Autocratic Leadership Styles: Cuba And North Korea

There are many different types of political systems in the world today, some good, others not so much. Many countries go through different political systems before they reach a good fit. In this paper I choose to research about a regime that has always interested me, communism. To a lot of people communism holds negative connotations but the history behind this form of governance is one of desperation and revolution. Communism is a socialist movement to create a classless, moneyless, and stateless social order which is structured upon ownership of the means of production, as well as a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of this social order. (wiki.) Communism first came about as a theory of how to balance

This paper will examine the leadership of North Korea during the Korean War and the reasons why for the invasion of South Korea by North Korea in 1950s. The sources presented in this paper show that North Korean leader Kim Il-Sung invaded South Korea because he envisioned himself as a leader who would unify the Korean people and his distrust in American imperialism. This is not the only theory that explains why North Korean leaders invaded the South, many scholars like Geoffrey Warner, believe the invasion was an attempt just to spread communism with Soviet Union leader Joseph Stalin and Chinese leader Mao Zedong as a post-Cold War act . Although Warner maybe right, his argument is incomplete because he lacks to identify the importance

Abraham Lincoln once said “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.” (Lincoln) Most people live their lives searching for power. But once they obtain this power and gets a taste of it they use and abuse their authority to make others struggle and surfer like the people of North Korea do while Kim Jung-Un is in power. While strong leadership is often a good thing, the government’s control of media in North Korea is a problem because it creates fear of other countries, eliminates freedom of speech, and promotes no human rights. North Korea is isolated and powerful, simply from the use and abuse of their leaders power.

Authoritarianism is another form of leadership. Authoritarian leaders have qualities which include, good decision making, giving commands; their decision making does not usually involve others and they are motivational. According to Ballou & Landreneau (2010) they found that authoritarianism is influenced by personality through childhood and family characteristics. Those who practice an authoritarian leadership style believe in a hierarchy, where the ‘most powerful sits at the top, and the least powerful sits at the bottom’ (Ballou & Landreneau, 2010). These leaders can be extremely manipulative in order to achieve what they believe is necessary. Goals are devised by them alone, and command others to conform and achieve them together. Ballou

Autocratic leadership is a directive style of leadership that has one leader in charge making the business decisions. The main difference between particpative leadership is that the leader is more authority driven. The leader of the business decides and makes all the decisions with no imput from any of the employees, then the leader will tell the employee of the changes and the employees have to follow the new policys having no say in the matter. Participative leadership asks employees to voice there opinions making the transition of new policies into the business easier. Directive leaders let their followers know what is to be expected of them, schedules work they need to do and gives them very specific guidelines on how they are to accomplish

Two leadership styles on the opposite ends of the spectrum from one another are autocratic and participative. Both can be useful depending on the setting and what is required. Autocratic leaders make decisions without using team members, even if it would be useful (mindtools.com, n.d.). When a decision needs to be made very quickly, when there is not a need for additional input, or when a team agreement is not needed, this type of leadership can work (mindtools.com, n.d.). However, autocratic leadership can be demoralizing in the workplace and can lead to a high turnover rate as well as abseentism (mindtools.com, n.d.). An example of an autocratic leader/organization would be Martha Stewart and her company, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.

Leaders have a strong and direct effect on the performance of the employees and influence them to achieve goals. (Hitt, Miller, Colella, Pg.314). By influencing the behavior of others, offering direction, driving collective

Autocratic leadership describes the leadership style as the individual having absolute power within the group without input from other work colleagues (Craven 2014). This style of leadership, the autocratic leader makes the decisions and takes responsibility for the achievements of the organisation. Autocratic leaders decide which group members contribute and how much they contribute without consulting (Vugt, Jepson, Hart and Cremer 2004 (cited in Craven 2014). According to Northouse (cited in (Craven 2014) authoritarian leadership has negative outcomes as it fosters dependence, submissiveness and a loss of individuality (cited in Craven 2014). Followers who work under an authoritarian leader feel continually to be under pressure and are not able to take the initiative as the leader does not believe that they are capable of performing the duties required without being encouraged by the leader as they have no passion to work and are not capable of accomplishing tasks alone.

A leader who uses the autocratic style is usually appointed to the position, which is often new to him (Germano 2010). He is high-handed and applies coercion in getting his orders done by subordinates. He does not share their vision or win their loyalty and affection. He sees them only as mechanical followers for whom he fells nothing. The followers, for their part, resent him and patiently wait for his replacement or downfall or new employments for them elsewhere (Germano).

There are several leadership styles. This refers to the behaviors that the leaders have. They include autocratic leadership, where the leader acts as a dictator. The leader makes all the decisions by him or herself and does not allow any decisions or advice from the subordinates. The democratic leadership style is where everybody has a say which can then be included into the final decision made. Laissez-faire style which is also called the free rein style is where the leader gives freedom to the subordinates. The subordinates are allowed to make their own methods and policies.

According to one source, authoritarian leadership is “a leadership style in which the leader dictates policies and procedures, decides what goals are to be achieved, and directs and controls all activities without any meaningful participation by the subordinates.” Typically, authoritarian leaders (also known as autocratic leaders) “construct

In autocratic leadership style the management keeps strict close control over employees by keeping close regulation of policies and procedures gives to the labors.

Autocratic – The leader makes the decisions and there is no consultation from the subordinates

Great leadership helps to motivate employees to perform at high levels and achieve organizational goals, which provide employees with the opportunity to develop within the organization.

Equally important, leadership is crucial and necessary in all types of organizations and at all levels. A successful leader maintains the capacity to influence other people to achieve the goals of an organization not to mention personal goals, by working hard. It has been stated that people (employees), tend to work harder when they maintain a vested interest. For example, striving to attain personal goals may include higher pay. Comparatively, being involved in the decision making process can motivate employees, which could result in increased production and or increased profits. Additionally, successful leaders promote change, innovation, and personal power with a detailed purpose, among other things.