Due to his strong drive to achieve his goals and create change in the world, Bill Gates is regarded as a transformational leader. Post your jobs & get access to millions of ambitious, well-educated talents that are going the extra mile. E-mail is already registered on the site. The below interview is an interesting watch, as Lentz approach to leadership shines through in some of the questions: Another participative leader in the world of auto manufacturer is Nissan and Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn. The driving. Due to its inclusive nature and the benefits participatory leadership can provide to an organization, the leadership model has been favored by a number of worlds leaders. Free and expert-verified textbook solutions. The style engaged the whole organization or the specific team, with the responsibility of achieving objectives being spread across. The business environment is dynamic. 1. Related: Why You Should Pursue Your Dream Even If Nobody Encourages You. By Participative leaders are curious, always looking for fresh and innovative ideas from their employees to improve the business. The more you share sensitive information, the more you increase the possibility that itll leak. Lerne mit deinen Freunden und bleibe auf dem richtigen Kurs mit deinen persnlichen Lernstatistiken. In addition, if you consider solving the above issue by providing subordinates more access to classified information you might end up creating another problem. In addition, if you consider things such as making deals with third parties, you can even lose a deal simply because the organization took too much time trying to come up with its desired terms. Participatory leadership used to be considered a difficult and controversial way to lead the troops. A transformational leader is a leader who is driven by a strong passion towards innovation and creating change that grows an organization. But this only refers to decision-making in the smaller level, such as sharing responsibility with immediate supervisors, instead of the full leadership of the organization. The rise of Bill Gates is no different in terms of debating the born/became conundrum. Before providing a few examples of participative leaders, well study the advantages and disadvantages of this theory. As an autocratic leader, control is the cornerstone of Gates' nature and his management practice. The findings relating to participatory leadership saw light in the 1950s, when researcher Henry A. Landsberger examined the original experiments led by Mayo. Gates participatory leadership goes beyond Microsoft as well. This kind of participation requires a formal structure. Even after Microsoft began gaining success, Gates worked long days and nights on understanding the target audience and developing the products that would speak to their business, education and consumer needs. With his transformational leadership style, Bill Gates has been able to make Microsoft into an industry leader in personal computer software development through innovative thinking, employee motivation and empowerment among other things. Transformational leaders also trust their trained employees to make decisions in their assigned roles, thus encouraging creativity across all levels of the organization. Determination to be the world's largest personal computer software company. A more autocratic model will simply have the leader pick up the best option from the consultation he or she had with subordinates. Upload unlimited documents and save them online. Instead of one person having to learn everything regarding a specific project, the responsibilities can be shared and peoples strengths in terms of knowledge put to a good use. Gates was fascinated by computers when he was young and spent most of his time learning how to program. He is the co-founder and former head of Microsoft. The Chief Executive Officer of Pepsico, Indra Nooyi, realizes the importance of teamwork. In return, as a leader, he receives happiness by. Under participative leadership, the leader empowers their followers and makes them a part of the decision-making process. If things go wrong, dont be the first to judge and criticize. He was the father of Bill Gates, co-founder of . The first type of participatory leadership is prevalent in Europe and its referred to as representative participation. The difference to the above dimension is the lower level of influence in decision-making processes. Login form These include: The above highlights well the amount of flexibility the leadership model can offer. Furthermore, the responsibility of sharing information is on the leader. . However, when doing what you love you can enjoy every day and want to go to work, but you are also more likely to become successful. Online resources to advance your career and business. Participative leadership wont work if the subordinates dont feel comfortable enough to approach the leader. This style can be time-consuming, it may not work with unskilled employees, and improper communication could cause conflict. Some well-known examples of participative leaders include Bill Gates and Jim Lentz. Before a decision, the representative might consult employees and then make a decision together with the leader. At this point, the subordinates can voice any concern or further suggestions they might have, although it must be clear the decision has already been made. Owning a share in the company sped up the rate at which employees worked to reach the organization goals. A team leader might act as a facilitator, but each employee votes for their