Is Democratic Leadership the Best Style of Leadership?

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCharacteristicsExamplesBenefitsPitfallsHow to UseAre You a Democratic Leader?Frequently Asked Questions

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Characteristics

Examples

Benefits

Pitfalls

How to Use

Are You a Democratic Leader?

Frequently Asked Questions

Close

Democratic leadership, also known as participative leadership or shared leadership, is aleadership stylein which members of the group participate in the decision-making process. This type of leadership can apply to any organization, from private businesses to schools to the government.

With a democratic leadership style, everyone is given the opportunity to participate, ideas are exchanged freely, and discussion is encouraged. While this process tends to focus on group equality and the free flow of ideas, the democratic leader is still there to offer guidance and control.

The democratic leader is also charged with deciding who is in the group and who gets to contribute to the decisions being made. Research has found that the democratic leadership style is one of the most effective types and leads to higher productivity, better contributions from group members, and increased group morale.

Key Characteristics of Democratic Leadership

Some of the primary characteristics of democratic leadership include:

Leaders who effectively use the democratic style tend to have specific traits, such as being team players, willing to adapt, having a fair mind, and being engaged in the process.Strong democratic leadersinspire trust and respect among their followers.

These leaders are sincere and make decisions based on their morals and values. They also tend to seek diverse opinions and do not try to silence dissenting voices or those that offer a less popular point of view. As a result, followers feel inspired to take action and contribute to the group.

Small Business Owners and Stress

Examples of Democratic Leadership

More than half of the countries in the world with populations over 500,000 people use a democratic leadership style.The United States is one. Sweden, the Philippines, Indonesia, South Korea, and the Netherlands are a few others.

Some businesses also operate with a democratic management style, offering a participative leadership approach.Googleis often cited as an example, with its founders likening their leadership style to being “proud parents—offering advice and love, but not daily nagging!“Jack Dorsey, the former Twitter CEO, was also often credited with having the characteristics of a democratic leader.

You can also find examples of democratic leadership within school clubs and 4-H organizations.Tommy Lasorda, former manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers who won two World Series championships, is credited with being a participative leader in the sport of baseball.

Benefits of Democratic Leadership

Because group members are encouraged to share their thoughts, democratic leadership can lead to better ideas andmore creative solutionsto problems. More input from more people leads to a greater variety of ideas and opinions.

Group members feel more involved and committed to projects, making them more likely to care about the end results.

One study also found that democratic leadership was associated with a better working relationship between employees and bosses.

ProsMore ideas and creative solutionsGroup member commitmentHigh productivityImproved group morale

More ideas and creative solutions

Group member commitment

High productivity

Improved group morale

Communication failures

Minority or individual opinions overridden

Potential security issues

Potential Pitfalls of Democratic Leadership

Democratic leadership isn’t right for every group or situation. While it has been described as the most effective leadership style, it does have some potential downsides.

In situations where roles are unclear or time is of the essence, democratic leadership can lead tocommunication failuresand uncompleted projects.

In some cases, group members may not have the necessary knowledge or expertise to make quality contributions to thedecision-making process. Democratic leadership can also result in team members feeling like their opinions and ideas aren’t taken into account.

For a government or organization to be truly democratic requires the sharing of all the information. This can lead to potential security issues in some cases, making it another pitfall of using a democratic leadership style.

How to Use Democratic Leadership

Recognizing how and when to best use democratic leadership can make this style more effective. Some tips that can help you make the most of it include the following:

One study found that democratic leadership was more likely to inspire trust during transitional periods. In times of action, members were more likely to trust a more autocratic leader.

Try ourfast and free quizto find if you tend towards democratic leadership or one of the other styles.

Takeaways

Democratic leadership can be a highly effective style that inspires group morale and increases productivity. Like any other leadership style, there are pros and cons to being a democratic leader. Should you decide that this is the best style for you, following a few simple guidelines—such as managing time carefully and setting deadlines—can help make this an effective approach.

Frequently Asked QuestionsIf you have enough time to follow a democratic process and your group’s members can provide quality information, this is a good opportunity to use democratic leadership. It’s also a good time to use a democratic management style if the decision you need to make doesn’t involve revealing any private or confidential information.Make it easy for all group members to share their thoughts and ideas. For a democracy to work, everyone has to feel as if they can give their opinion and know that it will be heard. Other ways to improve a democratic leadership style includebeing willing to listen, empowering group members to take action, and creating a cohesive decision-making process.When all group members feel that they can contribute their thoughts and opinions, they may be more encouraged to take an active role in the process. This increased engagement leads to more creative ideas and higher levels of productivity. It also reduces the likelihood that team members will feel as if their contributions don’t matter.If you don’t have enough time to collect everyone’s input and act on it, this can lead to an ineffective democratic process. A democratic leadership style is also ineffective if the group members cannot contribute in a meaningful way or if the decision being made requires the dissemination of information that shouldn’t be shared on a large scale.

If you have enough time to follow a democratic process and your group’s members can provide quality information, this is a good opportunity to use democratic leadership. It’s also a good time to use a democratic management style if the decision you need to make doesn’t involve revealing any private or confidential information.

Make it easy for all group members to share their thoughts and ideas. For a democracy to work, everyone has to feel as if they can give their opinion and know that it will be heard. Other ways to improve a democratic leadership style includebeing willing to listen, empowering group members to take action, and creating a cohesive decision-making process.

