Leadership Styles

Factors Influencing Leadership Styles

Leadership style is the manner & approach of providing direction, implementing plans & motivating people, choosing the appropriate style of communication, identifying objectives, empowering others to achieve & giving support.   Selecting the correct style may lead to greater motivation & production from my team.   I have to perform many roles & how I handle various situations will depend on my style of leadership.   My personality & characteristics will influence the type of style I adopt.   A good leader will use various styles depending on what is involved.

There are many factors that can influence the behavior of a leader using aspects of leadership style. The behavior & situations in the workplace will ultimately identify the choice of response.

Certain jobs require time restraints that require leadership to ensure that deadlines are met. Time restraints that are not correctly managed and over run may result in a decrease in motivation, it might lower commitment and effect employee satisfaction. Numerous studies have shown that a transformational leadership can significantly increase performance by working as a role model. They inspire employees to perform and put the organisational needs first.

Time restraints may also have an effect on another important factor that might influence the style of leadership, stress levels. A transformational leader behaves to express confidence and talk optimistically and enthusiastically to help alleviate and develop confidence to avoid stress and enhance well being. Rewards may also be an antidote of the transformational leader when performance levels are met to provide focus to avoid stress.

Although leadership style studies have shown that it is an important factor for organization functionality we must not forget the humanistic element of the working environment. Based on the Maslow’s theory of hierarchy of needs, although effective leadership and management is an...