He Autocratic leadership Or authoritarian is a form of leadership in which the leaders of the organization have absolute power over their workers or the teams they lead.
The autocratic style characterizes the leader who does not allow the members of the group to participate in the decisions, in a way that ends up dominating and inducing submissive responses on the part of the members.
It comes from the Greek self (self) and kratos (government or power), so that it is a system of government where the will of an individual, in this case the leader, is the law, given that authority falls only on him.
In this way, the members of the organization do not have opportunities (or these are very limited) to suggest things, even if they are for the benefit of the organization itself.
The autocratic leader tells the subordinates what he expects of them, specifies the work to be done and the goals to be achieved and guides in a specific way how to achieve it.
One of the authors, Richard Shell, of the University of Ohio, argued that there are four basic styles of leadership : The autocratic, the bureaucratic, the liberal and the democratic.
Characteristics of the autocratic leader
Within the autocratic leadership, we find different characteristics, among which we highlight:
1. It is who marks everything within the organization
In this Type of leadership , The leader is in charge of establishing everything within the organization (sets the objectives, the way of proceeding, etc.).
He does not believe in the initiative of the rest of the group, so he does not encourage it either. He considers that he is the only one competent and that others are not able to address themselves.
The leader is a vigilante who knows everything and is above all the initiatives of other people.
2. Centralization
The leader has all authority centralized and is based on a legitimate power to apply both rewards and coercive power. It is oriented inland.
The leader centralizes the decisions to order the work teams effectively and thus achieve the objectives proposed by the organization.
3. Obedience
Expect everyone inside the organization to obey you. This leader asks subordinates to obey and to adhere to their decisions.
4. Dogmatism
It is dogmatic. In addition, it is the center of attention. The results of some research establish that they focus power on themselves and impose their point of view on that of the group.
5. Assumes full responsibility in decision making
All decisions fall on him, who unilaterally decides everything that refers to the organization, limiting the participation of all subordinates.
It makes all decisions of the organization centered on control and authority.
6. The autocratic leader gives rewards or punishments to his subordinates
Based on the legitimate power, it is the one that grants rewards and punishments to subordinates.
Coercion is one of the main characteristics of this leadership and refers to the leader's exercise of power over subordinates, since the leader is the authority.
7. Emphasis on command and control
These types of leaders emphasize control. They tend to be solitary and specialized in certain areas.
They are leaders who supervise all the activities that the worker performs, so that they comply with standards that have been predetermined beforehand.
8. Strong knowledge of the organization
They are usually very knowledgeable about the organization, are concerned about competitors and are focused on controlling the organization in detail.
They are concerned about long-term organization.
9. Initiates actions, directs and controls subordinates
The autocratic leader is the one who directs the subordinates, considering that he is the most competent when it comes to directing and taking All decisions .
He observes his subordinates to avoid deviations from the guidelines he has proposed.
10. Sensitive to Organizational Goals
Following the organizational leadership and typology of the leaders of Blake and Mouton, autocratic leaders would be those who are not sensitive to people but on the contrary are very sensitive to the objectives of the organization.
That is to say, they are little oriented to the people but very oriented towards the results of the organization.
11. Motivation for personal power
Autocratic leaders are characterized by seeking prestige and strong motivation for personal power.
Advantages of the autocratic leader
1. High performance with the present leader
One of the earliest studies of leadership was conducted by Kurt Lewin at the University of Iowa and compared autocratic leaders to more democratic ones.
This experiment showed that those groups with autocratic leaders had a high performance when the leader was present.
However, this study showed that democratic leaders also performed well and did not exhibit such disadvantages.
However, apparently the results obtained may be good to start the tasks but over time the environment ends up being tense and with harmful consequences.
2. Members have no responsibilities
The main advantage of working with an autocratic leader is that the subordinates know that it is the leader who will make the decisions and they only have to obey what it marks them.
They should only listen to it and carry out the work assigned to them, so that in the face of possible difficulties they do not have to think about solutions to solve them.
3. Effective results can be achieved
The times established to carry out the activities are fulfilled, given the control exercised by the leader.
Daily deliveries are usually fulfilled as workers prioritize what the leader demands to achieve the proposed goals and thus not retaliate.
4. It is appropriate when workers have no initiative or are immature
Autocratic leaders can be important in particular organizations because they fulfill what the company requires according to the policies they have established.
