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Autocratic Management Style
Have you ever had a job where the employees cower in hushed silence whenever the manager approaches, where freethinking is banned, and any challenge to the received wisdom is met by rebuke or worse? At some stage in our working lives most of us could no doubt answer yes, in which case we have likely been subject to an autocratic management style. Evidence of an autocratic management style is usually easy to spot in a workforce or workplace; generally everyone will know what is expected of them, without the option of questioning a given strategy.
An autocrat, is quite literally a ruler unlimited power and absolute authority, think Adolph Hitler or Saddam Hussein, rather than Mother Theresa or Cheers bar’s Sam Malone! You are never in doubt of where you stand with someone who employs an autocratic management style; synonyms for autocrat include despot and tyrant, so you are very unlikely to be in danger of experiencing group hugs or brainstorming sessions! Clear, precise direction is the norm in autocratic management styles, no prisoners are taken, and there is a tendency to shoot the messenger, if someone is the bearer of bad tidings.
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In essence the autocratic management style is favored by mangers who believe that workers must be controlled to ensure maximum productivity. To ensure control, complex jobs should be broken down into simplistic routines, which are managed via strict hierarchical supervision in a rigid command structure. This autocratic management style has worked on projects as diverse at the building of the pyramids, through to the establishment of automotive production lines; but with inherent regimentation as the norm, an autocratic management style may not be appropriate in a dynamic market place.
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