Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. Press ESC to cancel. Skip to content Home Essay Why is democratic leadership style the best? Ben Davis May 10, Why is democratic leadership style the best? Do you see any problems with a participative democratic leadership style? What are the strengths of democratic leadership?
What is a disadvantage of democratic leadership? What is the impact of democratic leadership style? What is a democratic style of leadership? What is the advantage and disadvantage of democratic leadership?
Stronger and more respectful teams, capable of achieving common goals, with mutual trust and admiration between team members. An increase in productivity and employee commitment, since they participate and see that their opinion counts.
Therefore, we must understand its weaknesses before we implement it: This type of leadership slows down decision-making processes.
Having more people participate in this process and listening to the opinions of everyone can take some time, which, oddly enough, can be frustrating to participants. Participative leadership is not usually effective in a situation of crisis, since the speed of response is vital in these cases and, again, decision-making processes can be slower.
The lack of experience in making decisions of most of the members of a team with a participative leader can result in tedious and confusing decision-making processes that come up with solutions that are not as effective to handle the original problem. Finally, a democratic leader is committed to listening to all ideas and must be capable of rejecting those that cannot be used to solve the problem adequately.
A few years ago, I worked with a democratic leader who was known for his ability to make people cared for and valued as human beings. He'd remember conversations from months ago and refer to specific details about people's lives. Like the name of your kids or spouse. The fact that your mother had undergone knee surgery. Or that you enjoyed playing tennis. People were often left astonished and beaming with joy, even after spending a couple of minutes with him.
His leadership style also had some crossover with a transformational leadership style and was an authentic leader. Leaders who use this style create a vision and guide their teams through inspiration.
Not surprisingly, he commanded a rare kind of respect and loyalty from his team. And frequently led them to accomplish exceptional results. A democratic management style can improve your culture of employee engagement, commitment, and job satisfaction. This leadership style also leads to deeper relationships. Specifically between the democratic leader and their team members. This is accomplished by building trust and respect. Also, a democratic leader encourages people to voice their opinions and share their ideas.
So the team is more likely to come up with creative solutions to problems. Also, democratic leaders allow the team to think through problems and decisions. This teaches their teams important skills.
Like problem-solving and critical thinking. Over time, these team members are in a better position to take on bigger responsibilities and operate more independently. Ultimately, developing new leaders. These limitations can be effectively managed and minimized. Structuring feedback can also ensure democratic leaders meet all deadlines.
Examples include collaborative weekly check-ins and progress updates with team members. These processes can reduce opportunities for emotionally charged decisions and bias towards members' ideas.
Now, we've looked at the definition, strengths, and limitations of a democratic leadership style. Let's look at some scenarios where it can be an effective approach.
There are certain scenarios that offer a great place to practice democratic leadership. When you want creativity and innovation. As an organization, Google is known for its democratic way of operating.
Employees play a role in making important company decisions. Through the use of extensive discussions and brainstorming. A participative leadership style can be extremely effective. Especially if you are in a situation that calls for creative ideas and solutions. And time is not a primary constraint.
When you have a millennial workforce. A recent Gallup study reported that today's millennial workers want to work with managers who will invest in their growth and career development. As well as value them as people.
Does your workforce largely consist of millennials? Consider a democratic style of leadership. It is likely to keep your employees more engaged. When you are leading experts. There may be situations when you are leading a team of domain experts.
They have deep knowledge about their field. Often more than the team leader. And it is important to allow them the freedom to brainstorm ideas and come up with solutions. In such cases, taking a democratic approach is likely to get you better results. You now know when to implement a democratic leadership style. The final section of this article will offer you some practical tips on how to get started. As we've seen, a democratic leadership style is not a one-size-fits-all solution.
There will be times when this form of participative management is not the most effective approach. If your answers indicate that a democratic approach is what will get you the best results, then go for it.
If you've decided to use this approach for a specific situation, communicating openly with your team is the next crucial step. Collaboratively set up and communicate a process to maximize effectiveness. Some of the limitations of the democratic leadership style can be prevented by being proactive about them. For example, phase one can be setting some ground rules and establishing psychological safety.
Phase two could be brainstorming ideas.
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