Topic 2 Leadership Style

and Application

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this topic, you should be able to:

\q
1. Describe various leadership styles
2. Explain how these leadership styles are applied in organization

1.0 INTRODUCTION

There are different types of leadership styles which can be implemented by itself in
each situation, yet parts of different styles can also be applied in a mixed format in a
particular situation. Hence, if the purpose of the Leader is to accomplish an
objective, his/her task very much depends on the behaviour of the Leader, his/her
personality, experience, and principles in accomplishing the task in hand. Below are
the different types of leadership styles which a Leader uses according to the
situation at hand.

A leadership style refers to a leader’s methods, characteristics and behaviours when

directing, motivating, and managing their teams. Their leadership style is also the
determining factor in how leaders develop their strategy, implement plans, and
respond to changes, whilst managing the expectations of stakeholders and the
wellbeing of their team. As you start to consider some of the people who you think of
as great leaders, you can immediately see that there are often vast differences in
how each person leads.

Principles of Leadership 1|Page

1.1 LEADERSHIP STYLE

 Transformational leadership

We’ve likely all been in a group situation where someone took control,
communicating with the group and creating a shared vision. Creating a unity,
developing bonds, creating energy, and instilling passion. This person is very likely
to be considered a transformational leader.

Transformational leadership is a leadership style that places emphasis on change

and transformation. Leaders who adopt this approach strive to inspire their
followers to achieve more than they ever thought possible by tapping into their
individual potential. This type of leadership can be extremely effective in
organizations that are looking to make major changes or transformations.

Some of the key characteristics of transformational leadership include:

 A focus on the future: Transformational leaders are always looking ahead and

thinking about what needs to be done to achieve the organization’s goals.
They inspire their followers to do the same.

 A focus on change: Transformational leaders are comfortable with change

and understand that it is necessary for organizational success. They work to
ensure that their followers are also comfortable with change and can adapt to
it.

 A focus on people: Transformational leaders see the potential in each and

every one of their followers. They strive to develop their followers’ individual
strengths and abilities so that they can reach their full potential.

Principles of Leadership 2|Page

  Delegative leadership

Often referred to as “laissez-faire”, a delegative leadership style focuses on

delegating initiative to team members. This is generally known as one of the least
intrusive forms of leadership, this literally translates to “let them do”. This is therefore
considered a very hand-off leadership style. Leaders who adopt this style have trust,
relying on their employees to do their jobs. They don’t micromanage or get too
involved in providing feedback or guidance. Instead delegative leaders give their
employees the freedom to utilize their creativity, resources, and experience to help
them meet their goals.

This can be a successful leadership strategy if team members are competent and
take responsibility for their work. However, delegative leadership can also lead to
disagreements among team members may split or divide a group. It can be
particularly difficult for newcomers to adapt to this style of leadership, or staff
members to develop an understanding of who is ultimately in charge and responsible
for outcomes. Therefore, it’s important that this leadership style is kept in check.

 Authoritative leadership

Authoritative leaders are often referred to a visionary. Leaders who adopt this style
consider themselves mentors to their followers. Not to be confused with authoritarian
leadership, authoritative leadership places more emphasis on a “follow me”
approach. In this way leaders chart a course and encourage those around them to
follow. Leaders who display authoritative traits tend to motivate and inspire those
around them. As they provide overall direction, they also provide guidance, feedback
and motivation to their teams. This promotes a sense of accomplishment, or
achievement.
The authoritative leadership style relies heavily on getting to know each member of a
team. This allows a leader to provide guidance and feedback on a more

Principles of Leadership 3|Page

personalized level, helping individuals to succeed. This means authoritative leaders
need to be able to adapt, particularly as the size of their team grows. Authoritative
leadership is clearly very hands-on, but leaders must exercise caution not to
micromanage. This is a tendency with this style, which can be overbearing for team
members and creative negative sentiments.
 Transactional leadership

Transactional leadership, often referred to as managerial leadership, is a leadership

style that relies on rewards and punishments. This leadership style has a clear
emphasis on structure, assuming individuals may not possess the motivation needed
to complete their tasks.

With this reward-based system a leader sets out clear goals, or tasks for their teams.
Leaders also make it clear how their teams will be rewarded (or punished) for their
work. Rewards can take many formats, but typically will involve financial
recompense, such as pay, or a bonus.

