Style of Leadership Impacts Team Creativity and Efficiency
A study from 2018 examined the impact of different leadership styles on creativity and efficiency. The researchers surveyed 295 employees and 75 team leaders across 75 teams in a large management consultancy firm. They found that those who were more action oriented tended to take on a directive leadership style. Those who were more analytical, who liked to consider options, tended to take on a participative style. Directive leaders tended to get better team efficiency but didn't do so well on team creativity. Participative leaders achieved better team creativity, although the findings were less clear in relation to team efficiency.
While some of the findings will have been influenced by the unique context of a management consultancy, nonetheless the research can help organizations think more carefully about the kind of people they put into leadership roles, depending on what the team needs to achieve.
What kind of leadership style do you think you have? Which style would you promote?
For those interested, here's the reference:
Li, G., Liu, H. & Luo, Y. (2018). Directive versus participative leadership: Dispositional antecedents and team consequences. Journal of Occupational & Organizational Psychology, 91(3), 645-664.
Link for study mentioned: