Are you interested in learning about the different management styles? This post is all about management styles defined.
In the world of business, specifically management, there are different styles of leadership. Some leaders choose to rule with an iron fist, where what they say is the law and others may choose to let their subordinates be the ones who lead. Whichever management style you prefer, it may not be the one your colleagues prefer. So, it is important when in a leadership position, you understand your style and can adapt to others in order to create a more fluid and cooperative relationship between you and your colleagues. No leader is perfect, and they all have flaws, so it is also important to recognize what your strengths and weaknesses are, as a leader.
This post is all about management styles defined.
Management styles defined:
First, is understanding what methods you use and what strengths and weaknesses that method has. When looking at your management style, you need to take note of whether or you are strict or lenient. In other words, do you follow the rulebook word for word or do you choose to interpret some of the rules for the situation? For example, Bill Belichick is a football coach known for ruling over his team with ultimate authority. While another coach in the NFL may choose to take a more passive approach. This isn’t to say either method is right or wrong, it is just to say that both have their techniques and characteristics. You may also find yourself in the middle of these two management styles, where you follow the rules and try to stick by the book but can adapt to your circumstances. We all this method the strict adaptor. For a strict adaptor, you try and focus on things that help your team and company excel by switching between staying in line with the rules but also learning how to adapt to them.
Next, after you understand your method of management, you must also understand your strengths and weaknesses as a leader. In order to do this, you must self-evaluate and critically think about yourself as a leader and what you can take away from your actions and their results. For instance, if you see when you encourage and motivate your team, they perform better. This action and result show you that encouragement and motivation are your strengths when it comes to leading. While on the other hand, you being strict and orderly may be hindering your team’s performance when you see their final work. This type of situation is completely subjective and is different for everyone, but it is important to understand these concepts and use them to your advantage when you are in a leadership position.
Once the foundation to understanding management styles and how to identify yours is established, you can further analyze these through common management styles. Analyzing the different management styles is essential to place this knowledge into effect. Management styles all have their fundamental components, which each provide different strengths and weaknesses to an organization or business. There are three management styles that embody the different areas of management through emotion, coaching, and result-based methods.
This first style displayed is result-based management (RBM) style. Managers who utilize this management style meticulously plan, professional and performance, goals based on achieving results and impacts. The management style prioritizes efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability throughout the delivery. Through the operation of each component, areas of concern, such as overlapping work or lack of transparency are dissolved. Unlike other management styles, RBM, is a broad approach that only has one focal point, being results. It is beneficial in the aspect that it focuses on producing optimal results for the team and overall organization. However, this can initiate some downfalls. The RBM style can provide the assumption that items and changes can always be predicted. The ideology of prediction can cause damage to the team as a false prediction can lead to negative or inaccurate results.
The second style displayed is the affiliative management style which prioritizes creating and nurturing a comfortable, harmonious environment for workers. Managers who utilize this style prioritize emotional leadership through a focus of effective collaboration, that is people focused. Collaboration requires respect for co-workers, adaptability, and excellent communication skills. Providing this management style initiates an environment where workers can feel more comfortable and feel a sense of loyalty to their manager and team. While this is an overall positive style to incorporate, negatives can occur. The underperformance of staff may occur from an environment that encourages flexibility and is people focused. People utilizing this management style can cause a negative chain to occur from others apart of the team.
The third style demonstrated is the democratic management style. Democratic management style is based on the element of participation. The members involved are given opportunities to heavily participate through sharing knowledge. The knowledge is to encourage potential ideas to improve an issue within the organization or business. Through this management style employees feel encouraged to share their ideas as they are valued within this approach. The openness to share ideas provides multiple benefits, however, this can be less effective for time-sensitive projects.
Assessing the overall goals of the company or team you are managing is important to determining the proper management style to yield the greatest overall outcome. As each style has its own set of benefits and costs depending on the overall goal, determining exactly what you are looking to achieve will help you choose a style that benefits you and your employees as greatly as possible. An analysis, such as a SWOT analysis, where strengths and weaknesses can be identified and assessed, is a great way to help narrow down and properly determine the best management style for the organization that will promote strengths while mitigating weaknesses.
However, at the end of the day, there are many different management styles depending on how you choose to engage and encourage your employees as a manager. As mentioned earlier, it is important to understand yourself personally and assess what does and doesn’t work well for you as a manager. While management styles are generally implemented to achieve specific goals amongst employees, they are still management styles, and it is important that the manager themself decide on a style that best suits their personal skills and personality while aligning with the overall company goals. After that is covered, it is important to look at whom you are managing and the work setting involved and assess what management style is going to best encourage your employees to facilitate new ideas and productivity in the work environment. These styles can include different focus areas and priorities based on the outcome you, as a manager, are looking to achieve. The RBM style focuses on gauging performance through results, whereas affiliate management focuses heavily on prioritizing a creative and harmonious environment for employees to facilitate ideas. While these styles may seem very different, their end goals are similar in that they can help a manager achieve the highest level of harmony and productivity amongst employees possible. All management styles, including the ones mentioned in this article, have their own benefits and costs. Each provides a unique approach to managing all types of work environments and project settings and are great ways to improve personal management skills, while also obtaining a more efficient and harmonious work environment in the long run.
This post was all about management styles defined.
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