Types of Leadership: The 5 most common types of leader

There are different types of leadership in the work environment, and each of them with its advantages and disadvantages. In the world of organizations there are rarely recipes that fit all jobs, companies and teams alike, since what works and what doesn't depend largely on the context. However, knowing these types of leadership helps guide you on these issues.

The culture of the company, the objectives pursued or the personality of the employees, among other factors, determine which leadership style best fits the company. Within some organizations, even different leadership styles coexist depending on the tasks or objectives that must be met.

Thus, since everything depends on the context in which we find ourselves, if we want to make the most of the possibility of having a good leader or leader at in front of a team or organization, in the first place it is necessary to know the types of leadership, since there is no one that is clearly superior to the the rest.

• Related article: "Psychology of work and organizations: a profession with a future"

Types of leadership: what are the main ones?

It is important to understand that the style or type of leadership exercised by supervisors or senior positions in the company will always have consequences on workers, although we do not realize or confuse these effects with the intrinsic personality of each person. Being clear about this is very important, since leaders are agents who, by theirdecision powerThey are in a privileged position to influence others, for better or for worse.

That we have been in the same organization for many years and have always seen the same people behaving in the same way does not mean that this range of behaviors cannot be modified: by varying the type of leadership, very different work and relationship dynamics can emerge, and this change in mentality will involve a large part of the organization.

"Good" and "Bad" Leadership

A kind of positive leadership It can improve employee performance, well-being, or increase company profits. On the contrary, a negative or damaging style can create stress or burnout in subordinates, lower your self esteem or cause losses for the company.

There have been many researchers who have paid attention to this phenomenon and there are many theories that speak about it. Next, we present the most common types of leadership.

1. Laissez-faire leadership

The kind of laissez-faire leadership, also know as delegative leadership, It is a style of non-intervention and lack of regular feedback. The name refers to the French word "let it pass" or "let it be." The laissez-faire leader intervenes only when necessary and with the least amount of control possible. It is a non-authoritarian style that is based on the theory that employees with a lot of experience, training and motivation, they need less supervision to be productive. Because these workers are experts and possess the skills to perform independently, they are able to accomplish tasks with little vigilance.

Advantage

For some employees, autonomy is liberating, improves creativity and it helps you feel more satisfied with the work you do. This type of leadership can be used in situations where subordinates are passionate and highly motivated.

On the other hand, sometimes this type of leadership allows people who are more specialized in their work or who contribute a greater added value are not constrained by formalities and excessive organizational rigidity and do what they do best make.

Disadvantages

Keep in mind that not all employees have these characteristics. This style is not appropriate when working with employees who do not possess the above competencies. Many people they are not good at assigning their own deadlines, manage their own tasks and solve problems that may arise. In other words, they have a much more passive work style in which everything depends on having very specific instructions and, in ambiguous situations, they do not have to apply common sense or tend to work less while waiting for more information.

In these situations, projects or deadlines may not be met when group members are not managed properly or do not benefit from the feedback appropriate.

Many studies seem to show that the laissez-faire type of leadership can lead to a lack of control, an increase in company costs and poor productivity, sacrificing everything for the possibility of having a good short-term work environment (long-term problems arising from lack of performance take a toll on the climate organizational).

2. Autocratic leadership

The autocratic leadership allows supervisors to make decisions and set guidelines without group involvement. That is, in this type of leadership, power is something explicit, which is embodied in a role in which direct orders are given and which must be obeyed in any case.

The leader concentrates all power and no one challenges his decisions. It is an exercise in one-way leadership, the only thing that subordinates have to do is obey the guidelines set by the leader.

Advantage

It can be effective in work environments where decisions need to be made quickly. It also appears to be highly effective with employees who require close monitoring of activities, as by eliminating the trend of workers to relax, you can increase productivity and speed in tasks.

Disadvantages

The disadvantages of the autocratic leader are obvious. It does not take into account the opinion of the workers and employees are simply people who must follow orders, so it can get to a point where there is no flexibility, given that no one wants to be held responsible for not following the instructions even in cases where the context changes and makes them little adequate.

