Course: Culture & Organizations
Week 6 Discussion Forum
Many people from the West would argue that democratic leadership in which the leader gives followers a say in decisions is the preferred leadership style. When would a democratic leadership style be effective? When would it be ineffective? Contrast this with leadership theories in other areas of the world. Support your argument with your texctbook chapters’ theories and concepts, real-life examples, and academic research from Hofstede. Find more on Hofstede at https://geerthofstede.com/landing-page/, in your class handouts, and at the library.
Back up all opinions with the readings and outside research in academic journals at the KU online library.
- 250 word minimum for initial post
- Include at least two references
- Respond to two learner’s initial post.
KU online library: https://keiseruniversity.libguides.com/home/home?preview=afb5d66ab3b853fa361847ea7dfda322
Reference requirements:
2020-2023 (Peer Review)
APA format
What are the elements of a good Discussion post?Consider the following for each post you make:
- Take a position and persuade your peers by including relevant points from the lectures, text and other readings
- Cite your references to include texts, web site addresses, periodicals, etc.
- Include relevant personal experience with applied content
- Organize your responses logically by including:
- If you discover conflicting points of view in the readings or between the readings and the lectures, describe the various points of view and cite their source
- When responding to classmates, try to add clarity to what’s already been presented by adding your own experience and/or knowledge
- Reply to the responses you agree with by adding support or clarifying the point of view; do not merely acknowledge your agreement
- Reply to statements you disagree with by presenting counter-arguments
- Always communicate respectfully
- Remember that the goal of the discussion is to achieve specific learning outcomes. Try to be both subjective and objective in your point of view. It will help you clarify your position and can make discussions more stimulating.
Student reply 1:
Leaders can use different leadership styles, depending on the situation they face, however they often default to one method of leadership. Primarily, there are two types of leadership styles, democratic and authoritarian. Democratic leadership encourages participation and empowerment of the followers (Alvesson, 2014). Authoritarian leadership monopolizes power, limits individual contributions, and creates an abusive exertion of power (Caillier, 2020). Many businesses and governments follow a democratic leadership style as a normative practice, ensuring that individuals feel encouraged to participate and provide input to policies, practices, and structures (Caillier, 2020).
Democratic leadership styles are more preferred in many forms of organizations, businesses, and government services (Bucher, 2015). These types of leaders are perceived as more productive, have stronger performance ratings, and contribute more to public services (Caillier, 2020). Allowing and encouraging individuals to provide input increases their trust in leadership, providing more loyalty to the leader (Bucher, 2015). Most employees and individuals prefer leaders that have a democratic leadership style, as the opposite leads to more oppressive work conditions, with little to no freedom.
Authoritarian leadership styles can be effective, however as social and business structures evolve, democratic leaders find more success. The few situations in which an authoritarian leader would succeed would be in high-pressure, high-stress, highly specified situations such as military operations, medical surgeries, or other traumatic events. In these times, it is beneficial to have one person highly control the actions of those around them, ensuring the safety and successful completion of the mission at hand.
References
Alvesson, M. (2014). Understanding organizational culture. SAGE Publications.
Bucher, R. D. (2015). Diversity consciousness: Opening our minds to people, cultures, and opportunities. Pearson.
Caillier, J. G. (2020). Testing the Influence of Autocratic Leadership, Democratic
Leadership, and Public Service Motivation on Citizen Ratings of An Agency Head’s Performance. Public Performance & Management Review, 43(4), 918–941. https://doi.org/10.1080/15309576.2020.1730919
Student reply 2:
Good morning, Professor and Class,
One of the most crucial values that any business can have is leadership. When any business has good management that works in its favor and encourages its workers, it is bound to succeed. The democratic leadership style is based on allowing several individuals to take part in the process of making decision (Hilton et al., 2021). As the research attributes, the outcome is a positive relationship and good performance results when this style is used (Jony et al., 2019). With this form of leadership, I think that allowing the workers to be involved in the process of making decisions or making personal decisions when required and not depending on the top leadership or board members to make the choices is a perfect way of management which is also advantageous in several workplace settings.
By allowing the employees or workers to engage in decision-making, democratic leadership is effective as their opinions and ideas are considered, and the top management also trusts them (Anggraeni & Sumartik, 2023). For instance, while in college, I used to work at a restaurant as a bartender, and for a few months, it was not easy as I had to learn a new job and attend classes. During this time at work, I had to learn how to perform my career as a bartender and get permission to be bothered with issues that I thought were unimportant for management. Later, I contacted the restaurant’s general management and shared my views on asking for permission while doing things and making decisions. I explained to them the reasoning behind making decisions personally, attending college, and taking the coming for the restaurant shift after classes.
The general manager allowed me to have the freedom to make decisions while serving the customers; when there was an issue, I solved it instead of having to wait or look for the manager. The trust that was placed in me by the general manager increased my confidence, and with the good decisions made while handling the clients, they returned to enjoy the good services at the restaurant. A way in which democratic leadership is ineffective is when the members’ opinions and ideas are not considered, making them feel neglected, hence the downfall of an organization or business. When contrasting the leadership model with other areas in the world, we can compare the democratic theory and masculinity model, where democratic leadership is based on the members’ ideas, opinions, and feelings (Dyczkowska & Dyczkowski, 2018). At the same time, masculinity focuses on the different roles, and it also engages in gender inequality.
References:
Anggraeni, L., & Sumartik, S. (2023). The Influence of Democratic Leadership Style, Compensation and Work Environment on Employee Performance. Indonesian Journal of Law and Economics Review, 18(1), 10-21070.
Dyczkowska, J., & Dyczkowski, T. (2018). Democratic or autocratic leadership style? Participative management and its links to rewarding strategies and job satisfaction in SMEs. Athens Journal of Business & Economics, 4(2), 193-218.
Hilton, S. K., Arkorful, H., & Martins, A. (2021). Democratic leadership and organizational performance: the moderating effect of contingent reward. Management Research Review, 44(7), 1042-1058.
Jony, M. T. I., Alam, M. J., Amin, M. R., & Jahangir, M. (2019). The impact of autocratic, democratic and laissez-faire leadership styles on the success of the organization: A study on the different popular restaurants of Mymensingh, Bangladesh. Canadian Journal of Business and Information Studies, 1(6), 28-38.
The reference materials for the sixth week homework are in the attachment. Please check it out, tutors. Thank you very much!
