Warrick Leadership

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Leadership Styles and Their Consequences

D. D . Warrick

University of Colorado

This article discusses leade rship style theories and offers an integrationof the theories by describing the typical characteristics, philpsophy,skills, and consequences associated with each major style. Then a n ex-perimental exercise is offered that portrays the major styles and theproductivity and satisfaction each i s likely to produce. Finally, a de-briefing is presented that helps interpret the exercise and integrate thestyle theories with contingency theory.

Importance ofLeadership Style

Few leaders understand the full significance of how influential theirleadership style is on the performance and satisfaction of their employees.Leaders control both interpersonal and material rewards and punishmentsthat often shape employee behavior and influence an employee’sperformance, motivation, and attitude. They can affect an employee’sself-image and resulting potential in either a positive or negative way bybeing supportive, fair, and encouraging, or unsupportive, inconsistent,and critical. In addition, they can even affect an employee’s health andenergy level by creating a stimulating work climate or one filled withtension and fear. The influence of a leader’s style reaches greaterproportions as the effects on individuals begin to have a cumulativeeffect on group performance.

There are no doubt variables other than a leader’s style that affectemployee performance and satisfaction. Certainly, job challenge and in-terest, organizational working conditions and work climate, opportuni-ties for growth and advancement, and peer relations among other factorsshould be considered. However, the potential consequences of a leader’sstyle should be understood and not be underestimated.

Addre ss re print requests to: Dr. Don W arrick, College of Business Administration, Universityof Colorado, Colorado Springs, CO 80908 .

Journal of Experiential Learning and Simulation 3-4: 155-172 1981) 1 5 5



156 D. D. Warrick

D. D. Warrick is an Associate Professor of Management and Organization Behav-ior at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs campus. He is the editor ofthe Academy of Management OD Newsletter and serves on the OD ExecutiveCommittees of the Academy of Management and the American Society for Train-

ing and Development. His articles have appeared in several leading managementjournals. He received his D.B.A. from the University of Southern California.

LeadershipTheories

Most authorities on organizational leadership agree that the majortheories of leadership are the traits, leadership styles, and contingency(sometimes called situational) theories. The leadership styles andcontingency theories now dominate the current literature on leadershipwhile the traits theory has generally been dismissed because of the

theoretical, methodological, and practical problems involved in tryingto identify and support a consistent list of traits.

Major LeadershipStyles Theories

Ohio State Leadership Studies

The leadership styles approach emerged from the Ohio State Universityleadership studies that began in 1945. Some of the chief contributors tothe study were Hemphill, Stogdill, Coons, Fleishman, Harris, and Burtt[l-31. While this study was responsible for a variety of significant find-ings on leadership, perhaps the most important contribution was theisolation of “Consideration” and “Initiating Structure” as the basic di-mensions of leadership behavior in formal organizations. These variableswere identified as a result of a series of investigations that attempted todetermine, through factor-analytic procedures, the smallest nuwber ofdimensions that adequately describe leader behavior as perceived by theleader and his subordinates.

Consideration may be defined as behaviors by means of which theleader establishes rapport with his or her employees, two-way commu-nication, mutual respect, and understanding. It includes behavior indi-cating trust and warmth between the supervisor and his or her groupand emphasizes concern for group members’ needs.

Initiating Structure may be defined as behaviors by means of whichthe leader defines or facilitates group interaction toward goal attainment.The leader does this by planning, scheduling, criticizing, initiating ideas,organizing the work, defining member roles, assigning tasks, and push-ing for production.

It was during the early Ohio State studies that leadership was firstplotted on two separate axes as opposed to being on a single continuum.

University of Michigan Leadership Studies

The University of Michigan followed in 1947 with an extensive study ofleadership that resulted in many similar findings to the Ohio State stud-ies. Kahn, Likert, Katz, Maccoby, and Morse [4 51 were some of theoriginal investigators. They investigated the relationship between su-pervisory behavior and employee productivity and satisfaction. The ear-liest study was conducted at the Prudential Life Insurance Company andthe strategy was to use company accounting procedures to identify high-



Leadership Styles and Their Consequences 5 7

producing and low-producing groups which were evidently equal inability, background, etc. Then they would investigate the supervisorypractices associated with the high and low producing groups. The Uni-versity of Michigan group identified two styles of leaders-Employee-

Centered and Praduction-Centered.Employee-Centered supervisors spent more time in actual, supervisory

activities, less time performing tasks similar to those performed by sub-ordinates, used general rather than close supervision, took a personalinterest in employees and their gods, and were less punishing whenmistakes were made. Employees of employee-centered supervisors feltthat their supervisor took a persopal interest in them, let them know howthey were doing on the job, and would support them.

