Finding Your Management Style
"What are management styles? Are they important? What is my management style?"
These are all questions that might lurk at the back of your head when you read or hear the phrase “management style”.
This article explores some of the most popular traditional management styles. It also looks at ways in which your management style impacts your team and how you can find the right style for the way you work.
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How many management styles are available?
There are many different leadership and management styles. The ever-evolving nature of business culture is encouraging new styles to emerge all the time.
The most well-known are the traditional styles of:
Autocratic
Democratic
Laissez-Faire
Let's take a quick overview of these styles below.
Understanding the 3 best-known management styles
Autocratic
AKA Authoritarian
This style of management usually has a sole person or group of people with complete control over directions and decisions. It requires a very tightly-structured organisation and clearly-outlined roles.
When does it work well?
This kind of management works well when clear direction and quick decisions are needed.
The effectiveness of an autocratic approach largely depends on the nature of the manager or managers involved. There is a fine line between “autocratic” and “dictatorial”. If the person or people giving direction don’t have the motivational skills to bring everyone else on board with their vision, teams can get demotivated quickly.
Democratic
AKA Participative
As the name might suggest, a democratic style is a more collaborative approach to management. It usually means there is an opportunity for everyone's ideas and suggestions to be considered. Democratic management is often seen as a happy midway point between Autocratic and Laissez Faire.
When does it work well?
Democratic management works well in many scenarios. It gives employees a chance to share and have their views and ideas listened to. This improves engagement and morale.
Depending on the work your team are doing or the industry you work in, democratic may not be suitable. For example, if quick decisions are needed, democratic may not be the most efficient approach.
Laissez-Faire
AKA Free Rein
Coming from the French term meaning “let do”, Laissez-Faire is a style that enables employees to manage their time and tasks with little interference in day to day matters from management.
When does it work well?
Laissez-faire works really well when you have a team of self-starting employees who are strong communicators. Without the motivation to achieve and the ability to communicate clearly, laissez-faire can lead to confusion and unproductivity.
Other Management Styles
In this article, she makes some great points about the value of a manager and the importance of the right management style. She also evaluates many different styles including visionary, transactional, servant leadership, and pace-setting.
What is your management style?
Did you see yourself in the brief summaries of each main style above? Or perhaps a little of yourself in each style?
Discovering your own style is extremely important for anyone who leads or manages others. Management is a challenging role, and one that can create more problems than it solves if the manager doesn’t understand their strengths and style.
On all of our management courses, we begin by looking at the role of a manager, then delving into the different styles you’ll encounter. We also look at discovering and evaluating your own style as we believe this is the solid foundation on which great managers are built.
