Does Democratic Leadership Style Work in the 21st Century?

As we inch towards the first quarter of the 21st century, we can confidently call ourselves, evolved, educated, and independent. Under that light, it becomes a challenge for us to work in a controlled environment, much more under a controlling manager. While we shift from the archaic control-sensitive managers to open-minded democratic managers, we still find workplaces where controlling management practices are not unusual.

Autocratic micromanaging was historically a commonly used technique by managers. These leaders were able to get things done timely as compared to others. But at what cost? Employees working under a non-democratic leader were keyed only to follow. In turn, this hampered their performance and halted the positive environment in the workplace. Hence, this model has been abandoned in many workplaces now. You know why!

A manager should foster positivity and growth. Under the leadership, the workplace should inculcate progress and not hatred. A democratic manager can implement this progress within the organization. Flexibility in the workplace, employee participation, and recognition are their goals. This leadership style is widely accepted as the most explored, used, and adopted by managers across the hierarchy in any organization.

This blog explores the need to implement this style of management by every manager. We will also present detailed strategies for bridging the gap between a manager and an employee.

Is it already your favorite kind of managerial style? I guess we should first recall why it is your favorite.

Robust Connectivity

Excellent communication and team engagement are the characteristics of a successful manager. The ladder towards success begins with effective communication. Democracy here increases the proximity among employees. They feel more connected to their goals and managers. A leader ensures that every employee should feel empowered and free to communicate with their colleagues and the leader. The more employees know you, the more they will feel comfortable expressing their opinions.

When we speak of the 21st century, managers are most likely to lose their workforce because of not being in sync with their team. The manager here ensures team engagement through frequent meetings, team-building activities, feedback, and grievance sessions. A grievance session is particularly crucial, in which the company leader listens to employee concerns. When the issues are addressed and resolved, employees begin to trust the manager and value the work. Also, there are times when an employee hardly expresses their thoughts and continues to suffer. And here, a democratic manager works the best as they are a keen observer of the environment. The moment managers become aware of how well their teams communicate they can track their score accurately.

Innovation and Strong Contributions

The moment you snatch the right to express their views, you blunt the possibility of innovation. When managers try to control their workforce and their opinions, they result in creating a mind blockage among employees. Unlike in the past, objectives are not solely achieved by a leader alone, but by everyone. Their ideas and opinions made the work qualitative. Recognizing this need, 21st-century managers start encouraging team participation. When one widens the pool of viewpoints and ideas, multiple solutions arise. This brainstorming is required because it is evident that a manager alone cannot thrive ahead with his redundant ideas and one-way communications towards the team.

Solid contributions of multiple ideas and opinions also create a parameter for a manager to realize which employee is contributing like an asset. The entire process builds a strong team which in turn becomes capable of achieving any target lying forward. More minds working towards the same goal welcome criticism, approval, or denial of ideas, which strengthens the team. Achieving this is not possible under the reign of an autocratic leader who only commands!

Employee Retention

Our point in establishing the pros of a democratic manager is all steering the conversation towards an impact, which is not immediate but is positive and long-lasting.

Imagine a team restricted from openly communicating and barred from bringing ideas to the table. A manager always demands you to be on his command and follow everything like a marionette. Are you better off staying or leaving?

You and many others would leave. It will lower employee retention and trigger attrition. Because of this, democratic managers are indispensable. A manager can build concrete commitment in an employee towards his responsibilities just by giving them the right to decide. A participative manager diagnoses work-related issues, handles face-to-face complaints, gives mentorship, and reviews worker compensation claims.

Participative leadership not only includes listening to queries or issues, but sometimes a manager takes a stand for their team as well. For an employee, the immediate manager is the face of the company. In turn, a team develops trust and loyalty when a manager looks after their back.

Improves Company Value

What happens when a manager ensures a high employee retention rate? When a manager seeks to be a valuable asset, the company value increases. Once a leader lays out a vision and a roadmap for the team, goals become attainable. In turn, this increases the firm’s value and creates goodwill.

A Gen-Z manager never settles for compromises. They are aware of the situation where mental health is a priority and no one wants rules to be imposed on them. Hence, they cultivate a personal understanding with the subordinates from the get-go.

The role of a democratic leader is not limited to their team. They deliver on promises and improve delegation. Sometimes, loopholes in the organization are also detected and controlled by them. The free will and positive outlook a democrat brings cannot be equaled by anyone.

Many of the points above served as a need for the organization. Democratic leadership is not a new concept, and you are probably not reading it for the first time. This technique has worked wonders in new or collapsed workplaces where mistreatment happened.

But one thing we need to realize is whether we see any democracy happening nearby or not. Every coin has two sides, so has this leadership style. So far, we have understood that it works on the principle of teamwork and including individual ideas for achieving targets. The aspects we have discussed here are positive, in that the target is achieved. We also spoke of any important organizational goal despite any strategy followed. However, what if there is a failure or a target missed? What if employees become lethargic? Is there a loss of command? What if employees misuse the freedom provided by participatory leaders?

These are the most common occurrences with a democratic manager. Many times a leader has to pay for his approach. Therefore, is it better when things are under control?

Well, all these will remain questions only until you answer them. Describe how we can fill these loopholes to have successful democratic managers.