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 We've talked about several types of leaders in our articles on Leadership Style and Situational Leadership. But here we are going to focus on just on type - the autocratic leadership style - its strengths and weaknesses and when to use this leadership style.
Interestingly, one form of an autocratic leader is a dictatorship. In this situation, the leader's word is "law." The typical autocratic leader does not involve others in the decision making process. And this type of leader might resort to force, manipulation or even threats to accomplish their goals.
Pros and Cons of Autocratic Leaders
In fact, we might not think there are a lot of good things to say about autocratic leaders. This style of leadership is often very stressful on fellow employees and makes the work environment itself not such a fun place to be. But like all leadership styles, there is a time and a situation where the style is appropriate.
Cons of Autocratic Leaders
The communication style of an autocratic leader is usually described as one way. They tell you exactly what they want done. The feedback you would get from this type of leader would generally be unplanned. They would simply tell you when you've made a mistake.
The decision making process is usually unilateral and they accomplish goals by directing people. Now that might not sound like the type of leader you'd follow, but there are actually situations when this style is effective.
Pros of Autocratic Leaders
In the workplace, some conditions may simply call for urgent action, and in these cases an autocratic style of leadership may be best style to adopt. Surprisingly, most workers have already worked for an autocratic leader and therefore have little trouble adapting to that style.
In fact, in times of stress or emergency some subordinates may actually prefer an autocratic style - they prefer to be told exactly what to do. So to summarize - the autocratic leadership style is very effective when times are stressful, but very stressful during those times when the pressure is off the followers or coworkers.
Examples of Autocratic Leaders
While the notion of being labeled an autocratic leader might not seem flattering to most people, we do have a couple of examples of autocratic leaders. This is not to say that they exhibited this style constantly, only that these particular individuals gained notoriety for exhibiting this leadership style.
Martha Stewart
Martha Stewart built her empire with personal attention to each and every detail. Whether you like her or not, she was meticulous and demanding. She was also very successful in her endeavors and in using her autocratic management style.
Many industry analysts might argue that it was Martha's autocratically demanding style that allowed her to flourish in such a competitive environment as the entertainment industry. Others might argue that even more success might have awaited Martha Stewart if she had not relied so heavily on the autocratic style.
Howell Raines
Newspapers and old industries often flourished under autocratic leaders that stood watch over factory workers to make sure their factories kept humming. The point here is that it might not be easy to work under these circumstances, but the autocratic leadership style is certainly efficient.
Howell Raines was the Executive Editor of the New York Times from 2001 - 2003. Widely cited as a "hard-charging" Executive Editor, Raines was known for his policy of "flooding the zone"- using all of the New York Times' resources to cover what he deemed were important stories.
Howell Raines is a classic example of how an autocratic style can be used successfully in a highly demanding industry. Think about the daily pressures associated with publishing one of the highest quality newspapers in the world.
Autocratic Leaders in the Workplace
The down side is that some studies suggest that organizations with lots of autocratic leaders have higher turnover and absenteeism than other organizations. With today's emphasis on joint decision making and empowerment, employees just entering the workforce will be highly resistant to this management style.
So the autocratic leadership style should be not be used when you want to get your employees engaged in the decision making process. Autocratic leaders are also not very effective in situations where your employees might become resentful or fearful.
Finally, if you company is struggling with low morale or is interested in building employee relationships, an autocratic leadership style will only make things worse.
About the Author - Autocratic Leadership
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