Production-Centered supervisors spent less time in actual supervisorypractices such as planning, more time performing tasks similar to thosesubordinates performed, used close supervision, and punished mistakes.

Employees of production-centered supervisors tended to feel as if theywere treated only as instruments of production and responded with poorperformance.

In the earlier studies, employee-centered and production-centered su-pervisors were treated as if they represented opposite ends of a singlecontinum. However, in later studies it was discovered that these twodimensions were independent and could occur simultaneously.

Other Leadership Styles Theories

The Ohio State and University of Michigan studies stimulated consid-erable interest in leadership theory and many new theories were offeredsuch as those by Keith Davis [6], Hersey and Blanchard [7], and Blakeand Mouton [8]. Most of the leadership theories had two things in com-mon. They identified two basic dimensions of leadership and they re-sulted in four basic leadership styles (see Figure 1) which in effect de-scribed an Autocratic Leader (High emphasis on performance and lowemphasis on people), Laissez Faire Leader (low emphasis on perform-ance and people), Human Relations Leader [low emphasis pn perform-ance and high emphasis on people), and Democratic Leader (high em-phasis on performance and people).

The Managerial Grid

A somewhat transitional theory between the leadership styles theoriesand the contingency theories is the Managerial Grid developed by Blakeand Mouton [9]. Blake and Mouton described the two basic dimensisnsof leadership as Concern for production and concern for people. The termconcern for, as used in the grid, is a theoretical variable reflecting basicattitudes or styles of control. It does not reflect actual production oreffectiveness. The horizontal axis of the management grid represents

concern for production and the vertical axis represents concern for ma-ture and healthy relations among those engaged in production. Each axisis on a 1 to 9 point scale, with 1 representing a minimum interest orconcern and 9 a maximum concern. The Managerial Grid results in fivebasic styles of leadership: A Production Pusher 9,1), o-Nothing Man-ager l,~), rganization Man [5,5), Country Club Manager (1,9), ndTeam Builder 9,9).



158 D. D. Warrick

Blake and Mouton’s leadership styles theory is considered transitionalfor several important reasons. First, their two leadership dimensions areinterdependent rather then independent. Next, their dimensions de-scribe basic attitudes rather than specific behaviors. This important dif-

ference makes it possible for a leader to exhibit a variety of behaviorswhile using the same style. Thus, a 9,9 manager may in fact use consid-erable flexibility in applying his or her style. Finally, Blake and Moutonpoint out that one of the reasons leadership styles research has been soinconsistent is because of the inconsistency in conceptualizing the dif-ferent styles. They claim that when the Managerial Grid model is used,behavioral science research consistently supports the 9,9 style as the onebest style [lo].

Integrating theLeadership Sty1es

Approach

Leadership Style Characteristics, Philosophies, and SkillsLeadership Styles can be identified by their style characteristics, an im-plicit leadership philosophy, and a set of management skills typical ofeach style.

Leadership Style Characteristics describe the emphasis a leader placeson performance and people. Leadership Philosophy describes an implicitleadership philosophy based primarily on a leader’s assumptions aboutpeople and the role of a leader. A leader needs to be aware of these

FigureFour Basic Leadership Styles

Human Relations LeoderLow emphasis on performance and a highemphasis on people. Assumes that “all”people are honest, trustworthy, self-moti-vated and want to be involved and that aparticipative, permissive, and supportivework environment will lead to happyworkers that are productive workers, Re-lies on teamwork, human relations,participative decision-making, and goodharmony and fellowship to get the job

done

DemocraticLeaderHigh emphasis on performance and peo-ple. Assumes that “most” people are hon-est, trustworthy, and will work hard to ac-complish meaningful goals andchallenging work. Strives for a well orga-nized and challenging work environmentwith clear objectives and responsibilitiesand gets the job done by motivating andmanaging individuals and groups to usetheir full potential in reaching organiza-

tional as well as their own personal objec-tives.

