Leadership styles and characteristics

1. Leadership
Bernard Keys and Thomas defined,
“Leadership is the process of influencing and supporting
others to work enthusiastically towards achieving
objectives.”
Peter Drucker defines,
“The only definition of a leader is someone who has
followers.”
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2. Leadership Styles
Leadership styles are classifications of how a
person behaves while leading a group.
Kurt Lewin's leadership styles are
 Authoritarian (autocratic)
 Participative (democratic)
 Delegative (laissez-faire)
Ref- Lewin K, Lippitt R, White K. Patterns of aggressive behavior in experimentally created “social climates”. J Soc Psychol. 1939;10(2):271 301.
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3. Leadership Style
Autocratic
Autocratic leadership, also known as authoritarian
leadership, is a leadership style characterized
by individual control over all decisions and little
input from group members.
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4. Characteristics of
Autocratic Leadership
 Centralized Decision Making
 No input from group members
 Dictate work methods and processes
 Leaves group feeling like they aren't trusted with
decisions or important tasks
 Highly structured and very rigid environments
 Discourages creativity and out-of-the box thinking
 Establishes rules and tends to be clearly outlined and
communicated
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5. Merits & Demerits of
Autocratic Leadership
Merits
 Allows for quick decision-
making especially in
stress-filled situations
 Offers a clear chain of
command or oversight
 Works well where strong,
directive leadership is
needed
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Demerits
 Discourages group
input
 Hurts morale and
leads to resentment
 Ignores creative
solutions and expertise
from subordinates

6. Discussion
 Autocratic leadership does have some
potential pitfalls, leaders can learn to use
elements of this style wisely. For example, an
autocratic style can be used effectively in
situations where the leader is the most
knowledgeable member of the group or has
access to information that other members of
the group do not.
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