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Theories
Personality Psychology


HOW TO LEAD: 6 LEADERSHIP STYLES AND FRAMEWORKS

By
Kendra Cherry, MSEd
Kendra Cherry, MSEd
 * 
 * 

Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology
educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

Learn about our editorial process
Updated on June 27, 2023
Medically reviewed
Verywell Mind articles are reviewed by board-certified physicians and mental
healthcare professionals. Medical Reviewers confirm the content is thorough and
accurate, reflecting the latest evidence-based research. Content is reviewed
before publication and upon substantial updates. Learn more.
by
Amy Morin, LCSW
Medically reviewed by Amy Morin, LCSW
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Amy Morin, LCSW, is a psychotherapist and international bestselling author. Her
books, including "13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do," have been
translated into more than 40 languages. Her TEDx talk,  "The Secret of Becoming
Mentally Strong," is one of the most viewed talks of all time.

Learn about our Medical Review Board
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Fact checked by Aaron Johnson

Aaron Johnson is a fact checker and expert on qualitative research design and
methodology. 

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Table of Contents
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Table of Contents
 * Authoritarian Leadership (Autocratic)
 * Participative Leadership (Democratic)
 * Delegative Leadership (Laissez-Faire)
 * Transformational Leadership
 * Transactional Leadership
 * Situational Leadership

Leadership styles are classifications of how a person behaves while directing,
motivating, guiding, and managing groups of people. There are many leadership
styles. Some of the most widely discussed include: authoritarian (autocratic),
participative (democratic), delegative (laissez-faire), transformational,
transactional, and situational.



Great leaders can inspire political movements and social change. They can also
motivate others to perform, create, and innovate. As you start to consider some
of the people who you think of as great leaders, you can immediately see that
there are often vast differences in how each person leads.



Fortunately, researchers have developed different theories and frameworks that
allow us to better identify and understand these different leadership styles.



Illustration by Joshua Seong, Verywell


LEWIN'S LEADERSHIP STYLES

In 1939, a group of researchers led by psychologist Kurt Lewin set out to
identify different styles of leadership.1 While further research has identified
more distinct types of leadership, this early study was very influential and
established three major leadership styles that have provided a springboard for
more defined leadership theories.



In Lewin's study, schoolchildren were assigned to one of three groups with an
authoritarian, democratic, or laissez-faire leader. The children were then led
in an arts and crafts project while researchers observed the behavior of
children in response to the different styles of leadership. The researchers
found that democratic leadership tended to be the most effective at inspiring
followers to perform well.


Getting Mental Health Support When You're the Boss



AUTHORITARIAN LEADERSHIP (AUTOCRATIC)

Authoritarian leaders, also known as autocratic leaders, provide clear
expectations for what needs to be done, when it should be done, and how it
should be done. This style of leadership is strongly focused on both command by
the leader and control of the followers. There is also a clear division between
the leader and the members. Authoritarian leaders make decisions independently,
with little or no input from the rest of the group.



Researchers found that decision-making was less creative under authoritarian
leadership.1 Lewin also concluded that it is harder to move from an
authoritarian style to a democratic style than vice versa. Abuse of this method
is usually viewed as controlling, bossy, and dictatorial.




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improve your well-being on the job.

Authoritarian leadership is best applied to situations where there is little
time for group decision-making or where the leader is the most knowledgeable
member of the group. The autocratic approach can be a good one when the
situation calls for rapid decisions and decisive actions. However, it tends to
create dysfunctional and even hostile environments, often pitting followers
against the domineering leader.


Pros and Cons of Autocratic Leadership



PARTICIPATIVE LEADERSHIP (DEMOCRATIC)

Lewin’s study found that participative leadership, also known as democratic
leadership, is typically the most effective leadership style.1 Democratic
leaders offer guidance to group members, but they also participate in the group
and allow input from other group members. In Lewin’s study, children in this
group were less productive than the members of the authoritarian group, but
their contributions were of a higher quality.2



Participative leaders encourage group members to participate, but retain the
final say in the decision-making process. Group members feel engaged in the
process and are more motivated and creative. Democratic leaders tend to make
followers feel like they are an important part of the team, which helps foster
commitment to the goals of the group.


Democratic Leadership Strengths and Weaknesses



DELEGATIVE LEADERSHIP (LAISSEZ-FAIRE)

Lewin found that children under delegative leadership, also known as
laissez-faire leadership, were the least productive of all three groups. The
children in this group also made more demands on the leader, showed little
cooperation, and were unable to work independently.



Delegative leaders offer little or no guidance to group members and leave the
decision-making up to group members. While this style can be useful in
situations involving highly qualified experts, it often leads to poorly defined
roles and a lack of motivation.



Lewin noted that laissez-faire leadership tended to result in groups that lacked
direction and members who blamed each other for mistakes, refused to accept
personal responsibility, made less progress, and produced less work.1


How Does Laissez-Faire Leadership Work?



OBSERVATIONS ABOUT LEWIN'S LEADERSHIP STYLES

In their book, The Bass Handbook of Leadership: Theory, Research, and Managerial
Applications, Bass and Bass note that authoritarian leadership is often
presented solely in negative, often disapproving, terms.2 Authoritarian leaders
are often described as controlling and close-minded, yet this overlooks the
potential positives of stressing rules, expecting obedience, and taking
responsibility.



