Everything you need to know about leadership styles

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Any group exists according to certain laws on which internal control processes are based. Managerial functions in each team are specific and depend on the nature and purpose of the group’s activities, its size and values. There are two types of managers - leader and manager. Both have power over people, but achieve it using different methods.

Concept and characteristics of a leader

A leader is a person vested with authority that allows him to perform management functions in a group. His tasks include:

• formation of an activity strategy, process planning;
• distribution of responsibilities within the team within the framework of orders;
• control over the execution of orders and the behavior of subordinates;
• measures to train and motivate staff.

Managers belong to the category of employees when it comes to the organization, but are at the highest level of the hierarchical ladder within the group. There are several managers within one organization, each of them is responsible for their own area of ​​work. Leaders are usually identified as:

• senior management;
• middle management;
• lower level.

The terms of reference of such a manager are enshrined in the job descriptions on which he relies in his activities.

Based on the results of a leader’s activities, one can judge how bad and good he is at his job. The differences lie in the approaches to organizing work processes. A bad leader often has problems influencing the people he manages.

You must strive to become a good leader who has the following characteristics:

• polite and correct treatment of subordinates;
• showing readiness to always come to the aid of employees to make their work easier;
• equal relations with all subordinates without obvious preference for one; demanding of oneself, and not just of others;
• genuine interest in the business at the head of which this leader is placed;
• clear statement of tasks without pitfalls;
• the ability to listen to different points of view of subordinates;
• the desire to encourage all employees to participate in the life of the group/organization;
• applying adequate penalties when necessary;
• ability to take responsibility for all aspects of the activity.

Concept and signs of a leader

A leader is a person who is able to influence group members, encouraging them to perform certain actions. His influence is based on others' recognition of his authority.

A leader is distinguished by a set of characteristics that make him such:

• sees specific goals, sets tasks for solving them for group members, moves towards goals, no matter what;
• confident in himself and his abilities, failures do not frighten him;
• behaves decisively even in the most difficult circumstances;
• is active in various initiatives;
• sociable, finds a common language with everyone;
• adapts to any changes without problems;
• encourages others to take a responsible attitude towards business and bears personal responsibility for the behavior of people under his influence;
• has the ability to self-organize and encourages other group members to do the same; knows how to convince others;
• radiates a positive attitude, is always optimistic, feels this personally among group members;
• respected by allies and enemies.

Management and Leadership Styles

Management and leadership have many overlapping characteristics. Some of them are reflected in management styles. The most popular division of styles into three groups is authoritarian, liberal and democratic.

Authoritarian style

With this style, decision-making and control are completely concentrated in the hands of one person - the official manager, so leadership rarely takes on an authoritarian form. The most common methods of influencing others are orders, regulations, and for violations - taking disciplinary measures. Subordinates are often deprived of the most basic information about work, they are afraid to ask questions, and discussing the actions of the manager is unacceptable.

The adoption of any decisions is controlled at all levels, most initiatives from below are rejected. An authoritarian leader does not miss the opportunity to impress others, and not always in reasonable ways. An authoritarian leader is outside the group and has no connection with it. This style often brings positive results when it is necessary to mobilize all forces to solve complex problems in a short time.

Liberal style

It is also called the permissive style. The manager or leader takes a position of non-interference, the greatest distance from what is happening within the group or organization.

At first, the manager may even show interest in effective work and interact with group members, but later he does not take part in anything. The indifference of his subordinates to the performance of their duties is a direct consequence of his activities. Sometimes this contributes to the development of basic qualities in employees that should encourage them to work independently and demonstrate creative potential. This is justified if the goal of the group or organization is to create a new creative product. But this often leads to shifting responsibility onto each other, low productivity and fragmentation of the team.

Democratic style

The democratic style is most suitable for successful managers and leaders. They interact closely with group members or subordinates. The most important decisions are made after a collective discussion, all proposals are listened to. The team has the right to independently implement projects within the framework of powers delegated by the manager. Reasonable initiative is encouraged.

Almost always, one of the signs of a democratic style is the presence of trusting relationships in the group.

They exist not only in the vertical plane, but also in the horizontal plane - between group members. Not only praise, but also remarks are used as methods of influence; their goal is not to humiliate a person, but to help correct their mistakes. All efforts come down to creating a favorable psychological atmosphere in the team.

1.1. Authoritarian management style

It is characterized by strict individual decision-making by the manager (“minimum democracy”), strict constant control over the implementation of decisions with the threat of punishment (“maximum control”), and a lack of interest in the employee as an individual. Employees must only do what they are told to do. At the same time, they receive a minimum of information. The interests of employees are not taken into account.

