Detail plan for EAP course work:
Topic:
pros and cons of democracy leadership style and explain why it is the best way to manage firms in contemporary business world
1. Introduction:
Thesis statement: leadership style plays a crucial role in a business. It is commonly believed that a democratic leadership style is the most efficient for management.
Content:
Dr. Stephen R.Convey: “Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success; leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall.” Definitions and the place of leadership style in business.
The variation of leadership style.
Conclusion: This essay will discuss the pros and cons of democracy leadership style and explain why it is the best way to manage firms in contemporary business world.
2. Main body:
Advantages of democratic leadership style:
Two aspects: 1). Communication
2). Motivation
Thesis statement 1: communication between the employees and managers will directly affect the decision making and work efficiency.
Content 1:
The task is passed through communication from the managers at the top of the hierarchy to the ground level workers. Problems and feedback passed another way around from the bottom to the top. Democratic leadership style will allow the workers to express their feelings and thoughts about their job to their managers. Needs and wants of employees may be met which will make for the motivation and may prevent disputes between the firm and employees. Feedbacks from subordinates may help managers to identify potential problems
in production or decision making and to fix them right.
Thesis statement 2: Communication and leadership are the nonfinancial factors affecting the motivation of employees which has great impact on productivity and efficiency Content 2:
Tow-way communication helps the managers satisfy the employees and provide guidance for them to help with their tasks. Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs
Democratic leaders may pass obligations to the subordinates and authorize them to make their own decisions in a task, rather than just delegate the fixed task for them to finish without any flexibility recognition of achievement, realize full potentials
Disadvantages of democratic leadership style:
Thesis statement: despite all the advantages of democratic leadership style, there are some restrictions and drawbacks. Content:
democratic leader ship style is not always feasible or effective in all situations.
E.G.: maximize the production, when the business owes to much money to the suppliers, in aim to get through some hard times like the economic crisis
Democratic leadership requires trust between managers and employees. May incur some problems or even vital errors in the business because the decisions they make may be wrong for lack of experience. May be time consuming
Why democratic leadership style is effective as a whole:
Thesis statement: It has been the key reason for many firms’ unparalleled success Content:
Success of famous firms
e.g.: Microsoft and the Pixar Animation Studios
Another reason for democratic leadership style to be the effective : abor force is generally trained well nowadays They deserve and ask for more freedom in making adjustment and changes about their task
3. Conclusion:
Restating the topic: democratic leadership style is the most effective leadership style in nowaday’s business today’s business world Conclusion of the advantages and disadvantages and the reasons why: it improves communication, make for motivation and fulfill employees’ potentials, in spite of the drawbacks that it has high requirement for employees and it is time consuming.
Democratic leadership style is the most effective leadership style in today’s business world.
“Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success; leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall,” said Dr. Stephen Convey, author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. He stressed the importance of leadership in the business world. In fact the leadership style plays a crucial role in a business which refers to the art of making the subordinates work efficiently in aim of pursuing a mutual goal which is favorable for both the firm and the employees. The leadership style varies in business, however in contemporary democracy societie, it is commonly believed that a democratic leadership style is the most effective for management. This essay will discuss the pros and cons of democracy leadership style and explain why it is the best way to manage firms in contemporary business world.
Democratic leadership style is based on the idea of democracy in managing the employees. It may be to the benefit for the firms and employees in many ways including the communication, motivation and efficiency of production within the business (Democratic Leadership Style, n.d).
Firstly, communication between the employees and managers will directly affect the decision making and work efficiency (Stimpson and Farquharson, 2012). The task is passed through communication from the managers at the top of the hierarchy to the ground level workers. Problems and feedback passed in reverse orders from the bottom to the top. Through this way, efficient communication lies the foundation of success for the business.
Democratic leadership style will allow the workers to express their feelings and thoughts about their job to their managers. As the consequence of this kind of two-way communication, the managers would be aware of their problems about their job, their expectations about this company and their needs which is required to be satisfied in order to work contently and efficiently. In response to the employees communicating freely with managers, the employees’ are unlikely to be ignored, which is often the case in autocratic leadership when decisions are made by the managers, so that the needs and wants of employees could be met which will make for the motivation and may prevent disputes between the firm and employees (Kendra Cherry, 2012). In addition to that advantage, feedbacks from subordinates may help managers to identify potential problems in production or decision making and to fix them appropriately.
Communication and leadership are the nonfinancial factors affecting the motivation of employees which has great impact on productivity and efficiency (Stimpson and Farquharson, 2012). Two-way communication encouraged by the democratic leadership will help the managers satisfy the employees and provide guidance for them to help with their tasks. Employees would feel their sense of belongings in the firm, and the friendly atmosphere in work place. According to the Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs, the third level, social needs, are satisfied. Additionally, the democratic leader may pass obligations to the subordinates and authorize them to make their own decisions in a task, rather than just delegate the fixed task for them to finish without any flexibility, so that the employees may feel the responsibility about their task thus they will not reach full utility. Instead of just completing the task, they may brainstorm their own ideas to improve the result. Therefore, the productivity and the equality of production would be improved as a result of the democratic leadership. Furthermore, when the tasks are finished based on not only the ideas of managers but also the inputs from employees, they will feel the recognition of achievement, and may gradually realize their full potentials which means nearing the top levels of Maslow’s hierarchy, namely the esteem needs and self-actualization can be reached.
When the employees’ needs are satisfied and they feel confident about themselves, their performance can be improved, which results in the better quality and efficiency of the business. However, despite all the advantages of democratic leadership style, there are some restrictions and drawbacks. There are times when the business needs to maximize the production For example, when the business requires to produce output in a short amount of time, or to follow the lead without questioning in aim to get through some hard times like the economic crisis (Stimpson and Farquharson, 2012). In this case where the obedience is required, democratic leadership will be no good for the situation. Secondly, to enforce democratic leadership requires trust between managers and employees. The employees must be trusted to be entrusted with responsibility and freedom to make choices.
This is to say that the employees must be well-practiced, skillful and familiar with the work. Otherwise democracy may incur some problems or even vital errors in the business because the decisions they make maybe wrong for lack of experience (Kendra Cherry, 2012). Moreover, communication between managers and employees considering the benefits or thoughts of them maybe time consuming, especially when the business has a tall organizational structure where there are so many levels of authority between the chief and the ground level workers. In this case, democratic leadership may not contribute to the productivity or efficiency (Kendra Cherry, 2012).
As a mater of fact, in the contemporary business world, democratic leadership style is widely utilized and it has been the key reason for many firms’ unparalleled success in their felids of business, for example the Microsoft and the Pixar Animation Studios (Adrien-Luc Sanders, 2012) despite the fact that it has some limitations. Another reason for democratic leadership style to be the effective is that, labor force is generally trained well today. They are educated to have gained the basic knowledge of the work, so that they are unlikely to make terrible mistakes that could possibly damage the business. They deserve and ask for more freedom in making adjustment and changes about their task. It will make them more creative and motivated.
To sum up, the democratic leadership style is the most effective leadership style in today’s business today’s business world as it improves communication, make for motivation and fulfill employees’ potentials, in spite of the drawbacks that it has high requirement for employees and it is time consuming.
Reference:
1. Books:
Stimpson, P. and Farquarson, A. (2012) Business Studies 2nd e.d., Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
2. Websites:
Adrien Sanders (2012), Pixar Animation Studios, About.com, accessed on May 7, 2013, Available from
Author unknown (2012), Dmocratic Leadership Style, Speedupcareer, accessed on May 7, 2013 Available from:
Kendra Cherry (ND), What is Democratic Leadership, About.com, accessed on May 7, 2013 Available from:
