Public Policy and Administration Research www.iiste.org ISSN 2224-5731(Paper) ISSN 2225-0972(Online) Vol.5, No.3, 2015 87 The Styles of Leadership: A Critical Review Muhammad Saqib Khan 1 Irfanullah Khan 2 Qamar Afaq Qureshi 2 Hafiz Muhammad Ismail 3 Hamid Rauf 1 Abdul Latif 3 Muhammad Tahir 1 1.Department of Business Administration, Gomal University, Dera Ismail khan, Pakistan 2.Department of Public Administration, Gomal University, Dera Ismail khan, Pakistan 3.Deputy Director Finance, Khushal Khan Khattak University, Karak, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Abstract Leadership is a personal relationship in which one person directs, coordinates and supervises other in the performance of a common task. The social contract of leadership is viewed as a myth that functions to reinforce existing social believes and structure about the necessity of hierarchy and leaders in organization. Leadership seems to be a matter of aligning people towards common goals and empowering them to take the actions needed to reach them. The ability to influence a individuals/group towards the achievement of common goals. 1. INTRODUCTION Some 2500 years ago Socrates argued that leadership is always situational: a leader has qualities and especially professional or technical knowledge that are specific to the situation hence not transferable. But he also argued the other side of the coin: a good Business leader, he said, would also make a good military commander for both shared certain generic leadership skills such as being good at choosing the best people to work with, and being able to identify and work with the right allies. Knowledge about leadership accumulated through decades of research into leadership issues seems to suggest that certain leadership characteristics that are useful in one field or culture are likely to be useful in another. If this is in fact the case, then despite significant regional differences, we would in principle be able to design courses and programs which especially with tailored alterations would be effective in any part of the world. As leadership is "the process of influencing a 0rgonized group toward accomplishing its goals. The purpose is that to study different types of style (leadership style) to follow the most appropriate style to influence subordinates/followers in a better way. 2. THE STYLES OF LEADERSHIP The terminology style is roughly equivalent to the leader’s behavior. It is the way in which the leader influences the followers (Luthans, 1977). There are many ways to lead and every leader has own style. Some of the more common styles include autocratic, bureaucratic, leadership and laissez-faire. In the past several decades, management experts have undergone a revolution in how they define leadership and what their attitudes are toward it. They have gone from a very classical autocratic approach to a very creative, participative approach. Somewhere along the line, it was determined that not everything old was bad and not everything new was good. Rather, different styles were needed for different situations and each leader needed to know when to exhibit a particular approach. 2.1 Autocratic Style of Leadership This is often considered the classical approach. It is one in which the manager retains as much power and decision-making authority as possible. The manager does not consult employees, nor are they allowed to give any input. Employees are expected to obey orders without receiving any explanations. The motivation environment is produced by creating a structured set of rewards and punishments. This leadership style has been greatly criticized during the past 30 years. Some studies say that organizations with many autocratic leaders have higher turnover and absenteeism than other organizations. Certainly Gen X employees have proven to be highly resistant to this management style. These studies say that autocratic leaders:  Rely on threats and punishment to influence employees  Do not trust employees  Do not allow for employee input  Autocratic leadership is not bad. Sometimes it is the most effective style to use.  New, untrained employees who do not know which tasks to perform or which procedures to follow.  Effective supervision can be provided only through detailed orders and instructions.  Employees do not respond to any other leadership style  There are high-volume production needs on a daily basis  There is limited time in which to make a decision  A manager's power is challenged by an employee