High clarity on structure and roles Organizations with autocratic leaders usually have very clear lines and borders in between different areas. When this happens, productivity levels tend to decrease over time instead of increase. The procedures and rules might seem rigid. Communication is the systematic process of passing information from one person to another. They just want to come to work, do what theyre told, then go home at the end of the day with a paycheck. Subordinates tend to shirk responsibility and initiative. However, excess control can also result in low employee morale and employee engagement. It increases the work burden for the leader. - There is a clear division between the followers and the leaders. Managers with this type of leadership style, keep a close eye on what is happening in their organisations. St. Thomas University: What is Autocratic Leadership? And when it comes to long-term issues, autocratic leaders know how to direct traffic through the hierarchies. Laissez-Faire. Although this kind of leadership can sound harsh at first, it can be very effective. As such, in autocratic leadership, faster decisions can be made. This approach has limitations (as highlighted by other motivational theorists such as Mayo and Herzberg) but it can be effective in certain situations. Likewise, Leona Helmsley of the Helmsley hotel chain andMartha Stewart of MSLO are also considered to have exercised this type of leadership style. It is one of the biggest advantages of the autocratic leadership style. Autocracy in the workplace also results in high employee turnover. Definitions of autocratic leadership style. Its main weakness is that it hinges heavily on the abilities and temperament of your employees. 7. There may be situations when leaders are less qualified than their subordinates. If the leader offers questionable ethics, however, and refuses to create fairness, then there is no one who can really hold that person accountable. Both leadership styles are very well known and are often used due to . Do you know why? Their expertise and experience can solve short-term issues. That means a decision is made on the timetable of the leader and no one else. Do you have a team of inexperienced employees? The main characteristics of autocratic leadership style are as follows: * Autocratic leaders make all the decisions and pass them down to the people under them for implementation. Employees, in turn, learn discipline and consistency from their leader. They can easily manage these issues because they're the only ones who get to call the shots. Autocratic leadership involves absolute, authoritarian control over a group of people. However, there are some advantages of autocratic leadership as well. Motivation and reward for leaders: It provides strong motivation and reward for the leader. Leaders do not concern about whether or not subordinates are satisfied with their actions and instructions. According to St. Thomas University, democratic leadership is defined by mutual respect between the manager and their team members. can swiftly take the team out of trouble. He is a lecturer in Management and Marketing. Effective communication is when the receiver gets the exact message the sender wants to convey. Autocratic executives can affect more productive project completion since they spread information swiftly throughout a company. For example, a communication style that can be considered barking orders can be critical in high-stakes environments, like among paramedics, but destructive in collaborative environments like university departments. The autocratic style provides fast crisis management benefits. Because the leaders opinion is the only opinion that matters in terms of strategic planning and decision-making, employees can feel frustrated that they cannot work in ways that suit them. Autocratic leaders have imperious or commanding personalities. Advantages and Disadvantages of the Autocratic Leadership, Poor Relationship Between the leader and Followers, Not Suitable for Large and Diversified Organizations, What is Organizational Change? Here are the pros and cons of autocracy: Pros of autocracy There are many benefits of autocracy, including: Increasing productivity: Autocracy can increase productivity, especially when subordinates don't have advanced skills or training yet. Through goremotely.net, stats reveal that 78% of the employees want to quit their jobs due to lack of recognition. Advantages. Autocratic leaders are like the captain of the ship. In fact, some characteristics of autocratic leadership can be considered advantages in some situations and drawbacks in others. Do you have to be born with the correct qualities or can you be taught to be a good leader? Autocracy has many benefits as well as some drawbacks. That means workers tend to not take ownership of the work they do because there is no incentive to do so. . This is an advantage because team members can continue projects, move deadlines, and remove obstacles that could negatively impact their overall productivity. Both issues decrease worker morale and put blame on someone, even though the issue may not be their fault. These were the autocratic leadership style advantages and disadvantages. It is one of the biggest, advantages of the autocratic leadership style, Faster decision-making and quick information-sharing can help boost the teams productivity. Low satisfaction also results in below performance than expectations. Because