5 Different Types of Leadership Styles in Management
Bradford R. GlaserBecoming a good leader starts with identifying and refining your leadership style. There are several common leadership styles in management, but none is necessarily better than the others. The most effective leadership style largely depends on you, your personality, and how your team responds to different management tactics.
Your leadership style is likely to change over time as you learn what does and does not work for you and your team. As such, it’s essential to understand how different styles influence outcomes and how you can combine them to accommodate your team’s unique needs and challenges. Let’s take a closer look at the most common leadership styles in management and their advantages and disadvantages.
- Identify personal leadership styles
- Capitalize on style strengths
- Know how to minimize style trouble spots
Table of Contents
5 Common Leadership Styles
Leadership styles can range from entirely authoritarian to laissez-faire, with plenty of room in between. Understanding the advantages and disadvantages of these individual styles can help you identify and develop a personal management style that maximizes your potential and that of your team. Here are five of the most common leadership styles in management.
1. Autocratic
Autocratic or authoritarian leadership is a style of management that focuses on maximizing efficiency and results by making decisions without input from other team members.
Autocratic leadership is often considered ineffective for many reasons, primarily because it leaves employees feeling undervalued and frustrated. Autocratic leaders make decisions on their own and expect employees to adhere to their directions without question.
Authoritarian leadership can present some advantages. For example, autocratic leaders often make quick decisions and provide clear directions, making it easy for employees to understand their objectives. They can also reduce employee stress by not burdening them with difficult decisions.
2. Democratic
Democratic leadership is often considered to be a more effective alternative to autocratic leadership. Democratic leaders consult their team members and listen to their input before making a significant decision. While the manager ultimately has the final say, employees can offer their opinions, which makes them feel more valued and appreciated.
Democratic leadership offers several advantages. It helps lower-level employees develop leadership and decision-making skills that they will likely need as they climb up the ladder. It also helps managers make more informed business decisions by providing valuable input from employees in specialized roles.
The main drawback of democratic leadership is that it can be inefficient, as it takes significant time to organize discussions and gather employee input before making important decisions.
3. Transactional
Transactional leadership is a performance-based style that rewards employees for their work.
Transactional leaders value achieving goals and often set performance-based incentives to motivate their employees. This may include financial bonuses for hitting certain milestones or, in some cases, disciplinary actions for employees who don’t meet their objectives.
This type of leadership can help establish clear objectives and responsibilities for team members. Still, in some cases, it can encourage employees only to do the minimum required to achieve their individual incentives.
4. Laissez-faire
Laissez-faire leadership typically involves delegating tasks to team members and offering very little supervision or direction. Leaders pass authority on to their team members and trust them to find the best way to perform their jobs and accomplish goals.
This style of leadership can be effective in teams that include experienced, highly-skilled employees who can be trusted to manage themselves. Laissez-faire leadership also often instills confidence in employees as they feel empowered and trusted. On the other hand, it can occasionally lead to inefficiency as employees don’t have a clear understanding of their roles, responsibilities, or objectives.
5. Transformational
Transformational leaders are focused on establishing clear goals and encouraging employees to perform their best. Often, transformational leaders set goals and milestones that may be simple at first but evolve constantly to push employees out of their comfort zones.
This style of leadership is common with growth-minded managers who want to see what their employees are capable of. These types of leaders often delegate new responsibilities and tasks to employees to help them grow and maximize their performance.
While this style of leadership can help you get the most out of your employees, in some cases, employees may not be equipped to handle the new roles and responsibilities given to them. In transformational leadership, it’s essential to provide employees with access to training and other resources that help them achieve their objectives.
Find Your Leadership Style with HRDQ
Finding your leadership style is the key to maximizing your team’s performance and becoming a successful manager.
At HRDQ, we provide high-quality assessments and leadership training materials to help leaders develop their skills and get the most out of their teams. What’s My Leadership Style is a management leadership development course designed to help leaders identify and develop their personal leadership styles. It helps organizational leaders, managers, and supervisors improve performance and become effective leaders. With this assessment, you’ll better understand how to improve team performance and become an effective manager.
