One of the broadest and misunderstood concepts in business management today is the concept of Leadership Models. What are they exactly? How many are there? What does each one entail? Which is the most effective? These are all common questions about Leadership Models. Unfortunately, that’s about as far as the commonality goes.
Despite these all being common questions, there are few common answers. Leaders all seem to use different words, and there is a great variety of opinions about what’s the most effective model. So how do we know what information is correct and what isn’t?
Although there are many terms used and different organizations may breakdown their models in a variety of ways, there are certain core models that appear regularly. This article will break down these models to lessen the mystery and confusion that seems to surround different leadership models.
What is Leadership?
Leadership isn’t about barking orders and giving people tasks to do. Leadership is about seeing what needs to be done and doing it. An important aspect of leadership is being able to take an objective look at something and figure out whether it’s working or not. Objective leadership is free of emotion and bases the effectiveness of the system on facts only. Any good leadership model involves assessing and weighing the situation with an honest and unbiased eye and making tough calls if necessary.
Leadership is also dynamic. It recognizes there is always room for improvement and growth. Terms like an expert, pro, and legend are detrimental to growth because they seem to imply that the leadership has reached the top and can go no further. Still, effective leadership is an ever-growing, changing, and evolving process.
The leadership mindset is creative and resourceful. It’s able to look at what it has at its disposal and work with those things. It doesn’t just look at what materials are available but also what background knowledge, talents, and skills employees or group members are bringing to the table. Not only does it recognize potential, but it finds ways to utilize it to meet goals.
A leader can use any leadership model or even a combination of models to meet these leadership goals. Different models lend themselves more effectively to different environments and situations. The personalities of those who lead and those who follow also influence how well different models work. No two cases are exactly alike, but with reflection, hard work, and a willingness to experiment, you will find the combination that works best for you.
What Are Leadership Styles?
Two basic styles of leadership are recognized, and different leadership models fall into one of these two styles. A leadership style refers to how a leader motivates and manages a group. The two styles of leadership are transactional leadership and transformational leadership. If you want to understand leadership models, you first need to understand these two leadership styles.
Transactional Leadership Style
The transactional leadership style involves an exchange between the leader and the individual or individuals under them. This style is a performance and reward type of relationship. Transactional leaders award those followers that perform a task well and are successful and punish those who do not. Transactions leadership is a “tit for tat” approach to meeting goals and objectives.
A transactional leadership approach tends to be very task-oriented. It requires compliance to authority and leaves little room for individual growth and development. This style of leadership approach is the stronger of the two methods for getting a job done quickly and efficiently. However, transactional leadership doesn’t promote strong interpersonal relationships amongst team members.
Transformational Leadership Style
The transformational leadership style takes a much different approach to leadership than the transactional style. Instead of being focused on the task, transformational leadership focuses on the people performing the task. It promotes personal growth and development.
Transformational leadership promotes creativity and encourages team members to consider different points of view. The transformational approach helps promote strong interpersonal relationships amongst team members. While this approach is not as efficient for completing tasks, it tends to strengthen the group as a whole and has a positive impact on employee satisfaction.
What Are Some Common Leadership Models?
Leadership models go by a variety of names, but for the sake of clarity, this article will use the model names that are the most common. Six leadership models are most widely recognized. These models are Authentic, Autocratic, Charismatic, Laissez-Fare, Servant, and Situational.
What is the Authentic Leadership Model?
The authentic leadership model stresses sincerity and reflects the values of the group. Authentic leadership is a transformational style of leadership. Four characteristics are unique to the authentic leadership model. Authentic leadership values self-awareness, transparency, balanced processing, and internalizing values. Authentic leadership tries to promote harmony and respect within the group.
Self-awareness means that a person understands their strengths and weaknesses. A self-aware person knows how they work and interact with others and the impact they have. A self- aware individual can see themselves in terms of their strengths and weaknesses and make responsible decisions based on that knowledge.
