1. What is the best style of leadership?
It will depend on an enormous range of factors:
The cost of a mistake
Personality
Nature of the task
Risk
Time constraints
Skills of manager and workers
Rate of change
Does the management style matter?
It can have a huge impact on motivation and productivity. The method of management must suit the workers and the situation.
What is the most common management style?
Most managers use a combination of the 3 styles we have highlighted [democratic, paternalistic and autocratic].
In general there has been a movement towards a more democratic style of management. This is due to employees being better educated, better paid and aiming to fulfil higher level needs.
The growth of HRM and lean-production techniques also facilitates more employee involvement.