He likes to discuss procedures and bounce off ideas to come to a solid conclusion of the best approach. As well discuss in the section about the disadvantages of the leadership style, creating an appropriate structure for sharing information can be difficult. 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. Bruce E. Kaufman summarized the theory well in a 2001 article published in the Human Resource Management Review by stating. Margaret Thatcher is a controversial figure in UK politics, but she did set up the scene for Bob Diamonds participative leadership to flourish. He and Melinda Gates also started the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, a philanthropic organization looking to fight poverty, diseases and inequality around the world. He is consistently the richest man in the world, with an estimated net worth of $90 billion in 2016. The more sources of ideas I have, the better decisions I can make.. This leadership style helps achieve the companys objectives efficiently and effectively. Gates was fascinated by computers when he was young and spent most of his time learning how to program. The leadership theorys roots are often traced back to an experiment in the 1930s, famously known as the Hawthorne experiments. 1. Earn points, unlock badges and level up while studying. They take liability for their dealings, they carry their teams, and they don't make justifications for failures. Bill Gates Leadership Style Bill Gates offers a more participative leadership style. of the users don't pass the Bill Gates Leadership Style quiz! or enter another. Throughout the battle, Gates continued to pursue the strategy that he had laid out and stayed the course, preferring to focus on the future rather than be distracted by present challenges. If you or the subordinates feel things arent working, then you need to be willing to shake things around. However, this isnt possible without a good leader who inspires their employees and aligns business activities with organizational goals. He micromanaged his team and set strict rules to ensure the company met his goals and advanced his vision. A leader should not be static; they should dynamic. Non-verbal communication can help other people find you more approachable and better at getting your message across. The broader view in terms of listening to opinions can also take off pressure from a single person, or mainly, the leader. Its important for the leader to make judgments on what type of information is required and how the leader wants to share this information. You need to develop enough clarity in your speech to convey the message. Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. If you are just in it for the money, it will show. Lentz has acknowledged his style to be participative. Identify your study strength and weaknesses. Join Harappas, Participative Leadership Style Advantages and Disadvantages. What motivates people to perform tasks or follow a leader? Before a decision, the representative might consult employees and then make a decision together with the leader. Yet, the style also enhances creativity and guarantees employees become more involved and invested with the company they work for. You also need to communicate with an authoritative, yet empathetic manner. 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. In fact, many of the companys products are about global participation and connection, ensuring everyone has a chance to take part in the global economy and society. Gates turned it down as it did not look like a Windows product. They also foster collaboration and innovation and create learning organizations. There are 6 clear traits that are a fundamental part of how Bill Gates approaches the concept of leadership. The ability to listen to peoples opinions and consider different approaches provided Diamonds Barclays a huge advantage during the financial crash. Ideas are best shared in groups, as this means the opinions and suggestions can be immediately dissected and analyzed. The Chief Executive Officer of Pepsico, Indra Nooyi, realizes the importance of teamwork. Famous Leader Example: Bill Belichick, New England Patriots Head Coach The Transactional Leadership style thrives in a scenario where management is heavily influenced by metrics and clearly defined goals. 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. Subordinates would be able to provide their opinion regarding the different software alternatives and talk about their ideas in terms of the implementation. The founder of Microsoft is renowned for his participative leadership style. When ones psyche is pushed by the deficiency, the person can highlight defensive behaviors. Again, consultative participation is identified as a formal and long-term objective of an organization. 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. He also looks to inspire, educate and provide resources needed for employees to create the change he aims for. Listening to everyones opinion and then consulting the subordinates on the decision can mean the leader and the subordinates are spending their time inefficiently. In order to be more open-minded, you should immerse yourself with different approaches and ideas. In the study, homogenous and diverse groups were solving murder mysteries. Therefore, decision might be taken based on wrong or insufficient information. We will encourage our employees to make their decisions based on an existing experience, he once said. Another historical study, which has influenced participatory leadership, was Kurt Lewins research in the 1930s. Now that youre familiar with the meaning of participative leadership, you can agree that the conventional models of autocratic and authoritative leadership are now redundant. Some of Bill Gates leadership skills and characteristics that help him be a transformational leader include: Aligning employees 'self-interest with the organization's interests is one of Bill Gates' many skills and talents. This can help the organization to cut down costs. An example of his authoritative style was when a group of developers produced an e-reader in 1998. The style engaged the whole organization or the specific team, with the responsibility of achieving objectives being spread across. Set individual study goals and earn points reaching them. Focus Knowing something is much different than having wisdom. 