If something is transparent, it means you can see through it. When a person is transparent, the person will openly express their thoughts and feelings. Transparency in a group takes the guesswork out of knowing what people approve or don’t approve of. The authentic leader model welcomes this openness and believes it helps make a group stronger and more empathetic.
Balanced process refers to the way information is evaluated. Balanced process tries to eliminate bias but sticking solely to hard facts. Balanced process requires a person to discipline themselves to put aside their opinions and view information objectively rather than emotionally.
Internalizing values is a way to promote ethical decision making. It is a way of self-regulating when making difficult decisions. By internalizing values, an individual can use their moral principles to help them make tough calls. Authentic leadership encourages individuals to follow a personal code of morality to make decisions rather than going with popular opinion.
Pros of Authentic Leadership Model
- High level of trust amongst leader and followers
- Promotes Ethical Behavior
- Promotes Empathy
- Increases Self-Esteem
- Promotes positive problem solving
Cons of Authentic Leadership Model
- Not as efficient as other models
- Not goal-oriented
What is the Autocratic Leadership Model?
The autocratic leadership model is a transactional style. Autocratic leadership is a leader centered rather than a team-centered model. In this model, making decisions is soley the responsibility of higher-ups. There is little if any discussion with team members when making decisions for the group.
In an autocratic model, the role of the team members is to follow instructions and do the tasks that they get assigned. Compliance is valued, and there is little room for creativity. Autocratic leadership works well for simple jobs that don’t require a lot of thought.
An autocratic model is highly efficient, but also requires strict supervision by those in charge. Autocratic leadership doesn’t promote employee satisfaction and is probably not a great model for business. However, in other institutions where the tasks are not overly complicated but benefit from quick decision making, an autocratic model can be an excellent leadership model.
Pros of Autocratic Leadership Model
- Efficient
- Speeds up the decision-making process
Cons of Autocratic Leadership Model
- No input from the team
- Does not promote creativity
What is the Charismatic Leadership Model?
Charismatic leadership is a transformational leadership style. It is slightly different from other transformational models since primarily transformation takes place in the leader, not their team. To be a charismatic leader, a person needs to be comfortable having all eyes on them. Many politicians and religious leaders favor this leadership model.
Communication between the leader and the team members is at the heart of this model. Charismatic leadership requires a powerful emotional connection between a leader and their followers. A charismatic leader must establish trust with their followers. Only by building trust can a charismatic leader persuade others to follow them.
Charismatic leaders need to be powerful role models for those under their supervision. They need to exude confidence and create an image for followers to look up to. Charismatic leadership is more effective than reward-based leadership styles to motivate people because it is highly personal.
The charismatic model of leadership can promote growth in a team, or it can hinder it. The team members take their lead from the person in charge. If the leader is willing to grow and change, so will the team. If the leader isn’t ready to grow and improve, the team members won’t either.
Pros of Charismatic Leadership Model
- Promotes loyalty in workers
- Cultivates a deep emotional connection between leader and followers
- More effective than reward-based leadership
- Requires strong communication between leader and team members
Cons of Charismatic Leadership Model
- Only promotes the growth of the group if the leader is willing to grow
- No independence of team members
- Doesn’t promote creativity
What is the Laissez-Faire Leadership Model?
The word laissez-faire comes from the French language and literally means “let people do as they choose.” While this may seem like an inferior leadership model, in certain situations, it can be quite effective. As you may expect, this model is considered a transformational leadership style.
The laissez-faire model works well in environments where a lot of creativity is required to get the job done. With this model, there may be one person who oversees the team, but team members have a great deal of liberty and can take charge of their tasks without much supervision or direction.
This model is very self-empowering. Team members tend to be very passionate and enjoy their work. It also allows for very quick growth in a company. In this model, a team leader monitors the team member’s performance and gives feedback, but when it comes to task completion, a laissez-faire leader is very hands-off.
Pros of a Laissez-Faire Leadership Model
- Promotes high levels of creativity
- Allows team members to take charge
- Promotes rapid growth in an organization
- High job satisfaction
Cons of a Laissez-Faire Leadership Model
- Requires a great deal of self-motivation
- Very loose structure
- Focuses on the individuals rather than the team
What is the Servant Leadership Model?