of one-way communication and lack of recognition employees do not get the answers to the questions they deserve. When an autocratic leader becomes burnt out and cannot fulfill their duties, the rest of the team is often ill-equipped to step in and take the lead because they have never been in that position before. As with other leadership styles, there are autocratic leadership advantages and disadvantages that can have a significant impact on a leader's employees . Autocratic leadership has a clearly defined chain of command. Here, in the autocratic organization, there are fewer levels which reduces the challenges of poor communication that might be caused because of too many levels. There are many qualities that are needed to be a good leader or manager. Autocratic leaders do not appreciate any inputs from their team members. Pros of Autocracy The following sections below demonstrate. The employee doesnt have to worry about anything beyond performing their job duties properly, and for many employees, this is much less mentally taxing than an environment where they're expected to pitch ideas and weigh in on business strategies. Some employees dont like the idea of being asked to make an important decision about the future of the company. As such, it becomes the right choice for employees who thrive when they are told what to do. Although they set their rules and regulations to control the team, they also play a significant role in eradicating employee stress. 4. An autocratic leader makes decisions and communicates them on time, making sure that the team has all the information they need to finish the project on schedule. Workers can benefit from the competencies offered by their leader, replicating productivity by using the leaders knowledge and experience as a workplace asset. Despite facing criticism, there are some tangible benefits that an autocratic leader brings to the company. The ultimate democratic system occurs when decisions are made based on the majority view of all workers. The leader is the only one who is in charge of the situation. Advantages Autocratic style of leadership is very effective in times of emergency or stress since people will always work from orders or commands of their leaders. The procedures and rules might seem rigid. That means all creative decisions originate from the leader. They prefer to set their objectives, plan of action, processes and methods independently. It may create an unwelcome culture within the organization. Over time, however, this leadership style creates mistrust within the workplace. The manager will however make the actual decisions (in the best interests of the workers) as they believe the staff still need direction and in this way it is still somewhat of an autocratic approach. As in an autocratic organization, a single leader is involved in decision-making, he makes decisions based on his own logic and judgment. The advantages and disadvantages of the autocratic leadership style show that it can be effective when an organization requires quick, accurate decisions from an experienced leader. This is yet another of the several advantages of autocratic leadership style. This leaves little room for miscommunication and messages getting lost in transit. Since autocratic leadership ensures clearly defined structures, it clearly states what to do and how to do it. These. Here are some of the advantages and disadvantages to consider with the autocratic leadership style. But, what is autocratic leadership? This ensures that employees are exercising best of their abilities to get the job done, and time and other resources are not wasted. Faster decision-making is the key to attaining organizational goals. Because it is the autocratic leaders reputation on the line, not the worker doing the job, those in this type of position tend to supervise every small detail of the work being done. However, according to Schaeffer (2002) autocratic leaders are not those who bully people needlessly. One of the greatest advantages to working with an autocratic leader is that the employee always knows whats expected and what will happen if they fail to perform as expected. One of the disadvantages of autocratic leadership is that it degrades the employees morale and motivation. "An organisation is only as good as the person running it". Paternalistic managers give more attention to the social needs and views of their workers. Bad leaders can put a company out of business. Decentralisation and Leadership Styles (AQA Paper 1 2019, Q20) Exam Support What is leadership? According to IPL.org, autocratic leadership is an extreme form of another kind of workplace leadership known as transactional leadership. There is no need to recognize emotions, respond to personal issues, or find other ways of motivation. As such, here, every employee is abiding by strict discipline. Autocratic leader This leader is given the power to make decisions alone, having total authority. 