An Autocratic Leadership Style

1. Introduction

1.1 OBJECTIVE:-

Autocratic leadership, also known as authoritarian leadership, is a leadership style characterized by

individual control over all decisions and little input from group members. Autocratic leaders typically
make choices based on their own ideas and judgments and rarely accept advice from followers.
Autocratic leadership involves absolute, authoritarian control over a group. The objective of doing this
project is to understand Autocratic Leadership Style in detail.

1.2 TITLE OF THE PROJECT:- The title of the project is Autocratic Leadership Style

Autocratic describes a way of ruling, but not in a nice way. An autocratic leader is one who rules with
an iron fist; in other words — someone with the behaviour of a dictator. In an autocratic leadership
style, the person in charge has total authority and control over decision making. By virtue of their
position and job responsibilities, they not only control the efforts of the team, but monitor them for
completion –often under close scrutiny This style is reminiscent of the earliest tribes and empires.
Obviously, our historical movement toward democracy brings a negative connotation to autocracy, but
in some situations, it is the most appropriate type of leadership.

That, of course, doesn’t mean a blank check to ignore the wellbeing of his subordinate. In an
autocratic leadership style, the person in charge has total authority and control over decision making.
By virtue of their position and job responsibilities, they not only control the efforts of the team, but
monitor them for completion –often under close scrutiny This style is reminiscent of the earliest tribes
and empires. Obviously, our historical movement toward democracy brings a negative connotation to
autocracy, but in some situations, it is the most appropriate type of leadership. That, of course,
doesn’t mean a blank check to ignore the wellbeing of his subordinate.

1.2 LAYOUT OF THE PROJECT:- a. Introduction b. Types of Leadership Styles c. Autocratic

Leadership Style d. Characteristics of Autocratic Leadership Style e. When to use Autocratic
Leadership Style f. Prone and corns of Autocratic Leadership Style g. Case Study h.
Recommendation i. Conclusion j. Bibliography

1.4 LITERATURE:- For my project I have referred:-

http://www.leadership-toolbox.com/autocratic-leadership.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authoritarian_leadership_style http://www.action-wheel.com/autocratic-
leadership-style.html http://psychology.about.com/od/leadership/f/autocratic-leadership.htm
http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/autocratic http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/leadstl.html
 http://www.thesundayindian.com/en/story/authoritarian-leadership-the-secret-behind-steve-jobs-
success/33963/

1.5 METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION:-

There are basically 2 methods of research DESCRIPTIVE METHOD AND SCIENTIFIC METHOD. In
my Project I will be using DESCRIPTIVE method. Secondary data method will be used for doing this
project. Secondary data would the information collecting from the articles, internet, and books. After
collecting that I have recommended interpretation of cause and effect.

2. Types of Leadership

Leadership style is the manner and approach of providing direction, implementing plans, and
motivating people. As seen by the employees, it includes the total pattern of explicit and implicit
actions performed by their leader (Newstrom, Davis, 1993). The first major study of leadership styles
was performed in 1939 by Kurt Lewin who led a group of researchers to identify different styles of
leadership (Lewin, Lippit, White, 1939). This early study has remained quite influential as it
established the three major leadership styles: (U.S. Army, 1973): authoritarian or autocratic - the
leader tells his or her employees what to do and how to do it, without getting their advice participative
or democratic - the leader includes one or more employees in the decision making process, but the
leader normally maintains the final decision making authority Delegative or laissez-fair - the leader
allows the employees to make the decisions, however, the leader is still responsible for the decisions
that are made Although good leaders use all three styles, with one of them normally dominant, bad
leaders tend to stick with the one style, normally autocratic.

AUTHORITARIAN OR AUTOCRATIC LEADERSHIP

I want both of you to. .

This style is used when leaders tell their employees what they want done and how they want it
accomplished, without getting the advice of their followers. Some of the appropriate conditions to use
this style is when you have all the information to solve the problem, you are short on time, and/or your
employees are well motivated. Some people tend to think of this style as a vehicle for yelling, using
demeaning language, and leading by threats. This is not the authoritarian style, rather it is an abusive,
unprofessional style called “bossing people around.” It has absolutely no place in a leader's
repertoire. The authoritarian style should normally only be used on rare occasions. If you have the
time and want to gain more commitment and motivation from your employees, then you should use
the participative style.

