8 Management Styles Leaders Should Know About 

Every leader has his own management style. However, some management styles are more conducive to desired treats of a workplace than others. 

In order to motivate employees to work hard, collaborate and innovate, managers must apply appropriate techniques and they need to be able to inspire their teams. As we will show, good leaders make or break teams. Also, having a superior with the right management style can make all the difference to your employees’ professional development. 

➡️ Before we start, learn an important skill of successful managers – how to give meaningful feedback to your employees. 

6 Favorable Management Styles 

Managers are the ones that prioritize, plan and organize work to accomplish business goals within a company. The way managers govern is their management style. 

A particular management style comprises of the way decisions are being made, the way work is organized, and the way managers practice their authority. There is not a single best management style. Instead, a variety of management styles can be applied to a handle employees and workplaces. 

➡️ The importance of good management is undeniable. Companies that hire managers based on talent realize a 48% increase in profitability, a 22% increase in productivity, a 30% increase in employee engagement scores, a 17% increase in customer engagement scores and a 19% decrease in turnover. 

Furthermore, the business goals managers’ teams ought to achieve should be instrumental for adopting a certain management style. As we will show, different management styles will have different advantages in terms of effects they have on employees and workplaces. 

Visionary management style 

The main feature of visionary management style, like its name says, is the ability of a leader to provide vision to its team. Because of the vision of success a team has, employees are motivated and goal driven. Visionary managers do not engage themselves in their teams’ day-to-day tasks. They rather concentrate on motivating and harmonizing their subordinates’ efforts and trusting employees that they will figure out the details themselves. 

One of the greatest advantages of visionary management style is that it is very motivating for employees, and employee motivation is a huge driver of business success. However, it will be more likely to match the teams’ style if employees are more experienced. Inexperienced professionals still might need more detailed guidance.  

Collaborative management style 

Collaborative leadership style is the one that promotes collaboration as a top priority. Managers mentor their teams by using a collaborative process, and aim to transfer their knowledge, skills and know-how to their subordinates. Since managers account for at least 70% of the variance in employee engagement scores across business units, it is evident how important it is to adopt the right management style.  

Leaders that use collaborative management style provide their team members with continuous employee feedback. Furthermore, they openly share data and tend to freely convey contextual intelligence. 

Collaborative management style improves employees’ morale and truly promotes teamwork. However, it can also encourage groups to think alike and blur the lines between managerial and team member roles. Such style best fits teams of highly functional individuals with different backgrounds because the cumulative knowledge is then biggest, and chances of thinking alike are decreased. 

Democratic management style 

Famously being used at Google and Amazon, democratic management style gives everyone an opportunity to participate. In that sense, it resembles a collaborative management style, with the clearer distinction between leaders and their  subordinates.  

A leader with this kind of management style allows ideas to be exchanged freely and encourages discussion, but ultimately decides who gets to contribute to the decisions that are made. This is often perceived as favorable to employees, who often switch jobs to get away from bad managers. Namely, one in two employees have left their job to get away from their manager at some point in their career. 

The biggest benefits of this management style include greater creativity and innovation as well as productivity. On the other side, it also does not suit unskilled groups and allows minority or individual opinions to be overridden. 

Example-setting management style 

Simply put, leaders with this kind of management style are consistently setting an example of the work standards and behavior they expect from their subordinates. 

As long as the manager is not setting the bar too high, this management style can strengthen the teams’ ethics and increase employee morale. Example-setting leaders are hard workers and great active listeners. Also, they always take responsibility and are often very highly productive. 

On the other hand, example-setting management style may be too one-directional. Depending on the desired outcome, team members can have diverse tasks and approaches to work. Example-setting management style can also be tiring for the manager. If managers are too driven, it might demotivate their teams since it may seem that reaching the bar is impossible. 

Coaching management style 

The main staple of the coaching management style is partnership and collaboration. Coaching-style leaders empower their team members to take responsibility and raise their self-belief. This tends to lead to higher employee satisfaction and happiness. It is alarming that 79% of employees think that their manager does not care about their happiness. 

Leaders with such management style are not driving the show, but instead they trust their team to deliver great results. In that manner, employees with such managers tend to learn a lot and develop new skills which get them ahead in their careers. 

