The main purpose of management is to achieve the vision, mission, and goals of the business. A manager must be able to unite his team effectively and efficiently so that everyone achieves the goal. There are many models or theories developed over the years to guide and assist managers. However, in this essay, I want to dwell in more detail on one of them - the autocratic approach to management.
Authoritarian leadership style (autocratic) ensures the manager has more involvement. The manager has control over all decisions and little, if not no, input from group members. Autocratic leaders typically make choices based on their ideas and judgments.
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Autocratic leadership can be beneficial in some ways, for example, when decisions need to be made quickly, they don't tend to need to consult with a large group of people. Some projects require strong leadership to get things achieved quickly and efficiently. When the leader is the most knowledgeable person in the group, an autocratic style can lead to fast and effective decisions. This is a great pro as decisions can be made instantly and no time is wasted waiting for approvals.
However, the con to the pro mentioned above is that managers who abuse an autocratic leadership style are often viewed as bossy and controlling, which can lead to disagreements and tension among group members/employees. Because autocratic leaders make decisions without consulting the group, people in the group may dislike that they are unable to contribute ideas, and this will upset the morale or team spirit. Researchers have also found that autocratic leadership often results in a lack of creative solutions to problems, as they just shoot the gun instead of aiming first. Some members of the group may have good ideas that would have benefited the situation and led to a greater outcome.
Another pro is some group members/employees may lack organization, creativity, and lack of authority, therefore, you need a strong leader/manager. A manager that utilizes an autocratic style can take charge of the group, prioritize tasks for different members, and establish solid deadlines for projects to be finished efficiently and effectively. Some individuals prefer and work better with a more military approach, so an autocratic approach is better. Taking orders instead of giving orders works for some.
The downside of an autocratic leadership style is that managers may affect the morale of the group negatively. People tend to feel happier and perform better when they feel like they are making contributions to the future of the business and their success rate. Since autocratic leaders typically do not allow input from team members, followers start to feel dissatisfied and belittled, like they are no good.
To sum up, autocratic leadership has many advantages and disadvantages. This approach is used more often because there is a structure. When used correctly, an authoritarian style can be very effective because someone needs to direct and control situations otherwise everyone would just step in and make things worse.
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