Participative or Democratic Leadership

Let's work together to solve this. . .

This style involves the leader including one or more employees in the decision making process
(determining what to do and how to do it). However, the leader maintains the final decision making
authority. Using this style is not a sign of weakness, rather it is a sign of strength that your employees
will respect. This is normally used when you have part of the information, and your employees have
other parts. A leader is not expected to know everything—this is why you employ knowledgeable and
skilled people. Using this style is of mutual benefit as it allows them to become part of the team and
allows you to make better decisions.

Delegative or Laissez-faire Leadership

You two take care of the problem while I go. . .

In this style, the leader allows the employees to make the decisions. However, the leader is still
responsible for the decisions that are made. This is used when employees are able to analyse the
situation and determine what needs to be done and how to do it. You cannot do everything! You must
set priorities and delegate certain tasks. This is not a style to use so that you can blame others when
things go wrong, rather this is a style to be used when you fully trust and have confidence in the
people below you. Do not be afraid to use it, however, use it wisely! NOTE: Laissez-faire (or lais·ser
faire) is the non-interference in the affairs of others. [French : laissez, second person pl. imperative of
laisser, to let, allow + faire, to do.]

Transactional Leadership Style

The transactional style of leadership was first described by Max Weber in 1947 and then later
described by Bernard Bass in 1981. Mainly used by management, transactional leaders focus their
leadership on motivating followers through a system of rewards and punishments. There are two
factors which form the basis for this system, Contingent Reward and management-by-exception.
Contingent Reward Provides rewards, materialistic or psychological, for effort and recognizes good
performance. Management-by-Exception allows the leader to maintain the status quo. The leader
intervenes when subordinates do not meet acceptable performance levels and initiates corrective
action to improve performance.

Management by exception helps reduce the workload of managers being that they are only called-in
when workers deviate from course. This type of leader identifies the needs of their followers and gives
rewards to satisfy those needs in exchange of certain level of performance. Transactional leaders
focus on increasing the efficiency of established routines and procedures. They are more concerned
with following existing rules than with making changes to the organization. A transactional leader
establishes and standardizes practices that will help the organization reach: Maturity

Goal-setting Efficiency of operation Increasing productivity.

Effect on work teams survey done by Jun Liu, Xiaoyu Liu and Xianju Zeng on the correlation of
transactional leadership and how innovations can be affected by team emotions. The research was
composed of 90 work teams, with a total of 460 members and 90 team leaders. The study found that
there is a relationship between emotions, labor behavior and transactional leadership that affect for
the team. Depending on the level of emotions of the team; this can affect the transactional leader in a
positive or negative way. Transactional leaders work better in teams where there is a lower level of
emotions going into the project. This is because individuals are able to Think freely when setting their
emotions aside from their work. Have all of their focus on the given task.

A transactional leader is: Negatively affected when the emotional level is high. Positively affected
when the emotional level is low. Transactional leadership presents a form of strategic leadership that
is important for the organizations development. Transactional leadership is essential for team
innovativeness.
Transformational Leadership Style

A transformational leader is a type of person in which the leader is not limited by his or her followers'
perception. The main objective is to work to change or transform his or her followers' needs and
redirect their thinking. Leaders that follow the transformation style of leading, challenge and inspire
their followers with a sense of purpose and excitement.[10] They also create a vision of what they
aspire to be, and communicate this idea to others (their followers). According to Schultz and Schultz,
there are three identified characteristics of a transformational leader:

Charismatic leadership has a broad knowledge of field, has a self-promoting personality, high/great
energy level, and willing to take risk and use irregular strategies in order to stimulate their followers to
think independently Individualized consideration

Intellectual stimulation

3. Autocratic Leadership Style

2.1 BACKGROUND Authoritarian leaders are commonly referred to as autocratic leaders. They
provide clear expectations for what needs to be done, when it should be done, and how it should be
done. There is also a clear divide between the leader and the followers. Authoritarian leaders make
decisions independently with little or no input from the rest of the group. Authoritarian leaders uphold
stringent control over their followers by directly regulating rules, methodologies, and actions.
Authoritarian leaders construct gaps and build distance between themselves and their followers with
the intention of stressing role distinctions. This type of leadership dates back to the earliest tribes and
empires.

