Autocratic leadership is a type of leadership that is not popular but is commonly used in an organization. This leadership style is also known as an authoritarian leadership. This leadership style works best when it is in equilibrium with democratic or transformational leadership styles. This leadership style is also helpful in terms of dealing the constant crisis in an institution.
What is Autocratic Leadership?
It is a type of leadership style in which the leader takes the power of making decisions for the organization. There is little to no suggestions taken from the people who are working under the leader. It involves a complete and an authoritarian control over a group of team members. This leadership style produces positive results when an institution requires quick decision-making, the type of the task that is being worked on and the features of the team members.
Leadership Analysis: Indra Nooyi | Henry Ford | Ray Kroc
Principles of Autocratic Leadership
There are six important principles in autocratic leadership in order to perform well in an institution. The principles are mentioned below with brief explanations:-
- Autocratic leader is knowledgeable: – The leader is the only driving force who possesses the quality of taking the sole responsibility of any project. They usually have the overall knowledge of everything and act as a dictator on the team members. They give out orders to the members who need to work according to their instructions and takes decisions as they are expert in the field of running the organization.
- The authoritarian leader is highly motivated and task-oriented: – As the leaders do not take any suggestions from their team members, they remain highly motivated regarding each and every task. They also get involved and keep an eye on the employees, that whether they are carrying out the tasks according to the leader’s plans. The leaders make sure that none of their tasks provided goes out of the line and enlightens them on how to do the tasks.
- The autocratic leader doesn’t encourage creative inputs from his subordinates: – An autocratic leader has some specific criteria set in order to design any project. They do not invite the team members for any kinds of suggestions or opinions regarding the projects. The leader only wants their employees to carry out their orders and function accordingly. In this way, the employees are not encouraged to generate innovative ideas and depend on the leader to input their creativity and perform their duties consequently.
- Autocratic leadership style facilitates quick decision making: – As the environment of autocratic leadership style is very conservative, the leader is the only person who takes the sole responsibility of taking decisions in a shorter period of time. Moreover, as the business is managed by the leader themselves, the leader is better suited to take the decisions quickly. The rest of the employees will stick to what the leader says, whether they agree or disagree with the decisions.
- Line of operations, procedures, and responsibilities are determined in detail and well in advance: – The autocratic leader provides the employees with the steps, tasks and the instructions in advance with detailed planning. The leader gives enough time to the subordinates in order to execute the plan successfully. The smallest detail of any project is given to the employees so that they do not make any errors until the deadline of the project.
- This style offers very little flexibility to the employees: – This leadership style occurs in a very restricted environment. It also allows very little to no improvisation of the employees’ work. It causes less flexibility for the employees in a work environment and they always stay under constant pressure. As a result, the employees do not have the opportunity to work on their own time pace and under less pressure.
Autocratic Leadership Example
The key role of an autocratic leader is to facilitate the team members completely. They also need to keep records and evaluate the tasks that the employees are provided with. For example, the team members are provided with direct guidance ahead of time, that they do not need to rush while the project is being prepared. The leader does not initiate any kinds of creative ideas from the employees and are only expected to work under their control. The employees are trained to do critical tasks according to their fixed time schedules. Moreover, the leaders may invest on those who have less skills, experience or training in order to make them adjustable to this leadership style. Even though, this leadership style does not encourage any ideas, a small group of advisors may help to make decisions with the leader. The leader will engage themselves in tasks if they see that they are running out of time and supervises the team members if they are confused with anything regarding the project.
Some of the Popular Autocratic Leaders
- Ridley Scott- Hollywood Director: Scott is one of the few Hollywood directors who made critically acclaimed movies that were box office success. Some of his movies include, “Alien,” “Blade Runner,” “Gladiator” and many more. A graphic designer turned movie director, Scott always expected his actors to know their positions, lines ad cues before they turned to face the camera. This is an autocratic leadership quality in which the leaders expect their employees to know their responsibilities before doing any particular task.
- Donald Trump: Trump was an ex-president of America in which he had the power of persuading people to elect him as a President. He owned several businesses and made his own empire. His characteristics of taking his own decisions and his outspoken nature have made him an autocratic leader.
Autocratic Leadership Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages
- It allows for fast decisions to be made: – An autocratic leadership includes fewer levels of administration levels that are to be informed. It also includes less feedback from the management levels. The leader is the only person to take the decision solely as they are in charge of the responsibility and gives faster results, as there are not a group of people involved in taking decisions.
- It reduces employee stress: – The employees are not required to make any contributions by providing any inventive ideas. This reduces their stress as the decision-making process is completely dependent on the leader. The leader will be responsible for the profit/loss of the organization and expects their employees to carry out the instructions given to them.
Disadvantages
- It does not offer a sense of professional ownership: – As the leader is only responsible and takes decision by them, they are the people who will be blamed for the errors they make. The employees will not take the ownership of the tasks that they are assigned with as there is no motivation to do so. This creates a professional imbalance in the organization.
- It creates a lack of trust: – A successful working relationship can only be established by the mutual understanding in between the employees and the leader. The leaders may guess that the employees may not do the work properly which will lead them to supervise constantly. This constant supervision will not establish a healthy working relationship and may cause mistrust.
Autocratic Leadership FAQs
- The Role of an Autocratic Leader: An autocratic leader should be able to run an organization efficiently. They also should be capable of taking the risk as they are the sole decision-makers. The leaders should also have the knowledge on how to facilitate and guide the employees for doing any tasks. The leader should also know the efficiency of their employees and select the suitable candidates for the tasks that they are going to be assigned on.
- A Good Example of an Autocratic Leader: Martha Stewart is a good example of an autocratic leader as she always demanded her employees to work according to her instructions. She wants her work to be done in a perfect manner and created a less flexible working environment for her subordinates. Although, there was a lot of pressure, but she managed to build her own empire successfully.
The Bottom Line
Autocratic leadership does not have a very good recognition these days. Despite having a numerous number of drawbacks, it is still beneficial in situations with smaller organization and a smaller number of people. However, the leader should not be arrogant and should look at the needs of the subordinates as well.
Related Reading: Leadership Style of Bill Gates
References
- https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-autocratic-leadership-2795314
- https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/definition/autocratic-leadership
- https://www.marketing91.com/autocratic-leadership/
- https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/what-is-autocratic-leadership
https://futureofworking.com/11-famous-autocratic-leaders/ - https://brandongaille.com/11-autocratic-leadership-advantages-and-disadvantages/
- https://online.stu.edu/articles/education/autocratic-leadership.aspx
- https://www.cleverism.com/autocratic-leadership-guide/
Tamanna is working as a content writer at The Strategy Watch. She has recently completed her graduation from a reputed university in Bangladesh. Tamanna was immensely interested in knowing about leadership and has written about different kinds of leadership till now. She has gathered a vast amount of knowledge regarding the topic and is looking forward to work on more leadership related topics in future. Moreover, she is intended to dive deep into the different sectors of the business world and explore them.