This “give and take” leadership style is more concerned with following established

routines and procedures in an efficient manner, than with making any
transformational changes to an organization. Transactional leadership establishes
roles and responsibilities for each employee. However, it can lead to diminishing
returns if employees are always aware of how much their effort is worth. Therefore, it
is important that incentives are consistent with company goals and supported by
additional gestures of appreciation.

Principles of Leadership 4|Page

  Participative leadership

Sometimes referred to as democratic leadership, participative leadership is a

leadership style encouraging leaders to listen to their employees and involve them in
decision-making process. This leadership style requires leaders to be inclusive,
utilize good communication skills and crucially, be able to share power/responsibility.

When a leader adopts a participative style of leadership this encourages

collaboration, through accountability. This often leads to a collective effort of a team

to identify problems and develop solutions, as opposed to assigning individual
blame.

Principles of Leadership 5|Page

This leadership style has historically been very common, utilized by a wide range of
leaders in many organizations. However, as working habits have changed
(accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic) and teams have become more
decentralized it makes this leadership style more difficult.

Spontaneous, open, and candid communication are often associated with a

participative leadership style. Remote working, or virtual teams can make this
particularly challenging to maintain. Participative leadership is often favored as it
helps to build trust with employees. Empowering them and encouraging them to
share their ideas on important matters, demonstrating their value to a team.

Goleman (2008) deduced six styles of leadership that ultimately surface, considering
one’s level of emotional intelligence. These are described as visionary, coaching,
affiliative, democratic, and pacesetting and commanding.

1. Visionary: A visionary style of leadership can best be demonstrated by an

inspirational leader who understands people’s perspective as well as company
values and objectives and direct the energy of all parties towards boosting
productivity at work. A visionary leader instils a sense of confidence within

Principles of Leadership 6|Page

employees where they feel that they are a bone-fide member of the organization.
The visionary leader can turn the odds around by manipulating the idea of
understanding each other and by building a harmonious relationship between
him/her and subordinates, will ultimately bring success to the company.

2. Coaching: This style of leadership relies heavily on the assistance and morale
building of the individuals forming the group. The leader must have professional
abilities to assess everyone as to their maximum capacity and through set goals and
guidelines direct each person to achieve personal objectives and boost productivity
at work. For the leader to succeed he needs to devote his energy constantly on team
member’s progress on fulfilling their personalized objectives. This type of leadership
approach brings a burden to the leader by devoting ample amount of time to coach
each individual so they will be successful in their jobs and in the company.

3. Democratic: A democratic leader does not seek assistance from subordinates,

irrespective of their position within the company. This type of leadership model can
be more effective in companies who find themselves in professional crises.
Democratic style of leadership permit participation and increase collaboration and
teamwork where future business matters and issues can be shared with others in the
workplace. Democratic leadership builds harmony between team-members, it also
breaks the stereotype of a leader who is demanding and controlling.

4. Affiliative: To be effective in the workplace it is important for the leader to

develop emotional bonds with the workforce. The affiliative leader is attentive to the
emotional needs of employees allowing them liberty to work efficiently in their
aptitude. The affiliative leader prioritizes on the emotional ambiance of the
organizational culture, its values, clear communication, and participation among
members to boost the outcome at work. In order for any global organization not to go
into overdrive, the implementation of affiliative leadership style can prevent negative
human resources management as it ensures that all employees is well taken care of,
and have chance to move-up within the organization.

Principles of Leadership 7|Page

5. Pacesetting: Pace-setting style of management is known for setting up very high
standards and in performance and even exceed the set objectives. The significance
of this leadership style lies in achieving perfection and excellence within the
workplace. Although it creates a work environment where work gets done fast and
effectively by pushing people over their limits. It also has potential drawbacks. The
most motivating aspect on the part of the employees is that the style of leadership
emphasizes on leading by example. This often creates a positive outcome in the
production of work.

6. Commanding: The commanding leadership style is very demanding and does not
allow any suggestions but full compliance. This type of leader has no tolerance,
neither mercy. The focus is to get the job done at a given time with no questions
asked. The employees who cannot produce can become a victim of the leader in the
form of down grading and humiliation. The authority is kept by the leader and not
delegated. It can be applied to situations where there is a crisis at work, in particular
among employees. The commanding leader can exercise the absolute power he
holds to settle all disputes. The downside of this leadership style is its tendency to
destroy the organization if it’s not implemented with a leader who has high emotional
intelligence, empathy, and self-control.

