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Leadership Research Paper PDF
Leadership Research Paper PDF
Katrich C. Williams
Education 538
Spring 2014
Abstract
There is no organization, school, or place of employment that can run smoothly without
leadership. Being a good manager and a good leader are sometimes indescribable, as can be
seen by the demise and malfunctioning of many organizations around the world. (Dubrin,
2010). When success or failure occurs in an organization, the “buck stops somewhere”. Usually,
A leadership style is the way a leader gives direction, the way they put plans into play,
and the way the motivate people. There are a lot of leadership styles that are used. These styles
are showed from the school system all the way to employment. The leadership styles include:
similar to transactional leadership. In that type of leadership, the leaders overpower the people
that work for them. Those workers have very little say so when it comes to making suggestions.
It doesn’t matter if what they say can help others or not (Burns, J. M. 1978). The leader has the
One thing that is beneficial of being an authoritarian or autocratic leader is that it is very
well-organized. The leader doesn’t have to wait on others to do their part. The leader makes
their decision rather quickly and he can ensure that the work gets done. More times than not,
the authoritarian or autocratic leader are the smartest and most determined person in the
group, so pretty much what they say goes. The people that work for authoritarian or autocratic
leaders are well organized. They are able to meet deadlines and they too learn how to lead at
some point.
One thing that is not so helpful with being an authoritarian or autocratic leader is that
the people that work for them really hate to be treated as such. This type of leadership style
results in workers not doing their work as best as they can. Some people even quit. (Burns, J. M.
1978). The workers that work under this type of leadership style may become bored and they
Running Head: Authoritarian (Autocratic) Leadership Style 4
may take a little longer to get the job done because they find no interest in it. Many workers
The best time to use the authoritarian or autocratic leadership style is when there is an
before, things will get handled immediately (Martin, 2004). The leader runs everything so they
don’t have to wait on the help of others. When the leader makes the decisions, the workers are
kept busy doing their tasks that have been assigned to them. This way they cannot and will not
Those leaders that are authoritarian or autocratic, are very clear and precise in what
things they want done and how one should go about doing those things. The leader knows
what he wants and he very rarely asks for the opinions and inputs of the workers that work for
him. The leader also is mainly concerned with the job being done. (Diamond, M., 2006). They
really don’t have a concern for whether or not their workers are happy. The authoritarian or
autocratic leader doesn’t mingle much with his workers, because as mentioned before, his main
goal is getting the job done. The leader chooses to motivate his workers by simply threating
them than rewarding them. He may tell them that if the job isn’t done in a decent timeframe,
the exact way I want it done, you will be fired. Of course no one wants to be fired, so the
autocratic leader. It’s really hard for a person who has controlled all of his workers, to all of a
sudden be very friendly and open to everyone’s opinion. Although it may be hard becoming an
Running Head: Authoritarian (Autocratic) Leadership Style 5
authoritarian or autocratic leader after you’ve been a democratic leader, it can be done easier.
You can portray to be mean to someone, but eventually you’ll become nice. Many people
would love to work for a nice person rather than a mean one.
In the military world, autocratic leadership is very present because those that are trying
to be in the military actually can focus on the task at hand. Their only responsibility is being told
what to do, which is probably what they want. If those that are in the military can do their job
the way it is told to them, it makes things go better for their entire group (Dubrin, 2010)
When it comes to the mental view of an authoritarian or autocratic leader, they do not
like when they can’t handle a situation. They really want to be successful in whatever they do.
They can be viewed as aggressors because they quickly blame others and they also try to get
back at others. However, despite how driven and controlling they are, they are still very highly
motivated and they normally are very successful in their work (Diamond, M., 2006). Workers
that are fairly new to their job and have little training should work under an authoritarian or
autocratic leader.
they really want to be successful in the position, there are some things that must be taken into
consideration. The leader should make sure that every worker is where they need to be to
ensure that the job gets done. It is already hard enough being a leader, but if one wants to be a
good authoritarian or autocratic leader, there has to be an equal balance. The leader doesn’t
want to be too direct or over aggressive, because at the end of the day, you don’t want to run
anybody off, although that may happen. That is not the mission of the authoritarian or
Running Head: Authoritarian (Autocratic) Leadership Style 6
autocratic leader. The leader has to respect all that work under them. The leader should always
be fair to keep workers from being angry. The rules should be explained thoroughly so that
everyone will understand what they are doing. This type of leader should always be fair and
just, and consistent. (Froschheiser, 2010). It should never be said that the leader changes their
style on a weekly basis. The authoritarian or autocratic leader needs to make sure that all
workers understand what is being asked of them. This can help with miscommunications and
misunderstandings. This leader should always listen to others, even if they don’t use the
suggestion.
Running Head: Authoritarian (Autocratic) Leadership Style 7
References
Diamond, M. (2006). The Evolution of Training. Reeves Journal: Plumbing, Heating, Cooling,
86(8), 78.
net/files/6213/4696/3870/Leadership_Styles.pdf
Martin, A. J. (2004). The Role of Positive Psychology in Enhancing Satisfaction, Motivation, and
113-1333.