Group leadership involves providing direction and guidance to a specific group of people. Different approaches include autocratic, democratic, laissez-faire, and abdacratic styles, each with its own benefits and drawbacks. Effective group leaders must assess the needs and capabilities of the group to determine the best approach.
Group leadership is the process of providing attention and direction to a specific group of people. Leadership of this type often involves facilitating and guiding the actions of group participants, as well as accepting responsibility for the outcome of the group’s efforts. There are different approaches to team leadership, with different styles being used in different contexts.
An approach to group leadership is known as autocratic. This strategy involves the use of a central process to make decisions about policies and procedures. Often corporate leadership of this type demonstrates this responsibility in a core group of managers or executives, holding them accountable for the decisions they make. While employees are generally free to make recommendations to their supervisors or managers, they are not actively participating in the decision-making process themselves. Instead, they implement directives issued by the team leader.
A different approach to group leadership is known as the democratic style. This model is often used in situations where multiple people share responsibility for the group’s actions. While there is still a key decision maker, that person acts as a facilitator, actively soliciting the thoughts and ideas of group members. However, once the decision is made, all group members should stick to the outcome, including the group leader.
The laissez-faire style is another approach to group leadership. Sometimes referred to as the hands-on method, this type of approach essentially provides the group with the resources needed to perform the assigned tasks, then steps aside and allows group members to complete the necessary tasks with little or no involvement from the leader of the group. With this approach, the group leader remains available to answer questions, motivate, and assist when and as desired by group members, but otherwise remains somewhat detached from the process.
An approach to team leadership that some argue is not real leadership at all is known as an abdacratic style of leadership. With this model, the designated group leader has no authority over the group members. While fostering a great deal of creativity that can lead to new innovations, this model of group leadership has the greatest potential for failing to perform essential tasks, as there is no one to provide guidance at any level for the actions the group pursues.
Many leadership training courses will cover all four of these styles in some way, often identifying scenarios where each approach is likely to benefit the group. As part of the team building effort, the democratic approach is useful when the talents and expertise of all team members need to be tapped, while the autocratic approach is most effective when tough decisions need to be made quickly. Many current leadership development and coaching seminars and group leadership trainings emphasize that each of these approaches can be incorporated into the dynamic of an individual group and utilized when and as appropriate. For this reason, it is often recommended that true group leaders must be able to accurately assess the needs and capabilities of the group, in order to decide which approach is most beneficial at any given time.
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