The servant leadership model focuses on the needs of team members. As a leader, using the servant leadership model means you have to involve team members in the decision making process. This model doesn’t lend itself well to an environment that favors hierarchy. The basis of this model is community good rather than individual good.
Companies that describe themselves as “Socially Responsible Companies” often follow a servant leadership model. A servant leader puts the needs of their team before their own. They have a strong commitment to those they are supposed to be leading and feel responsible for team members’ well-being personally and professionally.
The servant leadership model promotes team members’ personal growth and development. They do this by actively helping their teams to increase their knowledge and develop new skills. They are aware of common obstacles that team members struggle with and help them overcome the obstacle through personal and professional development to find a way to remove the impediment to them.
A servant leader takes the long-view when it comes to what will be most beneficial to the group. They commit themselves to develop a positive corporate culture. They believe that their actions can positively contribute to the company and the greater community at large.
A servant leadership model promotes a “pay it forward” culture. Many times a servant leader will engage in self-sacrificing behavior to benefit the good of their team. Research has shown that when a leader engages in self-sacrificing behavior, then team members are also more likely to follow that behavior.
Pros of the Servant Leadership Model
- Focuses on team member needs
- Involves team in decision making
- Promotes good of the team
- Promotes team members growth and professional development
- Promotes goodwill amongst team members
- Team members are highly motivated
Cons of the Servant Leadership Model
- Focuses on long term results
- Can be inefficient in the short term
- Time-consuming
What is the Situational Leadership Model?
Ken Blanchard and Paul Hershey created the situational leadership model in 1969. The situational leadership model is prevalent in many modern business models. In this model, the leader is highly aware of what their team is capable of and makes decisions accordingly. In a situational model, the leader creates tasks for their organization based on the level of their team. This model is another transformational style of leadership.
Situational leaders have realistic expectations and deadlines for their team members. Situational leaders promote growth in both themselves and others. The team leader meets the team members where they are at in their abilities and helps them level up.
A situational leader must be highly adaptive and attuned to their followers’ needs and skill levels. A situational leader always has their team members in mind when they make decisions about how to direct and manage their team. They can gauge how much guidance people need to complete a task and offer them the appropriate amount of support.
Pros of Situational Leadership Model
- Adaptive
- Helps promote individual growth and development
- Helps develop interpersonal relationships between team leaders and members
Cons of Situational Leadership Model
- Doesn’t focus on long-term goals
- Leadership adjustments are not always effective
- Team members are not self-motivated
Can Leadership Models Be Combined?
Effective leadership does not require strict adherence to one model of leadership. Depending on a leader’s personality, they may find that adopting aspects from different leadership models can be beneficial. Leaders should treat these models as guidelines rather than hard and fast rules. Using these models as a baseline without committing to them is highly recommended.
Sometimes it takes trial and error to figure out what model or models work best. You should never be afraid to experiment with different leadership models when you are running an organization. You should also be open to the possibility of changing models as the situation changes.
How Do You Know Whether a Leadership Model is Effective?
When you are experimenting with different models, don’t be afraid to ask for feedback. As a leader, you may feel like the entire responsibility of putting a leadership model into place rests on your shoulders, but it doesn’t have to be. Asking team members to share with you what they feel is working and what isn’t working is a great way to help decide on a model or develop one of your own.
When deciding on a leadership model, be patient. You need to give different leadership models time to take effect in an organization. You won’t see changes overnight. However, if something is obviously not working, don’t keep following that model. It could be that the model is better suited to a different environment or task.
Sometimes a model just needs a little tweaking by adding or taking away some element of the model. Other times the model is entirely ineffective for the situation or personalities you have on your team. Don’t ever become emotionally invested in a leadership model. View leadership models objectively if you are to learn anything about whether or not it is working the way it is supposed to.
How to Choose the Right Leadership Model?
