Leadership assignment analysing leadership theories from both a theoretical and practical standpoint
Question
Task: Can you compare authoritarian and democratic leadership theory? Use examples to accomplish the objectives of this leadership assignment.
Answer
Introduction
The leadership assignment aims to assess and analyse leadership theories from both a theoretical and practical standpoint. For several years, academics have studied and characterized leadership, and over the last three decades, it has become more publicly recognized. As per my opinion, leaders have existed throughout history, with historical characters like Julius Caesar displaying how they might seem to society. The Leadership concept, on the other hand, is a much more modern invention. Leading is the practice by which one person inspires a team to accomplish a collective objective. However, I think that organizational leadership is a management methodology wherein managers aid in the execution of strategic organizational goals while encouraging everyone else in the workforce to execute tasks efficiently in pursuit of those targets. The two concepts of leadership, authoritarian and democratic, will be examined in this leadership assignment. However, in this reflective essay, I will conduct a thorough critical study of both leadership behaviours, examining both their positive and negative impact of the study along with examples drawn from my life.
CONCEPT ONE: AUTOCRATIC LEADERSHIP
Theory of the leadership assignment
I think that this theory can be considered as one of the most controlled leadership styles. As per my experience mentioned in the leadership assignment, it is an absolute control over all decisions and little input from teammates describe autocratic leadership, which is also known as an authoritarian rule. Autocratic Superiors rarely listen to their subordinates and rely exclusively on their own thoughts and judgments. I think that the authoritarian category is characterized by absolute, authoritarian rule over a group. While authoritarianism is still not ideal in most situations, it can be effective for high situations that necessitate smart choices or in businesses where entry-level personnel require additional training. However, as per the leadership assignment, an autocracy is a monarchy in which one individual has complete and unrestricted command over everyone (Opaloet al., 2021, pp: 1470). I have seen that limiting little or no participation from groupmates, creating strict regulatory and inflexible surroundings, discouraging innovation and out-of-the-box concepts, and deliberating that are usually explicitly specified and conveyed are all features of autocratic leadership. However, as per my knowledge and understanding in the leadership assignment, autocratic leadership is the most ideal situation is determined by a number of factors, such as the conditions, the assignment the group is focused on, and the characteristics of the colleagues (Burkle, 2019, pp: 2-7).
Advantages
I understand that everything in the world has its advantages and disadvantages. However, the authoritarian method is not an exception in this leadership assignment. While those who rely excessively on this method may be seen as overbearing or bossy, this level of power can have benefits and be effective in certain situations. Its advantages include the ability to make quick decisions, particularly intense events, providing a clear line of command or supervision, and working effectively where powerful supervisor support is required. However, in my leadership assignment, I can say that authoritarian rule can be effective in some circumstances. In my workplace, I have seen that it helps to make quick decisions without involving a large group of people. Some activities necessitate strong leadership in order to be completed quickly and successfully (Clegg et al., 2018, pp: 670). When my managers have been the most productive and knowledgeable members of the organisation, the authoritarian method can lead them to make easy and effective decisions. As per my opinion in this leadership assignment, authoritarian rule can lead to success whenever there is weak leadership in a small group. I think that this type of strong leadership is also ideal for high situations.
Disadvantages
However, like everything, Autocratic leadership has also some bad effects in the organisation. According to me, it can lead an organisation to a discouraged team contribution, low morale, and animosity are all disadvantages of this style of leadership. Furthermore, disregarding or obstructing workable ideas of employees and competence. I understand autocratic leadership might be beneficial in some contexts but I also know that it can still be problematic in others. People who take authoritarian leadership are often seen as controlling, authoritative, and bossy. This could create dissatisfaction among some of the group members. Employees may feel as if they do not have a say in how things are handled, which may be especially frustrating when competent and trained teammates believe their experience and capacities are already being criticized (Oluwafemii, 2020, pp: 552). However, I have seen in this leadership assignmentthat sometimes, it happens that Authoritarian leadership has also been associated with a lack of professional disagreement, which has been shown to hamper a potential of a group to succeed. In some cases, I notice that the authoritarian style may be detrimental to group morale because superiors rarely allow group participation that leads people to become unsatisfied and suffocated.
