The Five Styles of Management

One of the most important qualities of a leader is their style. Effective leadership is the precursor for humanity’s greatest accomplishments, and vital for successful businesses. Managers come in many forms, and if you’re a manager, it’s important to learn what type you are. Each management style has strengths and weaknesses, as all people do. If you want to be the best manager you can be, read on to learn the five most common styles of management, which style resonates with you, and how you can utilize these styles to capitalize on your strengths while minimizing your weaknesses.

Autocratic

Autocratic managers are isolated leaders who make unilateral decisions. These decisive delegators make choices with as little subordinate input as possible. The strengths of this management style include a faster decision-making process, as there’s only one person’s preferences to be considered. There is no debate, no mediation, only logical thinking leading to a definite solution. Autocratic leaders will find it troublesome when their subordinates are looking for more autonomy, more say in what choices the business make. Autocratic leadership is best in times of crisis when decisions need to be made rapidly, however, over long periods of time, your subordinates may feel powerless if they never have an influence in the way your business functions.

Consultative

Consultative managers still have final say on all company decisions; however, they invite their employees to discuss major decisions with them. This type of management is great for allowing everyone’s voice to be heard and is most likely to result in decisions that serve everyone’s best interest. Be wary that neglecting certain subordinates from discussions will likely cause them to lose faith in you as a leader, so be sure to invite everyone to take part in the conversation. Also avoid becoming dependent on your subordinates when making decisions. You are still in control; you’re just collaborating with your subordinates before making the final decision.

Persuasive

Persuasive managers remain in full control of all final decisions; however, they make choices based on the arguments presented by their subordinates. This allows the manager to hold decision making power while allowing subordinates to produce all of the facts and figures that support the manager’s decision. This enables all employees to participate in the decision-making process without the manager becoming dependent on their judgement as some consultative managers tend to do. This system doesn’t work, however, when employees do not support management decisions and decide not to provide input.

Democratic

Democratic managers act as the name implies. This style of management allows employees to have a direct influence on decisions, similar to a democratic government. The democratic style is most effective when complex decisions must be made that require company-wide collaboration. This system, however, may produce an inefficient decision-making process that can hurt your business in the long run.

Laissez-faire

This “hands-off” style of management is the polar opposite of the autocratic style. This style allows subordinates to make a majority of company decisions, with the manager acting more as a mentor than a leader. As a relatively unconventional style of management, democratic management works great for starter companies where it’s encouraged to think outside of the box. This system, however, could lead to disorder if the manager isn’t able to regain control in the event of a severe disagreement.

Did you identify with any of the five management types? Would you like to improve your managerial abilities? Don’t postpone your potential and contact Amson Consulting today. Contact us to experience service from the best business consultant in Orlando.