Leadership styles
The manner and approach of providing direction, implementing plans, and motivating people is the leadership style:
- Autocratic leaders make managerial decisions by themselves. They tell their employees what they want done and how they want it accomplished, without getting the advice of their followers.
- Consultive autocrats use information from the members, but keep all substantive decision-making authority to themselves.
- Consensus managers tend to throw open the problem to the group for discussion and allow or encourage the group to make the decision.
- Shareholder managers, give the group the ultimate authority for the final decision.
The U.S. Army Handbook (1973) Military Leadership, describes leadership styles slightly differently as; authoritarian or autocratic, participative or democratic and delegative or free reign.
Forces such as time availability, the type of the task, information availability and team members ability and skills should influence the style adopted. Slevin (1983) suggests ‘…the key to successful leadership is knowing what your dominant style is and being able to modify that style depending upon the contingencies of the various leadership situations that you face’.
In modern management there has been a change from dealing with problems on a one-on-one basis to solving problems collectively, involving everyone who has a contribution to make. This concept is known as 'shared leadership'. As the complexity of knowledge increases, the need for shared leadership also increases.
Shared leadership is about letting the project team take over as much of the leadership role as they will accept. The project manager lets go of some authority and shares it with the team. As the team members assume more of the leadership role, they show increased willingness to participate in problem solving.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings
- BS11000.
- Can relationships in and between organisations make tangible differences to business performance?
- Collaborative practices.
- Collaboration: a quality management perspective.
- Expert v generalist.
- Five ways mentoring can benefit a career.
- Integrated project team.
- Integrated supply team.
- Leadership.
- Neuroscience for project success.
- Performance management plan.
- Project manager.
- Recruiting and retaining talent in the construction industry.
- Relationship management.
- Team behavioural roles.
- Team building.
- Team management (repeats some of the text in this article).
- Total quality management in construction.
- What is a complete team?
[edit] External references
- Slevin, D 1983, Leadership and the project manager. Project management handbook,edited by Cleland and King, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York
- Construction Manager, Management styles. 2014
- Leadership Styles
Featured articles and news
HBPT and BEAMS Jubilees. Book review.
Does the first Labour budget deliver for the built environment?
What does the UK Budget mean for electrical contractors?
Mixed response as business pays, are there silver linings?
A brownfield housing boost for Liverpool
A 56 million investment from Homes England now approved.
Fostering a future-ready workforce through collaboration
Collaborative Futures: Competence, Capability and Capacity, published and available for download.
Considerate Constructors Scheme acquires Building A Safer Future
Acquisition defines a new era for safety in construction.
AT Awards evening 2024; the winners and finalists
Recognising professionals with outstanding achievements.
Reactions to the Autumn Budget announcement
And key elements of the quoted budget to rebuild Britain.
Chancellor of the Exchequer delivers Budget
Repairing, fixing, rebuilding, protecting and strengthening.
Expectation management in building design
Interest, management, occupant satisfaction and the performance gap.
Connecting conservation research and practice with IHBC
State of the art heritage research & practice and guidance.
Innovative Silica Safety Toolkit
Receives funding boost in memory of construction visionary.
Gentle density and the current context of planning changes
How should designers deliver it now as it appears in NPPF.
Sustainable Futures. Redefining Retrofit for Net Zero Living
More speakers confirmed for BSRIA Briefing 2024.
Making the most of urban land: Brownfield Passports
Policy paper in brief with industry responses welcomed.
The boundaries and networks of the Magonsæte.