They can easily manage these issues because theyre the only ones who get to call the shots. Every crisis or decision lies on their shoulders. Along with many advantages, the autocratic leadership style also has various disadvantages. 1. Effective communication is when the receiver gets the exact message the sender wants to convey. The following are some of the instances because of which autocratic leadership is not suitable. They can switch back to a more delegative approach as team members gain more experience. Motivation and reward for leaders: It provides strong motivation and reward for the leader. Study notes, videos, interactive activities and more! Business, sports, politics, and many other fields have witnessed a great number of autocratic leaders throughout the history. In high-pressure, high-stakes situations like buying and selling real estate, an autocratic leader who has the knowledge necessary to make profitable choices can be a companys greatest asset. Whether this style makes a good leader has been a longstanding debate. Autocratic leaders dont deal with the hassle of multiple leadership levels. That reduces the productivity available, and eventually leads to declining morale. Autocratic leaders generally believe that they are the smartest people around and know more than their subordinates. Many analysists also argue that this style usually leads to an absence of creative solutions to problems, which may ultimately hurt the group efforts. Autocratic Leadership Advantages and Disadvantages: Advantages: It allows for fast decisions to be made: - An autocratic leadership includes fewer levels of administration levels that are to be informed. Communication is the systematic process of passing information from one person to another. Because autocratic leaders are able to move information throughout an organization quickly, there are fewer delays in productivity. 5. 2. But rarely do employees know that there are several. In fact, some characteristics of autocratic leadership can be considered advantages in some situations and drawbacks in others. If yes, then the best way to manage such teams is through autocratic leadership. This can be beneficial for organizations that need to maintain a strong sense of control and predictability. All operations, methods, processes and delegations are decided by the autocratic leader and only by him. It reduces the amount of group input received. Disadvantages: Although some managers adopt democratic leadership, it is just to please their subordinates but they do not follow the technique fully. The autocratic leadership style is highly dependent upon the leader. These benefits of autocratic leadership can swiftly take the team out of trouble. Though autocratic leadership style is often criticised, it is true that many historic autocratic leaders have been innovators who unleashed revolutions in different fields. Employees feel motivated and devote their maximum effort when they feel valued for their presence and contribution. Some employees dont like the idea of being asked to make an important decision about the future of the company. This can mean the only employees who remain working with the company are unmotivated and even lazy individuals. Did you know that autocratic leadership is great when it comes to handling crises? When there is an autocratic leadership established within an organization, there are fewer levels of administration that must be kept informed of each decision. The cadets were fresh and were eager to learn, my Commanding Officer told me to do the "traditional" way of welcoming the cadets, this in fact is very beneficial to me and us because it instill dis. There is also less feedback from various levels of management which must be processed. Check out Harappas, Autocratic Leadership Advantages and Disadvantages. However, there are some advantages of autocratic leadership as well. Advantages of autocratic leadership style. Starting Business: The Advantages and Disadvantages of Autocratic Leadership, IPL.org: The Challenges of Autocratic Leadership Styles in Organizations and Individuals, Risk Vs. Advantages of autocratic leadership style Many leaders use autocratic leadership style to establish centralised control in exercising the decision-making authority and use that control to accomplish the desired results. Definition, Principles, Techniques, and Pros/Cons. Autocratic leaders are often micromanagers. Many analysts argue that late Steve Jobs (co-founder of Apple Inc.), Elon Musk, and to some extent Bill Gates are autocratic leaders. Khan et al. Advantages and Disadvantages of the Autocratic Leadership, Poor Relationship Between the leader and Followers, Not Suitable for Large and Diversified Organizations, What is Organizational Change? While employees who need clear directive and feedback from their leader tend to do best under an autocrat, more experienced employees often do well in a more autonomous environment. Your email address will not be published. Managers must be willing to encourage leadership skills in subordinates. 9. The result is a more consistent and accurate output. Downsides of Autocratic Leadership While autocratic leadership can be beneficial at times, there are also many instances where this leadership style can be problematic. It also explores the definitions of autocratic leadership style and provides the readers with a list of characteristics and examples of autocratic leaders from different fields. It increases the work burden for the leader. After all, this is what good leadership is all about. And what are. Here are the pros and cons of autocracy: Pros of autocracy There are many benefits of autocracy, including: Increasing productivity: Autocracy can increase productivity, especially when subordinates don't have advanced skills or training yet. The autocratic style provides fast crisis management benefits. 