Personal Experience mentioned in this leadership assignment
From my personal experience mentioned in this leadership assignment, my colleague stood for office election and was voted by a vast majority. He began crafting his own rules and dominating every sector of the business after he took authority. The press was not permitted to tell the truth about what was going on, and civilians were not authorized to stage public protests (Lau et al., 2020, pp: 35). Through his authority, he instilled dread among the populace, and they started to blindly support his dictates. Nothing he said had been challenged, and he controlled all of the decisions. When his time ended, he remained defiant, and any attempts to remove him from office were met with hostility and labelled as resistance. My colleaguehad established an authoritarian regime in the scenario above, with the public suffering the consequences of his oppressive rule.
CONCEPT TWO: DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP
Theory
For me, it is one of the best leadership styles I have ever come to learn about in this leadership assignment. A democratic establishment is a management approach in which all peers participate in decision-making. I think that this ability to lead could be found in many different situations, including in private companies, institutes, and government bodies. The best part of democratic leadership style according to me is that everyone has the potential to participate in democracy; viewpoints are shared widely, and discussion is encouraged (Bugaric, 2019, pp: 392). While the strategy promotes group unity and free discussion, the liberal president is still in the position to offer leadership and administration. The democratically elected leader is in charge of deciding who participates in the organization and who is permitted to make decisions. According to me, democracy is one of the most functional forms of government, resulting in greater productivity, improved participation from group mates, and enhanced teamwork.Cooperation, participation, and innovation are three of the most important aspects of a democratic establishment. I think that strongDemocratic leaders encourage the support and loyalty of the people (Hollyeret al., 2019, pp: 1260).
Advantages
According to me, democratic leadership steers to better suggestions and also peers are permitted to share their viewpoints, and more imaginative ways to deal with difficulties are possible. However, I think that Parties involved are much more engaged in and committed to activities, which makes them more likely to be anxious about the consequences. Democratic establishment, as per my leadership assignmenton leadership practices, improves productivity among teammates. More suggestions and innovative approaches, teamwork dedication, increased performance, and enhanced group satisfaction are some of the benefits (Atingabiliet al., 2021, pp: 420). However, I think that it aids in enhancing worker productivity since employees are likely to be pleased and go far beyond when they realise their thoughts are acknowledged. It encourages a variety of ideas because when frontline staff provides input, senior management has a tendency to make the best judgments (Ince, 2018, pp: 250). The leadership assignment also helps people like me to foster innovative thinking by allowing people to work together efficiently and productively and come up with innovative new ideas. However, I have learned that it contributes to the formation of a solid team and enhances employability.
Disadvantages
I have also seen some of its disadvantages that cannot be avoided. Though democratic leadership has indeed been regarded as one of the most efficient kinds of administration, it does have significant drawbacks. I have noticed in this leadership assignmentthat it sometimes causes Communication barriers, poor decision-making by untrained people, and minority or personal ideas being ignored are among the potential drawbacks of a democratic establishment (Schallmoet al., 2019, p: 18). I believe when duties are uncertain or scheduling is a factor, the democratic establishment can result in additional interruptions and incomplete endeavours. Sometimes, it happens that teammates do not always have the necessary knowledge or experience to make a significant contribution to the decision-making technique. However, I believe that representative democracy might help workers feel as if their opinions and proposals are not even being considered. All information in the leadership assignmentshould be provided in order for a government or organisation to be truly fair. In some cases, I have noticed that this may raise critical issues in terms of the growth of the company and is yet another drawback of democratic administration. It is also ineffective in a crisis since these leaders prefer to hear one perspective, making it harder for us all to make decisions alone without the help of their group or staff (Chukwusa, 2019, pp: 20).