Due to constant control, this management style provides quite acceptable work results according to non-psychological criteria: profit, productivity, product quality can be good.

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However, there are more disadvantages than advantages:

• high probability of erroneous decisions;
• suppression of initiative, creativity of subordinates, slowdown of innovations, stagnation, passivity of employees;
• people's dissatisfaction with their work, their position in the team;
• an unfavorable psychological climate (“sycophants”, “scapegoats”, intrigues) causes increased psychological stress and is harmful to mental and physical health.

The authoritarian style underlies the vast majority of conflicts due to the manager’s desire for autocracy. This management style is appropriate and justified only in critical situations (accidents, military operations, etc.)

Relationship between leadership and management

Despite their differences, management and leadership often work together successfully to produce tangible results. The similarities and differences between these two concepts are subject to detailed consideration.

Similarities

In one group there is usually both a leader and a leader. Both of them hold the reins of power in their hands, influencing people through certain means. Sometimes there are several of them if the organization is large.

One of the best options is when the appointed manager was able to become a leader in the leadership process, winning the respect of his subordinates.

Thanks to management and leadership, all processes occurring within one group are coordinated. They gain compliance, influence people and processes that lead to significant change, but in different ways.

Differences

Management arises as a result of formal regulations and carries out its activities in accordance with them. Leadership can be formal or informal. In the second case, it is formed spontaneously or under the influence of group members. The leadership is based on management methods, among which the dominant principle is allowed - prohibited. Leadership is based on the application of methods associated with social power. The authority of a leader is often formed due to fear of him; leadership authority arises due to respect.

The object of application of efforts made by the manager in the course of management are production processes associated with the activities of the organization. In the leader's sphere of activity, much attention is paid to solving the personal problems of group members. The leader acts according to a plan, which is often handed down to him from above; the functioning of leadership is not determined by any regulations and is not constrained by boundaries.

Leadership as a phenomenon is a product of society, leadership is a product of the macroenvironment.

The manager makes decisions individually; the leader strives to use the skills of effective self-government in the group. The manager has subordinates who, if everything is done accurately, receive a reward. The leadership basis, in contrast to management, is influence through intangible factors; group members are recognized as followers of the leader.

Team Leadership

Team leadership involves creating a vivid picture of the future of the firm, where it is headed and what it is all about. Such an image is inspiring and provides a strong sense of meaning and direction. The essence of team leadership is that all the people involved work from the heart and soul. It also implies that teamwork does not always mean trust in cooperative relationships. The most difficult aspect of such leadership is getting it to bear fruit. Research shows that team leadership often fails due to poor leadership skills of the leader.

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Leadership and management in organizations and small groups

In a small group and in an organization, management and leadership differ significantly. At the head of any organization is an appointed or elected leader. In practice, the first option is more often used: it does not allow the team to influence the choice of a manager in any way.

In the future, the manager chooses one or another management style; it does not always turn out to be successful for this type of organization or group of people. In organizations pursuing goals important to society, with a large team, the manager needs to become a formal leader. If this does not happen, then an informal leader will appear, which is fraught with dual power, which can lead to the destabilization of all processes in the organization.

The manager-leader must be aware of all events occurring in his management area, related not only to work, but also to the employees themselves. He should not neglect to control the various elements of the social structure in the organization. To strengthen his leadership, he needs:

• contribute to increased labor productivity;
• try to strengthen trust among subordinates;
• motivate employees for better results.

Democratic style

This leadership style is best used when you are not 100% sure which way to go and when you want to use the “wisdom of the crowd” to make a decision. But this is not the best approach for making large decisions or decisions that are heavily influenced by time. In such situations, leaders are expected to make the final decision for the team and be confident in their decision.

The authors argue that this style has a positive impact on culture.

Pro Tip: How to Become a Democratic Leader

Learn to trust your employees and work on your communication skills. A democratic leader knows how to listen to everyone, and everyone in such a team feels important in the process of making a common decision.

Leadership and management in small groups

A macrogroup is a collection of people united by common principles and values. In small groups, leadership and management coexist best. Thanks to a small number of people, they effectively carry out the activities for which the macro group was created.

Often the leader becomes the person who takes the most active part in the life of the macrogroup. The positive results of his participation are obvious from the moment the macrogroup emerged. He has the ability to give impetus to fruitful work to all members of the macrogroup. The leader assumes certain responsibilities and is endowed with rights, including holding members of the macrogroup accountable. Each participant acknowledges the leadership of the leader.

