Leadership and Different Styles

Leadership has been described as "a process of social influence in which one person can enlist
the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task", although there are
alternative definitions of leadership.
For example, some understand a leader simply as somebody whom people follow or as
somebody who guides or directs others, while others define leadership as "organizing a group
of people to achieve a common goal".

Leadership Style Frameworks
Lewin's Leadership Styles
Psychologist Kurt Lewin developed his leadership styles framework in the 1930s, and it
provided the foundation of many of the approaches that followed afterwards. He argued
that there are three major leadership styles:
1. Autocratic leaders make decisions without consulting their team members, even if their
input would be useful. This can be appropriate when you need to make decisions
quickly, when there's no need for team input, and when team agreement isn't necessary
for a successful outcome. However, this style can be demoralizing, and it can lead to
high levels of absenteeism and staff turnover.
2. Democratic leaders make the final decisions, but they include team members in the
decision-making process. They encourage creativity, and people are often highly
engaged in projects and decisions. As a result, team members tend to have high job
satisfaction and high productivity. This is not always an effective style to use, though,
when you need to make a quick decision.
3. Laissez-faire leaders give their team members a lot of freedom in how they do their
work, and how they set their deadlines. They provide support with resources and
advice if needed, but otherwise they don't get involved. This autonomy can lead to high
job satisfaction, but it can be damaging if team members don't manage their time well,
or if they don't have the knowledge, skills, or self-motivation to do their work
effectively. (Laissez-faire leadership can also occur when managers don't have control
over their work and their people.)
Lewin's framework is popular and useful, because it encourages managers to be less
autocratic than they might instinctively be.
The Blake-Mouton Managerial Grid
The Blake-Mouton Managerial Grid was published in 1964, and it highlights the best
leadership style to use, based on your concern for your people and your concern for
production/tasks.
The Managerial Grid is based on two behavioral dimensions:
Concern for People This is the degree to which a leader considers the needs
of team members, their interests, and areas of personal development when
deciding how best to accomplish a task.
Concern for Production This is the degree to which a leader emphasizes
concrete objectives, organizational efficiency and high productivity when
deciding how best to accomplish a task.

Using the axis to plot leadership concerns for production versus concerns for people,
Blake and Mouton defined the following five leadership styles:



Impoverished Leadership Low Production/Low People
This leader is mostly ineffective. He/she has neither a high regard for creating systems
for getting the job done, nor for creating a work environment that is satisfying and
motivating. The result is disorganization, dissatisfaction and disharmony.
Country Club Leadership High People/Low Production
This style of leader is most concerned about the needs and feelings of members of
his/her team. These people operate under the assumption that as long as team
members are happy and secure then they will work hard. What tends to result is a work
environment that is very relaxed and fun but where production suffers due to lack of
direction and control.
Produce or Perish Leadership High Production/Low People
Also known as Authoritarian or Compliance Leaders, people in this category believe that
employees are simply a means to an end. Employee needs are always secondary to the
need for efficient and productive workplaces. This type of leader is very autocratic, has
strict work rules, policies, and procedures, and views punishment as the most effective
means to motivate employees.

Middle-of-the-Road Leadership Medium Production/Medium People

This style seems to be a balance of the two competing concerns, and it may at first
appear to be an ideal compromise. Therein lies the problem, though: When you
compromise, you necessarily give away a bit of each concern, so that neither production
nor people needs are fully met. Leaders who use this style settle for average
performance and often believe that this is the most anyone can expect.
Team Leadership High Production/High People
According to the Blake Mouton model, this is the best managerial style. These leaders
stress production needs and the needs of the people equally highly.