It is often used in present day when there is little room for error, such as construction jobs or
manufacturing jobs. Authoritarian leadership typically fosters little creativity in decision-making. Lewin
also found that it is more difficult to move from an authoritarian style to a democratic style than from a
democratic form to an authoritarian form of leadership. Abuse of this style is usually viewed as
controlling, bossy and dictatorial. Authoritarian leadership is best applied to situations where there is
little time for group discussion.

3.2 Views of Autocratic Leaders

A common belief of many authoritarian leaders is that followers require direct supervision at all times
or else they would not operate effectively. This belief is in accordance with one of Douglas
McGregor's philosophical views of humankind, Theory X. This theory proposes that it is a leader’s role
to coerce and control followers, because people have an inherent aversion for work and will abstain
from it whenever possible. Theory X also postulates that people must be compelled through force,
intimidation or authority, and controlled, directed, or threatened with punishment in order to get them
to accomplish the organizational needs. In the minds of authoritarian leaders, people who are left to
work autonomously will ultimately be unproductive. “Examples of authoritarian communicative
behaviour include a police officer directing traffic, a teacher ordering a student to do his or her
assignment, and a supervisor instructing a subordinate to clean a workstation.”

Communication Patterns of Authoritarian Leadership:

Downward, one-way communication (i.e. leaders to followers, or supervisors to subordinates)
Controls discussion with followers Dominates interaction Independently/unilaterally sets policy and
procedures Individually directs the completion of tasks Does not offer constant feedback Rewards
acquiescent obedient behavior and punishes erroneous actions Poor listener Uses conflict for
individual gain Ways to Properly Incorporate Authoritarian Leadership:

Always explain rules- it allows your subordinates to complete the task you want done efficiently Be
consistent- if you are to enforce rules and regulations, make sure to do so regularly so your
subordinates take you seriously. This will form a stronger level of trust. Respect your subordinates -
always recognized your subordinates efforts and achievements Educate your subordinates before
enforcing rules - do not present them with any surprises. This can lead to problems in the future due
to false communications. Listen to suggestions from your subordinates even if you do not incorporate
them

Effects of Authoritarian Leadership Communication Styles: Increase in productivity when leader is

present Produces more accurate solutions when leaser is knowledgeable Is more positively accepted
in larger groups Enhances performance on simple tasks and decreases performance on complex
tasks Increases aggression levels among followers Increases turnover rates Successful when there is
a time urgency for completion of projects Improves the future work of those subordinates whose skills
are not very applicable or helpful without the demands of another

Example:-

Adolf Hitler was extremely authoritarian. He required the population of the Third Reich to accept
everything that he said as absolute law, and was able to impose a death sentence on anyone who
failed to do so. Hitler was obsessed with being in control, and with being the alpha male in a rigid
male dominance hierarchy.

Characteristics of Autocratic Leadership

The major autocratic leadership style characteristics include: 1. The autocratic leader retains all
power, authority, and control, and reserves the right to make all decisions. 2. Autocratic leaders
distrust their subordinate’s ability, and closely supervise and control people under them. 3. Autocratic
leaders involve themselves in detailed day-to-day activities, and rarely delegate or empower
subordinates. 4. The autocratic leader adopts one-way communication. They do not consult with
subordinates or give them a chance to provide their opinions, no matter the potential benefit of
such inputs.

5. Autocratic leadership assumes that employee motivation comes not through empowerment, but by
creating a structured set of rewards and punishments. 6. Autocratic leaders get work done by issuing
threats and punishments and evoking fear. 7. The primary concern of autocratic leaders remains
dealing with the work at hand and not on developmental activities. 8. Autocratic leaders assume full
responsibility and take full credit for the work.

