Essay Example on Can Authoritarian Leadership Work in Modern America?

Introduction

In our paper today we will try to investigate if an authoritarian style of leadership can work or be appropriate in American companies in today's world. We begin knowing what an authoritarian leadership style is all about, and the term authoritarian also known as autocratic can be defined as decision control by an individual and how the rest of the group members have little input. Authoritative leader's judgments and ideas that are based on making choices and the follower's advice is rarely accepted (Fodor, 1976). Autocratic leadership involves authoritarian and absolute regulation over a crowd, we will be able to learn that this kind of leadership style has both benefits and weaknesses in that manner. The managers that rely on this of leadership style too heavily are regularly seen as a dictator or bossy - like, but we also see it can have its share of profits and be valuable in certain situations.

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The authoritarian style where and when is most useful will nevertheless depend on the particular situation, the features of the crowd doing the work or even the type of chore the group is immersed in. getting more information about this style when working with a group tend to utilize this style and situations can be most effective and helpful.

Benefits of autocratic leadership

This authoritarian style tends to look negative, and we agree with that fully but only when overused or applied to the wrong crowd or duty. However, in some instances, it can be beneficial to use this kind of leadership, and we want to look at the instances where it can be important to the organization and employees as a whole, the first one is when quick decisions need to be made when a large group of people need not be consulted. Another one can be, 'strong leadership' may be required for certain projects where the task to be done is to quickly and efficiently be accomplished. Also, small groupings where effective leadership is lacking, this is where a project is derailed by poor organization and lack of an autocratic leader. When a great deal of pressure is involved it can be useful in such cases, may do during military conflicts where authoritarian leadership is welcomed because it allows a group to focus on completing a specific task without distressing about making intricate decisions.

The downside of autocratic leadership

We have finally come to the section of the paper where this type of leadership can be problematic or challenging, the very first challenge is when group members start a feeling of resentment. It can be witnessed when things are done in a way that some of the group members end up sensing they have no input in a certain situation (Lopez, 1980). This can be quite dangerous when capable and skilled workers or team members feel undermined by how their contributions and knowledge aren't listened to. This dictatorial kind of leadership can be problematic in a group where morale can be impaired, in any kind of setting employees or individuals perform better and feel happier when making contributions to the group's future, and since we are discussing authoritarian leaders who do not allow input from other individuals typically, the team members begin to feel stifled and dissatisfied. There is also a clear way of overcoming some of these challenges and this may be through listening to team members, clear rules establishment or tools and knowledge needed by the group will be provided.

References

Fodor, E. M. (1976). Group stress, authoritarian style of control, and use of power. Journal of Applied Psychology, 61(3), 313.

Lopez, E. M. (1980). The effect of leadership style on satisfaction levels of tour quality. Journal of Travel Research, 18(4), 20-23.