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Basic Management Styles: Authoritarian

© Lincoln Bittner

To be an effective manager, you need to understand the basic styles of management, and when they are or are not appropriate. What follows is one of the most common styles of management, and when it is appropriate to use this style.

During many years of management, I have seen newly promoted managers view their position as license to enforce this newly created authority onto coworkers. The new managers demeanor changes almost overnight from a team player to one of total domination. This new manager acts as if the reason that they were promoted is because of their superiority, and everyone else suddenly needs their direction. This is a good example of an authoritarian management style. An authoritarian manager is someone who likes to take complete control of the operation without taking advantage of the skills of those around them. This person demonstrates in his/her actions that his/her decisions are the only ones that matter.

The results of this kind of action are devastating to an organization. These actions will result in loss of production, poor moral, and sometimes will result in destructive behavior. This is one of the reasons that it is so difficult to move into management. The incumbent poses a risk to the organization that senior management is wise to take into consideration.

Consider the following story, and what you would have done.

Jan had been with the company for many years. She had worked in many departments, and could always be counted on to take good care of her customers. Jan began to consider her current position as an opportunity to move into management if she played her cards right. She would work hard, and take every opportunity to show her manager that she was a capable and loyal employee.

As time went on, she was given assignments that tested her supervisory abilities. She was affective at performing these duties, and was finally promoted to a supervisory position. The employees who worked with Jan enjoyed her enthusiasm, and felt that they enjoyed her trust and confidence in them.

Management was very happy with the progress that Jan had made over the past few months, and decided to use her talents in a newly created management position over an existing department. She had demonstrated her skill at accomplishing complicated procedures, and they felt that she had earned the chance at a management position.

Jan was promoted to the position as special projects manager, and an announcement was sent to the entire division of the company. This made Jan very proud, and she set about formulating a plan that would allow her to demonstrate to management that they had made the right decision. She felt that if she demonstrated to management that she was good at this position, her rise to the top would be rapid and successful.