5 major leadership styles and how they work in South Africa
In South Africa’s tough economic climate and competitive business environment, progressive companies are compelled to focus on the engagement and retention of highly skilled and productive employees.
A recent study undertaken by Dr Rose Mathafena, a post-doctoral fellow in the department of leadership and organisational behaviour within Unisa’s Graduate School of Business (SBL), has sought to explore how line managers’ leadership styles influence employee well-being on an emotional, mental, physical and spiritual level.
Mathafena explains that management – and the way managers lead – plays a significant role in determining employee wellbeing.
“Interpersonal leadership is about relating to others in a healthy and conducive manner in order to build and maintain healthy relationships. It is important to understand those functional leadership behaviours that can lead to heightened effectiveness,” she said.
“As managers have different personalities and outlooks, there different types of leadership styles and practices.”
Those styles that have been found to have strong links with employee wellbeing outcomes include transformational, empowering, ethical, servant and authentic leadership.
Encouraging rich, purposeful and meaning work with transformational leadership
Transformational leaders are sometimes called quiet leaders and tend to lead by example. They use rapport, inspiration, or empathy to engage followers.
The more employees feel psychologically safe in the organisation, the more freely and positively they will communicate, participate, contribute and identify with the organisation.
These leaders contribute significantly towards enhancing employee innovation, creativity and problem solving, which are the key qualities required in employees in order to drive organisational competitiveness and market positioning.
Empowering leadership to develop creative employees
Empowering leaders foster a positive working environment by equipping employees to perform their roles successfully.
They delegate responsibility and authority and provide the necessary resources and support for employee success.
In addition, empowering leaders provide employees with opportunities to grow their decision-making skills, experience and knowledge which in turn enhances employee creativity.
Communication, coaching and feedback – the stamp of ethical leadership
As well as being honest, truthful, faithful, caring and respectful towards employees, ethical leaders allow employees to contribute to decision-making and problem-solving.
The leader’s ethics are demonstrated through behaviour, action and interpersonal relations, which practically guide employees where ethics are concerned.
This guidance is provided through communication, coaching and feedback. In addition, ethical leaders are fair, consistent, and demonstrate integrity in their actions.
Serving to guide and lead
Servant leadership is characterised in line managers and leaders who, while empowering, also display humility and authenticity.
They are focused on development, mentorship, guidance and engendering healthy interpersonal exchanges.
Servant leadership acts as a countermeasure and antidote to the challenges of employee burnout, high employee turnover and unethical corporate corruption and behaviours faced by organisations today.
Servant leaders fairly apply power which promotes healthy and trusting work relationships.
Engaging employees through self-actualisation and authentic leadership
Authentic leaders hold high moral values, have a strong sense of self-awareness, and act upon their values and beliefs.
In leading staff members, they display high levels of honesty, goodwill and care.
Through genuine and unselfish motives, authentic leaders are able to develop, motivate, grow and engage employees. Authentic leaders are self-actualised individuals with highly developed self-leadership qualities.
Their strong moral code, integrity and truthfulness make them effective in building credible and trustworthy relations with others. Moreover, authentic leaders promote hope, confidence, optimism and overall wellbeing.
Read: The crazy amount of money that bosses get paid in South Africa
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