("Participative Leadership 2006, Changing minds)
Some of the weaknesses of the democratic approach to leadership are that occasionally a strong organizational vision may be required to offset resistance to a potentially radical idea. This is especially true of new, sweeping changes that go contrary to conventional wisdom. It can be problematic when there is a wide range of opinions and there is no clear way of reaching an equitable final decision, other than having a single, strong and decisive actor to make a decision. ("Lewin's Leadership Styles," 2006, Changing Minds) This is why democracy may not be the most appropriate style to adopt during the initial phases of organizational change. Persons within the organization can sometimes unite against the goals rather than share in them. Democratic leadership is not a free-for-all and an abnegation of the central authority's responsibility for being the final decision maker.
Joint meetings and input sessions to create focused approaches to deal change and create a sense of a common purpose and sense of input in contrast to the chaos of a totally hands-off approach to leadership....
By soliciting opinions, the leader may become aware of issues and pockets of resistance he or she was not initially aware of, in contrast to the autocratic approach, where the leader is more likely to be isolated.
The morale-boosting and informative benefits of democratic leadership demonstrate why this leadership style is key to effectively navigating organizational change. Ultimately, change is something that the whole organization must cope with, not simply a single leader, and thus, despite its occasional unwieldy aspects, this leadership style seems to be the most appropriate way to cope with an organizational change.
Works Cited
Lewin's Leadership Styles." (2006) Changing minds. Retrieved 8 July 2006 at http://changingminds.org/disciplines/leadership/styles/lewin_style.htm
Participative Leadership." (2006) Changing minds. Retrieved 8 July 2006 at http://changingminds.org/disciplines/leadership/styles/participative_leadership.htm
Vroom and Yetton's Normative Model." Retrieved 8 July 2006 at http://changingminds.org/disciplines/leadership/theories/vroom_yetton.htm