Personal Experience
In my leadership assignment, most managers in my company assemble their teams on a regular basis for progress and review purposes. They do periodic group meetings with their team members to ensure that they have been operated on the basis of democratic establishment instead of dominating or pacesetting authority. Instead of assessing performance in-depth or seeking a weekly report on their planning process, they go around the table and ask if anyone has any ideas for discussion subjects. Each person identifies any issues they would like to be addressed at the discussion. Relevant news, exchange of information, an unsolved concern, a client complaint, a technical difficulty, or just about anything could be discussed. This is an instance of democratic establishment as everyone has the opportunity to share information about what is relevant to them, and all teammates have a general grasp of what is happening in all sectors of the company and receive the same news, which increases accountability (Opalo& Smith, 2021, pp: 1470).
Conclusion
To conclude I can say in this leadership assignmentthat in organizations, leadership can have both a beneficial and adverse impact. To sum up this reflectiveessay, it can be said that both management styles have unique benefits and drawbacks. Even I can say that both leaderships are effective in different circumstances and offer leaders the skills necessary to succeed. However, Authoritarian leaders have complete control and influence over judgement, and subordinates are rarely involved in major managerial activities and on the other hand, Democratic leadership, contrarily, is open to suggestions since it lets people participate in the decision-making procedure. However as per the findings of this leadership assignment, I think that one can choose from two versions depending on the current aim and employees. The democratic establishment, in my perspective, is a bit ahead of authoritarian leadership in terms of organizational performance.
References
Atingabili, S., Wang, W., Mensah, I. A., Tackie, E. A., Ahakwa, I., & Sarkodie, P. O. (2021). Teamwork and Physician Burnout: The Moderating Role of Perceived Organisational Support. Health, 13(4), 416-438. 10.4236/health.leadership assignment2021.134034
Bugaric, B. (2019). The two faces of populism: Between authoritarian and democratic populism. German Law Journal, 20(3), 390-400. https://doi.org/10.1017/glj.2019.20
Burkle, F. M. (2019). Character disorders among autocratic world leaders and the impact on health security, human rights, and humanitarian care. Prehospital and disaster medicine, 34(1), 2-7. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1049023X18001280
Chukwusa, J. (2019). Perceived democratic leadership style of university librarians and library staff work attitude. Library Philosophy and Practice, 0_1-23.
Clegg, L. J., Voss, H., &Tardios, J. A. (2018). The autocratic advantage: Internationalization of state-owned multinationals. Journal of World Business and leadership assignment, 53(5), 668-681.
Hollyer, J. R., Rosendorff, B. P., & Vreeland, J. R. (2019). Transparency, protest and democratic stability. British Journal of Political Science, 49(4), 1251-1277. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwb.2018.03.009
nce, F. (2018). The effect of democratic leadership on organizational cynicism: A study on public employees.letmeArat rmalar Dergisi, 10(2), 245-253. https://www.ceeol.com/search/article- leadership assignmentdetail id=687786
Lau, W. K., Li, Z., & Okpara, J. (2020). An examination of three-way interactions of paternalistic leadership in China. Asia Pacific Business Review, 26(1), 32-49. https://doi.org/10.1080/13602381.2019.1674031
Oluwafemii, A. (2020). INFLUENCE OF PERCEIVED LEADERSHIP STYLES ON EDUCATIONAL SERVICES AND KNOWLEDGE EXPANSION IN A COMPETITIVE EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT: EVIDENCE FROM SELECTED PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES IN NIGERIA. European Journal of Education Studies, 7(11), 552. Opalo, K. O., & Smith, L. (2021). Ideology and succession politics in Ethiopia: autocratic leadership turnover and political instability. Democratization, 28(8), 1463-1482. https://doi.org/10.1080/13510347.2021.1929178
Schallmo, M. K., Dudley-Brown, S., & Davidson, P. M. (2019). Healthcare providers' perceived communication barriers to offering palliative care to patients with heart failure: an integrative review in a leadership assignment. Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, 34(2), E9-E18.
