Compare the effectiveness of several leadership styles.

Comparison includes

  • styles such as
    • authoritarian or autocratic—leader dictates all policies and procedures and decides all goals and activities without input from others
    • democratic or participatory—leader collaborates with others (leaders and team members); team members take on more responsibility
    • delegative (laissez faire)—leader is more hands-off and allows team members to make more decisions
    • transformational—leader causes valuable and positive change in individuals and social systems; leader fosters development of followers into leaders
    • strategic—leader expresses a strategic vision and motivates and persuades others to adopt that vision
    • transactional—leader focuses on supervision, organization, and performance; leader promotes compliance by followers through both rewards and punishments
    • situational—leader must adjust leadership style to fit the development level of the followers he or she is trying to influence.
  • features of each style
  • examples of leaders who represent each style
  • application of each style in the real world.

Process/Skill Questions:

  • How does a person's leadership style reflect his or her personality?
  • What are some advantages and disadvantages of each style of leadership?
  • How would a situation dictate the style a leader uses?
  • Who exemplifies each style of leadership?
  • How is each style of leadership applied in the real world?