The leader has every chance of advancing if the macro group moves forward within the larger group.

If his merits are appreciated, he will become a leader. Acquiring additional powers will help him strengthen the position of the macrogroup.

Leadership and management in psychology

In psychology, these two concepts are considered in terms of the characteristics of interaction between a leader and a leader, a leader and subordinates, and a leader and followers. During their interaction, the parties exert a psychic influence on each other.

In a connection between a leader and subordinates, the influence is often one-sided: the leader, through the use of manipulative techniques and administrative measures, influences subordinates, who, recognizing his dominance, obey.

The psychological characteristics of the leader-follower connection are based on the leader’s use of methods of persuasion and encouragement. Followers also influence the leader, expressing approval of his activities, stimulating his activity.

The most difficult connection is between a manager and a leader. Conflicts often arise between them. Subordinates and followers are in difficult conditions: they have to choose - a stable position in the group or loyalty to the leader. The main cause of conflicts is the division of spheres of influence.

There are managers who are interested in a strong leader who can unite the team for the benefit of the organization. Some managers make efforts to develop effective leadership skills in leaders.

1.3. Permissive management style

It is characterized, on the one hand, by a “maximum of democracy” (everyone can express their positions, but they do not strive to achieve real accounting or agreement on positions), and on the other hand, by a “minimum of control” (even the decisions made are not implemented, there is no control over their implementation, everything left to chance).

This management style is characterized by lack of initiative and non-interference in the process of certain works. As a result:

• performance results are usually low;
• people are not satisfied with their work, their leader, the psychological climate in the team is unfavorable;
• there is no cooperation;
• there is no incentive to work conscientiously;
• sections of work consist of individual interests of leaders;
• subgroups; hidden and obvious conflicts are possible;
• there is a stratification into conflicting subgroups.

There may be a discrepancy between the form and content of the manager’s actions, for example, outwardly a form of democratic style is used (demonstration of external disposition, politeness to subordinates, discussion of the problem is held), but in reality the decision by the manager has long been made individually (disguising an authoritarian leader as a “democratic”).

The leader's style is flexible, individual and situational. He must master all three styles and skillfully apply them depending on the specific situation, the specifics of the tasks being solved, the socio-psychological characteristics of employees and his own personal qualities.

The study of personal psychological qualities that determine the success of leadership made it possible to identify the following necessary qualities and personality traits:

• dominance - the ability to influence subordinates;
• self confidence;
• emotional balance and stress resistance - the ability of a leader to control his emotional manifestations, self-regulate his emotional state, exercise self-government and optimal emotional release;
• creativity, ability to creatively solve problems, high practical intelligence;
• desire to achieve goals and entrepreneurship, the ability to take risks - reasonable, not adventurous, willingness to take responsibility in solving problems;
• responsibility and reliability in completing tasks, honesty, fidelity to the given promise and guarantees;
• independence, independence in decision making;
• flexibility of behavior in changing situations;
• sociability, ability to communicate, interact with people.

ALSO SEE: Principled Negotiation Method

Having clear personal values ​​and reasonable personal goals as a leader is critical to success in business, career, and personal life.

At one time, Henry Mintzberg named eight basic qualities that a leader should have:

1. The art of being equal, i.e. establish and maintain a system of relationships with equal people.
2. The art of being a leader is the ability to lead subordinates, to cope with all the difficulties and problems that come to a person along with power and responsibility.
3. The art of conflict resolution is the ability to act as a mediator between two parties to a conflict, to resolve troubles caused by psychological stress.
4. The art of information processing is the ability to build a communication system in an organization, obtain reliable information and evaluate it effectively.
5. The art of making innovative management decisions is the ability to find problems and solutions in conditions where alternative courses of action, information and goals are unclear or doubtful.
6. The art of allocating resources in an organization is the ability to choose the right alternative, find the best option in conditions of limited time and lack of other types of resources.
7. The gift of an entrepreneur is the ability to take justifiable risks and introduce innovations into an organization.
8. The art of self-analysis is the ability to understand the position of the leader and his role in the organization, the ability to see the impact the leader has on the organization.

M. Woodcock, D. Francis, considering the qualities of a leader necessary for successful work and effective management of a work group, identified typical weak and high leadership skills (Table 2).

At the same time, the leader must understand the importance of developing effective leadership skills.

Table 2. Weak and high leadership skills

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