A Critique of the Autocratic Leadership Style

An Overview of Autocratic Leadership

Autocratic leadership is a classical leadership approach, and the corporate equivalent of dictatorship or tyranny. This leadership style is marked with the leader having complete authority and the followers obeying the instructions of the leader without questioning and without receiving an explanation or rationale for such instructions (Hersey and Blanchard,1969, 26-34; Manning & Curtis, 2012,182-199).

Manning & Curtis (2012,199-199) further added that this leadership style bases itself on Douglas McGregor’s Theory X that considers employees as inherently lazy and disliking work, and assumes they seek to avoid work as much as possible. Theory X advocates close supervision and comprehensive control systems, reinforced by a hierarchical structure and a narrow span of control.Characteristics of Autocratic Leadership.

The major autocratic leadership style characteristics include:

1. The autocratic leader retains all power, authority, and control, and reserves the right to make all decisions.
2. Autocratic leaders distrust their subordinate’s ability, and closely supervise and control people under them.
3. Autocratic leaders involve themselves in detailed day-to-day activities, and rarely delegate or empower subordinates.
4. The autocratic leader adopts one-way communication. They do not consult with subordinates or give them a chance to provide their opinions, no matter the potential benefit of such inputs.
5. Autocratic leadership assumes that employee motivation comes not through empowerment, but by creating a structured set of rewards and punishments.
6. Autocratic leaders get work done by issuing threats and punishments and evoking fear.
7. The primary concern of autocratic leaders remains dealing with the work at hand and not on developmental activities.8. Autocratic leaders assume full responsibility and take full credit for the work (Tannenbaum & Schmidt, 1973, 167-213).

Newstrom & Davis (1993,100-111) were of the view that Theory Y, the antithesis of Theory X assumes that ambitious and self-motivated employees enjoy their mental and physical work duties. Such employees possess the ability for creative problem solving, but most organizations under-utilize their talents. Theory Y holds that employees seek and accept responsibility and exercise self-control and self-direction

Criticisms Levied Against Autocratic Leadership

The major criticisms levied against autocratic leadership include the following:

1. Contrary to claims of close supervision with detailed instructions to reduce stress and improve productivity, research suggests that such actions actually unmotivate employees, and cause them to becoming tense, fearful, or resentful.
2. Lack of involvement from the employee in the decision making process leads to employees not assuming ownership of their work, contributing to low morale, lack of commitment, and manifesting in high turnover, absenteeism, and work stoppage.
3. The heavily centralized command of autocratic leadership style ensures that the system depends entirely on the leader. If the leader is strong, capable, competent, and just, the organization functions smoothly, and if the leader is weak, incompetent, or has low ethical and moral standards, the entire organization suffers for the sake of a single leader.
4. All power vested with the leader leads to risk of leaders with low moral fiber exploiting employees, indulging in favoritism and discrimination, and the like.
5. Weak autocratic leaders tend to take decisions based on ego rather than sound management principles, and punish employees who dare to disagree with such decisions.
6. The leader reserving the right to make all decisions leads to subordinates becoming heavily dependent on the leader. The team thereby becomes useless in running operations if they lose contact with their leader, and absence of the leader leads to total collapse and shutdown of operations.
7. The one sided communication flow in an autocratic leadership style restricts the creative and leadership skills of the employees and prevents their development. This harms the organization as well, for the employees remain incapable of assuming greater responsibilities, or to perform anything outside the routine.
8. The autocratic leader, by taking all responsibility and involved heavily in day to day operations, remains forced to work at full capacity, leading to stress and other health problems.
9. Autocratic leaders usually remain unpopular and damage working relationships with colleagues. This leadership style is unsuited to build trusting relationships (Newstrom & Davis 1993, 112-134).

Application of Autocratic Leadership Style

A critique of autocratic leadership style reveals that it remains best suited in certain situations such as:

1. Occasions when the situation requires a strong centralized control with detailed orders and instructions, such as in the military or during surgery.
2. When leading an extremely large group, such as in assembly line factories, where the wide span of control not only makes it impossible but also counterproductive to elicit the views of all employees.
3. When followers are new or inexperienced, or lack the qualifications, skills, or talent to respond to any participative leadership styles, or remain unmotivated, and non committed workers.
4. During occasions of contingencies, emergencies and other situations warranting on the spot decisions.
5. When dealing or negotiating with external agencies or departments. The autocratic leadership style on the whole remains a short-term or quick fix approach to management. The ability to make decisions faster, while helping the organization in the short term, actually unskills the workforce leading to poor decision-making capability and productivity in the long run.This leadership style survives by default because it comes naturally to most leaders.

By Dr. Kenneth Enyubara,

Rector, Baptist College of Theology, Obinze Owerri, Nigeria