Explain the types of leadership styles.

i. Autocratic or Authoritarian Leader
The autocratic leader gives orders, which must be obeyed by the subordinates. He determines policies for the group without consulting them, and does not give detailed information about future plans, but simply tells the group what immediate steps they must take. He gives personal praise or criticism to each member on his own initiative and remains aloof from the group for the major part of the time. Thus, under this style, all decision-making power is centralized in this leader. Leader adopting this style stresses his prerogative to decide and order and subordinates' obligation to do what they are told to carry out.
Autocratic leadership may be negative because followers are uninformed, insecure and afraid of leader's authority. Such a leader may be called strict autocrat who realize on negative influences and gives orders, which the subordinates must accept. Leadership can be positive also because the leader may use his power to disperse rewards to his group. When his motivational style is positive, he is often called a benevolent autocrat. The benevolent autocrat is effective in getting high productivity in many situations and he can develop effective human relationships. There is another type of autocratic leader, known as manipulative autocrat, who makes the subordinates feel that they are participating in decision-making process even though he has already taken the decision.
Assumes that people basically work for money and want security. Because of such assumptions about human beings, he exercises tight control and supervision over his subordinates. But these assumptions do not hold good in all the situations. If the motivational style is negative, people will dislike it. Frustration, low morale and conflict develop easily in autocratic situations.

ii. Participative or Democratic Leader
A democratic leader is one who gives instructions only after consulting the group. He sees to it that policies are worked out in-group discussion and with the acceptance of the group. Participative manager decentralizes managerial authority. His decisions are not unilateral like that of the autocrat because them. Unlike an autocratic manage controls through the authority he possesses, a participative manager exercises control mostly by using forces within the group. Some of the advantages of participative leadership are:
- It increases the acceptance of management's ideas.
- It improves the attitude of employees towards their jobs and the organization.
- It increases the cooperation between management and employees.
- It leads to reducti6n in the number of complaints and grievances.
- It increases the morale of the employees.

iii. Free Rein or Laissez Faire Leader
A free rein leader does not lead, but leaves the group entirely to itself. The free rein leader avoids power. He depends largely upon the group to establish its own goals and work out its own problems. Group members work themselves and provide their own motivation. The leader completely abdicates his leadership position, to give all responsibility and most of the work entrusted to him to the group which he is supposed to lead, limiting his authority to maintain the contact of the outside the group. This is also known as permissive style of leadership, where there is least intervention by the leader, abdication of authority and letting the group to operate entirely on its own. This mode of direction can produce good and quick result, if the subordinates are highly educated and brilliant people who have a sincere desire to go ahead and perform their responsibilities.

iV) Paterna1istic Leadership
Under this, the leader assumes that his function is paternal or fatherly. His attitude is that of treating the relationship between the leader arid his group as that of family with the leader as the head ~f family. He works to help, guide, protect and keep his followers happily working together as members of a family. He provides them with good working conditions, fringe benefits and employee services. This style has been successful, particularly in Japan because," of its - cultural background. It is said that employees under such leadership will work harder out of gratitude.

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Kavungya answered the question on March 26, 2019 at 13:56