Organizational Leadership Four Organizational Models

¶ … Organizational Leadership

Four organizational models are traditionally used to characterize an organization's methods of leadership. These models of leadership include the autocratic, custodial, supportive, and collegial types of organizational leadership, all of which create different behavior expectations for employees and give rise to the generation of certain 'culture' within the organization. This sense of organizational culture may come either from the top down or simply permeate throughout the organization, depending on the style of leadership that is deployed. (McNamara, 1999)

As the culture of America has itself changed so has the prevalence of different types of organizational cultures. America has shifted from a land where autocratic and custodial modalities of leadership dominated, as during the 20th century postwar boom, to a more unstable and democratic business climate where more supportive and collegial types of leadership have come to the forefront.

During the Baby Boom period, or the immediate postwar economic expansion, an autocratic model of governance characterized most major American companies. Employees were ordered to obey the leader of the organization. Little creative input from lower-level employees was solicited, and the organizational hierarchy determined the level of authority members of the organization were given. IBM might be an example of this type of company. In exchange for obedience, workers who 'toed the company line' felt that they had a good chance of moving up the hierarchy at a steady pace. Another common model during this time was the custodial, or welfare-based company method of leadership. These companies practiced a paternalistic attitude towards their employees. In exchange for loyalty, these companies promised security and great rewards for all employees. General Motors, until recently, stood as a paradigmatic example of such a company. GM, until recently was able to depend upon its considerable economic resources to give generous pensions and perks to its employees in exchange for their loyalty to the company. (Clark, 1998)

However, the inability of General Motors to continue in such a paternalistic fashion highlights how much the American economy has changed. The past values of the Baby Boomer generation, such as loyalty to a single company, deference to company authority, and trust in the company structure, as personified in the autocratic and custodial models, is no longer a guarantee of personal success. Hence, other models are replacing the autocratic and custodial models. Also, for 'Generation X,' the new and younger generation of managers, there has been a revolution in the way that management is looked upon within organizations. Good ideas are no longer assumed to merely rest in the minds of the organization's top leadership personnel, and employee loyalty to the company cannot be assumed, given that even the best employees know that they may be laid off during these volatile economic times.