Advantages and disadvantages of the authoritarian leadership

1. Advantages and Disadvantages oftheAuthoritarian Leadership Style
The authoritarian leadership styleis focused solely on the leader.It is a stylethat is characterized by personal controlover alldecisions that
must be madefor a team.Leaders using this style rarely take input fromtheirteammembers whenmaking decisions.
These leaders prefer to makechoices that arebased ontheirown experiences, judgments, andideas. Theymaintainabsolutecontrol over the
group, requiring unquestioning supportover thepolicies and procedures that arein placefor everyproject.The work tends tobe rigidand
structured, with creativity oftendiscouraged.
Rules areimportantto this leadership style. Theyareclearly outlinedandcommunicated.Thereis an expectation that they willbefollowed all
the time.
As with any leadership style, thosepracticing the authoritarianleadershipstylebring a series ofadvantages and disadvantages worth
considering.
List oftheAdvantages ofAuthoritarian Leadership
1. It producesconsistentresultsin small-groupsituations.
When working in a smallgroup, therecan bea leadershipvoid. You mightfind yourselfwith everyone thinking ofthemselves a s a leader. Some
groups mighthave noonestepping up toa leadership role. Whentheauthoritarian leadershipstyleis broughtintothesituation,then the
direction provided by the leader canproduce results. This creates solid deadlines,taskassignments,and higher levels ofquality control.
2. It reducesthe timeneeded to make decisions.
Leaders using theauthoritarian leadershipstyleoften makedecisions on their own. Theydo notconsultwith otherpeople on theirteam. This
can be usefulwhen thereis an emergency situationbeing faced. Instead ofbeing forcedto navigatethroughmultiple levels ofbureaucracy, as
some leadershipstyles encourage,anauthoritarian leader makes thedecision, sotheteamcan getto work right away.
3. It placesall the pressure on theleader.
Many teams work insituations that canbe very stressful. When there is a lotofpressuresurrounding a team, the authoritarianstyleis
preferred because each teammember can focus on their specialty. Onlytheleader is taskedwith theresponsibility ofmaking complex
decisions. Becauseevery person ontheteamcan beextremely specialized, theresults a teamcan producehave thepotentialto outperform
other leadership styles.
4. It createsaconsistent result.
Many industries requirespecific instructions to befollowedto createresults. You willoften seeauthoritarian leadership styles inplay withinthe
construction andmanufacturing industries.Theseindustries have definedtasks which must becompletedconsistently andto exact
specifications. These leaders excelwithin this environment because they areableto controlimplementationprocedures, creating an
environmentwheresafety rules arefollowedandproduction metrics are met.
5. It createsclarity within the chain-of-command.
When an authoritarian leadership styleis being used, therearefew questions as to who is incharge. This reduces thechances ofone employee
trying to advise a teamto work inoneway, whileothers aretrying toadviseanother way to work. This claritycrea tes instructions whichallow
for a more efficient performance because the modelis rigid. Onecannot assumea leadershiproleunless they aredirectedto do so.
6. It can provide aboost in productivity.
When processes are clear for teammembers,then everyone ontheteamis ableto settheirfocus on thetasks that they areasked todo. There
is no requirementto think abouttheinstructions or how to completea task.Thattranslates to a better performance because itremoves
uncertainty fromthesituation. Theenergythat would bedirected toward problem-solving can bedirected towardtheworkthat needs to be
done.
7. It can reduce thenumber ofmistakeswhich occur.
When an authoritarian leadership styleis being used, theframing ofa project willtypically leadto feweroverallmistakes. That is because all
team members havepre-determined instructions to followas they pursuea specificobjective.Risks are diminished becauseonly the best
processes areincluded intheinstructions tobe followed. Clearinstructions also reducetherisks that individual team mightbewilling to take
on their own.