Advantages of Autocratic Leadership Style

the autocratic style is one of the most recognized forms of directive leadership. At first, the style
seems to contradict many modern work environments that emphasize teamwork, group input and
shared decision-making. However, certain conditions and specific industries, such as the military,
manufacturing and construction, thrive when a leader takes tight control and makes most of the
decisions, according to Leadership-Toolbox. Even so, the most effective autocratic leaders remember
to communicate task expectations and to respect their followers.

Easy to Learn

The autocratic, or "do this or else," type of leadership is intuitive, easy to learn and does not require
specialized training or knowledge of leadership theory, according to Leadership-Toolbox. Autocratic
leaders do not have to worry about recognizing and responding to followers' emotions or try to meet
different motivational needs of group members.

Control

Dangerous work environments or situations requiring complicated tasks with no room for error, such
as safety inspections, prosper under autocratic leadership since each depends on control. In addition,
companies may turn to autocratic leadership for urgent short-term results, according to Money-Zine.
For example, employees working through a company crisis may need one authoritative leader to call
the shots and ensure tasks are completed correctly.

Good for Inexperienced or Unmotivated Workers

Depending on the industry, new employees may need specific instructions and close follow-up until
they learn the job, according to Leadership-Toolbox. The autocratic leadership style is also good for
low-skilled tasks, such as directing employees to make copies or file papers. In addition, according to
LeadershipExpert, bosses may need to use the "do it or else" type of autocratic leadership to ensure
that unmotivated employees complete their assigned tasks.

Autocratic leadership creates a centralized chain of command with heavy involvement of the leader in
all gamuts of operations. This leads to the formation of a hub and spoken type of organizational
structure that helps in many ways, such as: Getting things done quickly

Improving communication and logistics. Better response to changes in the external environment

Putting forth a more coordinated approach toward fulfilling organizational goals Anticipating problems
in advance, and better realization of consequences of an action by one section on other sections
Proponents of the autocratic leadership style advocate it as an ideal method to extract high
performance from employees without putting them under stress. They insist the close supervision and
monitoring leads to a faster pace of work with less slack, where the leader assumes full responsibility
for the decisions and actions, ultimately creating reduced stress for subordinates.

Drawbacks of the Autocratic Leadership Style

Increased Work Burden

Since they take full responsibility for team decisions and review of a team's work, autocratic leaders
are extremely busy, which can lead to high stress and even health problems, according to
LeadershipExpert. Other leadership styles, such as participative or democratic, distribute some of the
decision-making to certain group members.

Bad for Highly Skilled and Motivated Workers

Few people like to be told what to do, especially those who are already intrinsically motivated and
understand the task at hand, according to Leadership Expert. An autocratic leader facing this type of
group will dampen morale and will reduce his team's creativity and productivity.

Autocratic leaders in this situation may not make the best decisions since they lack the group input
from team members who have experience and skills. In addition, members of Generation Y, workers
born in the mid-1970s to 1990s, usually do not respond well to autocratic leadership, according to
Leadership Expert.

Leader Dependence

The autocratic style is most effective when the leader is present, according to Leadership Expert.
Unlike the transformational style of leadership where followers become self-motivated to complete
tasks, once the autocratic leader is gone, there is no guarantee that team members will keep working.
The advantages of autocratic leadership notwithstanding, this leadership style has born the brunt of
heavy criticism in the last three decades, where the move toward systems thinking and empowering
people have led to the perception of “autocratic” and “centralized command” as negative and
undesirable traits. Theory Y, the antithesis of Theory X assumes that ambitious and self-motivated
employees enjoy their mental and physical work duties.

Such employees possess the ability for creative problem solving, but most organizations under-utilize
their talents. Theory Y holds that employees seek and accept responsibility and exercise self-control
and self-direction in accomplishing objectives, provided the conditions remain congenial for such an
approach. The autocratic leadership style remains wholly unsuited for such Theory Y oriented
workforces and does not rank among the modern leadership styles in a changing world.

