Two contrasting leadership styles and their characteristics

Nursing -- Authoritarian and Democratic Leadership

Authoritarian Leadership

Generally, authoritarian leadership style involves a power structure whereby a single individual or a small contingent of individuals in relative positions of authority over a group makes binding decisions for the group (Marquis & Huston, 2008). It is commonly employed in industries and within organizations that utilize a hierarchical command structure, such as military and paramilitary organizations and police agencies. Some of the advantages of authoritarian leadership include the ability of leaders to maintain strict control, the clarity of organizational rules, and the avoidance of deviations from expectations, particularly in circumstances where errors of mistakes can have serious consequences. Some of the disadvantages of authoritarian leadership include the negative effect on morale, although that is much more likely to be a concern within organizations or industries in which there is no obvious necessity for employing authoritarian leadership (Marquis & Huston, 2008).

Democratic Leadership

Democratic leadership is much different from authoritarian leadership, principally because it involves a group decision-making process and a sharing of authority instead of a concentration of authority in one individual or contingent of individuals (Marquis & Huston, 2008). Democratic leadership is most appropriate in situations where members of the group are relatively close in their respective knowledge, skills, abilities, training, and experience; it is less appropriate in situations where there are significant differences among and between group members in those respects. Some of the advantages of democratic leadership include the broad range of ideas that may emerge from a larger group and the beneficial effect on individual morale that is associated with sharing in the leadership role (Medley & LaRochelle, 1995; Rosengren, Bondas, Nordholm, et al., 2010).

Personal Philosophy of Nursing Leadership

My personal philosophy of leadership in nursing is that either authoritarian or democratic leadership styles may be appropriate, depending on the specific circumstances involved. Either style may be beneficial in some situations but detrimental to organizational objectives (i.e. patient health and welfare) in others. A typical example of an appropriate use of authoritarian leadership would be in a working group consisting of individuals who have varying degrees of expertise and professional experience, particularly if they also have little experience working together as a group. On the other hand, the democratic style might be more appropriate in working groups consisting of very similarly skilled individuals with similar degrees of experience, especially where they have also worked together extensively and have demonstrated good self-management, decision-making, and collaboration within the group.

Leadership vs. Management