There are four management styles: reporting and directing, delegating, participating and supporting, and coaching and selling. Choosing the right style requires analyzing the situation and evaluating reports. The coaching and selling style is best for general work situations, but the other styles still have their uses.
There are four generally accepted management styles. These include reporting and directing, delegating, participating and supporting, as well as coaching and selling. Each style has its time and place. The goal is to analyze each separate situation and determine which business management style fits it best.
Choosing the right management style requires evaluation activities and reports. There are leaders who focus equally on both tasks and relationships, while others focus on neither. To decide between tasks and relationships, leaders must first analyze the needs of their subordinates.
For example, new recruits at an Army bootcamp facility need a directive leader who is charismatic and not afraid to give orders. This type of management style is known as directing and directing. The leader sets all the rules, delegates all tasks, and closely supervises everyone’s performance. This style is characterized by high task and low relationship.
The opposite of narrating and directing is delegating, which is low task and low relationship. Leader involvement in this management style is very limited. Instead, the leader hands a team or individual an entire project and then empowers them to figure out how to complete it. An example of this style is a manager who allows his employees to work from home as telecommuters.
Engage / support and coach / sell are the most popular management styles. Both of these management styles are relationship focused. They differ in that attending and focusing is a low task, while coaching and selling is a high task.
In a participatory and supportive management style, both the leader and the subordinate participate in the decision-making process. An example of this style is that of a laboratory director who leads his principal research biologist. She actively seeks input from the biologist, but otherwise allows her subordinate to define the tasks that need to be completed. This management style is not specific to the business.
The coaching and sales style is very specific and the leader keeps setting goals and delegating tasks. Unlike the directive and delegating styles, however, the coaching style allows for more two-way communication. The leader takes advice and in turn offers encouragement.
Of the four management styles, the coaching and sales style is best for general work situations. Ideally, a manager should have a strong focus on tasks and relationships. Keep in mind, however, that the other three handling styles still have their uses, and which style is warranted depends on the specific situation.
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