1.6 Appropriateness of management styles

4 criteria to determine which management style is most appropriate

* nature of the task
* available time
* experience of employees
* manager preference

nature of the task

the appropriate management style to use in these situations will depend on what the answer is to these questions.

is it complex or relatively simple? \n high or low cost? \n high or low risk?

Alistair

________ is the communications manager responsible for producing the company annual report every six months.

Highly experienced

consultative through laissez-faire Why

Inexperienced

autocratic and persuasive Why

for highly complex, high risk and/or high cost tasks…

* it could be argued the ==__**autocratic**__== management style is best


* with these types of tasks, strict instructions may need to be followed to ensure the best outcome is achieved.

for relatively simple tasks that are low cost and low risk…

the ==__**participative**__ ==or even ==__**laissez**__==**-faire** management styles could be used, knowing that if mistakes are made the consequences will not be catastrophic for the business.

nature of the task - examples

For example, when a business undergoes change, the manager may need to make decisions quickly and so may adopt an ==autocratic== style. Alternatively, if there are experienced employees, a manager might be more ==consultative== as the experience of employees may be able to assist in navigating change

available time

when time is of the essence (think deadlines or emergency situations) and decisions need to be made quickly…

the ==__**autocratic**__== and ==__**persuasive**__== *.* management styles are best. This will enable the business to get things done quickly.

when more time is available, anything from...

the __**consultative?**__*.* through to the ==__**laissez-faire**__== management styles can be used, allowing for greater interaction with employees to occur which is a feature of these management styles.

experience of employees

highly experienced employees

the consultative through laissez-faire management styles

less experienced employees

autocratic and persuasive management styles

manager preference

each manager will have their own personality, characteristics, values and beliefs. Dependent on what these are, will determine what management style comes more naturally to them.

those managers who approach work from an individual perspective and limit the time getting to know employees would be more inclined to adopt the

autocratic or persuasive management styles

good delegators and those who value building relationships \n at work would be suited to the

consultative and participative management styles

when is the autocratic management style appropriate

* for highly complex, high risk, or high cost tasks
* for very inexperienced employees
* when there is a tight deadline or little time

when is the persuasive management style appropriate

* when there is a tight deadline on a project
* managers who prefer to take an individual perspective approach and limit the time getting to know employees
* when there are less experienced employees

when is the consultative management style appropriate

* sometimes if there are experienced employees a manager might be consultative in order to get their assistance
* when more time is available
* managers who are good delegators and those who value building relationships at work
* with highly experienced employees

when is the participative management style appropriate

* simple, low risk, or low cost tasks
* highly experienced employees
* good delegators and those who value building relationships at work
* when more time is available

when is the laissez-faire management appropriate

* simple, low cost or low risk tasks
* when more time is available
* with highly experienced employees