Other relevant articles for you are: Advantages and disadvantages of digital marketing, Advantages and disadvantages of franchising. It is a style which dictates how people are supposed to work. Whether this style makes a good leader has been a longstanding debate. Its main weakness is that it hinges heavily on the abilities and temperament of your employees. Boston House, But this might not be possible with an autocratic leadership style. This helps to resolve the emergencies rather effectively when compared to other leadership styles. Everything rests with the leader. 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. Therefore, they may not contribute to the team efforts as they should. Key points of Advantages of autocratic leadership Highlights below: It allows for a fast decision to be made. Safety is a top priority within the autocratic leadership style. Autocratic leaders have the opportunity to take full control, responsibility and stress and build and maintain a productive operation. Moreover, the instructions will go straight to the employees. Productivity levels can see increases with this leadership style. Because of the strict method in which employees are micromanaged, there is no room for flexibility within the work environment. According to IPL.org, autocratic leadership is an extreme form of another kind of workplace leadership known as transactional leadership. Workers are less likely to stop their projects or ask for later deadlines because they receive timely decisions and communication from their leadership. Fewer layers of administration and lesser feedback to look into facilitates swift decision-making in the team. There may be dangerous situations or working environments which require complicated tasks to be completed. For many it is someone who can inspire and get the most from their staff. Among all the recognized autocratic leadership strengths and weaknesses, perhaps one of the most prominent is that this leadership style can cause employees to resent their leader and even their organization. That means a decision is made on the timetable of the leader and no one else. When there are multiple levels of leadership within an organization, a command from the top becomes like a childhood game of Telephone. Some people dont like the idea of coming up with new ideas. In addition, normally, inexperienced employees are rules followers. Advantages and disadvantages of autocratic leadership style. Team members have creative freedom 3. support and direction. This requires good two-way communication and often involves democratic discussion groups, which can offer useful suggestions and ideas. In addition, in this style of leadership, managers don't take care of the opinions of their staff and ore not open to changes. They arent required to wait for the feedback from senior managers or consult with a leadership team. But, what is autocratic leadership? It motivates staff by appealing to their personal desires and on instrumental economic transactions. The democratic leadership style does solicit for opinions, perspectives, and experiences. 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. new data says yes, available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/markmurphy/2019/11/24/does-anyone-actually-like-autocratic-leaders-new-data-says-yes/?sh=bd0ef4e10de5 (accessed 06 April 2021), Schaeffer, L. (2002) The leadership journey, available at: https://hbr.org/2002/10/the-leadership-journey (accessed 06 April 2021), St Thomas University (2018) What is Autocratic Leadership? They can switch back to a more delegative approach as team members gain more experience. Because this leadership creates a system of dependence. Managers are interested in how happy workers feel and in many ways they act as a father figure (pater means father in Latin). It is one of the biggest advantages of the autocratic leadership style. It is a leadership style that is based on a lack of trust. Autocratic leaders are often charged with information movement. However, excess control can also result in low employee morale and employee engagement. 1. Organisational continuity is threatened in the absence of the leader . If you liked any of these articles, please feel free to share with others by clicking on the social sharing icons. Even if the leader is not knowledgeable in the area, they are forced into a position where they must decide. In the paternalistic form, the core characteristics of this leadership style are used, with an added emphasis on worker wellbeing as part of the experience. Autocratic leadership style is commonly associated with excessive employee turnover (employees leaving an organisation). 10. Autocracy has many benefits as well as some drawbacks. This procedure often leads to the consistent delivery of projects and has a significant impact on the employees performance and productivity. They must make every decision for the team. One of the primary reasons why the autocratic leadership style tends to fail is because it is fully dependent upon the skills and knowledge of the leader. But, in an autocratic environment, there is no employee participation and their concerns are ignored. Because of one-way communication and lack of recognition employees do not get the answers to the questions they deserve. Autocratic - cause frustration and resentment because the system is so dependent on the leader and because of the non-participation if workers . advantages of the autocratic leadership style, autocratic leadership style advantages and disadvantages. All rights reserved LCHW. However, they describe the disadvantages of this style as promoting staff defiance, lack of free . Consequence in Leadership Styles, The Disadvantages of Emotional Leadership, Clear separation of leader and subordinate roles, Clearly defined performance expectations for all team members, Consequences for failure to comply with expectations, Specific processes for performing workplace tasks, Strict adherence to established rules and policies, Tom Petty, founder of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Helen Gurley Brown, former editor-in-chief of, Ridley Scott, critically acclaimed filmmaker, Vince Lombardi, former Green Bay Packers coach. 