Different leadership models lend themselves to different situations and environments. The effectiveness of a model is related to the personalities involved. There are five factors to consider when choosing the right leadership model to use with your team. These five factors include leader personality, group dynamics, time limits for making decisions, leader power, and concern for group member satisfaction.
Leader Personality
A leader needs to be comfortable in the role they take. They need to consider if they are someone who needs to have a lot of control or if they are willing to share power with other team members. They should think about their personalities and if the leadership model they are considering compliments their nature.
If someone is more of an extrovert than a leadership model that requires a leader to communicate a lot with other team members or are required to be a role model for others is best suited for that personality. Likewise, if a team leader is more introverted than a leadership model that requires them to put themselves out there more is not well suited for them.
Group Dynamics
When choosing an appropriate leadership model, you also need to be aware of where the group is in its development. If a group is relatively new to the field or to working with each other, it will play a part in the group’s ability to function. They may need a lot of help from their leader, or they may need very little guidance, depending on their experience level. If a group has worked together for a long time, they will have fallen into specific predetermined roles and won’t need as much help working as a team to complete tasks.
In addition to a group’s experience level, a leader also needs to understand the team’s background knowledge and skill level. When a concept is new to a team, the leader of the group may have to give a lot more explanations and take more time to answer questions. If the team lacks certain skills, the leader also needs to take that into account and work with the group accordingly.
Time Limits
How long a team has to make decisions depends on the type of organization. In an environment that requires quick decisions to take immediate action, a model that promotes a lot of group discussion may not be the best choice. However, if an organization has more time to work with and the stakes are lower than a model that cultivates group discussion, and communal decision making may be beneficial.
Leader Power
The level of influence and power a leader has over the team will mean that specific models will be more effective than others. A lower level of leadership may not have the same freedom; a higher level of leadership has. If a leader is part of a hierarchy, some models will not support that structure.
In volunteer or non-profit organizations, a leader won’t typically have a tremendous amount of power and influence over others. The members of these types of groups are self or community motivated rather than reward oriented. They are also less likely to see the leader of the group as a superior, so a model that requires the leader and subordinate dynamic doesn’t apply.
Concern for Group Member Satisfaction
How much focus the organization places on member satisfaction will also factor in choosing a useful leadership model. In some organizations, there is little concern about members, so models that see members as a top priority won’t make much sense in such a situation.
Other organizations, especially those who depend heavily on their members, will benefit significantly from models that motivate their members and increase member satisfaction. When choosing a leadership model to follow, it’s essential to consider the role team members play in the functioning of the group.
Generally speaking, if an organization considers its members a valuable asset, a group leader will want to protect that asset. If group members are satisfied, they are more motivated and productive, so you’ll want to follow a model that promotes positivity and goodwill within the team. If group members are dispensable, you may want to develop a model that is more task-driven.
What Are the Main Points to Keep in Mind?
There are many leadership models, but they fall into two style categories. Transactional styles are less personal and more performance-based. Depending on the quality of the team member’s performance, they will receive rewards or consequences. Transformational styles are more focused on a team member’s development and are more personal.
Although leadership models may be called different names or broken up differently, six models are popularly recognized. These six leadership models include: authentic, autocratic, laissez-faire, servant-leader, situational, and charismatic.
Authentic, laissez-faire, servant- leader, situational, and charismatic leadership models are all considered transformational models. The autocratic model is transactional. Each of these models have strengths and weaknesses, and no one model considered the best model.
Different aspects of the six leadership models can be combined to create a more personalized leadership model. If a leader prefers to stick with one model only, they can still adjust it to serve their specific group’s needs.
When choosing a leadership model, it’s important to remember that every group is different and have different needs and requirements. Before you put a leadership model into place, you should reflect on the model and consider whether it will work for your group.
There are five factors you should consider to help you decide whether a particular leadership model will work for you. You need to reflect on leadership personality, group dynamics, time limits, leader power, and concern for group satisfaction.
Choosing the correct leadership model for your needs will take time and a little experimentation, but eventually, you’ll find the model that works best for you, or you will create your own to suit your needs and the needs of your team.