Three leadership styles identified by Kurt Lewin:
There were three kinds of leadership styles identified by Kurt lewin which are discussed one by one below:
- Authoritarian leaders
- Democratic leaders
- Liassez-faire leaders
Authoritarian leaders:
These types of leaders are some time called dictators in our society. In this type of leadership, the leader owns the whole authority and power to him and shares little or no power with subordinates. The leader takes decision himself and seeks little help from the followers. This type of leadership style is helpful when there is little time, or low expertise in the group to take quick decisions. In military, most of the leadership styles are authoritarian.
Democratic style:
In this type of leadership style, leader consults other group members and makes decision on democracy basis, in which all stakeholders can participate and give suggestion and can make criticism. The authority is not held with one person but shared authority is taken. The decision is made on consensus basis.
Liassez-faire style:
In this type of leadership style, leader led from the back seat. He gives authority and power to group members to make decisions. This type of leadership is suitable when the entire group has enough expertise and they are the guru of their field.