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. Owners could also find themselves without A/C if they fall behind on payments. The primary objective of every business is to turn and remain profitable. This is a concept Bill Gates used exhaustively. Password reset instructions will be sent to your E-mail. Whether the leader uses a more autocratic style or a more consensus style, different opinions and ideas are listened to and allowed to fester. 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. Leadership could be authoritative, autocratic, transformational, etc. The primary objective of every business is to turn and remain profitable. William Henry Gates III, popularly known as Bill Gates, co-founded Microsoft with his childhood friend Paul Allen. The participation in work decisions may include consultation or an actual power shift to the subordinates, depending on the wider system in place. Promoting a culture of originality, innovation and invention among employees. Get on promotion fasstrack and increase tour lifetime salary. The plethora of ideas can improve decision-making, as the actions are based on a broader set of values and viewpoints. Bill Gates is the co-founder of Microsoft, the company which created the Windows operating system. In 1967, Rensis Likert and his associates identified a four-fold model for leadership based on three decades worth of research. Although he wasn't a model student, Gates decided it was important to pursue what he was passionate about. That led to many breakthroughs in computers, including the programming language BASIC and, later the MS-DOS program for IBM. The business environment is dynamic. Over time, though, Gates realized that being unempathetic and almost ruthless was not the best strategy for leading. Consultative participation generally implies deeper participation by the subordinates in a variety of the organizations operations. Furthermore, it uses a framework of direct participation. 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. Upload unlimited documents and save them online. Therefore, the following characteristics can help in your role as a participative leader. Bill Gates provides his employees with empowerment opportunities to improve their skills, Which of the following is not part of Bill Gates leadership skills, Aligning organizational goals with employees interests, Aligning employees interests with organization goals, Motivating employees towards achieving organization goals, A. Aligning organizational goals with employees interests, Transformational leadership style can also be referred to as participative leadership style, Transformational leaders look to cause a change in the world just to fill their pockets, Transformational leaders stands in as role models with exemplary moral standards to their employees, C. Transformational leaders stands in as role models with exemplary moral standards to their employees, Motivating employees and aligning their personal interests with organizational goals is a principle of the transformational leadership style, Due to his transformational leadership style, Bill Gates often rejected ideas from team members, Which of the following is a principle of transformational leadership. Under this style, the leader still retains final . For example, an organization might introduce a new project and ask for the team to influence how the project is implemented. Its important subordinates feel their opinions are welcomed and respected. Furthermore, when the subordinates have been able to have a say in the policies, projects or processes, they are more likely to accept them. Transformational leaders trust their trained employees to make decisions in their assigned roles. A spokesperson said the company had become "a leaner and more focused company over the last three years.". Participative leaders can motivate their employees and extract better performances from them. As Gates said, "We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten. A team leader might act as a facilitator, but each employee votes for their preferred course of action. 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). This Entrepreneur.com "Best Read" was originally posted Sept. 15, 2015. There is the leader, the representatives and the employees. Participative leaders are curious, always looking for fresh and innovative ideas from their employees to improve the business. Studying the leaders whove made the template work can help you understand the elements of the theory in more detail. She communicates with employees regularly to know their feelings and thoughts. Promoting a culture of self-development by providing access to empowerment resources and access to knowledge. He also provided advice to teams on how to improve their business strategies and proposals, eliminating flaws and weaknesses in the organization. The ideas they provide might differ dramatically from the advice theyd give if they knew all the details. Create and find flashcards in record time. Create the most beautiful study materials using our templates. He also follows Transformational Leadership style as he tries to appeal to employee's emotions through motivation and support. The man, identified as 40-year-old Marc Muffley, was scheduled to fly on Allegiant Flight 201 from Lehigh Valley International Airport to Florida's Orlando Sanford International Airport. Unequal levels of knowledge can be detrimental for making the right decisions and therefore this is a crucial part of participative leadership. If you are aggressive or introvert in nature, it might be difficult to engage other people in the discussion. Yukls four management styles included: All of the above include a different level of participation from the subordinates, expect for the autocratic model. Participative leaders are great listeners. As a result, employees feel valued and devote themselves wholeheartedly to the organization. Examples of participative leaders include facilitators, social workers, arbitrators and group therapists. In his article, A Theory of Human Motivation, Maslow introduced the idea that human motivation can vary depending on the person and the need. Nonetheless, his style is participatory because he has include others and been highly transparent about the operational processes within the auto manufacturer. In his early years, Gates was an authoritarian leader. The removal of rapid decision-making and changes can provide employees with more peace of mind