The premise here is that employees understand the organizations purpose and are
involved in determining production needs. When employees are committed to, and
have a stake in the organizations success, their needs and production needs coincide.
This creates a team environment based on trust and respect, which leads to high
satisfaction and motivation and, as a result, high production.
Applying the Blake Mouton Managerial Grid:
Being aware of the various approaches is the first step in understanding and improving
how well you perform as a manager. It is important to understand how you currently
operate, so that you can then identify ways of becoming effective in both areas.
Step One: Identify your leadership style
Think of some recent situations where you were the leader.
For each of these situations, place yourself on the grid according to where you
believe you fit.
Step Two: Identify areas of improvement and develop your leadership skills
Look at your current leadership approach, and think about whether it suits the
context.
Look at ways that you could improve. Are you settling for middle of the road
because it is easier than reaching for more?
Identify ways to get the skills you need to reach the Team Leadership position.
These may include involving others in problem solving or improving how
you communicate with them, if you feel you are too task-oriented. Or it may
mean becoming clearer about scheduling or monitoring project progress if you
tend to focus too much on people.
Continually monitor your performance and watch for situations where you slip
back into bad old habits.

Step Three: Put the Grid in Context
It is important to recognize that the Team Leadership style isnt always the most
effective approach in every situation. While the benefits of democratic and
participative management are widely accepted, there are times that call for more
attention in one area than another.
If your company is in the midst of a merger or some other significant change, it can
be acceptable to place a higher emphasis on people than on production. Likewise,
when faced with an economic hardship or physical risk, people concerns may be
placed on the back burner, for the short-term at least, to achieve high productivity
and efficiency.

With a people-oriented leadership style, you focus on organizing, supporting, and
developing your team members. This participatory style encourages good teamwork
and creative collaboration.
With task-oriented leadership, you focus on getting the job done. You define the work
and the roles required, put structures in place, and plan, organize, and monitor work.



The Hersey-Blanchard Situational Leadership Theory
First published in 1969, the Hersey-Blanchard Situational Leadership Theory argues that
you need to use different leadership styles depending on the maturity of your team
members. The model argues that with relatively immature individuals, you need a more
directing approach, while with higher maturity people; you need a more participative or
delegating leadership style.
You can use this model in most business situations, regardless of whether you want to
build a new team or develop an existing one.
According to Hersey and Blanchard, there are four main leadership styles:
Telling (S1) Leaders tell their people what to do and how to do it.
Selling (S2) Leaders provide information and direction, but there's more
communication with followers. Leaders "sell" their message to get people on
board.
Participating (S3) Leaders focus more on the relationship and less on direction.
The leader works with the team, and shares decision-making responsibilities.
Delegating (S4) Leaders pass most of the responsibility onto the follower or
group. The leaders still monitor progress, but they're less involved in decisions.

As you can see, styles S1 and S2 are focused on getting the task done. Styles S3 and S4
are more concerned with developing team members' abilities to work independently.
Maturity Levels
According to Hersey and Blanchard, knowing when to use each style is largely dependent
on the maturity of the person or group you're leading. They break maturity down into
four different levels:
M1 People at this level of maturity are at the bottom level of the scale. They
lack the knowledge, skills, or confidence to work on their own, and they often
need to be pushed to take the task on.
M2 at this level, followers might be willing to work on the task, but they still
don't have the skills to complete it successfully.
M3 Here, followers are ready and willing to help with the task. They have more
skills than the M2 group, but they're still not confident in their abilities.
M4 These followers are able to work on their own. They have high confidence
and strong skills, and they're committed to the task.
The Hersey-Blanchard model maps each leadership style to each maturity level, as
shown below.

Maturity Level Most Appropriate Leadership Style
M1: Low maturity S1: Telling/directing
M2: Medium
maturity, limited skills
S2: Selling/coaching
M3: Medium
maturity, higher skills
but lacking confidence
S3: Participating/supporting
M4: High maturity S4: Delegating

To use this model, reflect on the maturity of individuals within your team. The table
above shows which leadership style Hersey and Blanchard recommend for people with
that level of maturity.