Laissez Faire LeaderLOWemphasis on performance and peo-ple. Assumes that people are unpredicta-ble and uncontrollable and that a leader’sjob is to do enough to get by, keep a lowprofile, stay out of trouble, and leave peo-ple alone as much as possible. Relies onabdicating to whomever will rise to the oc-

casion to get the job done

Autocratic LeaderHigh emphasis on performance and a lowemphasis on people. Assumes that peopleare lazy, irresponsible, and untrustworthyand that planning, organizing, control-ling, and decision making should be ac-complished by the leader with minimal

involvement. Relies on author-

1, power, manipulation and hardwork to get the job done.

I

Low Emphasis n Performance High



Leadership Styles and Their Consequences 159

Leadership Style

assumptions because they tend to be self-fulfilling prophecies. Manage-ment Skills include the management skills characteristic of a particularstyle. It is important to be aware of these skills because any of themcould be appropriate to a given situation.

The leadership style characteristics, philosophies, and managementskills for each of the four basic leadership styles are shown in Figures 2and 3.

Figure 2

Descriptions of Autocratic and Laissez Faire Leaders

Autocratic Leader

Leadership Style CharacteristicsEmphasis o n Performance High emp hasis on performance

Assumptions about people People tend to be lazy, unde-pen dab le, dislike work, resist re-sponsibility, work primarily formon ey, and prefer to be led.

role of a leader

establish objectives.

A formal, centralized structure isused with carefully defined rulesand procedures.

Decision-Making All but minor decisions must bemade or approved by the leader.

Uses close supervision and tigh tcontrols, simplifies and stand-ardizes work, and offers eco-

omm unicatioa is primarily one-ay, downward, formal, imper-

and experience althoughprofessional development

be considered if it willre-

Laissez Faire Leader

LOWemphasis oh performanceLow emphasis on people

People are unpredictable andtrying to understand them is awaste of time.

Keep a low profile, be obedient,and don’t make waves.

Plans and establishes bbjectivesonly if required to doso.

Lives with w hatever stru cture heis given.

Abdicates controlling to em-ployees.

Avoids making decisions asmuch as possible.

Leaves people alone. Nothingseems to work anyway.

Communication is non-commit-tal, superficial, an d avoided.

Leaves development up to em-ployees. If people want to de-velop themselles, that is theirbusiness.



160

Figure 2Continued)

D. D. Warrick

Leadership Style

Use of rewards and punish-ment

Approach to handling con-flicts

Approach to handling prob-lems and mistakes

Interpersonal relationshipwith employees

Use of power and authority

Delegation practices

Performance Appraisals

Autocratic Leader

People are rewarded for beingobedient and punished for mak-ing mistakes. Punishment maytake the form of withholding at-tention or good assignments ormaking people feel guilty.

Conflicts are either suppressedbecause they interfere with workor they are resolved in favor ofthe leader.

Attacks people and not the prob-lem and looks for a scapegoat orsomeone to blame when mis-takes are made.

Keeps relationships formal andimpersonal so he can remain“objective. ”

The use of power and authorityare essential to maintaining or-der and high productivity.

Fully delegates only low riskjobs.

Uses performance appraisal to letemployees know what they aredoing wrong.

Laissez Faire Leader

Avoids rewarding or punishingpeople.

Ignores conflicts an d hopes theywill disappear.

Ignores problems and mistakesunless forced to deal with them.

Avoids close relationships andlets employees do pretty muchas they please.

Power and authority are abdi-cated to whomever wants to as-sume them.

Responsibilities are assumed bydefault rather than through del-egation.

Either avoids performance ap-praisals or gives minimum com-pliance to required appraisalprocedures.

Figure 3Descriptions of Human Relations and Democratic Leaders

Leadershio Stvle

Leadership Style CharacteristicsEmphasis on PerformanceEmphasis on people

Leadership PhilosophyAssumptions about people

As$umptions about therole of a leader

Human Relations Leader

Low emphasis on performanceHigh emphasis on people

“All” people are honest, trust.worthy, self-motivated, want tobe involved i n all decisions, andwill give their best if kept happy.

Minister to the needs of employ-ees add keep them happy be-cause happy people are produc-tive people.

Democratic Leader

High emphasis on performanceHigh emphasis on people

“Most” people are honest, trust-worthy, self-motivated, and likeresponsibility and challengingwork.

