The Pros: Strengths and Advantages of Authoritarian Leadership
1. Pressure is Placed on the Leader Alone: One of the strengths or advantages of authoritarian leadership is that it places all the pressure from decision-making and problem-solving on the leader. Hence, it also reduces the stress of followers by giving them a clear set of expectations.
2. Applicable for Inexperienced Groups: An authoritarian leader has the obligation of guiding inexperienced followers using his or her proficiency or competency. His or her style of leadership is appropriate for leadership situations marked by the absence of a founded order, workplace culture, and standards or procedures.
3. Quick Decision-Making and Simplified Communication: The leader is the only one accountable for making complex or critical decisions. There is no need to collaborate with his or her followers. A single reporting line also characterizes the communication structure with minimal to zero feedback. This can be useful in emergencies.
4. Improves Productivity and Group Efficiency: Directives and information move in am upfront fashion under an authoritarian leadership, thereby admitting no delays due to evaluations and objections. There is also a solid and coherent focus on specializations because followers are not involved in decision-making or problem-solving.
5. Applicable in Established and Mechanized Tasks: Another strength of authoritarian leadership is that it is suitable in leading other teams or organizations with members that perform founded procedures or mechanized tasks with sets of instructions delivered through streamlined communication and single reporting line.
The Cons: Weaknesses and Disadvantages of Authoritarian Leadership
1. Inapplicable for Situations that Need Collaborations: A critical weakness or disadvantage of authoritarian leadership is that it is not appropriate for leadership conditions that need the assessment of insights and inputs through collaboration. Authoritarian leaders can also suffer from an incapability to make informed decisions.
2. Promotes A Culture of Dependence: In case a follower faces a situation that requires prompt decision-making, he or she needs to go to the leader for advice or solution. What this means is that the leader must be accessible at all times. Nothing will get done if he or she is not present for some reason.
3. Discourages Certain People and Creates Conflicts: This style of leadership deters people who want to be part of group or organizational success through participation. Competent followers might rebel against their authoritarian leaders, or the latter might feel insecure toward the former. A team or organization forgoes the chance of benefitting from having a pool of talented members
4. Prevents Innovation and Positive Change: Lack of diversity in creative insights or inputs due to the absence of collaboration and the simplification of the reporting line is another disadvantage of authoritarian leadership. Innovation and progress depend on collaborative effort, especially in the exchange and synthesis of insights and inputs.
5. Creates a Lack of Trust Due to Mistrust: Another weakness of authoritarian leadership is that it is based on mistrust. The authoritarian leader needs to assume that the followers are not performing their roles and responsibilities as they should. Most leadership situations placed under authoritarianism are insecure.
