Autocratic Leadership Style - Working with people and Teams

University Degree Business and Administrative studies

BRIAN MCKEOWN WORKING WITH PEOPLE & TEAMS

QUESTION 1

The leadership styles that are used are democratic (John) & autocratic (Tom).

Autocratic Leadership Style - This is often considered the classical approach. It is one in which the manager retains as much power and decision-making authority as possible. The manager does not consult employees, nor are they allowed to give any input. Employees are expected to obey orders without receiving any explanations. Creating a structured set of rewards and punishments produces the motivation environment. This leadership style has been greatly criticised during the past 30 years. Some studies say that organisations with many autocratic leaders have higher turnover and absenteeism than other organisations. However, autocratic leadership is not all bad. Sometimes it is the most effective style to use. These situations can include:

--New, untrained employees who do not know which tasks to perform or which procedures to follow

--Effective supervision can be provided only through detailed orders and instructions

--Employees do not respond to any other leadership style

--There are high-volume production needs on a daily basis

--There is limited time in which to make a decision

--An employee challenges a manager’s power

--The area was poorly managed

The autocratic leadership style should not be used when:

--Employees become tense, fearful, or resentful

--Employees expect to have their opinions heard

--Employees begin depending on their manager to make all their decisions

--There is low employee morale, high turnover and absenteeism and work stoppage

The democratic leadership style is also called the participative style as it encourages employees to be a part of the decision making. The democratic manager keeps his or her employees informed about everything that affects their work and shares decision making and problem solving responsibilities. This style requires the leader to be a coach who has the final say, but gathers information from staff members before making a decision. Democratic leadership can produce high quality and high quantity work for long periods of time. Many employees like the trust they receive and respond with cooperation, team spirit, and high morale. Typically the democratic leader:

--Develops plans to help employees evaluate their own performance

--Allow employees to establish goals

--Encourages employees to grow on the job and be promoted

--Recognizes and encourages achievement.

Like the other styles, the democratic style is not always appropriate. It is most successful when used with highly skilled or experienced employees or when implementing operational changes or resolving individual or group problems.

The democratic leadership style is most effective when:

--The leader wants to keep employees informed about matters that affect them.

--The leader wants employees to share in decision-making and problem-solving duties.

--The leader wants to provide opportunities for employees to develop a high sense of personal growth and job satisfaction.

--There is a large or complex problem that requires lots of input to solve.

--Changes must be made or problems solved that affect employees or groups of employees.

--You want to encourage team building and participation.

Democratic leadership should not be used when:

--There is not enough time to get everyone’s input.

--It’s easier and more cost-effective for the manager to make the decision.

--The business can’t afford mistakes.

--The manager feels threatened by this type of leadership.

--Employee safety is a critical concern.

QUESTION 2

This is a preview of the whole essay

--It’s easier and more cost-effective for the manager to make the decision.

--The business can’t afford mistakes.

--The manager feels threatened by this type of leadership.

--Employee safety is a critical concern.

QUESTION 2

Early leadership researchers actually analysed numerous famous leaders in the history of America and worldwide, hoping to find certain special personality traits (e.g., intelligence and dominance) these leaders had in common. Nowadays, however, the field has pretty much given up on this approach, because (1) it is nearly impossible to develop an inclusive list of leader traits, and (2) no conclusion can be made regarding the connection between a particular trait and leadership effectiveness. Leadership under this approach depicts superior physical, mental and psychological characteristics. Research does not provide specific combination of traits that can differentiate a good leader from an ineffective leader. Six significant traits are:

Supervisory ability: planning, organising, influencing and controlling the work of others.

Need for occupational achievement: The seeking of responsibility and the desire for success.

Intelligence: Creative and verbal ability including judgment, reasoning and thinking capacity

Decisiveness: Ability to make decisions and solve problems competently.

Self- assurance: Extent to which the individual views himself or herself as capable of coping with problems.

Initiative: Ability to find new and innovative ways of doing things

QUESTION 3

Stage 1: Forming

In the Forming stage, personal relations are characterized by dependence. Group members rely on safe, patterned behaviour and look to the group leader for guidance and direction. Group members have a desire for acceptance by the group and a need to be known that the group is safe. They set about gathering impressions and data about the similarities and differences among them and forming preferences for future sub grouping. Rules of behaviour seem to be to keep things simple and to avoid controversy. Serious topics and feelings are avoided.