Arrange organizational condi-tions to promote teamwork andhigh job performance and satis-faction.




Figure 3(Continued)

Leadership Style

Management SkillsPlanning and Setting Objec-tives

Organizing

Controlling

Decision-Making

Motivating

Communicating

Developing

Use of rewards and punish-ment

Approach to handling con-flicts

Approach to handling prob-lems and mistakes

Interpersonal relationshipwith employees


Use group planning and objec-tives setting almost exclusively.

A decentralized, informal, andloosely controlled structure isused.

Relies almost entirely on the“self-control” of employees.

Uses a participative approach formost decisions and primarilyserves as a discussion leader inhelping his group arrive at de-cisions.

Involve employees, give contin-uous positive reinforcement, andprovide for good working con-dition s, social relations, and fel-lowship.

Communication is open and two-way but is often ungenuine whenconflict is involved because ofthe emphasis on maintainingharmony and good relations.

Any development activities evenremotely related to the job are

encouraged.

Rewards and recognition areused at every opportunity butpunishment is rarely ever usedsince “everyone makes mis-takes. ”

Conflict is smoothed over oravoided if it might threaten goodrelations. Conflicts with theleader, are usually resolved in

favor of employees.Mistakes are ignored and prob-lems are given to employees toresolve.

Many internal and external ac-tivities are planned to promoteclose interpersonal relations andgroup harmony.

Democratic Leader

Planning ahead a nd establishingclear objectives are essential toeffective performance and arebest accomplished with heavyemployee involvement.

A decentralized and flexiblestructure is used with clearly de-fined responsibilities and anopen participative work envi-ronment.

Control is distributed among theleader and the employees.

The leader is a decisive decision-maker who emphasizes team de-cision-making but also makessome decisions alone.

Provide good working condi-tions and assure that jobs arechallenging and offer opportun-ities for growth, responsibility,achievement, recognition, andadvancement.

Communication is open, two-way and genuine. “Leveling”and honesty are encouraged.

Emphasizes personal, employee,and team development.

Good work is recognized an d re-warded and punishment is iisedonly as a last resort.

Conflicts are openly confronted.

Attacks problems and not peopleand emphasizes finding solu-tions.

Maintains a close but objectiverelationship with employees.



162

Leadership Style

Use of power and authority

Delegation Practices

Performance Appraisals


Power and authority are abdi-cated to employees.

Delegates considerable respon-sibility but does not hold em-ployees accountable for results.

Uses performance appraisal to letemployees know what they aredoing right.

D. D. Warrick

Democratic Leader

Believes that power and author-ity are earned, not legislated.

Delegates considerable respon-sibility and holds employees ac-countable for results.

Uses performance appraisal to letemployees know what they aredoing right and wrong.

The Consequences of Each Style

Few theories have been more heavily researched than the leadershipstyles theories. The extensive research makes it possible to predict theusual consequences of each style (for example, see [11-15]). The typicalconsequences are summarized in Figure 4.

Figure 4Typical Consequences Resulting From Each Leadership Style

LAISSEZ FAIRELEADER

Employees becomeapathetic , disinter-ested, and resentfulof the organizationand their leader. Re-sults in the lowestemployee productiv-ity and satisfactionof all the leadershipstyles.

AUTOCRATICLEADER

Although the em-phasis is on highproductivi ty, it oftenbreeds counter-forces of antagonismand restriction ofoutput. Frequentlyresults in hostile at-titudes, a suppres-sion of conflict, dis-torted and guardedcommunications,high turnover andabsenteeism, lowproductivity andwork quality, and apreoccupation withrules, procedures,red tape, workingconditions, statussymbols, and trying

to cater to thewhims of the boss.Tends to developdependent and un-creative employeeswho are afraid toseek responsibility.

HUMAN RELATIONSLEADER

While this style maykeep employeeshappy, there is littleevidence to supportthe notion that keep-ing employeeshappy and treatingthem well results inhigh productivity.The preoccupationwith keeping peoplehappy and involvedoften interferes withhigh achievement,causes employees tolose respect for theirleader, results in theemergence of infor-mal leaders, andcauses problems tobe smoothed over.

Such a n atmosphereCan be frustrating togoal-oriented peo-ple.