Criticisms Levied Against Autocratic Leadership

The major criticisms levied against autocratic leadership include the following: 1. Contrary to claims of
close supervision with detailed instructions to reduce stress and improve productivity, research
suggests that such actions actually unmotivate employees, and cause them to becoming tense,
fearful, or resentful. 2. Lack of involvement from the employee in the decision making process leads
to employees not assuming ownership of their work, contributing to low morale, lack of commitment,
and manifesting in high turnover, absenteeism, and work stoppage. 3. The heavily centralized
command of autocratic leadership style ensures that the system depends entirely on the leader. If the
leader is strong, capable, competent, and just, the organization functions smoothly, and if the leader
is weak, incompetent, or has low ethical and moral standards, the entire organization suffers for the
sake of a single leader. 4. All power vested with the leader leads to risk of leaders with low moral fiber
exploiting employees, indulging in favoritism and discrimination, and the like.

5. Weak autocratic leaders tend to take decisions based on ego rather than sound management
principles, and punish employees who dare to disagree with such decisions. 6. The leader reserving
the right to make all decisions leads to subordinates becoming heavily dependent on the leader. The
team thereby becomes useless in running operations if they lose contact with their leader, and
absence of the leader leads to total collapse and shutdown of operations. 7. The one sided
communication flow in an autocratic leadership style restricts the creative and leadership skills of the
employees and prevents their development. This harms the organization as well, for the employees
remain incapable of assuming greater responsibilities, or to perform anything outside the routine. 8.
The autocratic leader, by taking all responsibility and involved heavily in day to day operations,
remains forced to work at full capacity, leading to stress and other health problems. 9. Autocratic
leaders usually remain unpopular and damage working relationships with colleagues. This leadership
style is unsuited to build trusting relationships.

Application of Autocratic Leadership Style

A critique of autocratic leadership style reveals that it remains best suited in certain situations such
as: 1. Occasions when the situation requires a strong centralized control with detailed orders and
instructions, such as in the military or during surgery. 2. When leading an extremely large group, such
as in assembly line factories, where the wide span of control not only makes it impossible but also
counterproductive to elicit the views of all employees. 3. When followers are new or inexperienced, or
lack the qualifications, skills, or talent to respond to any participative leadership styles, or remain
unmotivated, and non committed workers. 4. During occasions of contingencies, emergencies and
other situations warranting on the spot decisions.

5. When dealing or negotiating with external agencies or departments. The autocratic leadership style
on the whole remains a short-term or quick fix approach to management. The ability to make
decisions faster, while helping the organization in the short term, actually unskills the workforce
leading to poor decision-making capability and productivity in the long run. This leadership style
survives by default because it comes naturally to most leaders, especially in times of low morale or
insubordination.

Case Study Business Leadership – A Study on Steve Jobs

Executive Summary

This assignment attempts to study the leadership of Steve Jobs. A visionary innovator, a marketing
guru and an autocratic leader admired by many. The first part of the assignment will study and
analyse how Jobs leadership is similar to the traits and models found in textbooks. Jobs is analysed
by using McGregor’s theory X & Y. Jobs leadership traits and skills are compared with Stogdill’s
theory while also looking at how Jobs applied contingency theory. The reports studies how Jobs
changed Apple’s direction from an ailing company to a consumer giant. When Jobs speaks,
everybody stops and listens to him, be it a meeting or a Worldwide Developer Conference. Jobs just
had the charisma to capture people’s attention. Jobs autocratic leadership style was accepted by his
employees, some may not have liked it but they stood with him and the company and never regretted
their decision. The study also found Jobs to be a meticulous perfectionist.

Jobs never approves a product without fully testing them, him being a beta tester for all of Apple’s
product had made sure Apple delivered what the market wanted. The second part of this study is set
to look at the differences and compare the leadership skills of Steve Jobs, Michael Dell and Bill
Gates. Jobs’ leadership skills were different from both Dell and Gates. Jobs lead Apple to its height
with his own flair. His leadership style and character was unique and at times seems inappropriate but
it has brought only positive growth to Apple and its employees. All three of them are iconic leaders,
brought advancement to the organization they founded and strive for nothing lesser than the best.
Finally, the study suggests and recommends what Jobs could have adopted to be a better leader.

