Leadership style refers to the way the leaders represent their ways of running an organization. This style is applicable for the leaders in different sectors such as political, business, or even in religious sectors. Following the right leadership styles helps to maintain an organized and disciplinary way of leading an organization to be successful.
What is Coercive Leadership Style?
It is a type of leadership style which is similar to Autocratic Leadership. It involves using instructions or directions to the employees to make them work for the organization. There is no consideration for making errors, and the employees are punished if they do so. The employees will have to perform according to their leaders’ desires. The employees are encouraged for creative ideas and less flexibility. This leadership style does not influence the employees to work by persuading them but telling them to oblige their instructions to work for the organization.
Key Concepts of Coercive Leadership Style
There are several notions that every leader has to run an organization. Coercive leaders also need to have certain characteristics that represent this leadership style. The key concepts are:
Top-down communication
It shows that coercive leaders make decisions on behalf of their employees. These leaders analyze each situation and make the right choices based on their information. They focus less on their employees’ needs and more on their benefits. They have complete control of the organization and charge their team’s projects.
Dictation
The managers or the leaders who follow the coercive leadership style dictate the work methods to their employees. They assign the tasks to their employees and only expect them to work as per their needs. These leaders do not allow their employees to be innovative and participate in the decision-making process.
Rigid Structure
The structure in the coercive leadership workplace is fixed by the leaders. There is a chance of less flexibility in this work system. They set the workplace structure in such a manner that the workers are inclined to follow their instructions.
Rules and Regulations
The coercive leaders set up rules and regulations that they think will generate positive results. They maintain strict guidelines that need to be followed by the workplace employees to run an organization successfully.
Pros and Cons of Coercive Leadership Style
Pros
- Increased productivity: The coercive leaders manage and plan the organization’s outline. Therefore, the employees need to follow the instructions and work according to them. The employees constantly work under the supervision of their leaders, which increases the productivity of the output.
- Effective small group management: Any organization tends to break its rules and regulations if it does not follow a certain pattern. The employees also tend to work at their own pace and not meet the deadlines. Coercive leadership is beneficial as it assures that the workers meet the deadlines and the organization follows a strict system of rules.
- Decreased employee deviation: Although many leadership styles allow the workers to deviate from the rules if they find better methods, coercive leaders do not accept any deviation. Rather they encourage their workers to follow the strict guidelines, and the benefits of doing so will also help the workers feel more comfortable regarding this strictness.
Cons
- Leaders will never become popular: The leaders of this leadership style usually do not have a good relationship with their employees. The employees find their leaders to be strict and eliminate the use of creativity in the workplace. Most employees may not respond well to their leaders as they feel that they are not given much importance and are only treated as mere workers. The workers are also deprived of any flexibility of working at their workplace.
- It may lead to employee retaliation: A higher rate of turnover rates may be one type of response that the workers may have for their leaders. If any worker feels that their leaders are mistreating them, they may retaliate by threatening them back. As the coercive leaders are micromanagers, a response might go from a threat to a physical face-off.
- Coercive leaders must be feared to be effective: The coercive leaders must be feared at all times, especially when they take any actions against any discipline. If the leader does not find any way to carry out the punishment they have mentioned, the leader will be underestimated. It will cause the direct reports to stop taking the orders without any seriousness. As a result, the workplace will become less efficient and productive.
Example of Coercive Leadership Style
An example of a coercive leadership style maybe someone who remains strict and determined to what they do. For instance, if an organization has any safety issues of the employees, the leader might use their coercive leadership skills to gain immediate agreement with the organization’s safety standards. A leader will also apply their leadership skills if their employees are not working properly and not producing a productive output.
When Should Coercive Leadership be Used?
Coercive leadership may be used in emergency, turnovers, or crisis. It can also be used if a decision is needed to be taken immediately. For instance, a leader might call his subordinate and say, “Do as I say,” if no other alternative way is unavailable. Another example could be dealing with an employee who is not easy to handle. The leader can attempt to give a second chance to the employee or may fire him out of his organization to avoid the loss of his organization. The last situation could be during natural disasters such as fire or tornados. The leader will use their knowledge and experiences to lead the employees to save them from harm.
Why is Coercive Leadership Bad?
This leadership style is not beneficial for many reasons. One of them could be that the employees will not be satisfied with their jobs. The employees will always feel under pressure and are not allowed to extend their deadline. The coercive leaders also eliminate insubordination. Suppose the employees take any longer breaks than required. In that case, the leader will not allow this and will punish the employees by taking the benefits they are getting or removing them from his position permanently. This leadership style may be harmful to the leaders as well. If the leaders do not carry out the mentioned punishments, they will not be taken seriously anymore. The orders will not be completed on the target deadlines, and the organization’s systems will break down. Thus, the organization will produce low output and inefficient results. The main problem with being a coercive leader is gaining power but not acceptance. The employees will only perform with motivation whenever the leaders are around them and may do the opposite of what the leader demands. Also, the employees will follow the instructions not because they are willing to do so but they fear that they may get thrown out of their jobs. Coercive leadership creates a stressful environment at a workplace, which may be harmful to the employees for a longer period.
Bottom Line
Coercive leadership has both advantages and disadvantages, but using it appropriately will generate positive results in an organization. Establishing effective rules, providing your employees with adequate information, staying consistent in your coercive style, and identifying success are some of the ways to use this leadership efficiently.
References
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leadership_style
- https://psichologyanswers.com/library/lecture/read/382842-what-is-coercive-leadership-style
- https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/coercive-leadership#:~:text=Coercive%20leaders%20make%20decisions%20for,projects%20and%20their%20team’s%20work.
- https://futureofworking.com/coercive-leadership-style-advantages-disadvantages-and-characteristics/
- https://money-zine.com/career-development/leadership-skill/coercive-leadership/
- https://www.fastcompany.com/1838481/6-leadership-styles-and-when-you-should-use-them#:~:text=The%20coercive%20leader%20demands%20immediate,a%20tornado%20or%20a%20fire.
- https://moviecultists.com/why-coercive-leadership-is-bad
- https://paulspector.com/why-you-shouldnt-be-a-coercive-leader/
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.