Some workers do not have their own initiative, and in these cases having an authority to supervise and direct them can lead to work better, especially in those cases where a large amount of money is handled and errors can be very expensive.
5. May be suitable in emergency situations
Autocratic leadership can be appropriate in emergency situations where a problem must be resolved quickly and efficiently.
The leader orders without consultation and is intended the fulfillment of the order dogmatically and firmly.
It may also be appropriate in situations where a decision is required under pressure or High stress .
6. Simplification of work
Another advantage of autocratic leadership is that it is simplified, everything goes through a person who controls the whole process.
In addition, workers are supervised at all times, which reduces the likelihood of mistakes or wrong doing the job.
Inconveniences of the autocratic leader
1. Unhappy Members
One of the drawbacks of authoritarian leadership is that members of the organization may feel resentful, unhappy or uncomfortable about the treatment they receive.
The same study carried out by Kurt Lewin In relation to the autocratic style showed that the members of the group were hostile.
The sense of responsibility is evaporated, because they are not able to act on their own initiative.
By not communicating with group members and only doing so when there is a problem, it can be very frustrating for them.
2. Job absenteeism or staff turnover
Large levels of work absenteeism can be found, with staff turnover in the company given that workers are not comfortable with this type of leadership.
In addition, the climate must be adequately managed, because otherwise workers may tire of the organization's authoritarianism and leave, taking the acquired knowledge to another company.
3. Lack of creativity and innovation in members
Given that responsibility is low and the ability to make decisions also, in this type of leadership the subordinate has limited capacity to be Creative and innovative .
Since they are not the ones who solve the problems, they also do not put in place creative solutions to solve them.
Employees are not taken into account and their abilities are not taken into account because they are not explored or taken into account. The lack of communication It also ends up harming it.
The decisions of the leader inhibit the new ideas, so that the ideas are not said either because they are known that they will not be taken into consideration.
4. Stress on subordinates
This type of leadership can generate an important source of stress that ends up contributing to the deterioration of the mental and physical health of the members of the group and that end up also harming the work environment.
5. Do not feel part of the organization
The members of the group do not feel members of the organization, so it ends up being affected their sense of belonging.
People feel that they are not important in the organization and that their work is not important.
They do not feel valued because the leader does not take them into account in the decisions that concern the organization.
6. Affectation in the organizational climate
The autocratic leader maintains a communication with his subordinates that can generate problems in the members.
These leaders are often impulsive, telling subordinates what they think or feel and often feel unfairly treated, which eventually impacts on their work.
It also affects the climate of the organization, so that the subordinates end up being afraid to address the leader.
A happy person ends up being more productive, feels at ease in the company, with the principles of this, the values that it transmits and the leader that directs it and therefore, ends up benefiting the organization.
7. Low productivity
At times, and related to the above, when people do not feel comfortable in the organization and feel pressured, productivity may end up being less.
Productivity improves when there is good relationships between members, leaders care about their members (both work and personal).
8. Success or failure depends on the effectiveness of the leader
Since everything ends up leading the leader, success or failure depends on it.
Thus, even if they can finish the task quickly, other leadership styles such as democratic, although they take longer to perform tasks, the final result is usually of greater creativity and originality, besides not needing the leader to finish the task.
Some examples of autocratic leaders
Some examples of famous autocratic leaders are found in Margaret Thatcher Or in Steve Jobs , for example.
They are leaders who wanted to have everything under their control and where all the decisions passed for themselves.
It is important that the leader knows how to lead the team in which he moves, must be disciplined and committed, but he must also know and take into account the members of the group.
He must know what his opinions and needs are, since taking them into account can also favor the whole organization.
And you, what do you think of the autocratic leaders?
References
- Ayala, M. (2015). Autocratic leadership and the working climate. How does an autocratic leadership style affect the working environment of organizations in the financial sector in Colombia? Militar University of New Granada.
- Becerra, M. (2011). Leadership in intelligent organizations. Digital scientific journal of the center of research and management studies.
- Chamorro, D.J. (2005). Factors that determine the leadership style of the director. Complutense University of Madrid.
- [Links] Teachers as group leaders. Innovation and educational experiences.
- González, O. Y González, L. (2012). Leadership styles of university teachers. Multiciencias, 12 (1), 35-44.
- Semprún-Perich, R. and Fuenmayor-Romero, J. (2007). A genuine style of educational leadership: a reality or an institutional fiction? Laurus , 13 (23), 350-380.