What is Laissez-Faire Leadership Style?

Laissez-faire leadership, also known as representative leadership, is a style of leadership in which leaders are hands-on and allow group members to make decisions. Researchers have found that this is often the leadership style that produces the least productivity among group members. However, it must be recognized that this leadership style can have both benefits and possible pitfalls. There are of course certain settings and situations where this leadership style may be best suited. Knowing the dominant leadership style can help you understand one’s own strengths and potential weaknesses. This article contains information about the characteristics of Laissez-Faire leadership style.

Characteristics of Laissez-Faire Leadership

Laissez-faire leadership is characterized by:

• Demonstrates a let-it-do approach
• Leaders provide all training and support
• Decisions are left to employees
• They are comfortable with mistakes
• Responsibility falls on the leader

While the traditional term for this style is laissez-faire and refers to a fully hands-on approach, many leaders are still open, open to group members for consultation and feedback. They can give direction at the start of a project, but then allow group members to do their work with little oversight. This approach to leadership requires great confidence. Leaders should ensure that group members have the skills, knowledge, and follow up to complete a project without micromanagement.

Advantages of Laissez-Faire Leadership

Like other leadership styles, laissez-faire leadership style has its advantages. These advantages are as follows:

• Encourages personal development: As leaders are very practical in their approach, employees have a chance to be hands-on. This leadership style creates an environment that facilitates growth and development.

• Encourages innovation: The freedom given to employees can encourage creativity and innovation.

• Allows faster decision making: As there is no micromanagement, employees under laissez-faire leadership have the autonomy to make their own decisions. They can make quick decisions without waiting weeks for the approval process.

Certain prerequisites must be met to take advantage of these benefits. For example, this approach can work if the team is full of highly skilled and experienced self-employed people. Because these group members are experts and have the knowledge and skills to work independently, they can perform tasks with little guidance. This style is particularly effective when group members are more knowledgeable than the group leader. The laissez-faire style allows them to demonstrate their deep knowledge and skills surrounding the particular subject. This autonomy can liberate some group members and help them feel more satisfied with their work. The laissez-faire style can be used in situations where followers have a high level of passion and intrinsic motivation for their work.

Disadvantages of Laissez-Faire Leadership

The laissez-faire style is not very effective in situations where team members do not have the knowledge or experience they need to complete tasks and make decisions, as it depends largely on the abilities of the group. This can lead to poor job performance and less job satisfaction. This leadership style is also not suitable for situations where efficiency and high productivity are the main concerns. Some people are not good at setting their own deadlines, managing their own projects, and solving problems on their own. With this leadership style, projects can go astray and deadlines missed when team members don’t get enough guidance or feedback from leaders. Some possible disadvantages of laissez-faire style include:

• Lack of role clarity: In some cases, laissez-faire leads to poorly defined roles within the group. Because team members receive little or no guidance, they may be unsure of their role in the group and what to do in their time.

• Poor participation in the group: Laissez-faire leaders are often seen as excluded and withdrawn, which can lead to a lack of cohesion within the group. Since the leader seems uninterested in what is going on, followers sometimes understand this and show less interest and interest in the project.

• Low accountability: Some leaders use this style as a way to avoid responsibility for the group’s failures. When goals are not achieved, the leader may blame team members for not completing tasks or not meeting expectations.

• Passivity: Laissez-faire leadership represents passivity at its worst, or even complete avoidance of true leadership. In such situations, these leaders do nothing to try to motivate followers, do not recognize the efforts of their team members, and do not attempt to join the group.

If team members are unfamiliar with the process or tasks, leaders are better off taking a more hands-on approach. As team members gain more experience, they can return to a more representative approach.

Areas Where Laissez-Faire Leaders Are Successful

If the leader has a laissez-faire approach, there are areas and situations where he might tend to do better. Working in a creative field where people tend to be highly motivated, talented, creative and dedicated to their work can help achieve good results with this style. Laissez-faire leaders are often excellent at proving knowledge and background at the start of a project, and this can be particularly useful for self-directed teams. By giving team members everything they need at the start of a task, they will have the knowledge they need to complete the task as directed.

For example, a representative might excel in a leading product design area. Because the team members are well trained and highly creative, they need very little direct management. Instead, an effective leader can provide minimal oversight and guidance and still produce high quality results. Even in such areas, it can be beneficial to take advantage of a variety of leadership approaches at different stages of the work process. For example, let alone leadership can be most effective in the early stages when a product or idea is brainstormed or created. When the design is in place and ready for production, it may be best to switch to a style that includes more direction and control.

A leader with this style can struggle in situations that require great oversight, precision, and attention to detail. In high-risk and high-pressure work environments where every detail needs to be perfect and completed on time, a more authoritarian or managerial style may be more appropriate. Using a laissez-faire approach in this type of scenario can lead to missed deadlines and poor performance, especially if group members are unsure of what to do or do not have the skills they need to perform tasks with little or no direction.

Famous Laissez-Faire Leaders

Throughout history, there have been many prominent political and business leaders who have demonstrated features of laissez-faire leadership style. Steve Jobs was known for giving his team instructions on what he wanted to see, but then leaving them to his own devices to figure out how to fulfill his requests. Former US President Herbert Hoover was notorious for adopting a more laissez-faire approach to management, often allowing more experienced consultants to take on tasks for which they lacked knowledge and expertise.

Laissez-faire leadership, often rejected as a style that leads to poor group outcomes, can be effective in a variety of situations. Those who tend to be more of a laissez-faire leader should opt to work in areas where this style can be perfect. In environments where the group needs more oversight or direction, they may find that there is a need to deliberately focus on taking a more authoritarian or democratic approach. By studying your own style, one can improve their skills and become a better leader.