Path-Goal Theory
You may also have to think about what your team members want and need. This is
where Path-Goal Theory published in 1971 is useful.
The Path-Goal model is a theory based on specifying a leader's style or
behavior that best fits the employee and work environment in order to achieve
goals (House, Mitchell, 1974). The goal is to increase an empl oyee's motivation,
empowerment, and satisfaction so that they become productive members of
the organization.
Path-Goal is based on Vroom's (1964) expectancy theory in which an individual
will act in a certain way based on the expectation that the act will be followed
by a given outcome and on the attractiveness of that outcome to the
individual. The path-goal theory was first introduced by Martin Evans (1970)
and then further developed by House (1971).
The path-goal theory can best be thought of as a process in which leaders
select specific behaviors that are best suited to the employees' needs and the
working environment so that they may best guide the employees through
their path in the obtainment of their daily work activities (goals) (Northouse,
2013).
While Path-Goal Theory is not an exact process, it generally follows these basic
steps as shown in the graphic below:
1. Determine the employee and environmental characteristics
2. Select a leadership style
3. Focus on motivational factors that will help the employee succeed

With Path-Goal Theory, you can identify the best leadership approach to use, based on
your people's needs, the task that they're doing, and the environment that they're
working in.


Six Emotional Leadership Styles
Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee, in Primal Leadership, describe six
styles of leading that have different effects on the emotions of the target followers.
These are styles, not types. Any leader can use any style, and a good mix that is
customised to the situation is generally the most effective approach.

The Visionary Leader
The Visionary Leader moves people towards a shared vision, telling them where to go
but not how to get there - thus motivating them to struggle forwards. They openly
share information, hence giving knowledge power to others.
They can fail when trying to motivate more experienced experts or peers.
This style is best when a new direction is needed.
Overall, it has a very strong impact on the climate.
The Coaching Leader
The Coaching Leader connects wants to organizational goals, holding long conversations
that reach beyond the workplace, helping people find strengths and weaknesses and
tying these to career aspirations and actions. They are good at delegating challenging
assignments, demonstrating faith that demands justification and which leads to high
levels of loyalty.
Done badly, this style looks like micromanaging.
It is best used when individuals need to build long-term capabilities.
It has a highly positive impact on the climate.
The Affiliative Leader
The Affiliative Leader creates people connections and thus harmony within the
organization. It is a very collaborative style which focuses on emotional needs over
work needs.
When done badly, it avoids emotionally distressing situations such as negative
feedback. Done well, it is often used alongside visionary leadership.
It is best used for healing rifts and getting through stressful situations.
It has a positive impact on climate.
The Democratic Leader
The Democratic Leader acts to value inputs and commitment via participation, listening
to both the bad and the good news.
When done badly, it looks like lots of listening but very little effective action.
It is best used to gain buy-in or when simple inputs are needed ( when you are
uncertain).
It has a positive impact on climate.
The Pace-setting Leader
The Pace-setting Leader builds challenge and exciting goals for people, expecting
excellence and often exemplifying it themselves. They identify poor performers and
demand more of them. If necessary, they will roll up their sleeves and rescue the situation
themselves.
They tend to be low on guidance, expecting people to know what to do. They get short
term results but over the long term this style can lead to exhaustion and decline.
Done badly, it lacks Emotional Intelligence, especially self-management. A classic problem
happens when the 'star techie' gets promoted.
It is best used for results from a motivated and competent team.
It often has a very negative effect on climate (because it is often poorly done).
The Commanding Leader
The Commanding Leader soothes fears and gives clear directions by his or her powerful
stance, commanding and expecting full compliance (agreement is not needed). They need
emotional self-control for success and can seem cold and distant.
This approach is best in times of crisis when you need unquestioned rapid action and with
problem employees who do not respond to other methods.


The theory highlights the strengths and weaknesses of six leadership styles that you can use
Visionary, Coaching, Affiliative, Democratic, Pacesetting, and Commanding. It also shows how
each style can affect the emotions of your team members.

Flamholtz and Randle's Leadership Style Matrix

First published in 2007, Flamholtz and Randle's Leadership Style Matrix shows you the best
leadership style to use, based on how capable people are of working autonomously, and how
creative or "programmable" the task is.
The Leadership Style Matrix

From "Growing Pains: Transitioning From an Entrepreneurship to a Professionally Managed
Firm" by Eric G. Flamholtz and and Yvonne Randle. Fourth Edition. 2007. Reproduced with
permission of John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
The Leadership Style Matrix is divided into four quadrants. Each quadrant lists two leadership
styles that are best suited for a specific situation and person (or group).
The Y-axis defines the "programmability" of the task. A programmable task has specific steps or
instructions to complete. A non-programmable task is more creative; it's up to the individual to
decide how best to accomplish it.
The X-axis describes the individual's capability and preference for autonomy. Several factors
influence this, including education, skill, motivation, and their desire for feedback, interaction,
or independence.
For instance, a person with a high level of education, skill, motivation and independence is
likely to want autonomy. Someone with low motivation and skill will need and may want
more feedback and interaction, so that he or she can complete the task successfully.


