Lesson 6

Leadership Styles for Decision Making

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Purpose

• to understand a range of leadership styles for decision making

• to determine how to choose a leadership style

• to decide who the leader involves in making a decision

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Which of the following leadership styles is better?

• “I put most problems into my team’s hands and leave it to them to carry the ball from there.”

• “I believe in getting things done. Someone has to call the shots around here, and I think it should be me.”

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• Do all leaders use the same style?

• Do all effective leaders use the same style?

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Leadership Styles

Leadership Styles

• Mutual – leader allows group to reach whatever decision it chooses within limits.

• Consult – leader receives input, makes final decision

• Test – leader presents tentative decision subject to change

• Sell – leader sells a decision already made

• Tell – leader announces decision already made

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Planning the Company Picnic

Mutual - We need to plan our annual picnic. Set a time and place. Your only constraint is that it must take place within 10 miles of our location and be held some time in July or August.

Consult - I would like your suggestions on when and where to have our picnic and I will then make a decision.

Test - What do you think of having our picnic at Clearbrook Park, on Saturday, July 15th?

Sell - We will have our picnic at Clearbrook Park on Saturday, July 15th because everyone liked going there last year.

Tell - We will have our picnic at Clearbrook Park on Saturday, July 15th.

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greater freedom of the followers

greater use of authority by the leader

Tell

Sell

Test

Consult

Mutual

Leadership Behavior

• No one style is best for all circumstances.

• Effective leaders use whatever style is most appropriate.

Is one leadership style better than another?

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How does a leader choose a style?

• time

• technical quality of the decision and skill level of participants

• degree of commitment required

• availability of the fewest number of people who should be involved

• leader’s willingness to be influenced

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Who does a leader involve?

• decision-makers

• technical experts

• people who need to be informed about the decision

• person not directly involved but who maintains veto power

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• Teams function best when the leader chooses the proper decision making style for the particular situation.

• Teams are less effective when the leader chooses an inappropriate style.

• Teams function especially poorly when team members believe leaders are in one style, but are in reality in another.

Observations

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What About You?!

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Frequency of Use

LeastFrequently

MostFrequently

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Position the five styles according to how often you employ them

Style and Comfort of Use

• People tend to use the leadership style with which they are most comfortable.

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Observation

• When leaders use the most appropriate leadership style, followers are more likely to move up the scale of possible responses.

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Which of the following styles is better?

• “I put most problems into my team’s hands and leave it to them to carry the ball from there.”

• “I believe in getting things done. Someone has to call the shots around here, and I think it should be me.”

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Implications for Leaders

• Leaders are typically unaware of the leadership styles they use.

• Awareness will result in choosing the right style.

• As followers increase their knowledge and skills they can more fully participate in the decision-making process.

• By making everyone aware of this process, collective learning is enhanced.

• This tool is a key to creating exceptional organizations.17

Summary

• There are five leadership styles: tell, sell, test, consult, and mutual.

• The leader needs to choose the right style for the particular situation.

• The leader needs to involve the appropriate people in a decision.

• Teams function best when the leader uses the right style.

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Bibliography

Tannenbaum, Robert and Warren H. Schmidt. “How to Choose a Leadership Patter,” Harvard

Business Review. Boston: Harvard Business School Publishing Division, March-April 1958.

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This lesson is a modified excerpt from the book, Compass – Creating Exceptional Organizations: A Leader’s Guide, written by William F. Brandt, Jr., cofounder and former CEO of American Woodmark Corporation –

the third largest producer of kitchen cabinets in America.

Copyright 2013William F. Brandt, Jr.

This lesson may be copied, presented and/or distributed to up to five people. Distribution beyond five is subject to a user fee as described in the website: CompassCEO.com

The book and related materials are also available from the website: CompassCEO.com

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