Based on employee participation
Situational leadership
X-Y Theory
LeadershipTheories
3 dimensional model
Leadership diagram
Classifying leadership according to employee participation and ability to make decisions
Democratic Leadership
Authoritarian Leadership
Laissez-Faire Leadership
Authoritarian Leadership
Autocratic leadership is defined as one where a leader gives orders to employees concerning their work and their behaviour. Power is used to establish authority. There is a strict hierarchy, here is no room for participation or discussion. All decisions are made by the leader themselves.
This style of leadership has it’s advantages and disadvantages depending in the type of company.
Example 1
Example 2
Democratic Leadership
In contrast to an authoritarian style of leadership, group participation is the normal procedure here, and leadership therefore becomes a function of the group. Members of the organisation are thus involved in the management of the organisation or department. The leader coordinates the group decision-making process.
Example 1
Laissez-Faire Leadership (Participatory leadership)
What is Laissez-Faire leadership? It’s French for ‘letting people do as they choose’. This leadership style is the opposite of micromanaging.
Laissez-faire leaders allow their followers to have the autonomy to make their own decisions and manage their own desk. They give their team support, guidance, consultation, and training when needed, but trust them to handle the details and execution of their tasks and projects.
Laissez-faire leaders are comfortable with delegating tasks, that’s why it’s also known as the delegative/participatory leadership style. These leaders also don’t mind if mistakes are made by their team throughout the process but are still held accountable for the group’s mistakes and successes. Freedom is a big priority for laissez-faire leaders, and they empower their team to make their own decisions and manage their work as they see fit.
Advantages
DisAdvantages
"Every week we start with a staff meeting where we can ask our questions and voice our concerns, I like that I am able to start a discussion with my team members to think outside the box."
"At the company I work at we do things by following the plans and orders of our team leaders. This gives us a clear overview of what we need to do to succeed.
"I work as a product developer for a new company and I love how much freedom I have to make something new and creative."
X and Y theory
Under the name ‘X and Y theory’ McGregor identifies two opposites of the human mentality.
The Y theory, on the other hand, assumes that a human being:
- Is eager to work and considers it a natural process
- Is inventive, creative and has imagination
- Achieves more when development is made possible and when rewarded in an immaterial way
- Money is not the only incentive
- Is prepared to accept responsibility
Click here
The X theory assumes that a human being:
- Is lazy and dislikes work
- Cannot and does not want to think
- Has to be forced to perform tasks and is interested only in money
- Does not want to accept responsibility and prefers to be led.
Click here
Which is more preferable?
Nowadays, with greater emphasis being placed on achieving organisational goals, it is important to have a leadership style based on the assumptions behind Y theory. Neglecting the needs of employees can lead to a situation where organisational members try to satisfy those needs outside the organisation. For example, they may actively participate in boards or clubs, or put their other talents to use in their hobbies. In time, these employees lose interest in the organisation and function only at a minimum level. They will not want to accept responsibility and will resist change. This may result in an unnecessary loss of talent and ultimately prove harmful to the organisation. But it should be noted that not all members of an organisation want (or are able) to accept responsibility to any great extent.
Leadership diagram
In their book The Leadership Grid, Robert Blake and Jane Mouton developed a grid which shows a large number of different leadership style This model is based on their assumption that a leadership style has two dimensions: concern for production (task orientation), and concern for people (relationship orientation). The diagram shows the degree to which a manager focusses on these dimensions.
*Click on the arrows to see the dimensions
Read more
Drag the names to the right spot
Team-oriented/democratic management
Impoverished management
Country club management
Middle-of-the-road management
Authority-compliance management
Team-oriented/democratic management
Country club management
Answer
Middle-of-the-road management
Impoverished management
Authority-compliance management
Three-dimensional model of leadership
*Click on the squares to learn more
William Reddin added a third dimension to Blake and Mouton’s leadership grid, namely
effectiveness.
The three dimensions of Reddin’s model are:
- Attention to people;
- Attention to production or task;
- Effectiveness.
Reddin later expanded on his initial theory, adding in the third dimension of Effectiveness. This effectiveness was defined by the appropriateness of the particular leadership style in any given situation and he argued that this should be the main focus of any manager's efforts.
As you can see in the diagram, the appropriate versions of the initial styles can be seen in the upper right (Developer, Executive, Benevolent Autocrat, Bureaucrat) and the inappropriate styles (Missionary, Compromiser, Autocrat, Deserter) in the bottom left. These are not new styles in themselves, only the primary styles when applied to appropriate or inappropriate situations.
People-oriented approaches are often more effective in more open, creative tasks, when the leader sees the opportunity to develop their staff's leadership and skills over the long term or to motivate them through new experiences and greater responsibility. The leader may also see fit to work on a more people-centric basis in times when they have a highly experienced, skilled and competent team.
Task-orientated approaches generally are most effective in scenarios when the group is constrained by resources or time, when there is disorganisation which needs to be brought back into order or when the leader is working with inexperienced or low-skilled team members.