Background of Apple Inc

The corporate history of Apple Inc is considered as a history of passion. It was begun by a pair of
Stevens, i.e. Steven Wozniak and Steven Jobs together with Ronald Wayne, who combined their
professional skills to create Apple Computer on 1st April 1976 with the release of the Apple I, the first
Apple computer, in the same year. Since the establishment, Apple has been focusing on the
consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers and the best-known products
include Iphone, Ipad, Mac line of computers and other hardware and software products. And
according one of the most recent brand study carried out by the global brands agency Millward
Brown, Apple has overtaken Google as the world’s most valuable brand (Bbc.co.uk 2011).

Introduction to Steve Jobs

A revolutionary leader, an innovator of technology and a charismatic master showman, is the words
that can be used to describe Steve Paul Jobs. Jobs has portrayed fine examples of leadership
throughout his career. Being a young boy, he was attracted to electronic gadgets. Jobs has always
been exploring way to improve technology. His ideas was said to be impossible and impractical has
proven many critics and even his employees wsrong (Elliot, 2011a). Throughout his career he has
influenced many leaders to join his team of innovative work force, namely John Scully, Jay Elliot,
Andy Hertzfeld, Larry Tessler and Bob Belleville (Elliot, 2011b).

During his teenage life, the love for technology brought him and Steve Wozniak together. The duo
later went on to start Apple (Isaacson, 2011a). Jobs has then lead Apple, Next and Pixar to their peak
bringing futuristic inventions. Jobs was a great marketer, captivating millions of audience each time
he is delivering a speech. Barrack Obama describes Jobs as a visionary, and amongst the greatest
innovators of America (Whitehouse.gov, 2011).

Steve Jobs’ leadership styles do match the theories from the text books and documented papers.
Most of his qualities and traits if not all are linked to the theories from the text books. There are a
small number of traits and qualities found in his leadership that opposes to the theories of text books
but Jobs has managed to use his charisma and leadership skills to lead his followers and make them
successful. McGregor and Gershenfeld (2006) have explained Theory X and Y Managers.

Appendix 2 shows the difference between Theory X and Theory Y individuals. Jobs is a Theory X
manager, being self centred, emphasizing total control and inducing fear (Stewart, 2010). Jobs
believes the expenditure of physical and mental effort is as natural as play or rest, this is seen his act
of forming a team of talented and dedicated.

William, Mchugh & Mchugh, (2006) states that autocratic leaderships mean making managerial
decisions without consulting others. Jobs held on to his authorities, makes decision and expects his
employees to follow them without being questioned. Jobs also monitors that his instruction are
followed by his employees. The autocratic leadership style has helped Apple to make quick decision
and have an organized flow of activities. Job autocratic style is well balanced by his charismatic
leadership, on a rare sight Jobs was also seen giving pep talk to an underperforming staff and
subsequently inspiring him. Jobs was always trying to do his best for the betterment of the product
and company and that went on to make Apple the company with the lowest staff turnover rates
among technology firms. Jobs have portrayed self-directions to achieve committed objectives to his
employees and he demanded the same from them.

Elliot (2011d) states that Jobs has demanded 16 hours work shift Monday to Sunday from his core
team of developers and engineers, Jobs also would tell them not to bother coming to work on Monday
if they did not turn up on weekends. Since young, Jobs was known by his parents and acquaintance
for his creativity, high level ingenuity and imagination, even his pranks as a growing teenager. Jobs
was also persuasive, during his comeback to Apple in 1997, he did several review sessions with the
product team and key stakeholders. And upon completing them he has ordered all other products to
be cancelled and to focus on his suggestion of new products consisting 4 quadrants labelled as
consumer, pro, desktop and portable (HBR, 2012). Jobs’ power of influence was enormous, not only
to the consumer but also his impact to other CEO’s. His influential power and leadership skills can be
clearly seen when he advised Larry Page to only focus on five products at a time and discard the rest.
Larry Page took his advice and told his employees to focus on Google+ and Android (HBR, 2012).

