Importance of leadership and the leadership styles

Meaning of leadership

Leadership is getting people to pursue the group's goals because they want to, not merely because they are told to. A leader combines authority with personal qualities, vision, knowledge, integrity, communication, that make others want to follow. Every manager is expected to be a leader, though not every leader holds a managerial position.

Importance of leadership in management

1. Initiates action. A leader communicates plans and policies and gets work started.
2. Motivates. By recognising effort, setting an example and linking rewards to performance, a leader brings out people's best.
3. Provides guidance and support. The leader shows how work is to be done and helps people overcome difficulties.
4. Builds confidence and morale. Encouragement and recognition raise people's belief in themselves and their willingness to cooperate.
5. Creates a good work environment. Fair treatment and good human relations reduce conflict and absenteeism.
6. Coordinates. The leader reconciles individual and group interests with organisational goals.
7. Manages change. People resist change; a trusted leader explains it, reduces fears and wins acceptance.
8. Develops people. Leaders coach subordinates and prepare future managers and successors.
9. Represents the group. The leader speaks for the group to higher management and outsiders.

Leadership styles

Styles are set out here by the kind of situation each is built for: change, skilled teams, routine work, and urgency.

1. Transformational and transactional styles. The transformational leader inspires followers with a vision and develops them to perform beyond expectations, which suits change and growth; the transactional leader exchanges rewards for performance, which suits stable, target-driven work.
2. Democratic (participative) style. The leader consults subordinates, encourages discussion and shares decision-making, while retaining final authority. Suits educated, skilled employees and decisions needing commitment; drawbacks: slower decisions, possible lack of direction.
3. Laissez-faire (free-rein) style. The leader sets broad goals and leaves subordinates to decide how to reach them, acting mainly as a resource. Suits highly competent, self-motivated professionals such as researchers; drawbacks: lack of coordination and control with less capable people.
4. Bureaucratic style. The leader manages strictly by rules and procedures. It suits routine, regulated work but is rigid.
5. Paternalistic style. The leader treats subordinates like a family, caring for their welfare but making decisions for them. It builds loyalty but can create dependence.
6. Autocratic (authoritarian) style. The leader takes decisions alone, gives orders and expects obedience, relying on authority and sometimes on fear. Suits emergencies, untrained staff and situations needing quick, firm decisions; drawbacks: low morale, little initiative, resentment.

Autocratic, democratic and free-rein are the three classic styles; paternalistic and bureaucratic leadership vary how authority is used, while transactional and transformational leadership describe a different dimension, how the leader motivates.

Choosing a style

No single style is best. The choice depends on the leader (values, confidence in subordinates), the followers (skills, experience, need for independence) and the situation (urgency, nature of the task, organisational culture). Effective leaders adapt: firm direction during a factory fire, consultation when redesigning shifts, and freedom for an expert design team.