DEMOCRATICLEADER

Results in high em-ployee productivity,satisfaction, cooper-ation, and commit-ment. Reduces theneed for controlsand formal rules andprocedures. Resultsin low employee ab-senteeism and turn-over. Develops com-petent people whoare willing to givetheir best, think forthemselves, commu-nicate openly, andseek responsibility.



Leadership Styles and Their Consequewes 163 '

Exercise Objective

The objective of the exercise is to demonstrate the effect of a leader'sstyle on the productivity and satisfaction of employees.

Procedures

Volunteers are requested for the roles listed below. Preferably the vol-unteers should be selected with ample time prior to the exercise to pre-pare their roles (a day or more would be best although several hours willalso work).

4 Leaders

2 Customers

4-8 Observers (optional)

4 Scorers (optional)

Role instructions for each role player are contained in Figure 5 . Theinstructor should meet with the role players to explain their role andhow the exercise works. Explanations should be given to the customersand observers first so they can be dismissed while explanations are givento the leaders. This is done to prevent bias on the part of the customersand observers. The leaders must be urged to play their roles strictly sothe exercise will work.

Figure 5Leader Instruct ions and Descriptions(One copy for each leader)

Your task is to lead your group in making trademarks for the companies listed below. In leading your group,it is extremely important that you do a good job of leading from the leadership style that you have beenassigned. The exercise will last 30 minutes and you may make the trademarks in any order that you choose.After completing a trad emark , you should call in the customer raters who will evaluate the trademark o n a 10

point scale depending o n how well it represents the company it i s for and how creative it is. After a trademarkis rated, you can tear it down and re-use the parts.

Scale

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Outstandingoor

COMPANIES TO BUILD TRADEMARKS FOR

ABC Disneyland Jeep NASAAdidas Dr. Pepper Kentucky Fried Chicken 20th Century FoxArrow Shirts General Motors Kodak Rolls RoyceAT&T Hawaii Hilton Hotel Las Vegas Sands Hotel Schwinn BicyclesContinental Airlines IBM McDonalds Hamburgers Tony Lama Boots

~~

Role Description-Laissez Faire Leader

A Laissez Faire leader places a low emphasis on people and performance, They do just enough to get byby being vague about the task and exercise ground rules and by offering information primarily as a result ofbeing asked. Provide little if any direction and let your employees do whatever they wan t. Take occasionalbreaks and upon your return check with the employees to find out what i s going on . Try to be as non-commital



164 D. D. Warrick

as possible and show little concern for your people or their performance. Your main purpose as a leader is tolet the organization take care of itself.

Role Description-Autocratic Leader

An Autocratic leader places a l ow emphasis on people and a high emphasis on performance. It should bewell understood that you are the boss and make the decisions, that your only purpose is to make as manytrademarks as possible as fast as possible, and that you will not tolerate disobedience. In the leadership exercise,you should begin by making clear the above ground rules and be telling people exactly what you want eachof them to do. You should closely supervise and control each employee, push them to work harder, and makethem redo anything that you don’t like. Show little interest in your employees or their feelings and don’thesitate to reprimand anyone who challenges your authority or makes a mistake. Recognition should be minimaland should focus primarily on obedience. Your main purpose as a leader is to push for performance andmaintain your authority.

Role Description-Human Relations Leader

A Human Relations leader places a high emphasis on people and a low emphasis on performance. They

feel that happy people are productive people and that a leader’s job is to promote good relations, seek qualityrather than quantity, involve people at every opportunity, and allow people as much individual freedom aspossible. In the leadership exercise, you should begin by saying that you really care about your people andthat you intend to involve them as much as possible so it will be their team, and that you will do everythingyou can to make their work enjoyable. Then explain the ground rules (tas k, number of trademarks and time)and explain that your goal is to produce only high quality and creative trademarks. Push for everyone workingtogether on each trademark or for a few small teams but ask the group what they think is best. Stop the groupoccasionally for a group meeting to make sure everyone is satisfied and likes what they are doing. Continuouslycompliment people, never chastise or push them, and avoid confrontations or conflicts at all costs. Your mainpurpose as a leader is to keep people happy and to use a participative style that encourages involvement.