One of the greatest things about a coaching management style is that it allows employees to take charge. A lot of managers’ time and energy is spent on educating employees, and it is great for empowering the next generation of leaders.  

Transformational management style 

Transformational management style features motivating employees to intensively innovate and use their creativity. Leaders with such management style empower employees to take ownership and gain independence over projects. 

This management style focuses on adapting to constant change, therefore seeking from employees to find new solutions to old problems. Transformational leaders believe change and growth are the only way to stay at top of your game, so they tend to push their employees out of their comfort zone. 

Although this management style is very encouraging for employees’ development, it also has downsides. Employees supervised by transformational manager are in danger to wear themselves out too fast and experience burnout sooner than usual. 

Management Styles to Avoid 

There are certain management styles that are not conducive to employees’ development. Under bad management, employees experience stress and burnout more often. Moreover, great business results and good work atmosphere is rarely achieved under inadequate leadership. 

➡️ To back it up with numbers, top reasons that drive employees to quit their jobs are managers who break promises (46%), over-work employees (42%) and have unrealistic expectations of them (42%). 

Here are some management styles that should be avoided if your goal is to achieve business prosperity and enable your employees’ success. 

Autocratic management style 

As its name says, autocratic management style is characterized by dominance of the leader over the decision-making process. A leader with this kind of management style gives out instructions others should follow, and is not conducive for empowering employees. 

Furthermore, this kind of leadership is outdated and produces only short-term goals. In the long run, it demotivates employees because they get no autonomy and very few chances to learn. Also, employee feedback is reduced. Unsurprisingly, 40% of employees who evaluate their boss as unfavorable are interviewing for a new job compared to 10% who rate their manager highly. 

However, this kind of leadership is useful in times of crisis where people tend to follow strong, charismatic leaders. It can also suit teams in smaller businesses, but if applied for longer periods of time, it leads to employee turnover. 

Non-interference management style 

This management style is a complete opposite of autocratic one. Basically, leaders with such management style expect their subordinates to perform according to set standards but do not give them any guidance or input. 

This hands-off approach also reflects managers disinterest in management itself. Employees are disorganized under such supervision, and it can lead to frustration and stress. 

In summary, this kind of management style can be perceived as the worst one. However, the chances of individuals adopting it are high, since 58% of managers say they did not receive any management training. In comparison with autocratic one, it does not even grant the fulfillment of short-term goals. Moreover, it demotivates employees and leads to their dissatisfaction and stress. 

How to Enhance Your Management Style 

No matter which management style you adopt, there are certain methods you can apply to raise your employees’ productivity, enhance collaboration and improve your team results. If you want to give your team members a great employee experience and enable their success, follow these steps. 

1. Find out what your team needs 

First of all, you must actively listen to your employees. In order to facilitate your employees’ growth, you should frequently ask them how you can support them. Checking your team’s pulse often prevents developing dissatisfaction and employees’ morale dropping. 

➡️ Use an Employee Surveying Solution SurveyRocks to become a better manager to your team. 

2. Appreciate your employees 

Did you know that 88% of employees who receive recognition actively innovate? Apart from that, employee recognition has numerous benefits like raising productivity, fostering teamwork and improving company culture. Therefore, try appreciating your employees work, dedication and results. You can start by simply thanking your employees! 

3. Communicate effectively 

You are probably aware of how important it is to communicate effectively if you want to organize your team’s efforts or collaborate on a project. Therefore, do not let improper communication stop your team from effectively working together. 

Furthermore, make sure you communicate effectively in post-COVID-19 environment, when your employees are not always physically in the office. 

4. Give regular feedback 

One of the main things employees depend on to do their best work is continuous feedback. Since you are the manager, you must learn how to give positive and constructive feedback and re-direct your employees’ efforts to achieve the desired goals. 

➡️ Check out these employee evaluation best practices managers should follow and use our evaluation templates to give your employees a great feedback experience.  

5. Enhance your employees’ wellbeing 

Your employees’ wellbeing impacts their job performance, engagement and overall happiness. Besides, employee wellbeing solutions can drive your team’s spirit and increase employees’ morale. 

➡️ Make sure to find out more about our Employee Wellbeing Platform Healthain and how it can lead to better business results.