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. . 4. People who rely on this leadership style are often viewed as dictators or bossy. List of the Advantages of Autocratic Leadership 1. Cons of autocratic leadership. Although they set their rules and regulations to control the team, they also play a significant role in eradicating employee stress. Likewise, as an autocratic leader is not necessarily the same as being a fascist, there are people with certain personalities, who may indeed work well under this type of leadership style (Murphy, 2019). Do you have a team of inexperienced employees? Autocratic leaders do not appreciate any inputs from their team members. If there is a short-term problem, the expertise of the leader can be used to create a solution. The ultimate democratic system occurs when decisions are made based on the majority view of all workers. This is one of the autocratic leader strengths and weaknesses that is highly dependent on the workplace environment. That consistency leads toward corporate success. People only thrive here is there is no investment in what they do. 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. Degrades trust and morale: Autocratic leadership discourages input, which can make teams feel like their ideas are ignored and they're unable to contribute. 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. Attner, R. and Plunkett, W. (1994) Introduction to management, 5th edition, California: Wadsworth, Inc. Murphy, M. (2019) Does anyone actually like autocratic leaders? Business, sports, politics, and many other fields have witnessed a great number of autocratic leaders throughout the history. That creates a positive impact on the work environment, which leads to more accurate work and consistent production. LS23 6AD The style is closely linked with Mayo's Human Relation view of motivation and also the social needs of Maslow. Both issues decrease worker morale and put blame on someone, even though the issue may not be their fault. There are many qualities that are needed to be a good leader or manager. If yes, then the best way to manage such teams is through autocratic leadership. Definition, Features, Principles, and Cycle, What is TQM? Each person benefits from the regulated competencies that are offered by the leader. Did you know that autocratic leadership is great when it comes to handling crises? This leadership style can produce authoritative short-term results. The leader does not have to deal with internal politics or disputes at the decision-making stage. 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. That means many leaders practicing this leadership style eventually turn into micromanagers, even if that is not their intent. But, what is autocratic leadership? autocratic leadership advantages and disadvantages? The Disadvantages of Laissez-Faire Leadership. Autocratic leaders generally could use organizational . Autocratic leadership always encourages one-way communication to eliminate this problem. One of the benefits of autocratic leadership is that it can help an inexperienced team achieve goals that they wouldn't be able to do alone. Although their primary aim should be to achieve business goals, as leaders, it is also their responsibility to add value to employees. The leader will need to create the system, with all the rules and procedures, in which the team uses to operate and reach goals. Understanding autocratic leadership strengths and weaknesses can be easier when one understands exactly which kinds of behaviors constitute autocratic leadership. In most autocratic leadership structures, the leader is responsible for every action of the team. But, the results always lead to corporate success. There is also less feedback from various levels of management which must be processed. Autocratic leaders are like the captain of the ship. By the time the information reaches the front-line employees doing most of the work, the entire original message could be lost. Essentially, no one will be confused about the direction of a company or even the specific assignment they are working on. They can easily manage these issues because theyre the only ones who get to call the shots. "An organisation is only as good as the person running it". To be effective, people need to work in an environment where there is a trusting partnership. The result is an unhappy workforce. 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. In this kind of leadership mostly leader makes new contacts with outside people. Experienced, skilled workers tend to do better in an environment where their leader asks for their input in decision-making or even leaves decision-making entirely up to them. If team members are unfamiliar with the process or tasks, leaders are better off taking a more hands-on approach. It can be a joyless experience for team members. They even need guidance and instruction on how to, to do the given jobs. Dependent on the leader: Organizational success is entirely dependent on the leader and their ideas, which can endanger the stability of the organization. They may also feel that the leadership does not care about their needs and desires which is unproductive for organisations. Because autocratic leaders are able to move information throughout an organization quickly, there are fewer delays in productivity. They wont get blamed if it fails and they wont get credit if it succeeds. 