4/15/2019 What Is Democratic Leadership? - Definition, Advantages & Disadvantages - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.

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What Is Democratic Leadership? - De nition, Advantages &

Disadvantages

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Lesson Transcript

Democratic leadership is a style of leadership found in human resources theory and participative management.
In this lesson, you will learn what democratic leadership is and some of its advantages and disadvantages. You
will have the opportunity to reinforce your knowledge with a brief quiz after the lesson.

Democratic Leadership: De nition

Democratic leadership in an organization involves the redistribution of power and authority
between employees and managers to provide employee involvement in decision making.

Features of Democratic Leadership

Let's start by noting that there is a conceptual di erence between leadership and authority.
Authority is formalized power conferred upon an individual to engage in certain activities
sanctioned by some person or institution with the power to confer the authority. For example, if
you are elected to the Senate, the citizens of your state have conferred upon you the power to
represent them. In the private sector, a board of directors confers upon the CEO certain powers to
implement board policies.

Leadership, on the other hand, can be thought of as the power of an individual to in uence others
in belief or action. A leader may or may not have formal authority, and someone with authority
may or may not lead. In other words, leadership isn't a position or o ce one holds but a behavior.

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4/15/2019 What Is Democratic Leadership? - Definition, Advantages & Disadvantages - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com

Democratic leadership attempts to manage with democratic principles, such as self-determination,

inclusiveness, equal participation and deliberation. The following three features characterize
democratic leadership:

Distribution of responsibility - A manager that leads democratically will distribute responsibility among
his group to facilitate participation in decision making.

Empowering group members - Leaders must empower their members so that the members can
accomplish their responsibilities. Empowerment includes providing training and education necessary for
delegated task completion.

Aiding group decision-making process - A major role of a democratic leader is to ensure democratic
deliberation in making group decisions. This means that a leader should act as a facilitator and mediator
between group members and ensure that a psychologically healthy and respectful environment is
maintained.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Democratic leadership in the context of managing an organization has some advantages and
disadvantages. Let's talk about some of the advantages. Democratic leadership techniques
generally will do a better job creating job satisfaction because it fosters a sense of participation,
control and autonomy. Greater employee participation in decision-making may also lead to greater
innovation and creative solutions to problems that will better serve an organization.

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