Autocratic management style

Let us start with the autocratic one. Exercising the autocratic management style, managers rely exclusively upon their own subjective experience, knowledge and understanding. Frequently, they tend to ignore and not hearken to the opinions of their subordinates. However, in companies with the autocratic style of management, besides the employees, entry level managers are also involved only in the order execution, but not in the decision making process. Their only function is to transmit the orders of the top managers to their employees and to supervise their implementation. All the decisions are made exceptionally on the top level of management. Although such management style gives top managers a complete control over their companies, it also has a significant shortcoming. In this case, the employees are viewed as 'enemies'. They become simple order executors and managers feel as if they had to force people to work and fulfill their job duties. The main motivation in such autocratically managed companies is fear. Employees feel that their personal prospective, problems or abilities are not important for their employers. Consequently, company's objectives, aspirations or problems become the matter of no importance to employees.


Democratic management style

The democratic management style is more participative. The orders are not simply transmitted by entry level managers, but rather they delegate and entrust their subordinates with work responsibilities and tasks. Managers become connecting links between their departments and the top company management. Furthermore, managers put efforts toward creating acceptable work conditions for their subordinates. The major advantage of such approach to management lies in a greater employees' motivation to accomplish their work. People are able to find satisfaction and to show themselves worthy of their managers' trust. The participative aspect of the democratic management style involves executing a decision making process on all management levels. Moreover, it greatly changes the employer's view of his people. They are no longer 'enemies'. Managers get to know the abilities of their subordinates and learn to trust them. Subordinates, in their turn, receive more motivation for a professional growth and for producing more work outputs with fewer inputs. Finally, instead of fear motivation the reward motivation comes.