The use of both traditional and innovative approaches in the preparation of professional managers is distinguished by a number of features, and various nuances can manifest themselves in the course of work since different concepts imply various advantages and shortcomings. When evaluating the effectiveness of specific leadership techniques, it is essential to analyze and determine which of the existing techniques are relevant in a particular environment.
It is required to conduct such research so that the practice chosen could correspond to a particular area as closely as possible and could contribute to developing important skills in a certain area. As a background for analysis, the organization “Atrium Health” providing training services for managers at all levels will be used. The theory of democratic leadership may be relevant in this company, and its features need to be described within a specific learning environment. This work aims at assessing the effectiveness of democratic leadership in “Atrium Health,” searching for the rationale supporting the use of this method of training leaders, and determining its impact on the working process.
Summary of the Organization Activities
The organization “Atrium Health” is involved in the preparation of managers at different levels, including work in small projects, as well as activities to maintain the high results of leadership activity in large companies. One of the directions is the creation of virtual teams as a means of achieving remote interaction among the representatives of the business sphere. As teaching methods, modern approaches are applied, and the use of current educational practices is promoted.
“Atrium Health” aims at creating an enabling environment for acquiring valuable skills that are needed to manage different types of organizations. The variability of approaches allows achieving the productive results of training, and one of the principles promoted by the company is the use of a democratic leadership style as one of the successful leadership practices.
Leadership Theory Description
Since “Atrium Health” is the organization promoting the theory of democratic leadership, teamwork is one of the priorities. According to Iqbal, Anwar, and Haider (2015), this “approach is characterized by an “I share” philosophy” (p. 3). Based on this principle of activity, the representatives of the management do not adhere to the authoritarian principle of control over subordinates’ work and do not require strict and immediate obedience to orders. On the contrary, individual initiative is encouraged, and employees’ desire to express their abilities to the full is one of the key terms of the theory.
One of the essential components of the democratic theory of leadership is the assessment of employees’ job satisfaction. As Amanchukwu, Stanley, and Ololube (2015) note, team members work productively if all participants in specific projects approve a chosen course and are aware of the means of achieving their final goals. Therefore, this concept allows realizing group opportunities and analyzing the current results of the work done on the basis of colleagues’ competent opinions.
Rationale for Choosing the Theory
The application of the democratic theory of leadership in “Atrium Health” is relevant due to the principles of management training that are promoted by the company. The organization in question does not aim to work with those specialists who adhere to the authoritarian principles of control and punish personnel for the slightest violation. On the contrary, the coaches of “Atrium Health” help managers to understand the importance of employee engagement and the individual contribution of team members in achieving their final goals.
Khan et al. (2015) also call this concept participative leadership, pointing out that the approach is based primarily on teamwork by engaging employees in joint activities. Therefore, the theory under consideration corresponds to the “Atrium Health” policy and is promoted as one of the key practices.
Literature Review
The theory of democratic leadership is considered by different authors in academic works and is evaluated in terms of its relevance in certain working conditions. Amanchukwu et al. (2015) argue that there are many advantages of this concept within the business environment and notes that this approach allows developing employees’ skills and facilitating their development as specialists. The author also notes the danger of using this theory in cases when the speed of performing tasks is a priority (Amanchukwu et al., 2015). However, for “Atrium Health,” not pace but efficiency is essential; therefore, the relevance of this methodology within the company is confirmed.
De Hoogh, Greer, and Den Hartog (2015) compare two opposing forms of leadership — autocratic and democratic. According to the authors, those teams where the first principle is promoted are “characterized by more discontent and hostility than democratically led groups” (De Hoogh et al., 2015, p. 691). At the same time, the democratic type of management organization is distinguished by a more loyal approach and the use of the advantages of collective activities. Therefore, this practice is consistent with the policies promoted by “Atrium Health.”
According to Fiaz, Su, and Saqib (2017), promoting collaboration and virtual interaction among the members of groups is the typical feature of democratic leadership. The authors remark that “the leader is more part of the team,” and such principles of maintaining a favorable microclimate are supported as helpfulness, friendliness, and the encouragement of engagement (Fiaz et al., 2017, p. 146). The training practice of “Atrium Health” is aimed at teaching managers these qualities, which allows speaking about the compliance of this concept with the educational course.
From the perspective of Iqbal et al. (2015), democratic leadership is one of the most flexible approaches, which makes it possible to achieve ultimate goals through loyalty and the encouragement of joint discussions. It is believed that “the democratic leader makes no suggestions but asks for the groups opinions” (Iqbal et al., 2015, p. 3). Certainly, personal positions are also crucial, but the participation of subordinates and colleagues is more significant than in teams where the autocratic principle is maintained. Therefore, the technique in question has many advantages and is relevant to “Atrium Health.”