While authoritarian leadership certainly is not the best choice for every
situation, it can be effective and beneficial in cases where followers need a
great deal of direction and where rules and standards must be followed to the
letter. Another often overlooked benefit of the authoritarian style is the
ability to maintain a sense of order.



Bass and Bass note that democratic leadership tends to be centered on the
followers and is an effective approach when trying to maintain relationships
with others.2 People who work under such leaders tend to get along well, support
one another, and consult other members of the group when making decisions.




ADDITIONAL LEADERSHIP STYLES AND MODELS

In addition to the three styles identified by Lewin and his colleagues,
researchers have described numerous other characteristic patterns of leadership.
A few of the best-known include:




TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP

Transformational leadership is often identified as the single most effective
style. This style was first described during the late 1970s and later expanded
upon by researcher Bernard M. Bass. Transformational leaders are able to
motivate and inspire followers and to direct positive changes in groups.



These leaders tend to be emotionally intelligent, energetic, and passionate.
They are not only committed to helping the organization achieve its goals, but
also to helping group members fulfill their potential.



Research shows that this style of leadership results in higher performance and
more improved group satisfaction than other leadership styles.3 One study also
found that transformational leadership led to improved well-being among group
members.4




TRANSACTIONAL LEADERSHIP

The transactional leadership style views the leader-follower relationship as a
transaction. By accepting a position as a member of the group, the individual
has agreed to obey the leader. In most situations, this involves the
employer-employee relationship, and the transaction focuses on the follower
completing required tasks in exchange for monetary compensation.



One of the main advantages of this leadership style is that it creates clearly
defined roles.5 People know what they are required to do and what they will be
receiving in exchange. This style allows leaders to offer a great deal of
supervision and direction, if needed.



Group members may also be motivated to perform well to receive rewards. One of
the biggest downsides is that the transactional style tends to stifle creativity
and out-of-the-box thinking.6


How a Transactional Leadership Style Works



SITUATIONAL LEADERSHIP

Situational theories of leadership stress the significant influence of the
environment and the situation on leadership. Hersey and Blanchard's leadership
styles is one of the best-known situational theories. First published in 1969,
this model describes four primary styles of leadership, including:7


 1. Telling: Telling people what to do
 2. Selling: Convincing followers to buy into their ideas and messages
 3. Participating: Allowing group members to take a more active role in the
    decision-making process
 4. Delegating: Taking a hands-off approach to leadership and allowing group
    members to make the majority of decisions



Later, Blanchard expanded upon the original Hersey and Blanchard model to
emphasize how the developmental and skill level of learners influences the style
that should be used by leaders. Blanchard's SLII leadership styles model also
described four different leading styles:8


 1. Directing: Giving orders and expecting obedience, but offering little
    guidance and assistance
 2. Coaching: Giving lots of orders, but also lots of support
 3. Supporting: Offering plenty of help, but very little direction
 4. Delegating: Offering little direction or support


10 Tips for Becoming a Better Leader
8 Sources
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies,
to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn
more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and
trustworthy.

 1. Lewin K, Lippitt R, White K. Patterns of aggressive behavior in
    experimentally created “social climates”. J Soc Psychol. 1939;10(2):271-301.

 2. Bass BM. The Bass Handbook of Leadership: Theory, Research, and Managerial
    Applications. 4th Ed. Simon & Schuster; 2009.

 3. Choi SL, Goh CF, Adam MB, Tan OK. Transformational leadership, empowerment,
    and job satisfaction: The mediating role of employee empowerment. Hum Resour
    Health. 2016;14(1):73. doi:10.1186/s12960-016-0171-2

 4. Nielsen K, Daniels K. Does shared and differentiated transformational
    leadership predict followers’ working conditions and well-being? The
    Leadership Quarterly. 2012;23(3):383-397. doi:10.1016/j.leaqua.2011.09.001

 5. Hussain S, Abbas J, Lei S, Haider MJ, Akram T. Transactional leadership and
    organizational creativity: Examining the mediating role of knowledge sharing
    behavior. Cogent Bus Manag. 2017;4(1). doi:10.1080/23311975.2017.1361663

 6. Kark R, Van Dijk D, Vashdi DR. Motivated or demotivated to be creative: The
    role of self-regulatory focus in transformational and transactional
    leadership processes. Applied Psychology. 2017;67(1):186-224.
    doi:10.1111/apps.12122

 7. Hersey P, Blanchard KH. Life cycle theory of leadership. Training and
    Development Journal. 1969;23(5).

 8. Blanchard KH, Zigarmi P, Drea Zigarmi. Leadership and the One Minute
    Manager: Increasing Effectiveness Through Situational Leadership. William
    Morrow, An Imprint Of HarperCollins; 2013.

Additional Reading

 * Hersey P, Blanchard KH. Management of Organizational Behavior: Utilizing
   Human Resources. Prentice Hall, 1969.

By Kendra Cherry, MSEd
Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology
educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

See Our Editorial Process
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