The 13 Types of Management Styles in Business
There are several types of management styles, each with its own pros and cons. Find out the difference between them and when is appropriate to enact each one.
What is a management style?
Management styles are how managers interact with their team: setting goals, making decisions and delegating tasks. There are several types of management styles, each with its own pros and cons.
Choosing which leadership styles in management to adopt can depend on the situation, the people you lead and the size of your business or team. It’s about knowing if collaborating over a coffee with your team is the best option or whether taking a more authoritative approach is needed to achieve your business goals and keep employee morale high.
Which management style do you adopt?
Here is a list of 13 leadership styles in management to help you find the right management style for you and your employees:
1. Autocratic
Autocratic management styles are when managers make unilateral decisions without seeking employee input. The managers make decisions independently and take full responsibility for handling any issues raised without needing employee contribution.
2. Authoritative
An authoritative management style is when managers micro-manage their employees, supervising their work at every stage. Managers instruct employees on how tasks should be completed, and deviation is strongly discouraged. Employees are required to follow their manager’s unilateral decision.
3. Persuasive
A persuasive management style is when managers use persuasion to convince employees that their unilateral decision is correct. This style is helpful for employees who need guidance and is seen as a less forceful version of the authoritative management style.
4. Paternalistic
Paternalistic management styles are when a manager explains and presents their unilateral decisions in the best interest of employees, characterising them as ‘family members’. This is a great management style for smaller businesses or teams.
5. Democratic
A democratic management style is when employee input is requested, but the managers make the final decision. The manager will consider everyone else’s opinions and ideas in their decision-making. Its sub-types of management style are consultative, participative, collaborative and transformational.
6. Consultative
Consultative management styles are when the manager listens to the employees’ ideas and cultivates them into a cohesive idea. The manager benefits from the knowledge of others while retaining the speed of independent decision-making.
7. Participative
The participative management style involves employees actively participating in the decision-making process until the managers make a final decision. Participative leadership styles in management are often effective in the early stages of projects.
8. Collaborative
A collaborative management style is when the wider team holds discussions and decides based on the majority opinion. This method encourages employees to have their say on a project and creates a sense of fairness when coming to a solution.
9. Transformational
Transformational management styles are when managers push employees out of their comfort zones to achieve their goals. This style encourages employees to expand their skills and try new working methods.
10. Coaching
The coaching management style views employee growth and development as the manager’s top priority. This method is effective when scaling up your team and organisation.
11. Laissez-faire
The laissez-faire management style is where the employees, rather than the manager, control all the decision-making and problem-solving. The laissez-faire style has two sub-types of management styles: delegative and visionary.
12. Delegative
Delegative management styles involve managers assigning tasks to employees and reviewing the work at the end. This method allows employees the freedom to tackle tasks how they see fit, with the manager only reviewing their finished work and providing feedback.
13. Visionary
The visionary management style is when the manager inspires employees to progress towards an outlined goal, leaving it up to the employee to achieve it. The manager inspires their employees with their overarching vision without necessarily providing details on how to achieve said vision.
Now that you know the 13 types of management styles, explore the pros and cons of each to find the best management style for your business. Remember, your management style doesn’t have to fit into just one box! You can enact any of these, depending on the situation or project. Next, see our guide on monitoring employee productivity for further management insights.
Sources
13 Different Management Styles And When To Use Them, Built In
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