Non – Participatory Management - Characteristics, Advantages, Dis Advantages

Non – Participatory Management is a management style wherein one person controls all the decisions and takes very little inputs from other group members. 

It is also called as Authoritative Leadership/ Autocratic Leadership. Autocratic leaders make choices or decisions based on their own beliefs and do not involve others for their suggestion or advice.

Characteristics:

• Group members have little to no input on decisions. Team members are not entrusted with important choices.
• Requires leaders to make almost all of the decisions
• Provides leaders with the ability to dictate work methods and processes
• Tends to create highly structured and very rigid environments
• Discourages creativity and out – of box thinking
• Establishes rules and tends to be clearly outlined and communicated
• Few mentorship opportunities- Autocratic leaders are typically not available for mentoring, and leadership roles are kept separate from the workforce.
• Minimal teamwork among coworkers- With clearly defined tasks and hierarchies, collaboration may not be rewarded or encouraged

Advantages Of Non – Participatory management:

• Fast Decision Making: Since there is only one person (autocratic leader) in charge of everything, the decision making process is fast and helps achieve the goals quickly.

• Improves productivity and efficiency: Quicker decision-making and information-sharing from an autocratic leader will boost the productivity of any team.

• Structured and disciplined approach: The processes involved in work and discipline in work standards are clearly defined, ensuring the organization and team move forward together.

• Clear Communication: Autocratic leadership constantly supports one-way communication, and the leader assigns specified duties and work patterns to the employees. Furthermore, the instructions will be delivered directly to the personnel, and it is one of the most significant advantages of autocratic leadership.

• Control: A leader with good leadership characteristics has more decision-making power. They can keep a careful eye on what others are doing and ensure workplace conformity. This will ensure that the organization meets its goals and focuses on their tasks.

• Helps in crisis management: Autocratic leadership is an excellent leadership style when dealing with crisis situations. The leader is in complete charge of the situation and is focused on problem-solving, facing all the challenges, and navigating hierarchies.

Disadvantages of Non-Participatory Management:

• Micromanagement - Autocratic leaders are responsible for success or failure when they lead on any project. Hence, they supervise every small task in any work. This might make it very difficult for employees to execute their work. This will hamper productivity and affect the work culture over a period of time.

• Lack of creativity -A team can generate several ideas as compared to a single person. In autocratic Leadership there is no place for discussion, feedback, and improvement on processes, with which lacks innovation and creativity

• Dependable system - Since the leader is more authoritative and takes the final call, individuals might struggle in the leader’s absence and are dependent on the autocratic leader. This does not help the individuals grow and restricts the growth of the team and the organization.

• Discourages ideas and inputs - Since the autocratic leader makes the final decisions, he/she might reject ideas basis his personal preference, which discourages team members from giving new creative ideas.

• Might affect Work Culture negatively - If the autocratic leader in charge strictly follows ethics and morals without breaking the rules, it creates a very positive culture and work environment. If the vice-versa happens, organisations will have to deal with high attrition rates and a mental breakdown for employees/team members.

• Less room for employee growth -  As discussed before, there is less hold on decision making and no room for idea discussion. The feedback consideration is also less for any processes/projects. Since the leader will have a complete hold, team members might not get a chance to improve their soft skills, essential for individuals.

• Hurt employee morale- Employees may be less likely to enjoy their job if they feel that their voices are not important.

Conclusion:

Just like everything else, autocratic leadership has its advantages and disadvantages. There are occasions during a crisis where autocratic leadership works well to achieve desired results quickly. However, it might not work when you aim to foster teamwork coordination and build the bond of trust among team members to make them future leaders.