Leadership Style: Beneficial for Structure and Motivation

A genuinely practised leadership style significantly enhances your organisation’s attractiveness. Studies show that employees who are satisfied with their leadership remain with the company for longer periods, exhibit higher motivation, and report noticeably greater job satisfaction. Leadership styles also play a vital role in recruitment success: certain approaches are particularly popular among top talent, serving as a persuasive factor in favour of applying to your organisation.

Crucial Differences in Leadership Approaches

Leadership styles can generally be categorised as either authoritarian or democratic. The former tends to view employees as subordinates who are expected to execute tasks obediently. In contrast, democratic or cooperative leadership styles focus on trust and grant staff considerable autonomy. While each approach has its strengths and weaknesses, experts agree that appreciative leadership styles have more positive long-term effects on employee satisfaction – and consequently, on business success.

From Authoritarian to Laissez-Faire: Popular Leadership Styles

Today, there is a wide array of leadership styles, each suited differently depending on the workforce and the individual leader. The classic leadership types originate from Kurt Lewin’s framework, including the authoritarian style, which creates a clear distinction between managers and employees by means of rigid hierarchical structures. This often results in a formal and distanced workplace atmosphere.

In contrast, the cooperative leadership style involves employees in decision-making processes and encourages them to manage situations independently. The laissez-faire approach offers even greater freedom, with all decisions made within the team. This style places strong emphasis on individuality and the development of personal strengths.

Develop Leaders from Within – Not Just Externally

Individuals with the personality, skills, and competencies required for leadership roles need not always be recruited externally. In many cases, it is advisable to nurture leadership talent from within. To ensure sufficient time and focus for this, Refline’s e-recruiting software is a valuable tool. It reduces administrative workload by up to 70 per cent, allowing you to concentrate fully on appointing the right candidates to leadership positions. Would you like to learn more about our software? Feel free to get in touch or try out our live demo today.