Situational leadership
*Click on the squares to learn more
This model by Hersey and Blanchard is based on the theory that every situation asks for a different leadership style. The choice for a leadership style is based on 2 factors that make up the "task maturity":
- The capability of the employee (training, experience etc.)
- The willingness of the employee to accept responsibility (curiosity, self-confidence etc.)
Leadership theories
Chelsea Janssen
Created on March 15, 2023
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Transcript
Based on employee participation
Situational leadership
X-Y Theory
LeadershipTheories
3 dimensional model
Leadership diagram
Classifying leadership according to employee participation and ability to make decisions
Democratic Leadership
Authoritarian Leadership
Laissez-Faire Leadership
Authoritarian Leadership
Autocratic leadership is defined as one where a leader gives orders to employees concerning their work and their behaviour. Power is used to establish authority. There is a strict hierarchy, here is no room for participation or discussion. All decisions are made by the leader themselves. This style of leadership has it’s advantages and disadvantages depending in the type of company.
Example 1
Example 2
Democratic Leadership
In contrast to an authoritarian style of leadership, group participation is the normal procedure here, and leadership therefore becomes a function of the group. Members of the organisation are thus involved in the management of the organisation or department. The leader coordinates the group decision-making process.
Example 1
Laissez-Faire Leadership (Participatory leadership)
What is Laissez-Faire leadership? It’s French for ‘letting people do as they choose’. This leadership style is the opposite of micromanaging. Laissez-faire leaders allow their followers to have the autonomy to make their own decisions and manage their own desk. They give their team support, guidance, consultation, and training when needed, but trust them to handle the details and execution of their tasks and projects. Laissez-faire leaders are comfortable with delegating tasks, that’s why it’s also known as the delegative/participatory leadership style. These leaders also don’t mind if mistakes are made by their team throughout the process but are still held accountable for the group’s mistakes and successes. Freedom is a big priority for laissez-faire leaders, and they empower their team to make their own decisions and manage their work as they see fit.
Advantages
DisAdvantages
"Every week we start with a staff meeting where we can ask our questions and voice our concerns, I like that I am able to start a discussion with my team members to think outside the box."
"At the company I work at we do things by following the plans and orders of our team leaders. This gives us a clear overview of what we need to do to succeed.
"I work as a product developer for a new company and I love how much freedom I have to make something new and creative."
X and Y theory
Under the name ‘X and Y theory’ McGregor identifies two opposites of the human mentality.
The Y theory, on the other hand, assumes that a human being:
Click here
The X theory assumes that a human being:
Click here
Which is more preferable?
Nowadays, with greater emphasis being placed on achieving organisational goals, it is important to have a leadership style based on the assumptions behind Y theory. Neglecting the needs of employees can lead to a situation where organisational members try to satisfy those needs outside the organisation. For example, they may actively participate in boards or clubs, or put their other talents to use in their hobbies. In time, these employees lose interest in the organisation and function only at a minimum level. They will not want to accept responsibility and will resist change. This may result in an unnecessary loss of talent and ultimately prove harmful to the organisation. But it should be noted that not all members of an organisation want (or are able) to accept responsibility to any great extent.
Leadership diagram
In their book The Leadership Grid, Robert Blake and Jane Mouton developed a grid which shows a large number of different leadership style This model is based on their assumption that a leadership style has two dimensions: concern for production (task orientation), and concern for people (relationship orientation). The diagram shows the degree to which a manager focusses on these dimensions.
*Click on the arrows to see the dimensions
Read more
Drag the names to the right spot
Team-oriented/democratic management
Impoverished management
Country club management
Middle-of-the-road management
Authority-compliance management
Team-oriented/democratic management
Country club management
Answer
Middle-of-the-road management
Impoverished management
Authority-compliance management
Three-dimensional model of leadership
*Click on the squares to learn more
William Reddin added a third dimension to Blake and Mouton’s leadership grid, namely effectiveness. The three dimensions of Reddin’s model are:
Reddin later expanded on his initial theory, adding in the third dimension of Effectiveness. This effectiveness was defined by the appropriateness of the particular leadership style in any given situation and he argued that this should be the main focus of any manager's efforts.
As you can see in the diagram, the appropriate versions of the initial styles can be seen in the upper right (Developer, Executive, Benevolent Autocrat, Bureaucrat) and the inappropriate styles (Missionary, Compromiser, Autocrat, Deserter) in the bottom left. These are not new styles in themselves, only the primary styles when applied to appropriate or inappropriate situations.
People-oriented approaches are often more effective in more open, creative tasks, when the leader sees the opportunity to develop their staff's leadership and skills over the long term or to motivate them through new experiences and greater responsibility. The leader may also see fit to work on a more people-centric basis in times when they have a highly experienced, skilled and competent team.
Task-orientated approaches generally are most effective in scenarios when the group is constrained by resources or time, when there is disorganisation which needs to be brought back into order or when the leader is working with inexperienced or low-skilled team members.
Situational leadership
*Click on the squares to learn more
This model by Hersey and Blanchard is based on the theory that every situation asks for a different leadership style. The choice for a leadership style is based on 2 factors that make up the "task maturity":