Participative Leadership: What is it and how does it work?

Have you ever heard of participatory leadership? Over the years and changes in the corporate world, organizations have become increasingly diverse environments. 

This is a factor that causes a series of changes in the work routine as we know it.

Among these adaptations, a new leadership model has been gaining more and more space in companies and corporations: Participative Leadership.

But what is this type of management and how does it work? Is it really an interesting option for the future of the company and its employees?

If you, like many people, are still unfamiliar with this concept of leadership, it's time to learn a little more about how it works.

In today's content, we have gathered the main information on the topic.

The text, which will be divided into topics, will address the following questions:

• What is Participatory Leadership?
• How does Participative Leadership work?
• What are the main benefits of Participative Leadership?
• Points to consider when adopting Participative Leadership
• Conclusion

What is Participatory Leadership?

As the name suggests, participatory leadership has as its main pillar the appreciation of employee participation, ensuring that their opinions are taken into consideration during the decision-making process. 

With this, the leader/manager allows employees to have greater autonomy to participate in decision-making that involves the company's day-to-day activities.

How does Participative Leadership work?

In this leadership model, the leader, much more than just allowing, encourages the participation of the entire team in decision-making within the company.

After all, these changes affect everyone's work routine. Therefore, it is only fair to open up space for employees to express their ideas, suggestions, opinions and even criticisms.

Despite the differences between this leadership model and more conventional ones, in participative leadership, the leader continues to have the final say on important matters involving the future of the company.

What are the main benefits of Participative Leadership?

An improvement in the relationship between leader and employees

When you realize that the leader is willing to listen to everyone's points of view, and even implement changes that aim to improve everyone's routine, this tends to improve – and a lot – the relationship between the leader and his subordinates.

Increases the level of satisfaction and motivation among employees

This is a direct consequence of the previous topic.

Under leadership that takes everyone's opinions into account, the level of employee satisfaction in the workplace increases, making the entire team feel more motivated, resulting in increased productivity.

Stimulates an increase in the level of confidence

In this leadership model, by offering decision-making power to employees, the leader increases the level of trust that employees have in him and his management.

This feeling of trust makes the work environment increasingly pleasant, both for the team and for the leader(s).

It is possible to explore more ideas before making a decision

As choices and decisions within a company affect everyone's work routine, one of the positive aspects of participative leadership is being able to listen to what everyone involved has to say.

In addition to the chances of reaching a more satisfactory result for everyone, the plurality of points of view can be beneficial for the future of the company, as it allows the leader to have access to the most diverse types of opinions.

Makes it easier to introduce changes

When the entire team's opinion is heard and employees feel validated by the leadership figure, they become more likely to accept any changes in the work environment. 

Points to consider when adopting Participative Leadership

Despite the benefits presented above, there are also some important points that should be taken into account when choosing to adopt participatory leadership. The main ones are: 

Time management: As the main characteristic of the model is the participation of employees in decision-making, it is necessary to be careful not to end up spending too much time in meetings to hear everyone's point of view.

Another precaution that must be taken when following this type of leadership is the time that will be consumed during decision-making, which could harm the productivity of the team as a whole.
 

Conflicts: Even though everyone is part of the same team, when taking into account the opinions of several people – who have different thoughts, experiences and points of view – conflicts may arise over time.

It is up to the leader to mediate these conflicts, to deal with the differences of opinion in the best possible way. In this way, he will prevent these conflicts – however specific they may be – from harming the coexistence and harmony of the team itself.

Conclusion

As you can see, participatory leadership can offer a series of advantages to the company, helping to make the company a more democratic place by giving employees a voice so they can express their points of view, always aiming to improve the corporate environment for everyone.

For leaders looking to make changes in their company, it is important to remember that it is always possible to test new management models, or even combine some aspects of two or more types of leadership.

Remember: the important thing is to make decisions that can benefit both your team and the company itself.

What did you think of this management style? Would Participative Leadership be a good management system to adopt in your workplace?

Did you like the content? Take the opportunity to read it too Socioemotional Skills: Why are they important?.

Nathalia Silva October 18, 2021