7. Strong sense of control and direction: Autocratic leaders provide clear direction and expectations for their team members, which can create a sense of order and stability. Advantages of autocratic leadership style Many leaders use autocratic leadership style to establish centralised control in exercising the decision-making authority and use that control to accomplish the desired results. Autocratic leadership style ensures that a consistent message is sent from the centre to the employees at the bottom of the organisations. Even if low-skill tasks need to get done, it is the leaders responsibility to make sure someone makes copies, gets coffee, or files documents properly. And, you know discipline is the key to achieving something. What makes a good leader or manager? The lack of flexibility in environments headed by autocratic leaders can drive creative and motivated employees away. To be effective, the leader must be able to have proven competencies in their field, as they are responsible for making most of the decisions in the workplace. Check out Harappas Inspiring Faculty Program and experience growth in your leadership now. Many analysts argue that late Steve Jobs (co-founder of Apple Inc.), Elon Musk, and to some extent Bill Gates are autocratic leaders. Resulting in taking ideas and not implementing them. With a clear corporate hierarchy in place, every member of the organization knows not only who they report to, but who their boss reports to. Leaders are of different types. Therefore, they may not contribute to the team efforts as they should. This process may create a powerful and positive impact on their performance. Good leaders can produce great results. In the permissive version, the autocratic leader still makes the final decision, but extends some flexibility to their direct reports in how tasks are completed. There is no doubt that laissez-faire can bring significant disadvantages to an organisation - especially where conditions are not conducive to such a liberal style of management. This is one of the autocratic leader strengths and weaknesses that is highly dependent on the workplace environment. Even if the leader is not knowledgeable in the area, they are forced into a position where they must decide. Inexperienced employees generally need a lot of hands-on guidance from their supervisors to learn their roles, learn how to perform their job duties effectively and learn how to work well within the organization. Autocratic leadership is an exchange process, so it is a matter of contingent reinforcement of staff based on performances. Instead of there being a democratic process for teams, there are no group positions of leadership with the autocratic style. send our content editing team a message here, 11 Office Closed Due to Inclement Weather Messages, 50 Most Asked Nursing Interview Questions with Answers, 20 Best Answers to Why Do You Want to Leave Your Current Job, 10 Best Answers to Why Do You Want to Be a Manager, 11 Best Answers to What Does Leadership Mean to You Interview Question, 50 Most Asked Front Desk Interview Questions with Answers, 10 Best Ways to Answer Sell Me This Pen in an Interview, 10 Most Asked Integrity Interview Questions with Answers, 25 Most Asked Confidentiality Interview Questions with Answers, 50 Most Asked Phone Interview Questions with Answers, 10 Best Answers to What Are Your Interests and Hobbies. Did you know that autocratic leadership is great when it comes to handling crises? Advantages and Disadvantages of Autocratic Leadership: The advantages of Autocratic leadership are that it allows for fast and effective decisions in a crisis situation, this is due to the ability of make quick decisions without having to discuss amongst team members which wastes valuable time. Kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengenalpasti pilihan pelajar terhadap aliran sains dan pola pilihan mengikut tahap kefahaman pengetahuan asas sains. Workers are forced to rely on the autocratic leader for all their feedback, instructions, and work duties. The laissez-faire or free reign leader scarcely provides direction to his team members. One of the primary characteristics of autocratic leadership is a clearly defined chain of command. But rarely do employees know that there are several. 5. Disadvantages of Autocratic or Authoritarian Leadership. As autocratic leaders usually make decisions without consulting their team members, it may cause team members dislike towards the leadership. Safety is a top priority within the autocratic leadership style. The autocratic leadership style is highly dependent upon the leader. Be able to think creatively to provide a vision for the company and solve problems Be calm under pressure and make clear decisions Possess excellent two-way communication skills Have the desire to achieve great things The leader shares defined roles and patterns of work with the employees. So, there are advantages of the autocratic leadership style for the employees, too. Team members may have opportunities to provide feedback; however, their feedback is highly unlikely to change the course of action. There is just one person in charge. advantages of democratic leadership. Autocratic leadership, characterized by this centralized style of leadership, is an important concept in business, economics and politics. It is most likely that well-known leaders or managers are successful due to a combination of personal characteristics and good training. Fewer layers of administration and lesser feedback to look into facilitates swift decision-making in the team. At the end of the day, the autocratic leader is like the captain of a ship: every decision is a weight on their shoulders and they are ultimately responsible for what happens. Autocratic leadership is . Autocratic Leadership. Moreover, the instructions will go straight to the employees. Control in the group is minimal; authority is shared among members. Every crisis or decision lies on their shoulders. List of the Advantages of the Autocratic Leadership Style 1. When there is clear direction, with a path toward success, offered to workers, then they are able to focus on productivity instead of problem solving. Home Pros and Cons 11 Autocratic Leadership Advantages and Disadvantages. This procedure often leads to the consistent delivery of projects and has a significant impact on the employees performance and productivity. 