This had proven favourable to Google. As of 1st quarter of 2012, 59% of smart phones shipped are
Google’s’ Android powered operating system (Forbes, 2012a), Appendix 4 shows the market share of
mobile phone by operating system. There is nothing that is less important for Jobs. The design of a
product and its functionality is as important as the way a worker at an Apple store treats its
customers. Jobs demonstrates this by going to one particular store in Pasadena to inspect the new
tiling work, being a perfectionist, Jobs wasn’t pleased with the tiles and also the workmanship. He
ordered the work crew to tear up the flooring and demanded a complete redo (Elliot, 2011f). Jobs
perfectionist attitude was also seen during his takeover of Pixar. During the production of Toy Story,
Jobs felt that the storyline was not great enough and stopped the production for 5 months. While Jobs
and his core team reworked the story line, Job paid the rest of the crew to do nothing for 5 month
(Jobs, 2008).

Jobs portrays the traits of a traditional transactional leader, Jobs uses his authority and power of his
leadership to use followers to complete his task (Burns, 1978). This is seen when Jobs took over the
Macintosh development team after being kicked off Lisa. Jobs took over the team with no notice, he
added new people to the group, called meeting and setting new directions. Despite the usage of
keyboard to command the machine, Jobs wanted a control device to move the cursor, to click, drag
and display a list of options, the team was not told how, but they knew only what Jobs wanted Jobs is
full of ambition and achievement, when Jobs was sacked from his own company by John Scully, a
leader that Jobs handpicked, Jobs started Pixar, with his leadership and marketing skills, Jobs later
sold Pixar to Disney for USD 7.5 billion in 2006 (Anon, 2008). Jobs was also responsible for his
action, when the Mac was almost completed for launch, Jobs told his engineers to remove the fan
from the machine because it was too noisy and asked it to be improvised.
The engineers went on to ship the Mac without cooling fan and upon launching the Mac had
overheating problems. Jobs took responsibility and went on to improvise the design and successfully
made a quiet operating machine Managing change is often an unpleasant situation to be in for any
human being. Returning to Apple after a decade, Jobs turned an ailing company to a company with
stock valuation of USD 600 billion (CNN Money, 2012). Rogers, (1986) suggest individual generally
can be divided into 5 categories consisting innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority and
laggards. Jobs was only interested in the innovators and early adopter to a certain extent.

Jobs achieved this by selecting and motivating his own management team, some of his management
team members are his followers from previous company. Jobs told them to create innovative products
and to think out of the box. He wanted the products to stand out from the current market offerings
(CNN Money, 2008). Every situation is subjective and needs a personal influence of the leader. Jobs
practised empowerment in his leadership, Jobs coaches his core team, counselled them, motivated
them and at the same time was strict to them. Jobs has powerful people skills. Elliot, (2011j) justified
this by saying Apple has the lowest staff turnover rate in the industry.

Leadership behaviours of Steve Jobs

In the early time before Steve Jobs left Apple, he led the company using a laissez-faire leadership
style that was believed to contribute the creation of the technology-based products and many of which
proved to be quite successful because of the environment brought by the laissez-faire leadership
style and such environment did encourage the creativity of the employees (Pride, Hughes & Kapoor
2011, p.170). But there are also constrains of using laissez-faire leadership such as that it is
confirmed as being connected with the reason for low productivity (Bass, B. M., Bass, R. & Bass, R.
R. 2008, p.451). As for Apple, the laissez-faire leadership style of Steve Jobs become to some extent
ineffective and had made the company in disadvantage when competing with IBM after IBM’s entry
into the PC market. And this was one of the key reasons why Jobs was replaced by the tough John
Scully who was known as a top-down decision maker (Clemens & Meyer 1987).

And after his return to Apple in 1996 when Apple announced that it would buy NeXT, Steve Jobs’ new
company for $429 million, Steve Jobs came with the leadership with some differences. He still
requested for perfection and he was manipulative and demanding which his employees described as
“autocratic” but such autocratic leadership was focusing on the key project as himself was quoted
saying that “My job is to not be easy on people. My job is to make them better. My job is to pull things
together from different parts of the company and clear the ways and get the resources for the key
projects” (Kramer 2010).