Role Description--Democratic Leader

A Democratic leader places a high emphasis on both people and performance. They are genuinely interestedin their people but also expect a high level of performance in terms of both quality and quantity. They approachmanagement as a professional and take the time to establish clear objectives, define responsibthe necessary leadership, planning, organizing, controlling and communicating, motivating, and developingto reach a high level of both productivity and satisfaction. In the leadership exercise you should begin bydescribing the task (produce trademarks for 20 companies during a period of 30 minutes with each trademarkbeing rated by customers on a ten point scale based on: 1) how well it represents the company and 2 ) howcreative it is). Then share your objective which is to try to produce all 2 0 items and yet aim for high qualityand creativity on each one. Ask for questions and assure that the group is willing to shoot for the objective.Then suggest that given the limited time period, that the team needs to get organized and that you wouldsuggest that they work in pairs with each pair selecting the projects they want to work on. If there is a personwithout a partner

ora person that prefers to work alone, they could work on their own projects or assist the

other pairs when they need help. Once they are organized, the boss’ job is to keep them informed about howmuch time is left, offer encouragement and assistance, find the customers, give feedback on their scores andgive recognition when they do a good job, and help resolve any problems that arise. Your main purpose as aleader is to achieve both high productivity and morale.

Randomly select four teams (have the remaining people count off byfour with each person being on the team with their number-all the onesare together, etc.) Each team will perform the same task over a 30 minuteperiod with the only difference being that each team will have a different

style of leader (Democratic, Autocratic, Human Relations, or LaissezFaire). The task is to build trademarks out of tinkertoys for a commonlist of companies given to each leader. A trademark could include lettersfor example a GM for General Motors) or symbols (for example a car for

General Motors) or anything else that would serve as a suitable trade-mark. The exercise is ideally conducted in an area where the observerscan observe behind one-way glass.

The exercise begins by each leader taking a large box of tinkertoys



166

Trademark

D. D. Warrick

Team Team Team Team1 3 4

Figure 6Customer Instructions and Scoring Sheet(One copy to be shared by the two persons acting as the customers)

Two persons should work together as the customers to increase the accuracy of the ratings. You shouldrotate from group to group an d each time one of the teams completes a trademark, you are to rate the trademarkon a ten po int scale based on:

1. How well the trademark represents the company or organization it was designed to represent.2 . How creative the trademark is.

Each time that you rate a trademark, enter your scores on the form below. At the conclusion of the exercise,continue to rate any trademarks completed before time was called and then post the results includ ing the TotalProductivity (total point s div ided by “2”) and Average Productivity (Total Productivity divided by the numberof trade marks produced) scores for each team on the chalk board or tabulation sheet provided by the instructor.

You may be asked to make observations o n the dif ferent leaders and the effect of their styles on theiremployees. If you are asked to share the score given to a trademark, you may do so. The trademarks do nothave to be built in the order listed below.

Scale

Poor 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Outstanding

(Total Productivity)Total Trademarks MadeAVERAGE PRoDUCTIVITY




Figure 7

Satisfaction Survey(One copy for each employee at the conclusion of the exercise)

Team NumberInstructions: Please answer the questions below based on your experience in your team by circling the numbersthat best represent your honest feelings. After all members of the team have completed their ratings, give theratings to a scorer.

1 I disliked my boss’sleadership style.

2. My boss was a veryineffective leader.

3 . The team’s objectives werenot made very clear.

4. The team was not organizedto do the best possible job.

5. Team members were poorlyutilized.

6. Poor communications withboss.

7 . Poor communications among

8. Employee commitment was

9. Team productivity was very

10. Team morale was very low.

employees.

very low.

low.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 0

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 9 10

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 9 10

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1 2 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 0

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1 2 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1 2 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Team Averages [For Scorers Only]

I liked my boss’s leadershipstyle.

My boss was a very effectiveleader.

The team’s objectives were madevery clear.

The team was organized to dothe best possible job.

Team members were highlyutilized.

Excellent communications withboss.

Excellent communications amongemployees.

Employee commitment was very

high.Team productivity was veryhigh.

Team morale was very high.

Instructions: Compute a group average score for each question rounded to the nearest whole number and atotal score for the team.

Question Number Group Average Score1.2.

3 .4.

5.6.

7.8.

9.

10.

TEAM SATISFACTION SCORE



168

Satisfaction

Team Leader ’s Qu estionn aireNumber Style 1 3 4 5 6 7 8 10

1

2

3

4

-

D. D. Warrick

IA1 m Total

Total Total Points AverageSatisfaction Productivity [A Productivity

Figure 9Observation Sheet(One copy for each observer-One or twoheam)

Instructions: f possible, obderve th e team that you are assigned to from a n observation room with one-wayglass. Otherwise, observe as quietly a s possible w ithout disrupting th e team. Take notes below o n the followingquestions an d be preparedto spen d about tw o to three minute s sharing your observations w ith the class at theconc lusion of the exercise.