The study conducted by Khan et al. (2015) includes the enumeration of the virtues of democratic leadership. The authors consider this management approach as the way of developing plans that can help employees to evaluate their individual performance, set clear goals, and stimulate their professional growth (Khan et al., 2015). Also, the irrelevance of this methodology is described, for instance, when work is to be carried out in a short time, and no errors are intolerable. However, the training courses offered by “Atrium Health” are aimed at helping managers to develop their ability to work in a team, and the practice in question can be promoted as one of the main educational concepts in the organization.
Influence of the Theory on Specific Variables
Managers’ Behavior Towards Subordinates and Its Effect
The use of democratic leadership may have a positive effect on the behavior of managers towards their subordinates. If the heads of certain companies’ departments encourage teamwork and stimulate the participation of each team member in achieving goals, mutual understanding will be achieved. It, in turn, will allow managers to understand the needs of their subordinates better and eliminate any manifestations of bias. Therefore, this practice is the valuable way of building professional interaction.
Communication
Effective communication is one of the important aspects of teamwork. When leaders receive accurate and up-to-date information on time, it allows them to make the right decisions quickly, which, in turn, increases the overall productivity results. According to Amanchukwu et al. (2015), “managers must have open channels of communication,” and democratic leadership is one of those approaches that allows streamlining such work (p. 11). Therefore, the influence of the considered concept on the communication level is positive.
Motivation of Subordinates
The manifestation of the initiative is one of the working conditions that are maintained in accordance with the terms of democratic leadership. As a result, subordinates receive an opportunity to be creative since their ideas and suggestions can be seen and appreciated. Moreover, when employees see feedback from their management, it gives them additional motivation to improve current working results and to be even more diligent. Therefore, when implemented properly, the theory of democratic leadership may become the successful practice of increasing staff motivation.
Group and Team Behavior
Democratic leadership is the management methodology that helps to rally the team and maintain a favorable microclimate. Iqbal et al. (2015) argue that the positive impact of this approach on behavior among colleagues is felt due to an opportunity to participate in the decisions made. According to the authors, “the group is left to make its own decisions democratically” (Iqbal et al., 2015, p. 3). Therefore, such leadership contributes to solving the necessary tasks at the team level and excludes employee dissatisfaction.
Decision-Making
The solution of tasks, which is supported by democratic leadership, has the high probability of success due to the fact that the opinions of different team members are taken into account. Managers can assign subordinates to work on specific projects either separately or in groups, and the multiplicity of findings allows identifying those solutions that are most relevant for specific purposes. Therefore, the decision-making process that is based on this approach is distinguished by quality and effectiveness.
Culture
The norms of the corporate culture, which are promoted in most modern companies, include respect for subordinates and compliance with the moral and ethical standards of behavior. Democratic leadership is one of the few practices that promote equality among the members of one team and allow all participants in a particular project to express personal positions independently. This technique stimulates respect for the opinions of colleagues and contributes to complying with the conditions of the corporate culture of interaction.
Conclusion
The evaluation of the effectiveness of democratic leadership as the main educational methodology in “Atrium Health” in training managers at all levels proves the relevance of this practice and its numerous advantages. The analysis of this approach makes it possible to determine the effectiveness of this concept and its manifestation in the business environment. Based on the evidence obtained in academic sources, it can be concluded that this technique has a positive effect on various aspects of the working process.
References
Amanchukwu, R. N., Stanley, G. J., & Ololube, N. P. (2015). A review of leadership theories, principles and styles and their relevance to educational management. Management, 5(1), 6-14. Web.
De Hoogh, A. H., Greer, L. L., & Den Hartog, D. N. (2015). Diabolical dictators or capable commanders? An investigation of the differential effects of autocratic leadership on team performance. The Leadership Quarterly, 26(5), 687-701. Web.
Fiaz, M., Su, Q., & Saqib, A. (2017). Leadership styles and employees’ motivation: Perspective from an emerging economy. The Journal of Developing Areas, 51(4), 143-156. Web.
Iqbal, N., Anwar, S., & Haider, N. (2015). Effect of leadership style on employee performance. Arabian Journal of Business and Management Review, 5(5), 1-6. Web.
Khan, M. S., Khan, I., Qureshi, Q. A., Ismail, H. M., Rauf, H., Latif, A., & Tahir, M. (2015). The styles of leadership: A critical review. Public Policy and Administration Research, 5(3), 87-92.