Participative Leadership Behavior

Types of Participate Leadership Behavior

Consulting with Groups Asking for opinions about alternatives Joint decision making with followers Participative Leadership Behaviors Consulting with Individuals Obtaining information from followers

Delegation

Delegation Dos and Donts

Do Understand your authority & responsibilities. Clearly communicate performance reqts Make followers responsible Delegate challenging responsibilities Show confidence in followers abilities Reward accomplishment Avoid Lack of agreement on authority & responsibility Lack of understanding on objectives Involvement of followers not trained Showing a lack of confidence Requiring nothing less than perfection Making followers insecure

Participative Leadership vs Directive Leadership

Participative leadership deals with making decisions. Directive leadership most often deals with executing a decision once it has been made. A leader can be participative by consulting employees during the decision-making phase, yet still be directive by following up closely on progress toward the ends that have been mutually decided on. Used together, PL & DL can be an effective leadership approach.

Can Participative Behavior ever be Ineffective?

Yes! When leader has already made decision and is merely going through the motions of inclusion When situation environment is weak and participation viewed as gimmick to manipulate.

How to Be Participative: Skills and Power Bases

Conflict Management Skills Self-monitoring Skills Listening Skills

Skills, Traits, and Sources of Power Expert Power Resource/connection power Legitimate Power

How to Be Participative: Skills and Power Bases

Conflict Management Skills Self-monitoring Skills Listening Skills

Skills, Traits, and Sources of Power Expert Power Resource/connection power Legitimate Power

Who is Likely to Use Participative Leadership?

Leaders who have much work experience or who are highly educated Leaders who perceive their followers as being competent, possessing essential information, when follower acceptance of the decision is essential, or when followers share the organizations goals.

Participative Behaviors Around the World

In many developing countries such as Mexico and China,values other than participation are often emphasized, such as obedience, submission, and respect for authority. In these countries, participative leadership may not be effective. In Sweden, Norway and former Yugoslavia workers counsels are established by law to advise high-level decision makers. Other companies place union members on the BODs.

Participative Behaviors Around the World

In US and Japan, participative leadership is more informal and flexible. It is based on personal relationships between leaders and followers, not by legislation. Leaders may have individual or group meetings and can adapt their approach to the requirements of the situation. Experts agree the informal approach yields more productivity than legislated approach.

Participative Behaviors Around the World - An Interesting Discovery

In a study, researchers found leaders in all countries professed a belief in the importance of participation, but most of the leaders outside the US did not trust the average followers capability to show initiative and share leadership responsibilities.

Reasons Participative Leadership Works with Followers

Allows reflection on issues that affect them Provides opportunity to utilize untapped talents which satisfies need for competence and selffulfillment Make significant contributions to a valued group, thereby satisfying needs for self esteem and accomplishment Contributes to motivation and commitment to decisions

Impact of Participative Leadership

Follower Benefits: Satisfaction of needs for competence, self control, independence, and personal growth Satisfaction with supervisor, work and organization Motivation and commitment to decisions Organizational Benefits: Increased performance and productivity Quality of decisions Development of followers potential

Situations Where Participation may or may notonbe Effective for 1) Followers are working tasks that are very important
organizations success. 2) Followers acceptance and commitment are needed to successfully implement a decision. 3) Followers work tasks are highly predictable and repetitive with no variation in the methods for completion. 4) The leader must make an emergency decision immediately with very little time to gather input and information. 5) The leader and followers work in an environment that is extremely uncertain and rapidly changing. 6) Followers are highly competent and possess knowledge and information to make an effective decision. 7) An extensive set of written rules, regulations, and procedures exist to direct followers . 8) Followers have high needs for independence and seek opportunities for achievement and self-fulfillment.

Situational Factors that Increase Effectiveness of Participative Leadership

Follower Characteristics

Job competence, expertise, relevant information Needs for independence and growth Internal locus of control Expect participation
Task Characteristics

Group and Leader Characteristics

Group harmony Trust in leader

Situational Factors

Good leader skills in conflict management

Important task Requires followers commitment Uncertainty

Situational Factors that Decrease Effectiveness

Large group size Highly structured or complex task

Factors that Decrease Effectiveness

Passive followers, authoritarian followers, followers willing to accept autocratic leadership

Situational Factors that Replace the Need for Participative Leadership

Situational Factors

Formal rules, regulations, and procedures

Leadership Process Model for Participative Leadership

Leader Participativeness

Enhancers of Participativeness Replacements for Participativeness Follower Psychological Reactions Follower Behavioral Outcomes

Neutralizers of Participativeness

Leader Participativeness
LEADER PARTICIPATIVENESS

Drawing out and listening to followers Holding meetings to share problems & gather input Giving serious consideration to followers input Reaching consensus with followers and leaders as equals Delegating decisions to capable followers

Enhancers of Participativeness
ENHANCERS OF PARTICIPATIVENESS Task importance Task requires followers commitment Environment uncertainty leaders conflict-management skills Group harmony Followers job competence and information Followers need for independence Followers internal locus of control Expected participation

Neutralizers of Participation
NEUTRALIZERS OF PARTICIPATIVENESS

Highly structured task Task complexity with professional followers Large group size Short deadlines Passive followers Authoritarian followers Followers willing to accept autocratic leadership

Replacements for Participative Leadership

REPLACEMENTS FOR PARTICIPATIVE LEADERSHIP

Many formal rules

Follower Psychological Reactions

FOLLOWER PSYCHOLOGICAL REACTIONS Satisfaction of needs for competence, selfcontrol, independence, and personal growth Satisfaction with supervisor, work, and organization Motivation and commitment to decisions

Follower Behavioral Outcomes

FOLLOWER BEHAVIORAL OUTCOMES

Increased performance and productivity High quality decisions Professional development of followers Possible resistance by some followers Decision requires extra time

Applying the Model of Participative Leadership

1) Diagnosing the Situation

3) Modify Followers and/or Situations

2) Providing Participative Leadership

Diagnosing the Situation

1) Diagnosing the Situation Are followers highly competent and knowledgeable; do they work on important tasks; is their commitment essential to carryout leaders decisions? Do followers value achievement, independence, and selffulfillment; view themselves as controlling their own lives; feel harmony and trust with the leader; and expect to participate? Is the leader effective in obtaining follower input and skilled at conflict management? Is there much environment uncertainty? If yes to one or more AND no neutralizers present, then followers will expect and value participative leadership.

Providing Participative Leadership

2) Providing Participative Leadership Leader demonstrates Participative behaviors with followers by: Holding informal conversations with individuals to obtain information related to decisions Sharing decision problems w/groups to solicit ideas and suggestions Assigning a decision problem to competent followers Inviting input and discussion on points of disagreement Allowing air time for all followers who want to participate Explaining why ideas or solutions are not implemented to followers

Modifying Followers and/or Situations

3)Modifying Followers and/or situations Leaders also act to: Increase formal rules that prescribe how to deal with emergencies & short-term deadlines Redesign tasks to increase their importance Build group harmony Develop followers competence and knowledge Eliminate highly structured tasks and large groups Reassign passive and authoritarian followers