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. They can replicate results because they are given specific instructions to follow. Characteristics of autocratic leadership style. That makes it almost impossible for leaders to leave the workplace, as workers can become so dependent on their decision-making abilities that nothing gets done if the leader is not present for some reason. 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. How Procedures Can Improve Efficiency, available at: https://online.stu.edu/articles/education/autocratic-leadership.aspx (accessed 06 April 2021). And they are accountable for the outcomes. This style has close links with Herzberg's motivators and Maslow's higher order skills and also applies to McGregor's theory Y view of workers. However, this leadership style become less effective in large organizations. democratic leadership. Advantages And Disadvantages Of Autocracy: Leadership is a crucial talent that can be applied to any profession or career as the case may be, and there are several leadership styles to choose from. If they face a decision in the work they are doing, they are almost forced to go to the leader for advice on what to do instead of making the decision on their own. An autocratic workplace environment is typically not friendly to innovation or outside-the-box thinking, and this can leave workers feeling intellectually stifled. Whatever approach is predominately used it will be vital to the success of the business. Did you ever tell him about your awesome weekend? Autocratic leadership is very similar to the authoritarian leadership style. Some are collaborative and inspiring, while some are authoritative and controlling. VAT reg no 816865400. Disadvantages of Autocratic or Authoritarian Leadership. - consultative although the manager will have the final say. They just want to come to work, do what theyre told, then go home at the end of the day with a paycheck. Employee morale can also be negatively affected when autocratic leadership is employed. This style tends to decrease employee performance when additional duties are imposed on the employees without consultation. If you know anything about democratic leadership, you will know that it sounds better than autocracy. Many companies tend to turn to an autocratic leadership style when they need to create short-term results in an urgent way. Now that weve discussed several advantages of the autocratic leadership style, here come some disadvantages: One of the biggest disadvantages of exercising autocratic leadership is that it can result in low employee morale. Workers become dependent on someone else to make decisions. An autocratic leader is well-equipped to deal with a crisis situation. Employees do not get recognition for their efforts. Transactional leadership is characterized by a leader/subordinate relationship governed by exchange, and with an autocratic leader, this exchange is total compliance with expectations for continued employment with the company. Did you ever invite him for a drink? It improves productivity. Here're some benefits of autocratic leadership: Ensures faster decision making In autocratic leadership, there're fewer levels of administration and hierarchy that you inform before implementing the decision. 2. Autocratic leadership - Definition, Components, Advantage, Disadvantages. Control in the group is minimal; authority is shared among members. The leader shares defined roles and patterns of work with the employees. Here are some of the advantages and disadvantages to consider with the autocratic leadership style. Paternalistic managers give more attention to the social needs and views of their workers. It also includes less feedback from the management levels. Many prime ministers and presidents around the world are also well-known for their autocratic style. Lindsay Kramer has been a small business owner since 2014. Autocratic leadership is a type of leadership that is individual-centric. 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. This leadership style makes it difficult to correct poor results. Autocratic leaders are like the captain of the ship. This working environment can leave employees feeling suppressed. Increased Work Burden Advantages of charismatic leadership style. When the leaders are taking ownership for the quality of the completed work, there is no opportunity for team members to do so. Each level of management can inadvertently (or purposely) put their own spin on the communication come from the leadership. The autocratic leadership style does a good job of facilitating this process. That reduces the productivity available, and eventually leads to declining morale. A team can become so dependent upon the leader that they stop functioning when their directions are no longer present. This form serves well when the . Autocratic - quick decision making is guaranteed; Autocratic - good for inexperienced workers; . Only the leader will weigh the pros and cons of every option instead of the entire C-suite. St. Thomas University: What is Democratic/Participative Leadership? Managers must be willing to encourage leadership skills in subordinates. And, you know discipline is the key to achieving something. All operations, methods, processes and delegations are decided by the autocratic leader and only by him. Inexperienced teams can still produce experienced results. Quick decision: Quick decision making is guaranteed because a single person decides for the whole group. There are some work environments which require a high level of control. Unfortunately, they might not appreciate the advice of their team members. As with other leadership styles, there are autocratic leadership advantages and disadvantages that can have a significant impact on a leader's employees .
