Pros and Cons of Autocratic Leadership
Leadership is a complex issue and there are many types of leadership styles. In recent years, it has become more common for leaders to use a more collaborative approach, asking for input from their subordinates when making decisions and approving suggested solutions to problems. The more traditional approach to leadership is autocratic. An autocratic leader simply makes decisions and gives orders to the workers. There are pros and cons to the autocratic approach.
Responsibility
One of the positive things about an autocratic leadership model is that determining responsibility for bad results should be easy. Either the leader made a bad decision or an employee executed them badly. If the employee is to blame, the leader can take disciplinary action, and if the leader is himself to blame, he can reexamine the facts he used to make the decision. As President Truman said, "The buck stops here."
Emergencies
One situation where an autocratic leader is definitely wanted is in an emergency situation. This can be a business situation in which you have a short deadline on an unexpected project. In this circumstance, there just is not enough time for long debate; the job has to done quickly. Even more serious is an emergency situation when lives are at stake. In these cases, consultation about handle the problem can be fatal, which means you need one person with overall responsibility.
Irresponsibility
The negative side of the responsibility coin concerning an autocratic leader is that while she gets to determine who made the mistake, the fact that she is an autocrat means she can blame a scapegoat even if it is her own fault.
Lack of Input
An obvious drawback to autocratic leadership is that no one knows everything. This means that although the leader may have a great deal of experience, his employees may have knowledge that could make a significant difference if he were to ask for their input.
Tags: autocratic leader, autocratic leadership, Cons Autocratic Leadership, emergency situation, Pros Cons