Leadership Styles Literature Review

Different scholars identified various kinds of leadership styles that affect the job performance, satisfaction and learning and development of subordinates. Warrick, D.D (1981) cited that there are no doubt variables other than a leader’s style that affect employee performance and development but leadership style plays a significant role and not to be underestimated. An awareness of leadership styles and their consequences are very important because it may either facilitate or inhabit skill development.

The major theories on leadership are the traits, leadership styles and contingency theories. Out of those, leadership styles and contingency theories dominate the current literature on leadership. There are two major studies on leadership styles

Authority-Compliance Management – High Results/Low People

The leaders pay more attention towards the achievement of results and low concern over employee relationship. This style also called as “Authoritarian” or "Produce or Perish” leadership. McKee and Carlson (1999) elaborated that this style is commonly used in the cased of crises management specially in organizations that are in the edged of real or perceived failure.

4. Middle-of-the-Road Management – Medium Results/Medium People

This style pays balanced and compromised attention to the two competing dimensions. Leaders who follow this style settle for average results because of neither production nor people needs are fully met (Bass,1999).

5. Team Leadership – High Production/High People

According to Blake and Mouton (1964), this is the best leadership style to be adopted. Team leaders pay high and equal attention towards the production needs and people relations. This method relies heavily on making employees feel themselves to be constructive parts of the company (Blake and

Bass and Avolio (1993) pointed out that leadership style is based on behavior areas from laissez-fair (no leadership) to participative (take inputs from subordinate but ultimate decision making with the leader) through transactional leadership (which depends on reward system and punishments) to transformational leadership (which is based on inspiration and behavioral charisma) and ultimately Autocratic leadership (absolute power on decision making). The researcher selected above approach since it has been developed recently and efficiently demonstrated through research findings. The various components are further elaborated below;

1. Laissez-fair Style

Laissez-fair leaders are characterized as an avoidant leader who may uninvolved with their subordinates. As per Mondy and Premeaux (1995), these leaders let group members to make all decisions.

Luthans (2005) elaborated laissez-fair style as “Abdicates responsibilities avoid making decisions”. All the above researches and authors identified this style as the model of which leaders avoid decision making process and allow subordinates to take personal decision about the work.

While some scholars argue about positive surface of laissez-fair style, most identified this style as “not a kind of leadership style”. Deluga (1992) explained that