1. What was the leader’s lead ersh ip style answer this after observing the group eno ugh to determine a specificstyle)?

2. What were your clues to the leader’s style in terms of(I) he way the leader started the exercise;2) theway the task was exp lained; 3 ) how objectives and responsibilities were established?

3. During the exercise, how did th e leader1) communicate w ith emplayees; 2) motivate employees; and 3 )make decisions?

4 How di d the employees react to the leader ’s style productivity, morale, group dy nam ics, commitment,etc.)?




2 . The instructor conducts an analysis of each teom as follows:A. Team members are interviewed by asking them what leadership

style they thought their leader used, how the style affected them,and what they learned about the style of leadership that they were

exposed to 4 minutes).B. The team observers are asked to give their report 2 minutes).C. The team leader is asked to give his or her observations 2 min-

D. The instructor summarizes what should have been learned 2 min-utes).

utes).

If the role leaders play their roles well, the total scores will generallyshow the following ranking in terms of overall results:

1. Democratic Leader2. Human Relations Leader3 . Autocratic Leader4 . Laissez Faire Leader

Variations, particularly of the top ranking, should be explored and ex-planations sought. For example, a Human Relations Leader who in factacts from a Democratic Style may affect the results or a Laissez FaireLeader who ends up with highly self-motivated and independent peoplemay win.

Integrating Stylesand Contingency

Theories

The debriefing can be carried one step further by integrating the stylestheories with the contingency theories. The leadership styles theoriest6nd to portray an autocratic leader as a villain, a human relations leaderas a country club director, a laissez faire leader as a nonleader, and ademocratic leader as a hero or heroine. In addition, even though mostleadership positions require a variety of responses to changing situations,the leadership styles theories either advocate the one best style approach(the democratic style), the one best style with a back-up style approach,or in recent more advanced theories, a democratic leader for somesituations, an autocratic leader for other situations, and in-between styles

for still other situations. However, few leaders can afford the luxury ofusing one approach to leadership, hopefully the correct one, for allsituations, nor do they have the psychological makeup to switch fromone style to another without confusing their followers or themselves.The exception to these observations is the Blake and Mouton ManagementGrid which tends to integrate both the styles and contingency theories.

The Contingency Approach

The contingency or situational approach to leadership suggests that dif-

ferent situations require different approaches to leadership. Although thecontingency approach i s just starting to emerge, Chester Barnard at-tempted to classify the variables found in management situations as earlyas 1938 in his classic book, The Functions of the Executive [16]. Theearly leaders in researching and conceptualizing situational leadershiphave been Tasnenbaum and Schmidt [17] with their “Choosing a Lead-ership Pattern” model, Argyris [18] with his “Different Ways of Leading




and therefore increases the likelihood of a positive response to contin-gency management is the democratic or 9,9 tyle.

What the democratic style really describes is a reasonably healthyperson who treats others with respect and places a high emphasis on

both performance and people. It is the most appropriate style for contin-gency management and should be effective except in cases where thoseaffected by the style resist healthy behavior, are unwilling to treat otherswith respect, or do not respond to a high emphasis on both performanceand people.

Understanding the Importance of Style Consistency

An inconsistent leadership style causes those affected by the style towaste considerable time trying to figure out how to best work with aleader, predict how a leader will behave in different situations, and un-derstand what a leader really means, wants, or expects. It also slowsdown decision making and problem solving processes and increases thestress of those affected by the leader. Even if a person has a style that isnot well received, style consistency makes it possible for those affectedby the style to learn to work around it. Ideally, a leader should have astyle that is well received as well as consistent.

One last thing should be noted about a consistent leadership style.Consistency does not imply rigid, robot-like behavior. A style projects aparticular emphasis on performance and people and can be expressed ina wide variety of ways by different people or even the same person in

different situations.

Summary The “Leadership Styles Exercise” is designed to be a theory basedexperiential approach to learning about leadership styles and theirconsequences. It is a fun exercise that generates a high level ofinvolvement and interest and often produces dramatic results thatstudents are not likely to forget.

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