preferred course of action. That's pretty lofty company. Leadership requires action and the passion to put the effort into turning that good idea into a sustainable revenue machine. In his early teens, he met Paul Allen at the Lakeside School, where they both developed computer programs as a hobby. allow businesses worldwide to enjoy continued success. Bill Gates is a transformational leader who has provided advice to teams on how to improve their business strategies and proposals, eliminating flaws and weaknesses in the organization. According to Crane, the experiments show that when employees feel supported through observation and participation, they are more satisfied and therefore productivity increases. There are two key aspects of communication in this leadership style: the ability to take in information and the ability to provide information. Employees in lower positions tend to have fewer options for participation compared to their higher positioned colleagues. This is a concept Bill Gates used exhaustively. Bill Gates was known to push his employees to achieve set goals through motivation and making them believe the goal is an attainable one. For instance, certain information might need to be withheld from subordinates in order to protect organizational security. His analytical ability was instrumental shaping his future career. Sign up to highlight and take notes. Participative Leadership is characterised by the leader actively involving team members in identifying objectives, developing strategy, and decision-making in general. If the decision-making is shared, people with different levels of knowledge and understanding of the issue can influence the outcome. As a participative leader, you want to ensure subordinates have enough opportunities to learn and develop themselves. You need to be a good listener and to ensure you always understand what the other person means. Participative leaders can motivate their employees and extract better performances from them. This could be a short-term period for determining the processes and objectives, after which the power of decision-making would return to the leader. Skyrocket your resume, interview performance, and salary negotiation skills. what is Bill Gates's transformational leadership style? He is currently worth $ 137.5B according to Forbes and was ranked the richest in technology in 2017. of the users don't pass the Bill Gates Leadership Style quiz! An example of an organization that uses the participative approach of leadership is Microsoft Incorporated. In fact, he managed to turn the company into one of the most profitable in a short space of time. When ones psyche is pushed by the deficiency, the person can highlight defensive behaviors. Unsurprisingly, Gates also implemented a strong digital landscape for communication. The examples listed above Martha Stewart and Bill Gates are extremely successful. Its important to understand that consultative participation doesnt necessarily mean the subordinates are able to influence the decision, rather that they are provided with the option of doing so. Bill Gates leadership style was a mixture of authoritative, delegation, and participatory. what qualities made Bill Gates successful? The Chief Executive Officer of Renault & Nissan is another example of a leader who practices participative leadership. This blog will briefly introduce participative leadership theory, participative leadership characteristics, and various participative leadership style examples. It's hard to imagine creating a strategy or inspiring others as a leader in an industry that just doesn't ignite a passion inside you. Some of the prominent benefits are -. The below SlideShare presentation on Empathy Training provides plenty of tips on how to expand your thoughtfulness and become more empathetic. Thatchers decision to deregulate the financial markets created a strong financial hub in London and allowed Diamond to take advantage of the situation at Barclays. He and Melinda Gates also started the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, a philanthropic organization looking to fight poverty, diseases and inequality around the world. Organizations could also implement short-term participation strategies. If you are just in it for the money, it will show. Its also a good idea to examine whether there are similarities or overlapping suggestions, which might help with the decision-making. Differences in knowledge are not always the fault of the subordinate. Even when you are busy at the given moment, organize a time as soon as possible to go over the issues the employee wanted to talk about. Gates understood the value of empowering people and he realized that the best way to beat competition is by allowing the most knowledgeable people to make the decisions. Its important for the leader to make judgments on what type of information is required and how the leader wants to share this information. In 2014, the company had to recall 2.3 million cars due to faulty breaks, which had led to plenty of dangerous situations. As mentioned above, even in systems where the leader makes the final decision, the subordinates are provided with the opportunity to understand why and to question the decision. The main reason why Microsoft is successful is that of Bill Gates hardworking and enthusiastic attitude towards his company and job. Gates has become a legend by continuing to evolve to stay relevant. One of the most used theories of human motivation was introduced in 1943 by Abraham Maslow and the theory has had a huge impact on participative