Psychology A2 · Organisational Psychology. The idea in plain words, the rules to remember, the mistake to avoid and a worked example, written and checked by Mega Lecture.
Muczyk and Reimann describe leader behaviour using two questions. Who makes the decision: the leader alone (autocratic) or with the staff (democratic)? How closely is the work then supervised: closely (directive) or loosely (permissive)? Combining them gives four styles.
Scouller says leadership works at three levels: public (leading the group), private (leading individuals one to one) and personal (the leader's own skills, attitudes and self-mastery).
Research on gender suggests that women tend to lead more democratically, and that a woman using a 'masculine' style may be judged harshly because it clashes with stereotypes (role congruity). Cuadrado et al. (2008) tested this idea in Spain.
Students mix up the two dimensions. 'Autocrat or democrat' is about who makes the decision; 'directive or permissive' is about how closely the work is supervised afterwards. Also remember that Cuadrado et al. did not support the prediction that female leaders would be rated worse.
Answer: Permissive democrat.
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