In addition, under the application of this type of leadership, some employees may feel undervalued and They tend to show little affective commitment towards the company, being able to leave the company or give up less.

For all this, it is a leadership style that, little by little, is being banished from the leading companies, in which the adaptability and the need to react quickly to changes, in addition to offering a good working environment in which it is possible to maintain talent.

3. Democratic leadership

Usually called participatory leadership, this type of leadership is characterized by creating enthusiasm among workers by prioritizing participation of the whole group. The leader promotes dialogue among his followers to take into account the opinions of the group, but the final decision is made by the superior.

Advantage

This type of leader wins over the team because employees contribute to the decision process. Therefore, employees tend to feel like part of the company and the changes that may occur in the organization, improving their affiliation and commitment to the company, as well as their productivity and ability to innovation. In this way, for example, he gives more incentives to stay in the organization, thus facilitating the retention of talent.

Disadvantages

Although there is some consensus when it comes to stating that this type of leadership has many advantages, some researchers think that it also has its disadvantages. For example, disagreements between two or more parts of the group or group often cannot be overcome. path is slower in reaching a goal, compared to other styles of leadership. In addition, this type of leadership requires that the leader possess great ability to stay motivated and collaborative of those who follow him, as well as full confidence in himself. Otherwise, the balance of a set of individuals could be upset.

4. Transactional leadership

The transactional leadership is based on transactions, that is, on exchange processes between leaders and their followers. Followers receive awards for their job performance and the leader benefits because they accomplish tasks.

Advantage

It is a type of leadership goal oriented and, therefore, the followers are motivated with rewards for the results achieved. The transactional leader creates clear structures, where it is well defined what he requires of his subordinates and the rewards that they will receive. For this reason, this type of leadership focuses on objective aspects and easily recognizable units of analysis, with which it is relatively easy to operate.

Disadvantages

The follower profile of the transactional leader is a rational individual, motivated by money and other benefits or rewards, whose behavior is quite predictable. Transactional leaders are focused on the present and are very good at keeping the organization running smoothly and efficiently. However, although transactional leadership involves following certain rules and works very well in moments of stabilityIn today's changing world, where the success of companies often depends on continuous changes, there are more effective leadership styles.

5. Transformational leadership

Transformative leaders employ high levels of communication to achieve the objectives and provide a vision of change that they manage to transmit to employees. They are committed to generating a shared and transversal vision about what the company in which they work should be.

Advantage

This is one of the types of leadership that provide greater flexibility to the operation of companies. In this way, leaders who work from this philosophy motivate and increase the productivity and efficiency of the group. They have a very broad vision of the work to be done, thanks to which they lead change within the organization and are capable of change team expectations, perceptions and motivations.

When these leaders and their followers work together, they reach a higher level of morale and motivation. The key is in the impact they have on the followers, since such leaders earn their trust, respect, and admiration.

Disadvantages?

Transformational leadership, instead of analyzing and controlling specific transactions using rules, instructions, and incentives, focuses on intangible qualities, such as vision, shared values ​​and ideas, with the purpose of creating relationships, giving greater meaning to independent activities and offer a shared vision that allows working together with followers in the process of change.

This emphasis on the work environment can be counterproductive in crisis situations where it is necessary to react quickly to a crisis that can collapse the organization in the short term, in a matter of weeks.

Yet at the same time, there are not many contexts in which it is better to sacrifice long-term prosperity for short-term results. This means that many companies and organizations that veto entry of new leaders based on transformational leadership They thus assume a high opportunity cost: they grow less than they could do; and this is something that in many cases they are not even able to detect.

Adapting forms of leadership to the organizational context

Do not lose sight of the fact that there is no one type of leadership that is universally good or preferable. Organizations are characterized by their complexity, and that is why they can produce changes of many kinds and at different rates, so you have to know how to adapt to the demands of the moment; This also happens in the way in which it is led, the way in which the distribution of roles is carried out, etc.

What is true in all cases is that a leader is not a leader by holding a position: leadership is exercised, it is not inherited through what you put in an organization chart.

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