leadership framework. Its a crucial part of being able to take in information. Gates provides an excellent model of how transformational qualities can help create a successful leader, but he also proves that the individual human spirit that all makes us unique and the influence of parents and mentors also play a critical role in creating the legends. Naturally, it is fair to ask, whether the means were justified or ethical, but the organization still had an effective and a participatory leader in Bob Diamond. Participative leaders give employees a chance to express their creativity by coming up with suggestions to tackle a situation. Some of the most famous examples of participative leaders in the corporate world include Donald Trump, Bill Gates, Bob Diamond, James Parker, Jim Lentz, and John Stahl. They love receiving inputs from their employees. He has also embraced diversity, not just by pushing the cars into new territories, but also by including local management into the operations. She has also written personalized letters to employees and their family members on some occasions. Bill Gates' leadership style is purely autocratic or sometimes called authoritarian (Thielen, 2000). Participative leaders try to empower employees with decision-making responsibilities and active participation in the company. It can create a much bigger sense of a community and add enthusiasm to the workplace. Gates has never been someone to simply be satisfied with the success he has achieved to date. Not only does this mean that you can use your knowledge as an advantage, but also utilize your creativity to its fullest. Together with his colleagues, Lewin found there to be three different leadership styles: democratic, autocratic, and laissez-faire. The above research and theories laid the foundations for future leadership and management theories. Short-term participation is a formal structure and it utilizes the direct participation framework. Since the participative leadership framework has room for varied styles of inclusion, the model can be a good choice in a business environment. [slideshare id=59051783&doc=kudos10waystoshowloveforemployees-160304035753&w=640&h=330]. Nonetheless, the framework is commonly present in a participative leadership model. Under tangible benefits, an organization could see improvements in productivity, turnover rate and absenteeism rate, along with its costs. They take liability for their dealings, they carry their teams, and they don't make justifications for failures. The style is identified as formal participatory structure and it is considered to be a long-term objective of the business. A number of the benefits and failings of the theory depend on the level of participation included. If feedback from the employees or leader is not taken seriously, the team could face chaos. In the study, homogenous and diverse groups were solving murder mysteries. Leadership should be more participative than directive, more enabling than performing. Mary D. Poole. Leaders have always been viewed as fundamentally different from other people. This created an environment where people knew what was going on in other parts of the company and thus, they were able to plan their own activities better. He is a believer of input of value from all of his employees for the organization's success. Under this dimension, subordinates are only temporarily included in the decision-making process. In 1999, Goshn manages to turn around the organization by slashing costs and closing unprofitable factories. The primary objective of every business is to turn and remain profitable. Create beautiful notes faster than ever before. Rewarding his employees with empowerment after achieving a set goal, Mentoring, empowering and aligning employees interest to achieve organization goals, Not trusting employees to make the best decision needed to achieve set goals, C. Mentoring, empowering and aligning employees interest to achieve organization goals, A key trait of the transformational leadership style is, Leadership through authority establishment, In a bid the drive change and results in an organization, the transformational leader, Explain the transformational leadership style. This took seemingly endless hours. He believes in the value of input from his employees for overall company success. Marketing, Sales, Product, Finance, and more. Youll require empathy and thoughtfulness as a participative leader. In 2011, after a 21-year battle in the court system, the case was finally put to rest after numerous threats to break the company up. Harappa offers various effective leadership courses. Furthermore, the participative leadership framework is formal, but it encourages an indirect model of behavior. His leadership style is often described as transformational and serves as a model for many of today's entrepreneurs who are just as determined, focused and passionate about what they are doing. The workplace environment is much more open under this type of leadership and the subordinates can feel more connected and involved in the organization and its direction. Despite the above advantages, participative leadership does have a downside. or enter another. Non-verbal communication can help other people find you more approachable and better at getting your message across. For Gates, his parents encouraged him to think independently and provided a values system that encouraged hard work, ethics, consideration for others and determination. Subordinates would be able to provide their opinion regarding the different software alternatives and talk about