Question

Write a short note on authoritative leadership.

Answer 1

Authoritative’ Leadership:

An autocratic leader concentrates all his authority and decision making powers on himself. He holds out threats of punishment or uses his powers to distribute rewards on the assumption that people are lazy and will avoid work and shirk responsibility. Autocratic leadership can be successful where subordinates are reluctant to take the initiative. The subordinates are generally ill-informed, secured and afraid of the leaders authority.

Characteristics of Autocratic Leadership

Some of the primary characteristics of autocratic leadership include:

• Little or no input from group members
• Leaders make almost all of the decisions
• Group leaders dictate all the work methods and processes
• Group members are rarely trusted with decisions or important tasks
• Work tends to be highly structured and very rigid
• Creativity and out-of-the box thinking tend to be discouraged
• Rules are important and tend to be clearly outlined and communicated

Advantages:

• Many subordinates prefer to work under-centralized authority and strict discipline.
• It permits quick decisions as a leader takes decisions.

Disadvantages:

• It leads to frustration, low morale and conflict which affect organisational efficiency.
• There is resistance to change as workers feel harassed and disturbed.