Atlantic Group,
- Elon Musk, founder of Space X, Tesla Motors, Boring Company
- Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon
- Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook
