Leadership Styles in Organizations of Today

Abstract

The paper sheds light on the common leadership styles which are being implemented in organizations worldwide and compares these styles with the leadership of today. It shows how the 21st century has evolved the meaning of leadership, and how various factors have shifted the balance from an authoritative to a democratic style of leadership. It further discusses the growing tendency of working together as a unit - teams and groups - and how every member takes up the leadership duty rather than depending on just a single leader for orders and guidance. Leadership Styles in Organizations of Today

Introduction

Leadership styles have changed over the period of time. Even though, the basics remain the same, but the execution has changed. This paper sheds light on the various leadership styles which are commonly adopted by the managers of organizations around the globe. It looks into their strengths, applications and short comings. Moreover, it also talks about how the leadership patterns have evolved over the past.

Discussion

Different groups of people have a different concept of leadership, however the bottom line remains the same; leadership is an act influencing, where one person brings about changes in the mindset of its follower and tries to achieve a common goal (Rost, 1993). In order to comprehend the true implication of the term leadership, it is imperative to understand the result that the leader is trying to accomplish (Ulrich, et. al., 1999). These goals vary from one organization to another, or to be more precise - they vary on the basis of the scenario a manager is facing.

Although, the basic style of leadership have remained the same, but over the years little changes have been brought about in these styles to incorporate the changing values of the modern world. The styles of leadership which are common in the modern world of today are: Authoritarian, Democratic, Paternalistic, Laissez-faire, Transformational and Transactional.

Authoritarian style of leadership pertains to a method where the leader takes little or no advice from his workers. The leader does not involve the workers in any decision making power, rather retains the right to make any decision that might seem suitable to them. Even though such a style is rarely found in the modern world of today, but it is still one of the best styles for situations where utterly unskilled workforce is employed (Goleman, 2000).

Whereas, in a democratic style of leadership the leader tends to involve his subordinates in the decision making process. The employees feel worthy when asked for suggestions, however the final decision making power still lies with the manager. The managers under this style listen to all opinions and include those which he feels would increase the overall effectiveness of the decision (Goleman, 2000).

In a paternalistic leadership style, the leader acts like a father figure. He does so by maintaining such a relationship where he is utterly concerned about the well being of the employees, and in return gets their complete and relentless ...