Where is autocratic leadership effective

Autocratic leadership is often most effective when it is used for specific situations. Balancing this style with other approaches including democratic or transformational styles can often lead to better group performance.

Ever wonder what your personality type means? Sign up to find out more in our Healthy Mind newsletter. Wang H, Guan B. Front Psychol. Thomas University. What is Autocratic Leadership? How Procedures Can Improve Efficiency. Updated June 1, Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for VerywellMind. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page.

These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data. We and our partners process data to: Actively scan device characteristics for identification. I Accept Show Purposes. Table of Contents View All. Table of Contents. Benefits Allows for quick decision-making especially in stress-filled situations Offers a clear chain of command or oversight Works well where strong, directive leadership is needed. Drawbacks Discourages group input Hurts morale and leads to resentment Ignores or impairs creative solutions and expertise from subordinates.

Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Sign Up. What are your concerns? Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Personnel Psychology. De Hoogh, A. D Diabolical dictators or capable commanders? An investigation of the differential effects of autocratic leadership on team performance, The Leadership Quarterly, 26, Issue 5,,. Gastil, J. Small Group Research, 25 , 3, — Harms, P.

D, Wood, D. Autocratic leaders and authoritarian followers revisited: A review and agenda for the future. The Leadership Quarterly, 29 , 1 , — Huang, H. When authoritarian leaders outperform transformational leaders: firm performance in a harsh economic environment.

Academy of Management Directives, 1, Traditional Chinese leadership and employee voice behavior: A cross-level examination, The Leadership Quarterly, 26, 2, ,. Rast, D. E, Hogg, M. Self-uncertainty and Support for Autocratic Leadership. Self and Identity, 12,6, — Schoel, C. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , , 3, — Join our monthly newsletter to receive management tips, tricks and insights directly into your inbox!

CQ Net. They only need to focus on their to-dos and not worry about broader repercussions. The leader who has unlimited authority also carries equivalent accountability.

What are the perils of autocratic leadership? Being an extreme leadership style, unsurprisingly there are plenty of disadvantages of autocratic leadership as well: Reduces morale — There is a clear divide between the leader and their followers.

This reduces the sense of ownership in the team, ultimately affecting the overall morale. High risk — There is only one person making strategic decisions without input from the team. The leader runs the risk of surrounding themselves with an army of yes-men. This begs the question… When is autocratic leadership effective? There are three conditions that make autocratic leadership a popular option: Shortage of time — When the clock is ticking and the situation demands an immediate response, there is not better alternative than autocratic leadership.

It cuts time wasted in bureaucratic procedures. Knowledge — When the leader is the most knowledgeable person in the group. Risk — During high-risk situations, people naturally tend to gravitate towards autocratic leaders. An effective autocratic leader will have a keen eye on what is going on in their organisation. In real terms, this means fewer opportunities for subordinates to use their time in a way that might be considered wasteful.

With strong leadership, clear goals, and procedural discipline in place for not achieving them, subordinate productivity can be expected to improve. This leadership style comes with a few caveats that must be learned and understood to ensure smooth and effective implementation.

Each pitfall in this section is a mirror of one of the previous benefits. Autocratic leadership involves treading the line between the two sides of one coin: The traits that foster productivity, for example, may also stifle autonomy and creativity. In roles and industries with a traditional expectation of being able to think freely and arrive at your own solutions for how work should be done, a sudden transition to a leadership style that restricts this can be suffocating.

If you decide autocratic leadership is necessary in your workplace, be sure to evaluate ways of minimising such negative reactions. While organisational goals can be set and dictated from the top, there is the risk that subordinates will feel isolated from this new vision. Because autocratic leadership rarely includes a provision for advice and feedback, a very clear boundary is established between the leadership and their subordinates. This can quickly become a wedge that drives them apart: A very real risk when the vision and underlying reasoning are not effectively communicated.

A clear chain of command can be a good thing, but with autocratic leadership the people further down the chain may feel like their ability to think and act on their own accord is removed. If subordinates know that their input will most likely be dismissed - if acknowledged at all - they will invest less time and energy in contributing suggestions to how things could be done differently.

This means that a valuable source of feedback from within the organisation is shut off. The crux of autocratic leadership is the balance between control and morale. In this system, a leader can make quick and strong decisions, establish a clear chain of command, and see productivity increase as a result.