Servant leadership, autocratic leadership, and paternalistic leadership defined

Leadership Theory Paradigms

List and define the leadership theory paradigms.

The three leadership theories to be defined in this paper are: Servant Leadership, Paternalistic Leadership, and Autocratic Leadership.

Servant Leadership

This is a very popular leadership style because as the title suggests, it is more about service, being a servant to others, than it is about managing using autocratic or paternalistic strategies. The term "servant leadership" was originated by Robert K. Greenleaf in 1970, and Greenleaf said this about his style of leadership:

"The servant-leader is servant first ... it begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. The conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is a leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual power drive or to acquire material possessions ... the servant leader makes sure that other people's highest priority needs are being served ... " (Greenleaf.org).

The servant leader is trained to focus on the well-being and the professional growth of others in the company or in the community to which the servant leader belongs. Unlike traditional leadership, where there is generally one person at the top of the totem pole so to speak, the servant leader is one that shares power, puts the needs of others first and helps to develop others into servant leaders.

When a servant leader shows concern for others, and cares for others' needs before his own needs, that is what Greenleaf believed is "the rock upon which a good society is built"; moreover, organizations as well as individuals can become servant leaders. "If a better society is to be built," Greenleaf wrote, "one that is more just and more loving," then servant leadership needs to be out in front and leading the way -- a role model for a better world (Greenleaf.org).

Autocratic Leadership

This type of leadership is also known as "authoritarian leadership," because basically one person, or a tight-knit group of two or three, handles all the decisions and there is no sharing of power within an organization. Little or no input is expected or accepted from group members in a company run autocratically; and all the strategies, policies, and decisions are the purview of the autocratic leader.

There are benefits to autocratic leadership, according to about.com. For example, when decisions have to be made instantly, and there is no time for a committee or a top level task force to review an important issue, it is convenient for an autocratic leader to just make a decision. Especially during military conflicts, an autocratic leader is needed, and the group of underlings is always glad and willing to let the captain or lieutenant make the split-second decision. Having an autocratic leader " ... allows members of the group to focus on performing specific tasks without worrying about making complex decisions" (about.com).

The downside with autocratic leadership is that an abuse of power can and does happen fairly often. Dictatorial leadership can cause resentment in groups and companies.

Paternal Leadership

While paternal leadership is not as cut and dried as autocratic leadership, they have similarities. Paternal leadership means that the leader is likely in a better position than the followers or the workers to " ... know best what is good for the organization" (leader today). Basically this leadership style believes that "... the leader as expert father figure," and in many countries, fathers are supposed to know best what is right and what is wrong.