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. Their expertise and experience can solve short-term issues. As such, between them, there is no communication and you know communication is a must for a healthy relationship. The correct leadership approach used at the right time will foster a long-term employeeleader relationship. Although creativity, independent thinking, and new processes are included as part of the overall leadership style, their implementation is not a top priority. These environments allow for an error margin of zero. . Strict compliance becomes necessary. Autocratic leadership style ensures that a consistent message is sent from the centre to the employees at the bottom of the organisations. An autocratic leader is the sole authority in her company, on her team or at the head of the group she is tasked with leading. Only the leader will weigh the pros and cons of every option instead of the entire C-suite. That means workers tend to not take ownership of the work they do because there is no incentive to do so. Autocratic leaders are like the captain of the ship. But rarely do employees know that there are several benefits of autocratic leadership. This process may create a powerful and positive impact on their performance. Their expertise and experience can solve short-term issues. Autocratic leaders exercise absolute control over the team. They must control the consistency at a personal level, which means they can no longer afford to give their team any freedom to operate. The competencies of the leader practicing autocratic leadership become the foundation for future success. According to Attner and Plunkett (1994) managers who use the autocratic leadership style do not share decision-making authority with their subordinates. Succession planning can be defined asa business strategy organizations use to pass leadership roles down to another employee or group of employees. An autocratic. For long-term issues, the autocratic leader can direct traffic in specific ways with more efficiency than a C-Suite, creating solutions that can quickly move an organization out of a troublesome state. Paternalistic managers give more attention to the social needs and views of their workers. When this happens, productivity levels tend to decrease over time instead of increase. According to St Thomas University (2018) the autocratic leadership process generally entails one person making all the strategic decisions for their subordinates. 3. Autocratic leadership is very similar to the authoritarian leadership style. One of the hallmarks of autocratic leadership is that the leader comes to his decisions quickly. 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. Autocratic leadership is a type of leadership that is individual-centric. Some of the more common styles include autocratic, bureaucratic, democratic, and laissez-faire. Autocratic leaders take the pressure off of their teams because they are fully responsible for the decisions that are made. Each person benefits from the regulated competencies that are offered by the leader. In . That means all creative decisions originate from the leader. Good leaders can produce great results. Leadership styles There are many ways to lead and every leader has his or her own style. However, excess control can also result in low employee morale and employee engagement. - There is a clear division between the followers and the leaders. Be able to think creatively to provide a vision for the company and solve problems, Be calm under pressure and make clear decisions, Possess excellent two-way communication skills, Be well informed and knowledgeable about matters relating to the business. They consult employees over issues and listen to their feedback or opinions. Check out Harappas Inspiring Faculty Program and experience growth in your leadership now. Since autocratic leadership ensures clearly defined structures, it clearly states what to do and how to do it. The Disadvantages of Laissez-Faire Leadership. Although their primary aim should be to achieve business goals, as leaders, it is also their responsibility to add value to employees. Although an autocratic leader can have a challenging personality, most employees prefer to work in an environment where there are clear expectations set for them. This system leaves the employees stress-free. To bring in information to the group members. It motivates staff by appealing to their personal desires and on instrumental economic transactions. And, you know discipline is the key to achieving something. outline the advantages of this style, such as increased situational control, discipline over workers, short discussions, and group members knowing their roles and tasks. For leaders who don't care much about power and prefer to be appreciated by being of service to others, this is the main advantage. St. Thomas University: What is Autocratic Leadership? Every crisis or decision lies on their shoulders. There are many qualities that are needed to be a good leader or manager. To be a great authentic leader, you should accept yourself for who you truly are. Unlike, group decision-making the autocratic leader does not have to decide with his followers.
