Autocratic Leadership

Autocratic Leadership
Introduction
The question of what leadership provides the basis for exploring the concept of leadership. With several schools of thought existing, it is essential to consider the basic tenets. In this case, a new definition offered by Kruyt et al. (2019) is that leadership comprises a set of behaviors that align an organization with the given contexts, foster execution, and ensure organizational renewal. The context of leadership is dynamic, with current literature majorly focusing on smart working contexts (Iannotta et al., 2020). The purpose of this paper is to offer an understanding of leadership styles. The common styles are autocratic and democratic leadership styles, each affecting organizations differently in such aspects as trust (Rosing et al., 2022). In this paper, attention will be turned to the theory supporting the two styles and the advantages and disadvantages of each. Additionally, personal experiences with each of these styles will be outlined.
Autocratic leadership
Theory
Autocratic leadership is often associated with leaders who like to make decisions on their own. From a theoretical perspective, autocratic leadership is defined by the distance between the staff and leadership, which also explains why the leader never allows subordinates to make critical decisions (Chukwusa, 2019; Dyczkowska & Dyczkowski, 2018). In such a case, leaders have complete control and authority over their subjects (Erdem, 2021). Another aspect to consider is that the autocratic leadership style emphasizes more on performance and shows less emphasis on the people (Fiaz et al., 2017). Leaders choose the autocratic style in some organizational settings since it allows for urgency (Briker et al., 2021). Other theorists suggest that the autocratic leadership style is associated with individuals who display Type A personality patterns. Autocratic leadership entails leaders exercising power and control to push the organization towards higher achievements.
Advantages
The autocratic leadership style has several advantages for both the leaders and the organizations. According to Gaille (2018a), this style allows for fast decisions since only one individual is involved. In situations of urgency, quick decisions are desirable because they may help prevent a crisis. the second advantage is that it allows for high clarity on roles and structure. This results from strict job descriptions and clear lines and borders across different areas and functions (Lindberg, 2022a). Due to the ability to move information quickly, autocratic leadership improves employees’ productivity. Other advantages include effective handling of crises, countering team inexperience, firm guidance, and strong target focus.
Disadvantages
The autocratic leadership style faces several disadvantages. First, there is a lack of room for flexibility due to the micromanagement of workers and fixed roles. The potential for improvement is shut down due to the inability of workers to contribute to decision-making (Fata, 2019). In essence, innovativeness depends on workers using their creativity and new ideas to influence the organizational direction. Autocratic leaders do not allow this to happen. Another disadvantage of the autocratic leadership style is that it undermines morale as leaders suffocate workers and make them dissatisfied with their jobs. It can also cause resentment towards the leader due to suffocation and dissatisfaction (Prasanna, 2022). Lastly, the autocratic leadership style can cause distrust within the organization due to the employees' lack of involvement and engagement.
Personal Experience
My personal experiences with autocratic leadership have often been negative. In most cases, employees working under autocratic leaders feel dissatisfied, and the intention to leave is higher than in other styles (Hinds, 2022). In my experience, working under an autocratic leader meant feeling confined within a cage where all my roles were defined and targets and goals set for me. As a result, there was no possibility of exploring anything outside of what was required of me. As an ambitious individual who likes to try new things, I could not prosper under autocratic leadership.
Similarly, I always wished that I could work under different circumstances and in a work environment where I enjoyed working. While some experts believe that productivity is higher under autocratic leaders, I think that this was only in the short term before the job becomes monotonous and routines become boring. The only motivation to remain productive is the goals and targets set by the leader, which can sometimes be mentally, physically, and psychologically draining. Therefore, I will always prefer a different leadership style.
Democratic Leadership
Theory
Democratic leadership can be described as the opposite of autocratic leadership. The rationale is that some of the characteristics of democratic leadership contradict those of authoritarian leadership. For instance, democratic leadership is characterized by leader-encouraged group involvement in decision-making (Terzi & Derin, 2016). As a result, the staff members are given a confidence boost in conducting their duties and are presented with an opportunity for self-improvement through mistakes (Raupu et al., 2021). Additionally, democratic leadership also motivates employees to work together to achieve common goals and to booth their performances (Kilicoglu, 2018). From a theoretical perspective, democratic leadership is deemed more effective in boosting performance and productivity considering that workers have room to express their innovativeness and creativity (Al Khajeh, 2018). The motivation that emanates from workers’ commitment and commitment to their jobs facilitates growth and expansion. The flexibility can also boost resilience. The delegation of responsibilities also frees leaders to undertake other more critical tasks.
Advantages
The description of the democratic leadership style given above hints at the significant advantages that the style offers, including improved performance and productivity. According to (Miller, n.d.), democratic leadership helps solve complex problems by tapping into the creative resources of the employees. Team-based relations are also...