Classical Management styles

On the basis of research conducted by Lewin (1939) and Weber (1947), it is classically felt that managers can be categorized as falling into one of four categories below.

Autocratic:

Autocratic managers as seen as taking a traditional approach to leading others. Here, a manager likes to have full control over the situation they are in, retaining as much power and decision-making authority as possible. As such, autocratic managers dictate orders to subordinates and make decisions without their input or consultation. In return, these subordinates are expected to obey orders without explanation, to be rewarded if orders are followed and to receive punishments if they do not perform as asked.

Bureaucratic:

Bureaucratic managers believe in very structured procedures and following rules rigorously (regardless of whether these measures are proven to be successful or not). In line with this, a bureaucratic manager will create detailed instructions for subordinates and will expect these employees to follow this set of standards closely. Everything is done in an exact, specific way, working ‘by the book‘, following rules rigorously. The emphasis is on compliance and it is ensured that their people follow procedures precisely. If it isn’t covered by the book, the manager refers to the next level above him or her.

Democratic:

A democratic manager, also known as a participate manager, encourages employee involvement in the decision-making and problem-solving processes by gathering information from them and using this to help make a final decision. In addition, the democratic manager keeps employees informed about the different factors that may affect their work and delegates authority to them, giving them responsibility to complete the tasks given to them using their own work methods.

Laissez-faire:

Laissez-faire management is the most hands-off of three styles identified by Lewin. Here, a manager basically leaves staff alone to get on with it, regardless of what they choose to do and how they choose to do it. The manager will set broad tasks and boundaries (i.e. a final completion date) but provides little or no direction as to how these are to be completed – staff are given the freedom to complete work as they see fit. All authority and power is given to the employees, who set their own goals, make decisions and resolve problems on their own, with the role of the manager being to coach, answer questions and supply information if and when required.

*This article is part of the course "Management and Leadership" in open university and CMI