The three most common management styles in the U.K are: Autocratic, Consultative & Democratic.
Autocatic/Authoritatian management is found in centralised, bureaucratic, ‘top-heavy’ organisations with long chains of command; senior management make the decisions and these are filtered down the chain.
The premise of the autocratic management style is the belief that in the most cases the worker cannot make a contribution to their own work, and even if they could, they wouldn’t. McGregor called the belief system that leads to this mindset theory X. Under theory X workers have no interest in work in general, including the quality of their work. Because civilisation has mitigated the challenges of nature, modern man has become lazy and soft. The job of managers is to deal with this by using “ carrots and sticks”. The “carrot” is usually a monetary incentive, such as piece-rate pay schemes. The “stick” is docked pay for poor quality or missed production targets. Only money and threats can motivate the lazy, disinterested worker. Autocratic mangers attempt to control work to the maximum extent possible. A major threat to control is complexity; complex jobs are more difficult to learn and workers who master such jobs are scare and possess a certain amount of control over how the job is done. Thus, autocratic managers attempt to simplify work to gain maximum control. A Strict top-down, chain-of-command approach to management is pattern.
Effects of Autocratic Management Style.
- Managers remote from the employees, all decisions made from the top.
- Decisions made by one or a small number of managers no two-way communication.
- Employees are encouraged to work not think.
- Quantity rather than quality is the emphasis.
Democratic management is found in organisations, which have efficient and open communication channels, short chains of command and routine delegation. The manager guides and leads but the employees make necessary decisions.
The premise of the democratic management style is the belief that the workers can make a contribution the design of their own work. The belief system that leads managers to this conclusion was originally put forward as a management theory by McGregor who called it theory y. Theory Y advocates belief that workers are internally motivated, they take satisfaction in their work, and would like to perform at their best. Symptoms of indifference are a result of the modern workplace, which restricts what a worker can do and separates him/her from the final result of their effort. It is management’s job to change the workplace so that the worker can once again recapture the pride of workmanship.
Managers who practice the democratic style of management tend to engage in certain types of behaviour. To engage the works they establish and communicate the purpose and direction of the organisation. This is used to help develop a shared vision of what the organisation should be, which is used to help develop a shared vision.
Effects of Democratic Management.
- Slower decision making due to flat organizational structure and delegation.
- Opinions of employees listened to though not always taken in to account in final decision-making.
- Employees and groups have greater responsibility and are actively involved in the business.
- Employees/groups operate two-way communication with management.
Consultative managers are those who seek to consult others before making a decision. Alternatively, they will seek to consult people before implementing a decision. This type of manager wants to draw on more sources of opinions than just him or herself. The consultative managert will have been trained to have good listening skills and in the ability to create the rights sorts of channels to consult other people. In an organisation with a culture of consultation, there will be a series of mechanisms such as teams briefs and newsletters that make it possible to get the feel of the concerns of other people involved in the decision making process, as well as to draw on their expertise.