The matrix is divided into four quadrants each quadrant identifies two possible leadership
styles that will be effective for a given situation, ranging from "autocratic/benevolent
autocratic" to "consensus/laissez-faire."

Transformational Leadership

These leadership style frameworks are all useful in different situations, however, in business,
"transformational leadership " is often the most effective leadership style to use. (This was first
published in 1978, and was then further developed in 1985.)

Transformational leaders have integrity and high emotional intelligence . They motivate
people with a shared vision of the future, and they communicate well. They're also typically
self-aware , authentic , empathetic , and humble .

Transformational leaders inspire their team members because they expect the best from
everyone, and they hold themselves accountable for their actions. They set clear goals, and
they have good conflict-resolution skills . This leads to high productivity and engagement.

However, leadership is not a "one size fits all" thing; often, you must adapt your approach to fit
the situation. This is why it's useful to develop a thorough understanding of other leadership
frameworks and styles; after all, the more approaches you're familiar with, the more flexible
you can be.

Specific Leadership Styles

As well as understanding the frameworks that you can use to be a more effective leader, and
knowing what it takes to be a transformational leader, it's also useful to learn about more
general leadership styles, and the advantages and disadvantages of each one.

Let's take a look at some other leadership styles that are interesting, but don't fit with any of
the frameworks above.

Note:

Remember, not all of these styles will have a positive effect on your team members, either in
the short or long term. (See our article on Dunham and Pierce's Leadership Model for more on
how your actions as a leader will affect your team.)
Bureaucratic Leadership

Bureaucratic leaders follow rules rigorously, and ensure that their people follow procedures
precisely.

This leadership style is appropriate for work involving serious safety risks (such as working with
machinery, with toxic substances, or at dangerous heights), or with large sums of money.
Bureaucratic leadership is also useful for managing employees who perform routine tasks.

This style is much less effective in teams and organizations that rely on flexibility, creativity, or
innovation.

Charismatic Leadership

A charismatic leadership style resembles transformational leadership: both types of leaders
inspire and motivate their team members.

The difference lies in their intent. Transformational leaders want to transform their teams and
organizations, while leaders who rely on charisma often focus on themselves and their own
ambitions, and they may not want to change anything.

Charismatic leaders might believe that they can do no wrong, even when others warn them
about the path that they're on. This feeling of invincibility can severely damage a team or an
organization, as was shown in the 2008 financial crisis.

Servant Leadership

A "servant leader" is someone, regardless of level, who leads simply by meeting the needs of
the team. The term sometimes describes a person without formal recognition as a leader.

These people often lead by example. They have high integrity and lead with generosity . Their
approach can create a positive corporate culture, and it can lead to high morale among team
members.

Supporters of the servant leadership model suggest that it's a good way to move ahead in a
world where values are increasingly important, and where servant leaders can achieve power
because of their values, ideals, and ethics .

However, others believe that people who practice servant leadership can find themselves "left
behind" by other leaders, particularly in competitive situations.

This leadership style also takes time to apply correctly: it's ill-suited to situations where you
have to make quick decisions or meet tight deadlines.

Transactional Leadership

This leadership style starts with the idea that team members agree to obey their leader when
they accept a job. The "transaction" usually involves the organization paying team members in
return for their effort and compliance on a short-term task. The leader has a right to "punish"
team members if their work doesn't meet an appropriate standard.

Transactional leadership is present in many business leadership situations, and it does offer
some benefits. For example, it clarifies everyone's roles and responsibilities. And, because
transactional leadership judges team members on performance, people who are ambitious or
who are motivated by external rewards including compensation often thrive.

The downside of this style is that, on its own, it can be chilling and amoral, and it can lead to
high staff turnover. It also has serious limitations for knowledge-based or creative work.