List oftheDisadvantages ofAuthoritarian Leadership
1. It may cause some employeesto rebel.
Managers whoarepracticing anauthoritarian leadership styleareoften viewedas being controlling and bossy. Somemight describethis as
being “dictatorial.”Somepeopleresentbeing told exactlywhat todo, how todo it,and when it needs to bedonebecauseit removes their
personal controlfrom the situation. Evenifthey completetheinstructions correctly, iftheleader is wrong, thentheblame may fallon them
instead of their manager.

2. 2. It reducesthe amount ofgroup input received.
Some authoritarian leaders like totalk withtheirdirect reports to receive a diversesetofopinions beforemaking decisions.Many donot.
Authoritarianleaders tend to suppress creativity becausethey do not consult withtheirteam. There may beteam members who resent the
fact that their experienceis notbeing consulted as part ofthedecision-making process. When thereis an overall lack ofcreativity fromthe
leader as well, this disadvantagecan actually hurt the overall performanceofthe group.
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3. It createsmomentsofinsecurity withinthe leadership.
Authoritarianleaders build themselves up on theconcept that they arethemostexperiencedand knowledgeablefor thesituations they will
face. This is not always the case. Some teams havehighlyexperiencedmembers who are very knowledgeableabout the situations that may be
faced in thefuture.Because theseleaders often fail toconsultwith their group, thechances for success maybe reduced. Highly experienced
team members can also make leaders feel insecure about themselves, whichcan further reduceteamperformance.
4. It may impair the morale ofthe group.
Many peopletend to workbetter whenthey feel or know thattheir contributions totheteamare making a positive impact. If the authoritarian
leader makes themfeellike their contributions are not welcome,then they maybegin to feeldissatisfied with their circumstances. They might
feel stifled bytheexpectations placedon them. Ifthis occurs frequently,it is possible for highly skilled workers to seek outnewforms of
employmentbecausethey wishto ridthemselves oftheirleader.
5. It createsalack offeedback.
With the authoritarian leadershipstyle, the leaders arenot askedto providethesame levels offeedback thatotherstyles may require. This
may cause thedevelopment track ofsometeam members tosuffer, stall, orbe eliminatedaltogether. Each personis required to follow a pre-
determined setoftasks. Thereis no needfor furtherimprovement ifthey areableto do so,which means there is nopush or challengeto
become betteroncethis ceiling is reached. When employees begin to feellikethey’vestalledout,they may look for a different jobwherethey
can acquiremore knowledge.
6. It encouragesahigher churn rate.
When a teammember feels likethey’ve giveneverything and there is nowayforward for thefuture, then they willstart looking for new
challenges.The chain-of-commandwithintheauthoritarian leadershipstyleis veryclear. Ifthereis no way topush forward,then peopletend
to look for opportunities where they can. As teammembers gainmoreexperiencein what they do, it becomes more difficultfor authoritarian
leaders toinspireloyalty within their direct reports.
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7. It causeseveryone to rely on theexperienceofthe leader.
An organizationand a team areboth dependent upon the expertiseand knowledge that an authoritarian leader brings tothetable.Thatmakes
the leaderindispensableto the visionofthe futurethatanorganization may have. Italsomeans that a leader whobegins to fallbehind on
industry standards willcauseanorganization tobegin suffering.This creates a tunnelvision toward the wrong outcomes because thereare no
other voices availablewhocan changetheprocess.
8. It eliminatesinnovation from theprocess.
The only innovation permitted within the authoritarianleadership styleis thatwhichtheleader allows. Iftheleader feels likea new idea might
threaten their role, then it can beexcluded. Authoritarian leaders often look toconsolidate power to preventsomeone elsefrom being ableto
take their positionin thefuture. Withouta strong vision that includes theteam and theorganization, the focus oftheleadercan beinternal
instead of external.
The advantages and disadvantages oftheauthoritarian leadershipstyleshow that company profits may benefitfrom this option. Deadlines can
be met morefrequently whilerisk-taking is reducedfrom theequation. At thesame time,this leadershipstylemay also contributetohigher
churn rates, a lack ofcreativity, andanoveralllack ofpersonalchallenge.