A democratic style of
leadership is exactly the opposite of an authoritarian leader, in that an
authoritarian leader will make all the decisions and a democratic leader will
allow others to make the decisions. The democratic form of leadership is also
known as the participative form of leadership. This is not to say that a
democratic leader does not actually lead – an effective democratic leader
fosters self-direction, promotes creativity, and encourages others to become
leaders. This is attained through constant consultation and effective direction
and assistance.
During the 1970’s, interest in improving industrial work practices moved from a
hierarchical organizational structure to giving employees more decision-making
authority to increase productivity. Studies from Mayo and later refined by
Maslow, McGregor, and Likert (Biddle, 1994) suggested that changing the way
workers are treated as a more positive asset rather than ‘hired help’ would
result in:
• Motivated employees
• A loyal workforce
• High levels of productivity
• An industrious and harmonious workforce
Democratic leadership may not work in all job environments. The structure of an
organization depends on the level of worker qualifications of the assigned
duties and the situation of each job tasks. For example, as a democratic leader,
I would not give an assignment where an individual or groups have difficulty
finding resources for answers. Instead, this type of leadership style works best
when you allow employees to give their ideas to create a more efficient work
flow, suggest cost-cutting techniques, use in creative industries such as
advertising.
When is it used?
When situations change frequently, democratic leadership offers a great deal of
flexibility to adapt to better ways of doing things. Unfortunately, it is also
somewhat slow to make a decision in this structure, so while it may embrace
newer and better methods; it might not do so very quickly.
Democratic leadership style can bring the best out of an experienced and
professional team. It capitalizes on their skills and talents by letting them
share their views, rather than simply expecting them to conform.
If a decision is very complex and broad, it is important to have the different
areas of expertise represented and contributing input – this is where democratic
leader shines.
There will be many times in your educational career when you will be called upon
to lead a discussion group or a project.
There are several different approaches to being an effective boss or project
leader. Some people are born with a natural style and some can learn to mold
their behavior to fit any situation. Understanding each style is important in
order to maximize your leadership skills. Do you know which style you have? Do
you know how and when to alter your leadership style?
There are three major types of student leadership roles. You will find that
there is an appropriate time and place for each style. As you progress in your
studies, you may want to learn skills and techniques from each leadership style.
Autocratic leadership
This form of leadership is one of the least desirable when it comes to building
trusting relationships and making friends! In a system of autocratic leadership,
one person has control over all of the workers or followers. The leader is in
complete control and no one is permitted to make any suggestions or offer any
opinions, no matter how it may benefit the group.
When it comes to leading a group in school or in a group project, you will find
that autocratic leadership can make you very unpopular. If communication and
trust are important, you don’t want to lean too far toward autocratic
leadership.
But there is a time when autocratic traits can prove beneficial. This form of
leadership is effective when absolute control is needed over a group. Have you
ever worked on a group project that fell flat? That happens when no strong
leader is present.
Benefits of Autocratic Leadership
Group projects require strong leadership. Without it, nobody gets a full
understanding of what is required of anybody else. Unfortunately, that often
means that some group members procrastinate and wait for others to do the work.
In the end, the project suffers (and so does your grade!).
If your group plans to work online at all, you should really think about
electing a strong leader. This leader should be willing to take charge, divide
the work, and set deadlines. He or she must take full control. Communication is
difficult enough when it comes to group work, but when technology is involved it
often breaks down completely.
If your group attempts to communicate via email or other electronic
communication, strong leadership is an absolute must! It is wise, when working
in a group, to assign a strong leader with some autocratic tendencies.
Bureaucratic Leadership
This style of leadership follows a close set of standards. Everything is done in
an exact, specific way to ensure safety and/or accuracy. You will often find
this leadership role in a situation where the work environment is dangerous and
specific sets of procedures are necessary to ensure safety.
In the working world bureaucratic leadership skills would be best utilized in
jobs such as construction work, chemistry-related jobs that involve working with
hazardous material, or jobs that involve working with large amounts of money.
Benefits of Bureaucratic Leadership
In school work, you may find that bureaucratic leadership skills are necessary
when working on a group project for a science class. Precision is key in a
science project, and meticulous notes are essential.
A natural bureaucratic leader will tend to create detailed instructions for
other members of a group. This type of leader would also be very successful
working in student government roles.
Democratic leadership
Under democratic leadership, the people have a more participatory role in the
decision making process. One person retains final say over all decisions but
allows others to share insight and ideas.
This is often a highly effective form of leadership. People are more likely to
excel in their positions and develop more skills when they feel empowered, and
people are empowered when they are involved in the decision-making process.
Although it may take some time to achieve full participation from a group, the
end result will be rewarding if you can manage to establish a power-sharing
environment in your group project. You will find that democratic practices often
lead to a more productive and higher quality work group.
It doesn’t take too much imagination to think of ways that democratic leadership
could backfire during a group project. As you probably know, some members of a
group will work well on their own and complete all work in a timely fashion. But
there are other workers who will procrastinate—and that can lead to disaster.
If you are a natural democratic leader, it might be necessary to learn some
traits of the autocratic or bureaucratic leaders and tap into them as necessary.
Always have a backup plan on hand!