Participative Leadership - 1582 Words

Participative Leadership: Strengths and Weaknesses The simple act of making decisions is an essential task leaders must perform effectively to succeed. Behavioral theories of leadership focus on how leaders approach a situation and whether they dictate orders or involve others to encourage support. Research into decision-making behavior has identified three broad categories of leaders: autocratic, democratic, and laissez-faire (Changing Minds, 2011). This paper will focus on these behavioral theories of leadership, primarily concentrating on participative leadership. An autocratic leader tells employees what to do and how to do it. On the opposite extreme, a laissez-faire leader allows employees to make their own decisions with little†¦show more content†¦Theorists on participative leadership suggest decision making falls along a spectrum (Figure 1): 1. Autocratic Decision. At one end of the spectrum is no participation from others. The leader makes a sole decision without input from other employees or managers. 2. Consultation. The leader considers the opinions and suggestions of others, but ultimately decides alone. 3. Joint decision. The leader and team equally share the final decision. 4. Delegation. At the opposite end of the continuum, the manager entrusts decision making to another individual or group. The leader provides guidance but approval of the final decision by the leader may not be required (Yukl, 2010). Even though a leader must use each decision making approach in the course of business, I believe the majority of decisions should fall in the middle of the spectrum, somewhere between consultation and joint decision. Involving others is important not only for the success of the leader but also has positive consequences for employees. High influence by others No influence by others Figure [ 1 ]. Spectrum of Decision Making. Excerpted from Yukl, 2010. Strengths of Participative Leadership In the proposed scenario, the company is expanding and restructuring, which can be a time of stress and decreased productivity. However, studies show that participative leadership can help counter these effects during times of change. In addition, studies have linkedShow MoreRelatedParticipative Leadership2189 Words   |  9 PagesQuestion Participative leadership style is always more effective than autocratic/directive leadership styles. Discuss. Executive Summary To say there has been an immense amount of research undertaken on the topic of leadership would be an understatement. The theoretical and empirical research on leadership in the workplace covers a diverse range of theory and there has been much critique and discussion of the theories to date. This paper reviewRead MoreParticipative Leadership Vs. 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The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effectivenessRead MoreParticipative Leadership And Empowering Teams2034 Words   |  9 PagesEmpowering teams through participative leadership leads to increased team morale, acceptance, creativity, and retention. Studies have been conducted about including teams in organizational decisions and the effects on team performance. An overview of some of the various styles of leadership and the behaviors associated with them will be provided in this paper. However the focus will be on participative leadership and emp owering teams. There is an entire business built upon providing executive coachingRead MoreDifference Between Autocratic and Participative Leadership2547 Words   |  11 PagesThis report aims to describe a leadership style that enables and helps contain employee work activity. 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