When all group members feel that they can contribute their thoughts and opinions, they may be more encouraged to take an active role in the process. This increased engagement leads to more creative ideas and higher levels of productivity. It also reduces the likelihood that team members will feel as if their contributions don’t matter.

If you don’t have enough time to collect everyone’s input and act on it, this can lead to an ineffective democratic process. A democratic leadership style is also ineffective if the group members cannot contribute in a meaningful way or if the decision being made requires the dissemination of information that shouldn’t be shared on a large scale.

9 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Amanchukwu RN, Nwachukwu OP, Stanley GJ.A review of leadership theories, principles and styles and their relevance to educational management.Management. 2015;5(1):6-14. doi:10.5923.j.mm.20150501.02Khoshhal KI, Guraya SY.Leaders produce leaders and managers produce followers. A systematic review of the desired competencies and standard settings for physicians' leadership.Saudi Med J.2016;37(10):1061-7. doi:10.15537/smj.2016.10.15620St. Thomas University Online.What is democratic/participative leadership? How collaboration can boost morale.Pew Research Center.Despite global concerns about democracy, more than half of countries are democratic.Google blog.A letter from Larry and Sergey.Michigan State University.Leadership styles part 2: democratic.Romi MV, Alsubki N, Almadhi HM, Propheto A.The linkage between leadership styles, employee loyalty, and turnover intention in healthcare industry.Front Psychol. 2022;13:890366. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.890366International Institute for Management Development.The 5 leadership styles you can use.Rosing F, Boer D, Buengeler C.When timing is key: How autocratic and democratic leadership relate to follower trust in emergency contexts.Front Psychol. 2022;13:904605. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.904605

9 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Amanchukwu RN, Nwachukwu OP, Stanley GJ.A review of leadership theories, principles and styles and their relevance to educational management.Management. 2015;5(1):6-14. doi:10.5923.j.mm.20150501.02Khoshhal KI, Guraya SY.Leaders produce leaders and managers produce followers. A systematic review of the desired competencies and standard settings for physicians' leadership.Saudi Med J.2016;37(10):1061-7. doi:10.15537/smj.2016.10.15620St. Thomas University Online.What is democratic/participative leadership? How collaboration can boost morale.Pew Research Center.Despite global concerns about democracy, more than half of countries are democratic.Google blog.A letter from Larry and Sergey.Michigan State University.Leadership styles part 2: democratic.Romi MV, Alsubki N, Almadhi HM, Propheto A.The linkage between leadership styles, employee loyalty, and turnover intention in healthcare industry.Front Psychol. 2022;13:890366. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.890366International Institute for Management Development.The 5 leadership styles you can use.Rosing F, Boer D, Buengeler C.When timing is key: How autocratic and democratic leadership relate to follower trust in emergency contexts.Front Psychol. 2022;13:904605. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.904605

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Amanchukwu RN, Nwachukwu OP, Stanley GJ.A review of leadership theories, principles and styles and their relevance to educational management.Management. 2015;5(1):6-14. doi:10.5923.j.mm.20150501.02Khoshhal KI, Guraya SY.Leaders produce leaders and managers produce followers. A systematic review of the desired competencies and standard settings for physicians' leadership.Saudi Med J.2016;37(10):1061-7. doi:10.15537/smj.2016.10.15620St. Thomas University Online.What is democratic/participative leadership? How collaboration can boost morale.Pew Research Center.Despite global concerns about democracy, more than half of countries are democratic.Google blog.A letter from Larry and Sergey.Michigan State University.Leadership styles part 2: democratic.Romi MV, Alsubki N, Almadhi HM, Propheto A.The linkage between leadership styles, employee loyalty, and turnover intention in healthcare industry.Front Psychol. 2022;13:890366. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.890366International Institute for Management Development.The 5 leadership styles you can use.Rosing F, Boer D, Buengeler C.When timing is key: How autocratic and democratic leadership relate to follower trust in emergency contexts.Front Psychol. 2022;13:904605. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.904605

Amanchukwu RN, Nwachukwu OP, Stanley GJ.A review of leadership theories, principles and styles and their relevance to educational management.Management. 2015;5(1):6-14. doi:10.5923.j.mm.20150501.02

Khoshhal KI, Guraya SY.Leaders produce leaders and managers produce followers. A systematic review of the desired competencies and standard settings for physicians' leadership.Saudi Med J.2016;37(10):1061-7. doi:10.15537/smj.2016.10.15620

St. Thomas University Online.What is democratic/participative leadership? How collaboration can boost morale.

Pew Research Center.Despite global concerns about democracy, more than half of countries are democratic.

Google blog.A letter from Larry and Sergey.

Michigan State University.Leadership styles part 2: democratic.

Romi MV, Alsubki N, Almadhi HM, Propheto A.The linkage between leadership styles, employee loyalty, and turnover intention in healthcare industry.Front Psychol. 2022;13:890366. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.890366

International Institute for Management Development.The 5 leadership styles you can use.

Rosing F, Boer D, Buengeler C.When timing is key: How autocratic and democratic leadership relate to follower trust in emergency contexts.Front Psychol. 2022;13:904605. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.904605

Meet Our Review Board

Share Feedback

Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit

What is your feedback?