The authoritarian or hierarchic management style Here, a very distinct top-down structure exists: the chief, supervisor or trainer gives instructions and distributes assignments without asking the recipient (employee or student) for their opinion. The hierarchic system is evident to everyone involved, the inferior has to follow orders. If someone makes a mistake, punishment instead of help is the consequence. Acceptance of failure does not exist. This kind of leadership was very much the style teachers used to teach up until almost the end of the 20th century. Utter allegiance and respect was demanded from the students – harsh criticism, detention and the exploitation of fear of failure were the methods to secure that. The democratic or cooperative management style
C Lesson 1
Leading this way means to include inferiors in the process of decision making. It means to search for exchange and to support the involvement of co-workers in the formation of constructive ideas and proposals. By including co-workers, their motivation as well as their commitment rises. Also, a higher identification with the work/ the company can result. However, there is still a distinct regulation of competences, meaning that this style of leadership also has a profound hierarchic basis. What does this mean for a trainer? It means to supervise the students in their process, to be willing to let the students decide about the pacing and to accept their right to get the maximum methodical support. Simultaneously, the trainer is bound to the general conditions (as stated by the client) and the objectives as agreed upon (what has to be taught by when?) and has to do justice to those different aspects. The laissez-faire management style As the name suggests, this style is the complete opposite to the authoritarian style, namely, it allows maximum independence to the co-workers by letting them decide about their work and their organisation. There are only few regulated operations, everything functions somehow, the boss refuses to play their role and does not take responsibility. In the course of the last century, this style as well found its equivalence in certain education systems: anti-authoritarian education, schools without teachers as authorities and the refusal of a performance principle were the answer to the authoritarian style.
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