In any organization, leadership plays a vital role in determining the success or failure of the team. While not all team members qualify for leadership positions, organizations need to invest in choosing a leader who is not only aligned with institutional goals but also helps maintain unity and focus among the team members. Different leadership models are adopted by organizations based on their reliability in the organization.
This essay compares the three leadership modes, which are autocratic, bureaucratic, and laissez-faire models, and differentiates between a leader and a manager. Additionally, it evaluates the effectiveness of each of the three leadership models and finally discusses personal experiences from a new perspective.
The autocratic model, also known as authoritarian, is a style of leadership that focuses on an individual, the leader. In this leadership style, the decisions affecting the entire organization are made by one person, and the team members are less involved. In other words, the leader is depicted as a strong pillar that makes choices out of his/her ideas.
While this leadership model is beneficial in times of crisis, whereby the organization may require quick decisions, it does not promote unity and teamwork as the juniors may feel disengaged. Also, the autocratic leadership model may promote micromanaging, which limits innovation and creativity among the employees.
The bureaucratic leadership style almost resembles the autocratic model, except that it focuses on a chain of command. While in the autocratic model, it is only the leader responsible for making decisions in an organization, the bureaucratic leadership style involves several other people in the leadership positions.
Nevertheless, the juniors, just as in autocratic leadership style, are less involved in decision-making. This leadership style, however, focuses on the division of labor, hierarchy of authority, formal selection, career orientation, rules and regulations, and impersonality. Compared with the autocratic leadership style, the bureaucratic model focuses on a group of individuals, and its results are far-reaching.
On the other hand, the laissez-faire model of leadership is far from the two discussed above. In this leadership style, the employees/team members are allowed to operate without restrictions from the management. This leadership method allows people to explore their capabilities, innovate and be creative so long as they bring forth the desired results. However, due to limited or no supervision in this leadership style, employees can become disinterested in the tasks leading.