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 One of the six leadership styles that Daniel Goleman wrote about was the coercive leadership style. Goleman's research linked each of these six different leadership styles to his theory of emotional intelligence. Recognizing that each of these six styles plays an important role in achieving results, we also need to recognize the coercive style is one that should be used with caution.
Attributes of Coercive Leaders
Goleman uses the following phrase to summarize the style of coercive leaders - "Do as I say." And to understand why this might be the right approach under certain conditions, and why this leadership style can be effective, we need to discuss when it's appropriate to use this style.
The coercive leadership style is most effective when an organization or group is faced with a crisis. This can range from dealing with ineffective employees to a complete turnaround for a company or group.
For example, if a department is having trouble with employees using unsafe work practices, then the leader might utilize the coercive style to gain immediate compliance with the company's safety standards. Another situation where a leader might employ the coercive style could be when a unit is not operating profitably due to obviously wasteful practices.
Pros and Cons of the Coercive Leadership Style
So one of the positive outcomes of using the coercive style is that the leader has a great deal of control over what's happening in their particular organization. He or she is providing direction and demanding conformance. This works especially well when an organization is in trouble.
On the other hand, research found this style to have a very negative impact on the overall work climate. In fact, by its very nature the coercive style is inflexible, provides little reward, and removes all responsibilities from workers for their actions - just as long as they are following orders.
While some workers actually enjoy being told exactly what to do each day, the majority of us find the coercive style unbearable over the long haul.
Effectively Using the Coercive Style
If you're a leader that believes you're faced with a situation that demands use of the coercive leadership style, let's summarize the two most important factors you need to keep in mind when using this style:
- The coercive style is most effective when a turnaround is essential to a department's viability or there exists a business need for immediate compliance with an instruction or order.
- The coercive style has the most negative impact on workers so the style should only be used for a short period of time. Once the crisis has subsided, the leader should begin practicing more positive leadership styles such as the Affiliative style.
Managers and leaders that find themselves in a situation that no longer demands the use of the coercive style should also consider taking steps to undo the damage that this style may have caused their department. For example, the manger might want to reward the employees or followers after the crisis is over. Another option would be to consider holding some teambuilding sessions to help regain a feeling of teamwork and cooperation among various team members.
Examples of the Coercive Style
It's pretty easy to recognize a situation where someone is using the coercive leadership style. Words that might be used to describe this kind of leader include: relentless, overbearing, unyielding, persistent, harsh, and ruthless in addition to coercive.
If you think about the words that are synonymous with coercion, they leave most of us with a very negative feeling. And that's pretty much how workers feel when they report to a manager that doesn't realize it's time to stop using the coercive style.
And this brings up the final point we want to emphasize about this leadership style. There is a time and a place where the coercive style is extremely effective - especially during a crisis. The troubling part about this style is when it's abused. Managers that act as if there is a crisis everyday and continue to use this style over a long period of time do more harm than good to an organization's morale.
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