1.2 THE APPLICATION OF LEADERSHIP STYLE

It is important to note that these styles should not be implemented just by itself but
rather they should be incorporated and the combination of the level of dose for each
leadership style will vary due to the situation in a hand and that of the leaders
personal characteristics, values, and experience. However, by successful application
of these styles can drastically improve business performance and company success.

Once the employees are satisfied & decide to work for such company with clear
values and objectives the contribution to the financial and social goals of the

Principles of Leadership 8|Page

company will be easier to achieve. In an environment where things are clear there is
harmony between the work force and teamwork becomes easier to implement. In
general people can be motivated easier when they understand what is expected
from them. Once an environment of trust is established throughout the company, the
management team will implement mixed leadership styles to achieve the best
possible results within the company.

Preparation of financial budgets with detailed analytical & statistical techniques

would require a more “Participative”, “Paternal”, “Affiliative” or “Democratic”
leadership style on the part of the manager. The collection and evaluation of data
need to be prepared in an environment where open communication and free sharing
of data is important to the outcome of the project. On the other hand, the execution
and achievement of budgeted results would require more direct approach such as
“Autocratic”, “Commanding” and/or “Pace-setting” leadership style on the part of the
manager. It is critical to achieve the budgeted results monthly. However, one needs
to be in total control of revenues & costs daily. Hence if the control process is
neglected obtaining of pre-planned results will be compromised. The manager
should be forceful and have complete control over the entire process.

Adherence to the operational guidelines, service, and product standards as well as

rituals & procedures to achieve customer satisfaction is a very critical area, where
employees need to be trained and controlled constantly. Managers should not
tolerate from set standards and operational guidelines. Hence this area requires an
“Autocratic”, “Commanding” style of leadership.

Obtaining of the requested operational equipment as well as fixture. Redesigning of

areas for waste collection and implementing the gradual change of more cost-
effective heating and lighting equipment across the company. At the beginning of the
project the Leader must also demonstrate a “Visionary” leadership to motivate
committee members to work hard to achieve the desired results. He would also
implement a “Pace-setting” leadership to cover important areas of project and
establish a road plan to effectively mobilize each member. When it comes to
delivering the universal massage to the employees and clients regarding company

Principles of Leadership 9|Page

values & norms the leader most definitely utilize the “Visionary” leadership style
without any hesitation.

The weekly management meetings are held periodically where performance is

shared, the issues which need to be addressed and necessary actions needed to be
taken are planned and assigned in these important meetings. The General Manager
chairing this meeting has the opportunity to motivate his/her managers by being
“Visionary”, “Autocratic”, “Commanding” and/or “Pace-setting” when referring to
obtaining of financial and social targets set ahead. He can also be demanding and
adamant in taking corrective action and preventive action regarding matters resulting
with customer complaints and low customer satisfaction.

The charity and community work and projects as well as employee parties, social
gatherings and events can start on a “Free Rein or Laissez Faire” basis to let
committee members independently work and prepare the scope of the project.
Building self-confidence also helps develop talents of employees. As projects
develop “Coaching” and more supportive leadership style can be implemented.

Class Activity

1. Explain the four (4) basic leadership style

2. In your opinion, what is the most applicable leadership style?
3. How would you describe your leadership style?

Principles of Leadership 10 | P a g e
SUMMARY

 Leadership styles are classifications of how a person behaves while leading a

group.
 Lewyn's leadership styles are authoritarian (autocratic), participative
(democratic), and delegative (laissez-faire).
 As a leader, understanding your own leadership style is critically important.
When you do understand your own leadership style you are able to determine
the affect this has on those that you directly influence.
 Choosing leadership styles that work for you can make you a more effective
leader.
 A clear mark of an effective and great leader is that they inspire others to be
great: give your team the space to thrive and grow.
 Continuous learning is a part of the journey. Building your own emotional
intelligence will only further develop your skills in addition to those of the
people who look to you for leadership.

Principles of Leadership 11 | P a g e