1. PARTICIPATIVE LEADERSHIP BEHAVIOR
CHAPTER SIX
PARTICIPATIVE
LEADERSHIP
BEHAVIOR
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2. Learning Objectives
After reading this chapter, you should be able to do the following:
Describe participative leadership behaviors and provide examples of specific leader behaviors.
Explain why participative leadership can have positive influences on follower behaviors.
Describe skills and abilities that are needed to be an effective participative leader.
Describe the individual and organizational benefits that can result from effective participative leadership.
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3. Learning Objectives
After reading this chapter, you should be able to do the following:
Identify characteristics of followers that make participative leadership highly effective and characteristics that make it ineffective.
Identify organizational and task characteristics that make participative leadership highly effective and characteristics that make it ineffective.
Describe how leaders can modify situations to increase the effectiveness of their participative leadership.
Explain how leaders can modify followers’ work situations to make followers less dependent on the leader’s participative leadership.
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4. Participative Leadership
Participative leaders involve followers in the decision processes. Participative leadership includes describing a decision problem to a group of followers and asking for their input on the implications of various alternative solutions already developed by the leader. It also involves holding informal conversations with individual followers to draw their ideas out and listening carefully to understand and incorporate their information into a decision solution.
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5. Types of Participative Leadership Behavior
Consulting
with
groups
Consulting
with
individuals
Asking for
opinions about
alternatives
Participative
Leadership
Behaviors
Obtaining
information
from followers
Joint decision
making with
followers
Delegation
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6. Degrees of Participation
Autocratic
Decision
Consensus/Group
Decision
Consultation
Delegation
LOW
Influence by Followers
HIGH
Source: Adapted from Gary Yukl (1998) Leadership in Organizations.
Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey
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7. Real Leaders
Real leaders vary their use of different forms of participation. Some leaders, for example, use consensus decision making with only one or two trusted followers; others prefer large group meetings where all points of view are heard. Some leaders use delegation only after carefully specifying guidelines and limits to the decision option chosen and may require that the final decision be subjected to the leader’s approval before implementation. Other leaders give followers complete freedom in arriving at and implementing a solution. Most leaders use different combinations of participation at different times, adapting them to each situation and group of followers.
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8. TO DELEGATE EFFECTIVELY
Effective Delegation
TO DELEGATE EFFECTIVELY DO
Understand your authority & responsibility
Clearly communicate performance expectations
Make followers responsible for results
Delegate challenging responsibilities
Show confidence in followers’ ability to perform
Reward accomplishment
AVOID
Lack of agreement on authority & responsibility
Lack of understanding of group’s objectives
Involvement of followers not trained to effectively perform
Showing a lack of confidence in followers
Requiring “nothing less than perfection”
Making followers feel insecure
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9. Skills, Traits & Sources Participative Leadership
Skills, Traits and Sources of Power for Effective Participative Leadership
Self-Monitoring
Skills
Listening
Skills
Assertiveness
Skills
Conflict
Management
Skills
Skills, Traits & Sources
of Power for Effective
Participative Leadership
Expert
Power
Legitimate
Power
Resource/Connection
Power
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10. Major Effects of Participative Leadership
Group or Organizational Benefits
improved quality of decisions
increased performance
smoother implementation of decisions
less resistance to change
Follower Benefits
satisfaction with work and leader
increased performance
motivation
less resistance to change
improved development
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11. Enhancers of Participative Leadership Effectiveness
SITUATIONAL FACTORS
THAT ENHANCE THE
EFFECTIVENESS OF
PARTICIPATIVE
LEADERSHIP
TASK
CHARACTERISTICS
FOLLOWER
CHARACTERISTICS
Important task
Requires followers’
commitment
Uncertainty
Job competence
Needs for independence
and growth
Internal locus of control
Expect participation
GROUP & LEADER
CHARACTERISTICS
Group harmony
Trust in leader
Good leader skills in conflict management
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12. Situational Factors That Neutralize Effectiveness of Participative Leadership
Large group size
Tasks that are
highly structured
or complex
SITUATIONAL FACTORS
THAT NEUTRALIZE
EFFECTIVENESS OF
PARTICIPATIVE LEADERSHIP
Passive followers, authoritarian
followers, followers willing to accept
autocratic leadership
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13. Overcoming Factors that Neutralize Effectiveness of Participative Leadership
Task redesign can be used to manipulate the structure and complexity of followers’ tasks, and selection procedures can help determine if specific personality types are well matched with certain jobs.
When leaders face emergency decisions or those with short time deadlines, participation is not effective. In some cases, the leader may be able to extend deadlines or learn of needed decisions sooner and thus provide more time for participative leadership.
Large groups may be split into subgroups. These subgroups can operate with some autonomy but will allow the leader to involve members in useful discussions of decision issues.
Charismatic leadership behaviors may be effective in overcoming apathetic and passive behavior.
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14. Process Model of the Participative Leadership Process
LEADER PARTICIPATIVENESS
Drawing out & listening to followers
Holding meetings to share decision problems & gather input
Consulting with followers on decisions
Giving serious consideration to followers’ input
Reaching consensus with followers & leaders as equals
Delegating decisions to capable followers
SITUATIONAL FACTORS
INCREASING LEADER
EFFECTIVENESS
Enhancers
Task importance
Task requires followers commitment
Environmental uncertainty
Leader’s conflict management skills
Group harmony
Followers’ job competence and information
Followers’ need for independence
Followers’ internal locus of control
Expected participation
Substitutes
Many formal rules and procedures
SITUATIONAL FACTORS
DECREASING LEADER
EFFECTIVENESS
Neutralizers
• Highly structured task
• Task complexity with professional followers
• Large group size
• Short time deadlines
• Passive followers
• Authoritarian followers
• Followers willing to accept autocratic leadership
FOLLOWER/GROUP PSYCHOLOGICAL REACTIONS
Satisfaction of needs for competence, self-control, independence, & personal growth
Satisfaction with supervisor, work, & organization
Motivation & commitment to decisions
FOLLOWER BEHAVIORS AND OUTCOMES
Increased performance & productivity
Quality of decisions
Development of followers’ potential
Time-consuming, expensive, possible resistance
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15. Applying the Model of Participative Leadership
1. DIAGNOSING THE SITUATION
Are followers highly competent and knowledgeable; do they work on important tasks; is their commitment essential to carry out the leader’s decisions?
Do followers value achievement, independence and self fulfillment; do they view themselves as controlling their own lives; feel harmony and trust with the leader; and expect to participate in decisions?
Is the leader effective in obtaining follower input and skilled at conflict management?
Is there much environmental uncertainty?
If “yes” to one or more of these questions, followers will expect and value participative leadership
3. MODIFYING FOLLOWERS & SITUATIONS
Leaders also act to:
Increase formal rules and procedures which prescribe how to deal with emergencies and short time deadlines
Redesign tasks to increase their importance & followers’ independence
Build group harmony
Develop followers’ job competence and knowledge
Eliminate highly structured tasks & large group
Reassign followers who are passive, authoritarian or desire autocratic leadership
2. PROVIDING DIRECTIVE LEADERSHIP
Leaders demonstrate participative behaviors with followers by:
Holding informal conversations with individual followers to obtain information related to decisions
Sharing decision problems with groups of followers to solicit their ideas or suggested solutions
Assigning a decision problem to followers who are competent and desire to handle it
Allowing “air time” for all followers who desire it when discussing decision problems
Inviting input and discussion on points of disagreement regarding decision problems
Explaining to followers why ideas or solutions are not implemented
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