their ideas in terms of the implementation. Bill Gates is a great leader with a great vision. This made sharing ideas easier and collaboration was able to boost innovation within the company. As well explore in more detail later, all of these can be models within participatory leadership. Through analysis, Bill Gates was able to predict the changes coming to the technology industry, and move to put his organization in an advantageous position by introducing internet software for Microsoft machines. (3) Participative Leadership: Reflects the degree to which managers involve others in making and implementing decisions. As mentioned above, you must be a good communicator in order to excel as a participative leader. Although participative leadership is often referred to as the democratic leadership style, you shouldnt see it through a single lens of democracy. He is known to take suggestions from colleagues and teams. Create the most beautiful study materials using our templates. He knows the importance of employee participation in decision-making activities. [slideshare id=14129639&doc=empathytraining-120831082859-phpapp02&w=640&h=330]. However, this isnt possible without a good leader who inspires their employees and aligns business activities with organizational goals. It doesnt always make things smoother to have more players involved. Nonetheless, participative leadership always entails input from the leader and the subordinates. Sorry, you must be logged in to post a comment. This way, employees also feel connected and devoted to the company. It is the leaders role to facilitate the conversation and often to set the procedural guidelines for how the conversation will take place. He created an environment in which all employees' ideas to grow the organization were welcome. If the model bases itself on the consensus-style decision-making, then problems in reaching consensus can result in higher costs and even disagreements within the group. He also provided advice to teams on how to improve their business strategies and proposals, eliminating flaws and weaknesses in the organization. Furthermore, when the subordinates have been able to have a say in the policies, projects or processes, they are more likely to accept them. We will also discuss his leadership traits that have contributed to his success. Whether the leader uses a more autocratic style or a more consensus style, different opinions and ideas are listened to and allowed to fester. 1. This could mean increasing or decreasing subordinate participation, for example. Bill Gates, the president of the company, embraces participative leadership through empowerment of the subordinates who work on the innovative projects of the company. The more participative the framework, the more knowledge the leader should provide for the subordinates. In reality, the authoritarian leadership style leads to a hostile work environment that dampens creativity and destroys morale. Furthermore, even in a more autocratic model, where the leader has the final say, the process of consultation can lead to delays. For example, an organization might introduce a new project and ask for the team to influence how the project is implemented. Bill Gates is setting high goals. 7. We will encourage our employees to make their decisions based on an existing experience, he once said. One of the best user of this leadership style can be Bill Gates. He is known to take suggestions from colleagues and teams. The benefits of this model can be divided into two separate groups: tangible and intangible benefits. The business environment is dynamic. As participative leadership theory is focused on management, which relies on the involvement of different participants, it includes a strong component of human motivation. An approachable leader makes subordinates feel at ease. The founder of Microsoft is renowned for his participative leadership style. He understands how imperative it is to value the knowledge and skills of team members. He is known to take suggestions from colleagues and teams. The transformational leadership style involves a leader who is driven by a strong passion towards innovation and creating change in his organization and society. Diamond added a lot of risk taking to his approach and his style has often been considered aggressive. Bill gates style of leadership can be described to be participative. I recommend staying ahead of trends and not behind them. In 1967, Rensis Likert and his associates identified a four-fold model for leadership based on three decades worth of research. "Control is basic to Gate's nature and his management practice. Therefore, you should first analyze them and then explain them to subordinates to ensure you make solid decision-based on these objectives, and as a team. Provide them the opportunities to become the best leaders they can be. For participative leadership, the focus is on the basic, or deficiency, needs and the growth motivation. They act as mediators between the leader and the subordinates. Inclusion doesnt just mean involving people into the decision-making progress, listening to them and then walking away. Inspiring and encouraging the positive empowerment of his employees. In 1975, they started Microsoft, and by 1978 . Standing as a role model with exemplary moral standards. The final dimension deals with representative participation. Participative leadership can also appear in a more informal framework. One of the clearest benefits of the theory is the increased number of opinions involved in decision-making. As a result, Microsoft