Understanding Autocratic Leadership

Is your workplace an autocratic one, or does it use an authoritarian leadership style? Both autocratic leadership and authoritarian leadership styles are the same; they just have different terms.

In these situations, the leader dictates what is done and how it’s done. This can happen in countries, businesses, or even families and friendships.

Are autocratic situations good or bad? That all depends on the situation, the people involved, and the goals. There’s a lot going on behind the scenes, and in some instances, an autocratic leadership style can absolutely be the best way to get things done. In different situations, it’s the worst way to handle things, and it doesn’t work.

If you’re looking to get a job, one thing you might want to consider when looking at different companies is how they’re run. Do they have an autocratic leadership model, and is that something you’d like in a work environment?

Key Characteristics of an Autocratic Leadership

Overwhelmingly, autocratic leaderships feature one person who makes all of the decisions. That is their one overriding characteristic, but they are also defined by not accepting input from team members, a lack of creativity in their approach, and a lot of direct supervision.

Authoritarian leaders in business almost always give definitive instructions on what’s going to be done, how it’s to be done, and what the outcome will be. The people doing the work have very little autonomy, but they also have a clear idea of what they’re supposed to be doing.

There might be a few benefits and downfalls that you immediately see when you picture this type of leadership, especially in business. Some work environments thrive on this type of structure and guidance.

In these jobs, workers can focus on what they’re doing, know how to do it, and do it well enough to provide a predictable outcome. Let’s take a look at what some of the benefits of an autocratic or authoritarian leadership model can be.

Benefits of Autocratic Leadership

It’s important to note that all of the benefits of an autocratic leadership style can evaporate if the person in charge is not good at their job and doesn’t know what they’re doing.

Throughout history, entire countries have fallen because the person in charge had no idea what they were doing, didn’t understand the people, or simply wasn’t intelligent enough for the task. This is the same in business, so the person in that role is critical to achieving the following benefits;

• Established chain of command

• Job duties are defined and often inflexible

• Employees develop confidence in their abilities

• Quick decisions can be made and implemented

• Response to market demand happens quickly

• Questions are typically easy to answer, and answers are easy to find

• Problems are easy to find and remedy

• The end goal is known and understood by all

• There is rarely extraneous effort or unnecessary steps involved

• Less stress for individuals

Take a factory, for example; if the person in charge is an expert in their field and very good at managing all aspects of the job, you can see how being an autocratic leader can be a huge benefit.

This person sets up the most efficient way to get their product made, sold, and out the door. Then they fill the positions they created with skilled people, and everyone gets to work. It’s slick and effective.

There are many people who enjoy working with this management style because it encourages teamwork and specialization. They come in each day and do the one thing they’re good at, and those around them have a similar focus.

The entire team works together to accomplish their professional goals. With great leaders, this can be a good way to work. But that’s not always the case.

Downsides of Autocratic Leadership

While some of the benefits of an autocratic leadership style are easy to see, that’s also true of some of the downsides of this style of leadership. Right away, it’s clear that a bad leader can derail an entire operation. What other downsides are there?

• Subordinates may feel undervalued

• Input from the team might be useful or beneficial, but it’s never heard

• Solutions only come from one person

• Morale can suffer

• Resentment builds toward management

• Creativity is stifled

• Workers get bored and are uninspired

• Routine can lead to oversights and lack of effort

If you take a creative industry, like marketing, you can see how having an autocratic leadership could quickly crumble. While there are still tasks to do and end goals, the way they get there all depends on creativity, individual thinking, and brilliant people who are inspired and motivated.

It’s also difficult for a creative field to rely on just one person for guidance because the stress it puts on that one person is gigantic.

At times, an industry like this would either have a burned-out leader, or the subordinates would become frustrated and leave.

How to Effect an Autocratic Business

Being successful in an authoritarian work model can be difficult, for sure, but that doesn’t mean that it’s impossible. There are some things that leaders can do to make it work and to make it thrive.

• Communication. Having good communication skills is critical for the leader and their management team. It’s not just important to clearly explain the duties and goals of each position and the team as a whole, but listening is important too.

  In fact, listening might be the most crucial soft skill that anyone in an autocratic business can have. This gives them access to information that can only be learned in the trenches or on the work floor, which can lead to great ideas and even direction changes.

  It also helps individuals feel heard and valued, which greatly helps morale, and it improves the leader’s standing in the eyes of employees.

• Defined expectations. Saying we want to sell stuff is clearly not a defined expectation. The team needs to know what is being sold, what needs to happen to prompt sales, how many things are being sold, etc.

  Throughout the entire system, the key to making it work is having each aspect clearly defined and explained so everyone understands the big picture and their role. This cannot be stressed enough because one break in that chain makes it inefficient.

• Supply tools, etc. Whatever your team needs to do the job and do it well needs to be provided. While it might be tempting to cut corners and “make do” with old equipment, there is more at stake than you might realize.

  Not only does old equipment often slow down production, but it can also be hazardous, produce inferior products, and it can make the employees frustrated and resentful. Keeping your employee supplied with what they need is more efficient and leads to success.

• Consistency. One of the things that makes an autocratic workplace successful is people know what to expect all the time. If you set rules, then those rules apply to everyone. If there’s a standard procedure, then it needs to be followed. This keeps everyone on the same page.

  But there’s something to note here, one of the benefits of authoritarian environments is that they can quickly change directions without a lot of red tape. If this is going to happen, then being clear about what’s happening and what people can expect is critical.

  It all goes back to defining expectations – even if they are new ones.

• Be someone to look up to. No one wants a leader that they don’t respect. Keeping the image of the autocratic lead in good shape is critical to having a team that trusts them, relies upon them, and follows them.

• Rewards and praise. Sharing success and supporting the team goes a long way toward building a great relationship and a good system. When management takes all of the accolades and financial rewards without giving any to the people doing the actual work, things don’t go well.

  This doesn’t necessarily mean everyone deserves bonuses all the time; even just mentioning more good things than bad can be a step in the right direction.

Temporary Autocratic Solutions

An interesting thing about autocratic systems is that they don’t need to be permanent.

Suppose a company is designed on an autocratic model or there are problems, and an expert needs to come in and set up an authoritarian work environment. In that case, the general process and the established protocol may still remain for some period of time even after the expert is gone.

Some companies like to hire experts to come in and reorganize their structure and management in this way. While that person is in “power,” they set up managers and a hierarchy that will make decisions in the future.

Of course, once the autocratic leader is gone, it ceases to run in that manner, but the general process and the established protocol may still remain.

During emergencies, this type of management style is also extremely effective. It gets right to the heart of the matter, the leader directs people where to go and what to do, and people can focus on being as effective as they can in their role.

This model allows the leader to see the big picture and make those instantaneous changes and quick actions to efficiently manage the emergency.

Author

Kristin Kizer

Kristin Kizer is an award-winning writer, television and documentary producer, and content specialist who has worked on a wide variety of written, broadcast, and electronic publications. A former writer/producer for The Discovery Channel, she is now a freelance writer and delighted to be sharing her talents and time with the wonderful Zippia audience.