Merits and Demerits of Leadership Styles

Leadership styles are the approaches and methods that leaders use to manage and guide their team towards achieving a common goal. There are several leadership styles, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Here are some of the merits and demerits of different leadership styles:

1. Autocratic Leadership
This style involves making decisions without consulting the team. The leader is in complete control and directs the team on what to do.

Merits:
- Decisions can be made quickly.
- There is no confusion about who is in charge.
- Tasks are completed on time.

Demerits:
- The team may feel undervalued and demotivated.
- Creativity and innovation may be stifled.
- The leader may become overburdened with decision-making.

2. Democratic Leadership
This style involves involving the team in decision-making. The leader listens to the team's opinions and ideas before making a decision.

Merits:
- The team feels valued and motivated.
- Creativity and innovation are encouraged.
- Decisions are often well thought out.

Demerits:
- The decision-making process may take longer.
- There may be disagreements within the team.
- The leader may lose control of the team.

3. Laissez-Faire Leadership
This style involves giving the team complete freedom to make decisions and manage themselves. The leader provides support when needed but does not interfere with the team's work.

Merits:
- The team feels trusted and empowered.
- Creativity and innovation are encouraged.
- The team members can use their skills and expertise to their full potential.

Demerits:
- The team may lack direction and focus.
- There is a risk of tasks being left incomplete.
- The leader may lose control of the team.

Conclusion
Leadership style is a critical factor in the success of any team or organization. Choosing the right style for the situation is essential in achieving the desired outcome. Each leadership style has its merits and demerits, and it is up to the leader to choose the style that best suits the team's needs.

In this style of leadership, group member are also considered as the part of decision making. Ideas are exchanged freely and at last discussion is done to make the final decision. Whole team member is guided by the leader. This type of leadership can be applied to any organisation. This style of leadership is highly flexible. Leader has the authority to take the final decision.

Advantages: Different ideas are shared easily among one another. This type of leadership is highly effective and productive. Interest and morale of the employee towards the work increases. 

Disadvantages: Difficult to maintain the co-ordination among the group. Agree and disagree on particular topic may leads to communication gap. Chances of getting poor ideas from unskilled member.

Autocratic leadership

In this type of leadership, leader takes decision without considering the view points of other member. Here group members are not the part of decision making and they just have to follow the steps to accomplish the target. Here leader is completely responsible for the good or bad result obtained. This type of leadership is rarely seen in any organisation. 

Advantages: Since only leader takes the decision, hence no communication gap. In this type less time is required to take decision. Any sudden crisis or difficult situation can be handled more effectively.

Disadvantages: This type of leadership is rarely effective. Since group member are not the part of decision making, this may leads to decrease in employee morale. Chances of lack of trust between leader and group can be more.

Bureaucratic leadership

It is very similar to Autocratic leadership. The main difference is that, in this type of leadership, leaders might consult the group regarding any topic but the whole authority to take the final decision is in the hands of leader. Sometimes it is highly effective and productive. 

Advantages: Duties of every employee is centralised and the jobs are highly secured. Every step are well structured and organised. 

Disadvantages: It is inflexible due to structured pattern. This type of leadership does not offer creativity to the employee. Organisations following this type of leadership barely adopt any changes.

Transformational leadership

It is a type of leadership in which leaders always try to explore their employees in terms of attitude and social changes. Transformational leader prepare their employees to face sudden changes in the target, crisis and any kind of difficult situation. This type of leader does not highly depend previous stats.

Advantages: Leader encourages their group towards the target and makes them interactive and more communicative.

Disadvantages: Risk taken can leads to bad result. Leaders have to ignore certain protocols of the organisation.

Transactional leadership

Transactional leadership is basically a supervision type. In this leader gives reward to the employee for good job. They may also give punishment for the bad result. The main difference between this and Transformational leadership is that leaders belonging to the above category motivate and energise towards the target. In this type, leaders always make the target visible by making employees understand each and every step to follow. They also give orders and instructions of what to be done next.

Advantages: In this type, leaders makes employee more productive. They eliminates each and every doubts of the employee regarding any task.

Disadvantages: Leaders sometimes become insensitive towards their employees. They focus more on target rather on employee’s creativity and encouragement.

Laissez-Faire leadership

Laissez-Faire is a French term which means “Let them do”. So in this type of leadership members are allowed to take their own decisions. This type of leadership increases the employee morale but sometimes may leads a inappropriate result. This type of leaderships are mostly seen at homes where children are allowed to take their own decisions. Another example of this kind is students in Kindergarten school are allowed to do according to their own will.

Advantages: Members of the group feel free to explore themselves. Good co-ordination and interaction is maintained between the members.

Disadvantages: If the member of the group is not capable, probability of getting inappropriate result increases.

Strategic leadership

It is a style of leadership in which top executives of organisation develops tactics and vision for the welfare of the organisation. They play main role in decision making. This makes top management more responsible towards the goal.

Advantages: They develops structured and organised pathway for decision making which makes target more visible and clear.

Disadvantages: Forecasting may leads to inaccurate result. Flexible is difficult due to structured plans and strategies.

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