The major task functions also concern orientation. Members attempt to become oriented to the tasks as well as to one another. Discussion centres around defining the scope of the task, how to approach it, and similar concerns. To grow from this stage to the next, each member must relinquish the comfort of non-threatening topics and risk the possibility of conflict. This is where I think that Tom is in terms of group development as he is highly conscious of the job and not to other people plus he is quite new to the job as he was seconded to the company from America.

Stage 2: Storming

The next stage, which Tuckman calls, Storming, is characterized by competition and conflict in the personal-relations dimension an organization in the task-functions dimension. As the group members attempt to organize for the task, conflict inevitably results in their personal relations. Individuals have to bend and mould their feelings, ideas, attitudes, and beliefs to suit the group organization. Because of "fear of exposure" or "fear of failure," there will be an increased desire for structural clarification and commitment. Although conflicts may or may not surface as group issues, they do exist. Questions will arise about who is going to be responsible for what, what the rules are, what the reward system is, and what criteria for evaluation are. These reflect conflicts over leadership, structure, power, and authority. There may be wide swings in members’ behaviour based on emerging issues of competition and hostilities. Because of the discomfort generated during this stage, some members may remain completely silent while others attempt to dominate.

In order to progress to the next stage, group members must move from a "testing and proving" mentality to a problem-solving mentality. The most important trait in helping groups to move on to the next stage seems to be the ability to listen.

Stage 3: Norming

In Tuckman’s Norming stage, interpersonal relations are characterized by cohesion. Group members are engaged in active acknowledgment of all members’ contributions, community building and maintenance, and solving of group issues. Members are willing to change their preconceived ideas or opinions on the basis of facts presented by other members, and they actively ask questions of one another. Leadership is shared, and cliques dissolve. When members begin to know-and identify with-one another, the level of trust in their personal relations contributes to the development of group cohesion. It is during this stage of development (assuming the group gets this far) that people begin to experience a sense of group belonging and a feeling of relief as a result of resolving interpersonal conflicts.

The major task function of stage three is the data flow between group members: They share feelings and ideas, solicit and give feedback to one another, and explore actions related to the task. Creativity is high. If the group members attain this stage of data flow and cohesion, openness and sharing of information on both a personal and task level characterize their interactions. They feel good about being part of an effective group.

The major drawback of the norming stage is that members may begin to fear the inevitable future break up of the group; they may resist change of any sort. I believe that this is where Johns’ group is at the moment in terms of group cohesiveness.

Stage 4: Performing

All groups do not reach the Performing stage. If group members are able to evolve to stage four, their capacity, range, and depth of personal relations expand to true interdependence. In this stage, people can work independently, in subgroups, or as a total unit with equal facility. Their roles and authorities dynamically adjust to the changing needs of the group and individuals. Stage four is marked by interdependence in personal relations and problem solving in the realm of task functions. By now, the group should be most productive. Individual members have become self-assuring, and the need for group approval is past. Members are both highly task oriented and highly people oriented. There is unity: group identity is complete, group morale is high, and group loyalty is intense. The task function becomes genuine problem solving, leading toward optimal solutions and optimum group development. There is support for experimentation in solving problems and an emphasis on achievement. The overall goal is productivity through problem solving and work.

QUESTION 4

The democratic (also called group) leadership style is used in this situation: The leader shares the problem with the relevant team members as a group. Together they generate and evaluate alternatives and attempt to reach agreement (consensus) on a solution. The leader's role is much like that of chairperson. The leader does not try to influence the group to adopt a solution and is willing to accept and implement any solution that has support of the entire group. Well-established organisational structured companies allow for democracy and the input of other people within a department.

Laissez-faire style is more people than task centred. This leadership style involves leaving a group to make their own decisions - to the extent of not telling them they have to make decisions now. This is the style of a manager who hopes that a group will realise they are doing the wrong thing without telling them. The advantages of the laissez-faire model are that it can allow a chance to bond in a less formal way, and that leaving participants to make their own decisions can be very successful if they work well together in terms of the ownership and responsibility it gives to participants. It also allows for more extrovert workers to work freely and express themselves, such as artists or authors. This style is used in this situation.

c) This style of leadership is task-centred. The most important thing whilst using an autocratic style of leadership is usually getting a certain task completed. This style of leadership spends less time focusing on explanations and discussions, and more on orders. Sometimes a manager will use an autocratic style to ensure that those s/he is working with realise "they are the boss".

