5.1.4

Management Style

Test yourself on Management Style

Test your knowledge with free interactive questions on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.

Types of Leadership

Businesses are diverse in their size, structure and approach. One management or leadership approach, though successful in one business, may fail in another.

Factors which influence styles of management and leadership

Factors which influence styles of management and leadership

  • The external environment can affect the type of management or leadership style which is appropriate for a business.
  • The culture of a business can affect the type of management or leadership style which is best suited to the business’ needs.
    • For example, in businesses with a very clear and well-defined culture, a change of leadership style may be difficult to introduce without resistance from the majority of employees.
Factors which influence styles of management and leadership

Factors which influence styles of management and leadership

  • The skill level of the workforce can influence the type of management or leadership style used as managers may, or may not, want to involve employees in the decision making process.
    • For example, managers and leaders often value the knowledge of skilled and qualified staff but less so when staff are unskilled or inexperienced.
Autocratic leadership

Autocratic leadership

  • Autocratic leadership refers to an approach by leaders or managers to keep control of decision making and ensure that employees are closely supervised.
  • If a business has a largely unskilled workforce, a manager or leader may wish to maintain decision making powers and therefore adopt an autocratic approach.
Democratic leadership

Democratic leadership

  • Democratic leadership refers to an approach by leaders or managers to discuss and consult with employees, delegate decision making authority and empower employees through their involvement.
    • For example, in businesses which employee highly skilled and highly qualified employees, such as universities, Google and Microsoft, a manager or leader may decide that the contributions of such staff could be highly valuable to the business; here, a democratic approach may be suitable so that employees can contribute their expertise to the decision making process.
Laissez-faire leadership

Laissez-faire leadership

  • This is a manager which largely leaves subordinates to their own devices.
  • The manager established a broad objective but does not get involved in the decision process.
  • Communication is typically a problem. This is because the manager is not too involved and may not respond to messages. As a result, motivation may be low at times as employees feel directionless.
Jump to other topics
1

Exploring Business

1.1

Features of Business Organisations

1.1.1Sole Traders & Partnerships1.1.2Private & Public Limited Companies1.1.3Types of Liability & Not-For-Profits1.1.4Purposes of Businesses1.1.5Purposes of Businesses 21.1.6The Different Economic Sectors1.1.7Multinational Companies1.1.8Stakeholders1.1.9Influence of Stakeholders
1.2

Organisation of Businesses

1.2.1Organisational Structure1.2.2Types of Organisational Structures1.2.3Business Aims & Objectives1.2.4Business Aims1.2.5Business Objectives
1.3

Business Environment

1.3.1External Influences1.3.2Political & Legal Change1.3.3Economic Environment1.3.4Social & Technological Environment1.3.5Lifestyle & Technological Environment1.3.6Corporate Social Responsibility1.3.7The Competitive Environment1.3.8Innovation1.3.9Risk & Uncertainty1.3.10Porter's Five Forces1.3.11SWOT Analysis
2

Marketing Campaigns

2.1

Marketing

2.1.1Setting Marketing Objectives2.1.2Customer Needs2.1.3The Market2.1.4Competition & The Market2.1.5Consumer Behaviour2.1.6Market Research2.1.7Forms of Market Research2.1.8Market Segmentation2.1.9Cultural & Social Factors in Marketing2.1.10Promotional Decisions 32.1.11Pricing Strategies
2.2

Marketing Mix

2.2.1Marketing Mix2.2.2Product Life Cycle2.2.3Pricing Decisions & Price Skimming2.2.4Pricing Decisions & Price Penetration2.2.5Promotional Decisions2.2.6Promotional Decisions 22.2.7Promotional Decisions 32.2.8Market Mapping
3

Business Finance

3.1

Sources of Finance

3.1.1Internal Finance3.1.2External Finance3.1.3External Finance 23.1.4Sources of Business Finance
3.2

Financial Planning

3.2.1Revenue3.2.2Costs3.2.3Cash & Cash Flow3.2.4Cash & Cash Flow 23.2.5Break-Even Analysis3.2.6Profits
3.3

Financial Statements

3.3.1Balance Sheets3.3.2Income Statements3.3.3Liquidity
4

International Business

4.1

Globalisation

4.1.1Growing Economies4.1.2Specialisation & Trade
4.2

International Business

4.2.1Internationalisation4.2.2International Trade4.2.3MNCS4.2.4Conditions that Prompt Trade4.2.5Assessment of a Country
4.3

International Economic Environment

4.3.1Globalisation4.3.2Factors Contributing to Globalisation4.3.3Protectionism4.3.4The EU & the WTO4.3.5Trading Blocs
4.4

Factors Affecting International Business

4.4.1Global Competitiveness4.4.2Ethics of Global Business4.4.3Controlling MNCs4.4.4Cultural & Social Factors in Marketing
5

Principles of Management

5.1

Management & Leadership

5.1.1Managers5.1.2Management Theories5.1.3Managing Organisational Culture5.1.4Management Style
5.2

Theories of Motivation

5.2.1Motivating & Engaging Employees5.2.2Taylor's Theory5.2.3Mayo's Theory5.2.4Maslow's Theory5.2.5Herzberg's Theory
5.3

Managing Change

5.3.1Change5.3.2Key Factors in Change5.3.3Scenario Planning5.3.4Managing Change5.3.5Managing Strategic Implementation
6

Business Decision Making

6.1

Business Principles & Practices

6.1.1Influences in External Environments6.1.2Product Decisions6.1.3Competitive Environment6.1.4Corporate Strategy6.1.5Quantitative Sales Forecasting6.1.6Legislation
6.2

Quality Management

6.2.1Importance of Quality6.2.2Measuring Quality6.2.3Total Quality Management6.2.4Evaluating TQM
6.3

Human Resources

6.3.1Contracts6.3.2Recruitment6.3.3Training a Workforce
6.4

Documents & Business Decisions

6.4.1Sales Forecasts6.4.2Managing Strategic Implementation6.4.3Problems with Strategy

Practice questions on Management Style

Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.

  1. 1
    In an unstructured business, would you expect a change in leadership to face much resistance?Multiple choice
  2. 2
    Do managers and leaders prefer the input of skilled or unskilled staff?Multiple choice
  3. 3
    Is autocratic leadership more typical in an organisation where the workers are unskilled or skilled?Multiple choice
  4. 4
    What type of leadership style do Google and Microsoft use?Multiple choice
Answer all questions on Management Style

Unlock your full potential with Seneca Premium

  • Unlimited access to 10,000+ open-ended exam questions

  • Mini-mock exams based on your study history

  • Unlock 800+ premium courses & e-books

Get started with Seneca Premium

Managing Organisational Culture

Motivating & Engaging Employees