and stability. Its obvious that sharing decision-making plays a big role in participative leadership. As mentioned at the start of the chapter, the disadvantages can depend slightly on the degree of subordinate participation. He understands how imperative it is to value the knowledge and skills of team members. This motivates the employees and equips them with the knowledge needed to make decisions that are of advantage to the organization. Below are a few famous examples of participative leadership in action. Bill Gates' leadership style is purely autocratic or sometimes called authoritarian (Thielen, 2000). When the decision-making is shared and you are required to include other people within the circle of leadership, the focus should be on communication and engagement. In certain instances, the saying Many cooks spoil the broth can be true under the leadership model. Despite Gates' phenomenal success, he did have to contend with anti-trust litigation claiming that Microsoft was a monopoly. The. [slideshare id=59051783&doc=kudos10waystoshowloveforemployees-160304035753&w=640&h=330]. The leader generally explains the decision to subordinates and provides the reasons behind the resolve. Apart from the above characteristics, there are certain actions you should focus on as a participative leader. For Gates, his parents encouraged him to think independently and provided a values system that encouraged hard work, ethics, consideration for others and determination. New policies and procedures are not just announced and then implemented, which ensures employees are able to adjust and slowly shift their mindset to the new way of doing things. Leadership Bill Gates' leadership style is a very participative and a very directive style because all his other subordinates and employees are involved in decision making and they're allowed to give their opinions and suggestions. "Control is basic to Gate's nature and his management practice. Bill Gates is often seen as an innovative visionary and a man with impeccable entrepreneur skills who made billions by anticipating market needs and adapting existing technology to solve specific market needs. Inspiring and encouraging the positive empowerment of his employees. Katherine Phillips, associate professor of management and organizations at the Kellogg School of Management, outlined her research findings in a Forbes article. You should also provide subordinates with support. His legend status has now become more about what he has accomplished on a social level than business. This leadership style is often used in volunteering, social work, and by therapists. 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. Comparison of the leadership styles of Sir Richard Branson and Knight Bill Gates. Also, He was known to put long term strategies in place based on his market analysis, in order to give the organization a competitive advantage. Bill Gates is setting high goals. They also look to inspire, educate and provide resources needed for employees to create the change they aim for. Participatory management typically requires greater sharing of information, rewards, and power with front-line employees, as well as considerably greater investment in training. you dont have deficiencies in basic needs, you are driven by a universal will to grow, have more autonomy and excel in self-actualization. Free and expert-verified textbook solutions. This made sharing ideas easier and collaboration was able to boost innovation within the company. 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 big defining aspect of Ghosns leadership culture is the inclusion and more importantly the embracing of cultural differences. Be perfectly prepared on time with an individual plan. But for growth motivation, the development of your potential or even professional growth will be the driving force. While Gates participatory style provided subordinates more freedom in terms of decision-making and power, Lentz has used a more autocratic version of the leadership model. When Bill Gates stepped down as Chairman in 2014, he continued to serve as a technology advisor. Explore Harappa Diaries to learn more about topics such as Types of Management Style, Advanatges Of Delegating Leadership, Various Theories Of Leadership and How to conduct Skills Gap Analysis to fill those and advance in your career. The business environment is dynamic. Leaders have always been viewed as fundamentally different from other people. Such leaders are always open to inputs, suggestions and advice from their colleagues and subordinates. Bill Gates is a transformational leader because he is driven by a strong passion for innovation and creating change that grows an organization. You need to inform subordinates enough to ensure they provide opinions based on the best knowledge available, but you also have to protect sensitive information getting into wrong hands. He led the pursuit to diversify the Microsoft product line and ingrained that need in the organization's culture. As well as understanding the different spectrum of decision-making at current participatory leadership model, research has also identified different groups based largely on the cultural tradition of leadership. 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. The leader would discuss the project with the subordinates and the team as a whole would decide on how and when certain objectives shall be done and who will be in charge of doing specific tasks. Essentially, the different styles can be showcased on a spectrum, with the focus shifting from no participation to high participation. Only major decisions might be ran through the subordinates. A number of the benefits and failings of the theory depend on the level of participation included. As a participative leader, you want to ensure subordinates have enough opportunities to learn and develop themselves. 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. Stop procrastinating with our study reminders. This means you should aim to improve the way you react to other people stay neutral, yet positive in the face of all sorts of news. 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. He refers to people in his article as a perpetually wanting animal. Encouraging open communication and emphasizing originality and cooperation. Before providing a few examples of participative leaders, well study the advantages and disadvantages of this theory.