Advantages of an autocratic style include that it gets things done quickly, it can stop a group from making decisions that always affect a minority adversely, it ensures a manager gets listened to (at first), and it can let participants know when their behaviour is unacceptable. It is also used if there is a constraint in the working environment of employees. One good example is in emergency situations such as fire fighters or soldiers.

QUESTION 5

Blake and Mouton integrated the ideas of task and relationship orientations into a grid with five main styles. It is based on the concept that leaders vary from 1 to 9 in their concern for people (relationships) and their concern for getting things done (tasks).

9,1: Authority-Obedience

The leader's maximum concern is for task completion and is combined with a minimum concern for people (i.e., dictating to followers what they should do and how they should do it, the leader concentrates on maximizing the things to get done).

1,9: "Country Club" Management

The leader shows a minimum concern for getting tasks completed, but a maximum concern for people (i.e., even at the expense of achieving results, fostering good feelings gets primary attention).

1,1: Impoverished Management

The leader has a minimum concern for both production and people and puts forth only the least effort required to remain in the organization.

5,5: "Organization Man" Management

The leader goes along to get along, which results in conformity to the status quo.

9,9: Team Management

The leader integrates the concern for production and the concern for people at a high level; is goal centred; and seeks results through the participation, involvement and commitment of all those who can contribute.

Blake and Mouton prescribe the 9,9 orientation because it involves participation, openness, trust and respect, involvement and commitment, consensus, and mutual support. The researchers reported that prior to a seminar, 69% of the managers reported themselves as 9,9. But after the seminar only 16% believed they were 9,9. In a study of 716 managers, they found that 9,9-oriented managers were more likely to advance further in their careers.

Advantages

Highlights two main areas of managerial concern, i.e. production (task) and people.

Encourages managers to think about their own balance between task orientation and people orientation. Allows for individual training programmes.

Disadvantages

Doesn’t encourage managers to think and act flexibly according to the circumstances in which they are managing. Doesn’t apply to different situations and is also too specialised. It is not time nor financially great.

John Adair's simple Action-Centred Leadership model provides a great blueprint for leadership and the management of any team. Action Centred Leadership is also a simple leadership and management model, which makes it easy to remember and apply. Good managers and leaders should have full command of the three main areas of the Action Centred Leadership model, and be able to use each of the elements according to the situation. Being able to do all of these things, and keeping the right balance, gets results, builds morale, improves quality, develops teams and productivity, and is the mark of a successful manager and leader.

Your responsibilities as a manager for achieving the Task are:

Defining the task, making the plan, allocating work and resources, control quality and rate of work, check performance against plan, adjust the plan.

Your responsibilities as a manager for the Group are: set standards, maintain discipline, build team spirit, encourage, motivate, give a sense of purpose, appoint sub-leaders, ensure communication within group, train the group.

Your responsibilities as a manager for each Individual are: attend to personal problems, praise individuals, give status, recognise and use individual abilities, train the individual.

Importantly as well, Adair set out these core functions of leadership and says they are vital to the Action Centred Leadership model:

Planning - seeking information, defining tasks, setting aims Initiating - briefing, task allocation, setting standards

Controlling - maintaining standards, ensuring progress, ongoing decision-making

Supporting - individuals' contributions, encouraging, team spirit, reconciling, morale

Informing - clarifying tasks and plans, updating, receiving feedback and interpreting

Evaluating - feasibility of ideas, performance, enabling self assessment

The Action Centred Leadership model therefore does not stand alone, it must be part of an integrated approach to managing and leading, and also which should include a strong emphasis on applying these principles through training. Adair also promotes a '50:50 rule' which he applies to various situations involving two possible influencers, e.g. the view that 50% of motivation lies with the individual and 50 % comes from external factors, among them leadership from another. He also suggests that 50% of team building success comes from the team and 50% from the leader. It's far more accessible and relevant than much of the traditional previous gurus' thinking, you can see how it works easily in a multi-dimensional way, and above all believe it gets right to the heart of the leadership role, which explains very clearly why some succeed and others do not.

I think that John Adair’s approach would be far more suitable for Tom as his method is clearly easier to understand and to interpret while it also indicates where he might be failing himself at the moment as it points out what should be happening in each position.