1.8 Management styles

Management styles

Behaviour attitude and actions of manager when guiding employees towards achieving business goals

5 different management styles

• Autocratic

• Persuasive

• Consultative

• Participative

• Laissez-faire

Autocratic

Authoritarian approach with a clear hierarchy established between manager and employees

Manager is in charge and employees are expected to follow all instructions

Managers show no interest in developing relationships

Key features

• Communication: One way, instructions given no feedback

• Authority and control: One person

• Decision making: Centralised, only manager determines what happens in business

• High degree of task orientation( priority on takss)

Advantages and Disadvantages

• Control and authority on one person and decision making being centralised, problems and decision solved quickly

• High degree of task orientation, clear tasks and expectation

disadvantage

• High chance staff will experience low morale from constant instructions

• Central control leads to employees feeling excluded

Persuasive managment

Manager persuading/ provide reasons to employees as why decisions are made and why

Key features

Communication: One way, reasons given

Authority and control: Held by one person

Decision making: Centralised, reasons explained

Task orientation is high priority

Advantages and Disadvantages

• Manager can gain trust from employees

• Acceptance of negative situations more frequent

• Employees may disagree with reasons/resist

• Frustrated employees due to not being considered

Consultative

Involves manager seeking input of employees before changes

building relationships between manager and employees become a focus

Key features

Communication: Two way, manager will deliver information to employees and receive feedback

Authority and control: Held by manager, ideas and suggestions considered

Shift away from task completion, more on achieving best outcome for business

Advantages and Disadvantages

• Employee ideas/suggestion listened to and valued by management

• Employees experience higher levels of motivation and job satisfaction

• Continually seeking input of employees is time consuming

• If feedback is disregarded can lead to employee frustration

Participative

Equal importance on contribution employees can make to the business, developers greater commitment and engagement

Key features

Communication: Two way

Authority and control: Shared

Decision making: Decentralised with employees encouraged to take ownership

Set tasks become group focus

Advantages and Disadvantages

• Good working relationships between management and employees can be created

• Greater empowerment of employees leading to higher productivity and efficiency

• Role and authority of manager can be weakened or undermined

• Cause of workplace conflict and confusion with many views and opinions

Laissez faire

employees are given total control to determine how work is completed, manager sets objectives and available if needed, employees take responsibility for implementing actions to achieve set goals of business

Key features

Communication: Multi directional, manager to employees, employees to manager, mainly among employees

Authority and control: Completely decentralised

Decision making left to employees

Up to employees how to complete set tasks

Advantages and Disadvantages

• High motivation, empowerment and job satisfaction

• Employees have freedom to manage own work

• Potential for employees to take advantage of freedom

• Lack of guidance can be problematic for unskilled and unmotivated employees