Though laissez-faire leadership style and autocratic leadership behavior seems to be contradicting,
they do co-exist in Steve Jobs’s management practices as the CEO of Apple which people explained
as Steve Job is having a personalized leadership which means that his leadership behaviors serves
primarily his own interests and obviously money is not the most important thing that he cares about
resulting in his only focusing on the key projects in his vision leaving his other leadership roles
untouched.

Recommendations for Steve Jobs

Jobs was a visionary, an example of great leader. Below are suggestion and recommendations how
Jobs could have been a better leader. Jobs dedicated his life to work and his duty as a CEO. He
lacked emotional intelligence, he does not care how others feel and does not want to listen to them
talking anything else besides work. He only listened to their ideas and how it can help Apple grow
(Kahney, 2008b). Davenport, (2008) described Jobs as corporate dictator who makes every decision,
up to the extent of the food being served in cafeteria. Jobs should have opened himself to suggestion
and improvement plans by his employees, this will not only help faster solve environment but also
produce a better environment for the employees. Jobs classifies everyone into only two categories,
it’s either a 3 digit IQ person or someone who does not measure up. Jobs should not stereotype
people neither judge them without giving them a chance.

Jobs was a feared in Apple, employees would stammer while speaking to him, this does not means
they aren’t smart or they are unproductive but this is due to the image Jobs has created for himself.
However, this has also created a cult like devotion of Apple employees towards Jobs. Jobs could
have been a more honest man, as this also reflects to his leadership, and as a leader it is never a
good publicity to be caught lying or cheating as this reflects for a long time, in Jobs scenario, two
significant examples which is still being discussed is when Jobs denied paternity, claiming he was
sterile and infertile, this has made Lisa, the women he impregnate to live out of welfare (CNN Money,
2008) and another one is when Jobs lied to his partner, Wozniak when they successfully created a
game call Breakout for Atari, Jobs was given a bonus of $5000 but Jobs only told Wozniak they
received $750 (Businessweek, 2006).

Jobs is also known for being short tempered and using abusive language to his employees, he often
scolds them and uses foul languages, (CNN Money, 2011). This does not promote a conducive
environment to work in as Jobs scolds his employees in public and in front of their subordinates. This
also will lead to low morale in individual and possible scenario of resignation. Jobs also should portray
good qualities not only as a business leader but also as a good human being. Not giving back to the
society is something of Jobs’s perception and decision. Kahney, (2008c) has mentioned that Jobs
likes to park at handicapped spot and at times even taking up to 2 spots. Kahney even had a few
photographs of Jobs’s parking etiquette. Leaders are meant to be followed, but by portraying bad
examples and contrary moral practices defeats the purpose of a leader.

Conclusion

Jobs was a transformational leader, he brought change to Apple, challenged the stakeholders and
demanded his employee’s to achieve impossible goals (Bryant, 2003). His autocratic leadership style
was different from the other leaders. He was a demanding perfectionist and never took no for an
answer. Steve grew up in an average family environment but he achieved what very few can come
close to. His perseverance and never say no attitude has brought him and Apple to an unimaginable
height. His leadership was deemed unhealthy by some critics but Jobs did not take the critics instead
went to prove them wrong.

This study has analysed the traits and leadership quality of Jobs, compared him with leaders in
Information Technology field and to critically analyse them. Jobs has dedicated his entire life to
technological improvement, his research and development in Apple is never ending vouching for
improvement and delivering the best experience for both commercial and corporate users. His diverse
journey in different fields proves that Jobs is not a quitter and will not failure affect him one bit. Jobs
would come back from a fall stronger than ever.

This study also has proven that Jobs is not only a genius creator, but a visionary leader and a
marketing guru. His advertising and promotional campaigns have never failed to create another
benchmark. His presentation and speeches has gathered another humongous group of followers
mesmerized by his session. Marketing and public relation organizations have started to develop
training courses to dub and emulate Jobs’s presentation method. Jobs a true genius, made his mark
and conquered the world of mobility. He will be greatly missed, looked up as an idol and forever be
the father of Apple.

Conclusion

Autocratic management is one of the types of management which is used in businesses and
organizations all over the world. Autocratic management isn’t considered as a favourable approach in
modern day leadership, but it can still be seen in practice and is a widely discussed leadership model,
it is also one of the accepted types of management.

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