What are the Three Leadership Style Types?

Last week, we have talked about tips on how to lead in crisis. Now, we are going to talk about leadership style. Each leader has a different leadership style. The difference is based on various aspects, either from the leader’s personality or the conditions of the organization he leads. Everything is aimed at achieving organizational success according to each leader’s vision.?

Kurt Lewin et al. (1939) successfully grouped these leadership styles into three major types. What are the three types of leadership styles?

Authoritarian Leadership

In this type, the leader is characterized as the party that dominates decision-making in the organization. The leader gives a clear picture and expectations regarding what the subordinates should do. Thus, the difference between the leader and the subordinate is clearly seen: the leader commands the subordinate, and the subordinate obeys the leader.?

With this type, organizations can respond to various critical situations immediately. Nevertheless, since the leader takes all decisions, the organization becomes uncreative. In addition, this type is prone to abuse of power and alienation of subordinates, thus creating a dysfunctional organization and forming subordinates who equally reject the leader.

Participative Leadership

The second type of leadership style is participative or democratic Leadership. In this type, the leader provides policy and organizational guidance for the group but allows for input, suggestions, and criticism from the group he leads. Group members participate in decision-making, but the leader makes the final decision.

With this leadership style, members feel involved in policy-making to be more motivated and creative. The long-term impact is that all members become committed to achieving the goals. Nonetheless, members tend to be less productive than those under authoritarian Leadership.

Delegative Leadership

This leadership style relies on members’ freedom to determine the decisions the group wants to make. The leader tends to give little or no guidance to the group so that the division of labor and the role of members become ambiguous and unmotivated.

As a result of the absence of good guidelines, members will pressure the leader on every organizational matter. In addition, each member does not have strong cooperation but, ironically, cannot work independently. Everyone also doesn’t want to be responsible if something goes wrong. Ultimately, this leadership style will encourage the creation of an unproductive organization.

The optimal type of leadership style is the type that follows the conditions of each company. Therefore, do you want to know the most optimal kind of Leadership for yourself and your company? Join Gear Up