Public Speaking Handbook

leading small Groups A.4 443

Leadership Styles

Leaders can be described by the types of behavior, or leadership styles, that they

exhibit as they influence the group to help achieve its goal. When you are called

on to lead, do you give orders and expect others to follow you? Or do you ask

the group to vote on the course of action to follow? Or maybe you don’t try to

influence the group at all. Perhaps you prefer to hang back and let the group

work out its own problems. These strategies describe the three general leader-

ship styles: authoritarian, democratic, and laissez-faire.^14

•   Authoritarian leaders. Authoritarian leaders assume positions of superiority,

giving orders and taking control of the group’s activity. Although authori-

tarian leaders can usually organize group activities with a high degree of

efficiency and virtually eliminate uncertainty about who should do what,

most problem-solving groups prefer democratic leaders.

•   Democratic leaders. Having more faith in their groups than do authoritarian

leaders, democratic leaders involve group members in the decision-making

process rather than dictating what should be done. Democratic leaders fo-

cus more on guiding discussion than on issuing commands.

•   Laissez-faire leaders. Laissez-faire leaders allow group members complete

freedom in all aspects of the decision-making process. They do little to help

the group achieve its goal. This style of leadership (or nonleadership) often

leaves a group frustrated because it lacks guidance and has to struggle with

organizing the work.

Table A.2 compares the three styles.

Table A.2 leadership style

Copyrighted by Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ.

Authoritarian Leaders Democratic Leaders Laissez-Faire Leaders

Group Policy

Formation

All policies are determined by the

leader.

All policies are a matter of group

discussion and decision; leader

assigns and encourages group

discussion and decision making.

Complete non-participation by

leader in policy decisions.

Group Activity

Development

Group techniques and activities

are dictated by the leader, one

at a time; future steps are largely

unknown to group members.

Discussion yields broad

perspectives and general steps

to the group goal; when technical

advice is needed, leader suggests

alternative procedures.

Leader supplies needed materials,

making it clear that he or she can

supply information when asked,

but takes no other part in the

discussion.

Source of Work

Assignments

Leader dictates specific work

tasks and teams; leader tends to

remain aloof from active group

participation except when directing

activities.

Members are free to work with

anyone; group decides on division

of tasks.

Complete freedom for individuals

or group to choose assignments,

minimal leader participation.

Praise/Criticism Leader tends to be personal in

praise or criticism of each member.

Leader is objective and fact-

oriented in praise and criticism,

trying to be a regular group

member in spirit without doing too

much of the work.

Leader offers infrequent

spontaneous comments on

member activities and makes no

attempt to appraise or control the

course of events.

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