1. Autocratic leadership is suitable when the organization is small. In time, this may result in fewer errors, which can provide a boost to revenues. Increased autonomy 2. Each level of management can inadvertently (or purposely) put their own spin on the communication come from the leadership. In autocratic organizations, there are clearly defined tasks, roles, rules, and deadlines to follow. When there isnt enough time to learn something new or a project must be completed rapidly, this type of leadership is the best option. The advantages and disadvantages below refer to autocracy in general, including the two types of autocracy as discussed above. The decision can be made faster with this leadership style. VAT reg no 816865400. The leader shares defined roles and patterns of work with the employees. Because of the strict method in which employees are micromanaged, there is no room for flexibility within the work environment. Khan et al. List of the Disadvantages of a Democratic Leadership Style. Every leadership style comes with some benefits and weaknesses. The following are some of the instances because of which autocratic leadership is not suitable. Advantages Quick decision making: This comes in handy when a leader is governing a small group or business. From Disabled and $500k in Debt to a Pro Blogger with 5 Million Monthly Visitors, 11 Autocratic Leadership Advantages and Disadvantages, Leaders Eat Last Speed Summary: 15 Core Principles, Extreme Ownership Speed Summary (3 Minutes) w/ PDF, Good to Great Speed Summary: 15 Core Principles of, "From Disabled and $500k in Debt to a Pro Blogger with 5 Million Monthly Visitors. If there is a short-term problem, the expertise of the leader can be used to create a solution. In many ways, it could be described as, Do it my way or go hit the highway. Workers get the job done, or else they go find a different job. For that reason, some entities using this structure create an inheritance chain which allows another person to step into the leadership role right away. This approach derives from the views of Taylor as to how to motivate workers and relates to McGregor's theory X view of workers. They may also feel that the leadership does not care about their needs and desires which is unproductive for organisations. There are two reasons why the autocratic leadership style encourages an overall lack of accountability. If there isnt enough time to develop personal skills or learn something new, then autocratic leaders are still able to get the job done. That is because there is one person and they are in charge of all arrangements. And what are. They use their personal experiences to form rules or regulations that translate into step-by-step instructions for workers to follow. For leaders who don't care much about power and prefer to be appreciated by being of service to others, this is the main advantage. They are the managerial equivalent of an emergency room surgeon who is forced to do whatever necessary to save a patients life. It allows for fast decisions to be made. Did you ever invite him for a drink? They must make every decision for the team. This is yet another of the several, advantages of autocratic leadership style. SWOT Analysis of Kelloggs (Kellogg Company), https://www.forbes.com/sites/markmurphy/2019/11/24/does-anyone-actually-like-autocratic-leaders-new-data-says-yes/?sh=bd0ef4e10de5, https://hbr.org/2002/10/the-leadership-journey. The cadets were fresh and were eager to learn, my Commanding Officer told me to do the "traditional" way of welcoming the cadets, this in fact is very beneficial to me and us because it instill dis. There may be dangerous situations or working environments which require complicated tasks to be completed. A clear chain of command is important in certain environments, like the military. Such a group process usually, takes a longer time to come to decision. There is no gray area for employee performance in this type of environment, which can be comforting for employees. Moreover, they also like to enjoy the credit for the projects success, leaving the employees disheartened. Some are encouraging and collaborative, while others are commanding and dominating. That means the partnerships formed by the workers are with the rules, not with people, and that helps to drive down morale over time. Within autocratic structures, there may not be anyone who has the authority to make a rogue leader accountable to the company to stop their behavior. 9. Although this form of leadership is often found within the government, it is also present in some corporate structures as well. Autocratic leaders have the opportunity to take full control, responsibility and stress and build and maintain a productive operation. An autocratic. - They don't have group members, they have followers. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); At BokasTutor, We aim to provide easy and insightful explanations on different topics of disciplines like Management, Marketing, Finance, Business, and Entrepreneurship. Definition, Features, Principles, and Cycle, What is TQM? Company Reg no: 04489574. They will delegate to them the authority to do this (empowerment) and listen to their advice. Lets take a glimpse at who autocratic leaders are and what they do. You can be an authentic leader; you constantly grow and betters yourself. A team can become so dependent upon the leader that they stop functioning when their directions are no longer present. If yes, then the best way to manage such teams is through autocratic leadership. The Disadvantages of Impulsive Management, Management Styles That Elevate vs. Devalue Employees. The second involves a leader refusing to take responsibility for work they personally instructed a worker to complete. While employees who need clear directive and feedback from their leader tend to do best under an autocrat, more experienced employees often do well in a more autonomous environment. But, what is autocratic leadership? A work environment where autocratic leadership style is exercised is usually not friendly to innovation or creative thinking. Some are collaborative and inspiring, while some are authoritative and controlling. This leadership style makes it difficult to correct poor results. Authoritative leaders are most consistent in their approaches and systems. One of the other notable cons of the autocratic leadership style is that there is a poor relationship between the leader and followers. Everything rests with the leader. They can switch back to a more delegative approach as team members gain more experience. The democratic leadership style does solicit for opinions, perspectives, and experiences. In this article, we outline some essential autocratic leadership pros and cons. Nevertheless, autocratic leadership is one of the least popular management styles and certainly not suitable for each organisation. . Lindsay Kramer has been a small business owner since 2014. They even need guidance and instruction on how to, to do the given jobs. Advantages The pros of this approach include: Decisions can be made rapidly which may keep the team agile and very quick to respond to challenges. Autocratic - cause frustration and resentment because the system is so dependent on the leader and because of the non-participation if workers . There are numerous autocratic leadership strengths and weaknesses and sometimes, a characteristic thats a strength in one scenario is a weakness in another. People who step out of this line are quickly identified and brought back into the fold. Increased Work Burden St. Thomas University: What is Democratic/Participative Leadership? And they are accountable for the outcomes. Advantages and disadvantages of autocratic leadership pdf It would be a great world if everyone could work together cohesively, pushing a business to its desired goal. That means there is a priority on consistency, with each team member performing their job functions in a similar way. It removes the pressure on the employees. If you know anything about democratic leadership, you will know that it sounds better than autocracy. Now, she's focusing her writing on helping other small business owners and people planning to become small business owners navigate this crazy thing we call entrepreneurship. Autocratic leadership eliminates this issue because the command goes straight to the workers involved. Because of the vertical or one-way communication channel subordinates do not get the opportunity to share their ideas and thoughts. Sources: 9. Employee morale can also be negatively affected when autocratic leadership is employed. It is therefore easy for the autocratic leaders to make the organisational goals clear to the subordinates resulting in better and higher commitment to the accomplishment of the goals. This is because they do not consult any other members of their team, so they dont have to wait for other opinions or work through different perspectives to find an appropriate compromise. support and direction. To conclude, though autocratic leadership style has several disadvantages, it can be argued that there are some situations autocratic leadership style should yield better results for organisations. Copyright 2017 2025. According to goremotley.net, around 83% of employers feel that it is crucial to create leaders at all levels. The employees need not wait for the thumbs up from seniors or ask for a deadline extension if they can get all the approvals and data on time. It also creates hardships for the leader because they may get blamed for the actions of a worker when that worker was told to do something completely different. While the advantages and disadvantages of leadership styles are not always readily apparent, one thing is certain - being decisive while avoiding autocratic leadership tactics is necessary for successful leaders and negotiators alike. The idea here is that with a centralised control, giving guidance and direction to employees is relatively easy. Due to this behaviour, the leader should yield the ultimate power and provide the employees with the motivation to work, i.e. There Is No Room for Flexibility. However, this is not feasible for the majority of decisions taken by a business- indeed one of the criticisms of this style is that it can take longer to reach a decision. Faster decision-making is the key to attaining organizational goals. The foundation of the autocratic leadership style is one built on mistrust.
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