In organisational settings, managers and supervisors play a critical leadership role because they are closest to employees’ daily work experiences. Their leadership styles and behaviours directly influence employee motivation, engagement, decision making, job satisfaction, and performance. Leadership style refers to the consistent pattern of behaviour a leader displays while guiding, directing, and influencing subordinates, whereas leadership behaviour refers to the specific actions leaders take in everyday situations, such as communicating expectations, providing feedback, handling conflict, and making decisions.
In practice, managers and supervisors rarely use a single leadership style. Instead, they display a blend of styles and behaviours, shaped by their personality, organisational culture, situational demands, and employee characteristics.
Historical Background of Leadership Styles
Early organisational leadership focused on control and supervision, reflecting industrial-era needs for efficiency and discipline. Over time, as work became more knowledge-based and collaborative, leadership styles evolved to emphasise participation, motivation, ethics, and engagement. Modern organisational psychology recognises that leadership effectiveness depends not only on results but also on how managers and supervisors treat people and manage relationships.
Major Leadership Styles Observed in Managers and Supervisors
1. Autocratic (Authoritarian) Leadership
Autocratic leadership is characterised by centralised decision making, strict control, and minimal employee involvement. Managers using this style give clear instructions and expect compliance.
Common Behaviours:
Making decisions without consultation
Close monitoring of work
Emphasis on rules and discipline
Example:
A factory supervisor sets production targets, assigns tasks rigidly, and closely monitors workers to ensure deadlines are met.
Impact:
Can be effective in crises or routine tasks
Often reduces motivation, creativity, and engagement if used excessively
2. Democratic (Participative) Leadership
Democratic leadership involves shared decision making and employee involvement. Managers encourage suggestions, discussions, and feedback.
Common Behaviours:
Consulting employees before decisions
Encouraging open communication
Valuing diverse opinions
Example:
A department manager holds regular team meetings to discuss goals, invites suggestions for improvement, and incorporates employee input into decisions.
Impact:
Enhances motivation, engagement, and commitment
Builds trust and ownership
Decision making may be slower in time-sensitive situations
3. Laissez-Faire Leadership
Laissez-faire leadership is characterised by minimal direct supervision and high autonomy for employees.
Common Behaviours:
Delegating authority extensively
Limited guidance or control
Trusting employees to manage their own work
Example:
A research supervisor allows experienced team members to decide methods, timelines, and roles independently.
Impact:
Effective with highly skilled and self-motivated employees
Can lead to confusion and role ambiguity if guidance is insufficient
Contemporary Leadership Styles in Organisational Contexts
4. Transactional Leadership
Transactional leadership focuses on clear expectations, rewards, and penalties. It is based on an exchange relationship between leader and follower.
Common Behaviours:
Setting performance standards
Rewarding goal achievement
Correcting deviations through feedback or discipline
Example:
A sales manager offers incentives for meeting targets and issues warnings for consistent underperformance.
Impact:
Ensures short-term efficiency and role clarity
Limited impact on intrinsic motivation and engagement
5. Transformational Leadership
Transformational leadership emphasises inspiration, vision, and personal development. Managers motivate employees to transcend self-interest for organisational goals.
Common Behaviours:
Communicating a compelling vision
Encouraging innovation and growth
Acting as role models
Example:
A supervisor motivates staff by linking their work to organisational purpose and encourages learning and creativity.
Impact:
High employee motivation and engagement
Strong organisational commitment and innovation
6. Servant Leadership
Servant leadership focuses on serving employees’ needs, supporting growth, and prioritising well-being.
Common Behaviours:
Listening actively
Supporting employee development
Demonstrating humility and empathy
Example:
A manager removes obstacles faced by employees and ensures work-life balance is respected.
Impact:
Builds trust and psychological safety
Enhances engagement and long-term commitment
7. Ethical Leadership
Ethical leadership emphasises fairness, integrity, transparency, and moral decision making.
Common Behaviours:
Acting consistently with stated values
Treating employees fairly
Addressing unethical behaviour promptly
Example:
A supervisor ensures fair workload distribution and transparent promotion processes.
Impact:
Strengthens trust and morale
Reduces stress and counterproductive behaviour
Task-Oriented and People-Oriented Leadership Behaviours
Across all styles, managers and supervisors display two broad categories of behaviour:
1. Task-Oriented Behaviours
Planning and organising work
Setting goals and deadlines
Monitoring performance
Importance:
Ensures efficiency, clarity, and achievement of objectives.
2. People-Oriented Behaviours
Providing support and encouragement
Resolving conflicts
Recognising effort and achievement
Importance:
Enhances motivation, satisfaction, and engagement.
Balanced Leadership:
Effective managers integrate both task and people-oriented behaviours based on situational demands.
Leadership Styles in Daily Supervisory Practice
In real organisations:
Supervisors may use autocratic behaviour during emergencies
Transactional behaviour to manage routine performance
Transformational and democratic behaviours to inspire and engage teams
For example, a hospital supervisor may enforce strict protocols (autocratic) during emergencies, use rewards for performance (transactional), and encourage teamwork and learning (transformational) during routine operations.
Conclusion
Leadership styles and behaviours observed in managers and supervisors play a decisive role in shaping employee experiences at work. While no single leadership style is universally effective, understanding different styles helps managers adapt their behaviour to situational needs. Effective leadership involves flexibility, ethical responsibility, balanced task–people orientation, and sensitivity to employee motivation and engagement. Managers and supervisors who consciously adopt appropriate leadership styles create healthier, more productive, and more engaged organisational environments.
Posts
.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment