September 11, 2014
When it comes to leadership styles there are a variety of different options to choose from. One of the most cooperative styles of leadership is called participative leadership. Seen more as facilitators than as leaders that simply assign tasks and issue orders, participative leaders make sure that everyone is actively involved in any project they manage.
How Does Participative Leadership Work?
Participative leadership is when the team leader gets the thoughts and feelings of those involved in a project, lays out the necessary goals, and works with the team in question to reach those goals in a reasonable amount of time. This leadership style gives everyone time to discuss what they think they can offer, and it allows people to volunteer for different responsibilities on the team. It also allows the leader to roll up his or her sleeves to get into the project right alongside the team. This helps leaders seem less like those who are giving orders, but more like a first among equals when it comes time to get the job done.
What Are The Benefits of Participative Leadership?
There are a number of benefits to this particular leadership style. First and foremost is that it supports open communication between leaders and a team, helping foster working bonds between all members. Additionally there’s less of an “us and them” feeling because everyone gets a chance to participate and volunteer to take on the amount of responsibility they’re comfortable with. As long as all members of the team are willing to enter into the dialogue and pick up the parts of the project they’re comfortable with this kind of leadership style can lead to a cohesive unit where every member understands the end goal and how their jobs are contributing to the whole.
An additional benefit is that this style of leadership often fosters the kind of environment where new leaders are made. This is often helpful because these new leaders can learn and grow in a participative environment before moving on to head their own teams and projects.
What Are The Drawbacks of Participative Leadership?
While it does have definite advantages, there are drawbacks to this kind of leadership style. One is that because it often works like leadership-by-committee participative leaders can take a long time to get tasks assigned and to get a project started. The most complicated the project is, the more time that’s required to pull a team together and to explain every step of the process to them. For projects that need to be done quickly this can be a detriment.
The other downside is that it may be difficult to exert authority effectively in a participative style. Team members who are more concerned with their responsibilities or image instead of the final goal of the project may need to be brought to heel. Because it is less authoritarian than other leadership styles it’s important for the participative environment to be a place where everyone comes ready to do his or her part in order to get the job done at the end of the day.