The Consultative Management Style in The Workplace

What is the consultative management style? 

The consultative management style is when a manager ‘focuses on team building and utilising the team’s skills to guide decision-making’.¹ Workplaces with this management style often have ‘an open-door policy’, encouraging employees to share feedback on what is and isn’t working frequently. The manager consults with employees and makes the final decision.² A consultative manager often has a stronger connection with their team, regularly checking in with them and hearing their opinions to help make decisions at work.¹  

Pros of the consultative management style 

Teams feel more empowered and valued 

• In a 2020 report, 86% of employees viewed empathy as an important workplace.³ Therefore, when managers prioritise listening to employees’ opinions, it can not only boost employee wellbeing but also impact the company’s performance and profit.  
   
• When employees have opportunities to voice their opinions and receive direct engagement from their manager, it empowers the team and makes them feel more valued.¹ 
   
• A consultative management style example could be:, a manager holding a discussion with their team about whether they should purchase a new NESCAFÉ® Touch Screen Bean to Cup coffee machine or the NESCAFÉ® instant coffee tins. The manager then collects these votes and purchases the coffee solution based on employee preferences. Employees, therefore, feel more empowered, enjoying coffee solutions tailored to their preferences.  

There are more opportunities for innovation 

• A 2023 survey revealed that when employees collaborate, 73% do better work, and 60% are more innovative, creating a causal relationship between collaboration and innovation.⁴ 
   
• In consultative management style examples, managers prioritise directly engaging with employees, nurturing them to pitch new ideas about strategies and goals. This method generates ‘different ways of thinking about problems, which creates innovative solutions’.¹ 
   
• When multiple people agree on an idea pitched during these discussions, managers can be assured that these innovations are strong enough to implement.¹ 

Leaders receive a variety of perspectives

• The consultative decision-making style is particularly effective in teams with diverse skill sets, as each member brings unique insight and knowledge based on their expertise.¹ For example, having at least one employee from each department who may be involved in an upcoming project can bring a variety of opinions and considerations to these discussions.    
   
• Managers can then utilise these perspectives when troubleshooting new ideas. Employees can highlight potential issues based on their expertise and even attempt to solve them before implementing them.¹    

Cons of the consultative management style 

Decision-making processes become slower 

• Overusing the consultative decision-making style can lead to the manager feeling overwhelmed by constantly hearing conflicting opinions on a singular issue. This can slow down the decision-making process considerably and make it less efficient.⁵  
   
• It can be more difficult for the manager to reach a consensus than if they were making the decision alone.⁵ Therefore, in situations that require a much faster turnaround it may be more efficient for managers to take a more autocratic or authoritative leadership approach.  

There’s a higher chance of conflicts between employees 

• Collaborative decision-making can sometimes lead to ‘destructive conflict’, where no agreement is reached, and no one benefits from the decision. This type of conflict can damage employee productivity and weaken workplace relationships.⁶ To avoid this, encourage employees to regularly collaborate with their own teams, and other teams within your business, over a coffee. This will help strengthen cross-department relationships while boosting company culture too.  
   
• There is also the danger that if a manager overuses the consultative decision-making style, it can over-complicate the process, leaving employees unable to work independently.⁷ 

The consultative management style is great for smaller businesses where the manager can connect with each team member. Still, this style is best used in moderation to avoid inefficient decision-making and destructive conflict in the workplace.  

See our guide on the different management styles next and find out when it’s best to use an persuasive management style vs a democratic management style. 

Want to learn more about the consultative management style?  

1. What is a consultative management style? (With benefits) | Indeed.com UK  
2. Pros and Cons of 10 Common Management Styles (With Examples) | Indeed.com Singapore  
3. The Importance of Listening as a Leader in the Digital Era 
4. Essential Team Collaboration Statistics for 2023 - UC Today.  
5. 6 Management Styles: Advantages and Disadvantages  
6. Productive Conflict Isn’t Bad, Especially in the Workplace  
7. Benefits and risks of collaborative working | NCVO  

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