now has a yearly revenue of almost $100 billion and employs more than 120,000 people throughout the globe. He is also known to encourage his employees to become part of the organization by making company stock available to them, making employees shareholders in the organization, thus inspiring them to work harder to ensure the success of the organization. Evidently, Bill Gates exhibited many leadership attributes, among those that are characteristic of his many successes are his capacity to analyze and interpret situations and information (Lewis, Packard, & Lewis, 2007). Therefore, you might be able to reach much more creative solutions. However, the. Despite dropping out of Harvard, Bill Gates has gone on to be one of the richest billionaires and most influential men in the world. Check out the inspirational video on the importance of empowering others. Due to this participatory and transparent approach, Lentz was able to save Toyotas reputation from suffering from larger damage. Leadership could be authoritative, autocratic, transformational, etc. First, deficiency needs are the bottom needs of food, safety, love and esteem. Therefore, the following characteristics can help in your role as a participative leader. He is the founder of the calendar productivity tool Calendar. In certain cases, there might not be official consultation, but rather the representative aims to provide input through experience and understanding of the employees and their wishes. Therefore, subordinates could be providing their input without knowing the full picture. They also look to inspire, educate and provide resources needed for employees to create the change they aim for. Its a mixture of collective and consensus leadership, as the subordinates are a major part of the decision-making process and often serve on the board of directors. Lets examine the common characteristics of a participative leader and the actions you should focus on if you want to become better at this leadership style. From the above basic concepts and findings, the theory of participatory leadership began emerging. Increased buy-in and commitment to decisions: By involving group members in the decision-making process, participative leaders can increase the buy-in and commitment of group members to the decisions made. Disagreements during the process can easily lead to resentment, if subordinates start feeling like their opinions arent listened to or respected. Indeed, as the above has shown, participative leadership framework can come in many levels of inclusion employees might have the full say, or the leader might only listen to them before making decisions. They want others to lead as well. The. It is a leadership style in which, as the name suggests, all team members are encouraged to provide input and thoughts about group goals and decisions. An organization often has the so-called middle managers, who act as messengers between the higher ranked leader and the employees. The more sources of ideas I have, the better decisions I can make.. He believes that employees are experienced and can provide valuable inputs to improve operations. In both instances, the shared decision-making can also create issues with the quality of the decisions, not just time. Creativity traits. Encouraging open communication and emphasizing originality and cooperation. While this theory is still hotly debated, there are many examples of companies that work to incorporate employees more in the decision making process. He refers to people in his article as a perpetually wanting animal. Instead of ducking responsibility, Lentz took action and became increasingly open about the situation. In this situation, the persons willingness to improve as a human comes from the desire to grow and fulfill goals. Furthermore, its possible to have further discussions, in terms of clarifying some of the ideas, with the subordinates. For example, in Germany around half of a companys board members are elected directly by employees and employees even serve as board members. He is consistently the richest man in the world, with an estimated net worth of $90 billion in 2016. Although Diamond fell from grace in 2012 after Barclays found itself in the middle of a fixing scandal, his leadership still provided some of the best financial results for the bank. An admirable leader has taken charge to help others by guiding them in the right direction, imparting knowledge, and experience, or even providing the necessary resources that will improve the lives or careers of others. Whenever you make a decision, its important to walk through your reasoning with the subordinates. They should be viewed as the exception and not the rule. He values his staff and knows the importance of his staffs. As we discussed in the above section, there are different variations in terms of participation within participative leadership. Please use the The cruise line's updated contract follows a spate of unruly guest behavior across the tourism industry. The model sees a three-level participation framework. Suggestions from employees are seen as a challenge to their authority. development of your potential or even professional growth, who will be in charge of doing specific tasks, CP22: John Lee Dumas from EOFire Talks about Starting & Growing Successful Podcast, Participative Leadership Guide: Definition, Qualities, Pros & Cons, Examples. If you are aggressive or introvert in nature, it might be difficult to engage other people in the discussion. The leader plays a crucial role in creating an environment, which is engaging and open.
