Authority, Autocracy, Autonomy
Highly effective leaders develop styles that are clearly aligned with their team and organisational culture. Important differences between leadership styles are described, with case studies from across industries to highlight the benefits and drawbacks.
Technique Overview
Authority, Autocracy, Autonomy Definition
Kurt Lewin and colleagues (1939) categorised leadership into three key styles: autocratic, democratic, and laissez-faire. Autocratic leaders direct with authority and minimal input from others. Democratic leaders promote participation and collaboration, although they maintain the final decision. Laissez-faire leadership allows individuals high autonomy with little direct oversight (Robinson, 2010). Building on these foundations, Mumford et al. (2017) stress that effective leadership depends on matching style to context, especially in complex organisational settings.
Authority, Autocracy, Autonomy Description *
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Business Evidence
Strengths, weaknesses and examples of Authority, Autocracy, Autonomy *
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Business Application
Implementation, success factors and measures of Authority, Autocracy, Autonomy *
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Professional Tools
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Further Reading
Authority, Autocracy, Autonomy web and print resources *
Authority, Autocracy, Autonomy references (4 of up to 20) *
- Avolio, B.J. and Gardner, W.L. (2005) Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp. 315–338. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2005.03.001
- Avolio, B.J. and Kahai, S.S. (2002) Adding the “E” to e leadership: How it may impact your leadership. Organizational Dynamics, 31(4), pp. 325–336. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0090-2616(02)00133-X
- Bolton, G. E., Ockenfels, A. (2000) “ERC – A Theory of Equity, Reciprocity and Competition.” American Economic Review 90(1), pp. 166-193.
- Charness, G. and M. Rabin (2002) “Understanding Social Preferences with Simple Tests.” Quarterly Journal of Economics, 117(3), pp. 817-869.
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