by Berfu Sahin – Marketing Executive with RattleBerry
There are a million styles of management and every manager is different in their own way. But when it comes to breaking down management styles there are three categories that a manager, leader or boss will always fall into – Democratic, Authoritarian and Laissez-faire.
All management styles have their pros and cons, and depending on the nature of the industry, your workers and what you are trying to achieve, a different management style might be required each time, which can mean switching between the three from time to time. But what do these three types of management mean? Here’s the breakdown:
Democratic
A democratic leader as the name suggests, means everyone has a voice, with the leader taking on board what their team has to offer either coming to a consensus with them or taking on board and implementing at least some of their points and ideas. A democratic leader also tries to be open and approachable.
A good democratic leader is one who is open, approachable and can take criticism from his or her employees. It is one of the most popular management styles, as employees are made to feel like they have both a voice and a sense of value, and it can generate intrapreneurial behaviour within the company.
The downside to this practice is that overdone, a manager can somewhat lose their sense of authority or it can lead to over complexity for the sake of everyone having a voice and perhaps the management appearing to show favouritism toward some employees, as these workers may prove themselves to have a more useful input compared to others.
Regardless, democratic leadership is generally considered to be the most efficient and effective management style when properly executed.
Authoritarian
This style of leadership can sometimes be compared to the word ‘fascism’ or ‘totalitarianism’. On one level, this holds somewhat true due to the nature of the management style. However, an Authoritarian need not be aggressive and manipulative which is something you might think of when you think of fascism or totalitarianism.
This style of leadership is a direct control kind, or ‘the boss knows best’ mindset. What this basically means for an employee is that they are not expected to contribute but simply take orders and do their job. It’s not’s always the most pleasant experience for workers, but if there are tight deadlines to meet or perhaps the company is in a state of crisis and needs to be resolved quickly it is perhaps the best approach to take.
The risk that runs with this type of management style is dissatisfaction amongst workers if they over time become unhappy with their work environment due to an overly strict or demanding employer.
Laissez-faire
A laissez-faire leader is not a lazy leader but a trusting one. They believe in the employees being capable of taking care of themselves and their work, promoting the idea that an employee can best figure out how to best manage their work, rather than conforming to your idea of efficiency. A good laissez-faire leader will still make themselves available and approachable, much like a democratic boss.
This sort of work style only proves to be useful when employees are self-motivated, otherwise, you run the risk of falling behind. While this can be a very successful managerial style, and one that can if done well free up some time for you, it is a calculated risk to be taken about whether not you the employer can lead, but whether or not your employees can lead themselves.
Ultimately, leadership is a complicated issue. There’s no one way to do it. And by combining different methods, pushing yourself to innovate with how you manage and interact with your employees, you can become a better leader. There is always room for improvement and as something grows and develops over time, so should your management style.
What’s your leadership style? What do you think is the best way to motivate and manage your employees? Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment below.
About the author
Berfu Sahin is a Marketing Executive at RattleBerry providing modern marketing recruitment solutions. If you are looking for employment or need to hire the best digital, brand, product, experience design and communications professionals RattleBerry can help. Call or email to discuss what new skills you need on your team and how RattleBerry can provide them in a flexible manner.
