Leadership Style
Analysis of Kim Jong-Un Autocratic Leadership Style
This paper will analyze the leadership style of Kim Jong-Un the North Korean Leader. It
Explains how autocratic leadership style adopted by a leader influences followers. While an
Autocratic leadership style is relevant for certain situations, across-the-board implementation can
harm both the organization and the followers.
Why Is Kim Jong-Un Style Autocratic Leadership?
Autocratic leadership is a classical leadership approach, and the equivalent of dictatorship or
Tyranny. This leadership style is marked with the leader having complete authority and the
Followers obeying the instructions of the leader without questioning and without receiving an explanation or rationale for such instructions. This leadership style bases itself on
Coercive Power: the coercive power often creates a reign of terror, bullying, use of force and demeaning of followers, roaring with displeasure at the slightest problem. Direct decent gets intimidated with penalties, threats, punishment, imprisonment and execution in the extreme case.
The subordinates and followers stop bringing bad news or any news, in fear of getting blamed for it, and morale plummets. This leadership style is the least ideal in most situations, and has a negative impact on organizational climate. The extreme top-down decision-making kills ideas, the follower’s sense of initiative and ownership plummets, so followers feel little accountability for performance. The coercive style should be used with extreme caution, as in during a crisis, for its impact is ruinous to the group. This style of leadership used by Kim Jung-Un has close supervision and comprehensive control systems, reinforced by a hierarchical structure and a narrow span of control.
Following is a critique of autocratic Leadership Style, along with its pros and cons.
Ken Jong-Un Autocratic Leadership: The major autocratic leadership style
This paper will analyze the leadership style of Kim Jong-Un the North Korean Leader. It
Explains how autocratic leadership style adopted by a leader influences followers. While an
Autocratic leadership style is relevant for certain situations, across-the-board implementation can
harm both the organization and the followers.
Why Is Kim Jong-Un Style Autocratic Leadership?
Autocratic leadership is a classical leadership approach, and the equivalent of dictatorship or
Tyranny. This leadership style is marked with the leader having complete authority and the
Followers obeying the instructions of the leader without questioning and without receiving an explanation or rationale for such instructions. This leadership style bases itself on
Coercive Power: the coercive power often creates a reign of terror, bullying, use of force and demeaning of followers, roaring with displeasure at the slightest problem. Direct decent gets intimidated with penalties, threats, punishment, imprisonment and execution in the extreme case.
The subordinates and followers stop bringing bad news or any news, in fear of getting blamed for it, and morale plummets. This leadership style is the least ideal in most situations, and has a negative impact on organizational climate. The extreme top-down decision-making kills ideas, the follower’s sense of initiative and ownership plummets, so followers feel little accountability for performance. The coercive style should be used with extreme caution, as in during a crisis, for its impact is ruinous to the group. This style of leadership used by Kim Jung-Un has close supervision and comprehensive control systems, reinforced by a hierarchical structure and a narrow span of control.
Following is a critique of autocratic Leadership Style, along with its pros and cons.
Ken Jong-Un Autocratic Leadership: The major autocratic leadership style
References: Tannenbaum, R. & Schmidt, W. How to Choose a leadership Pattern. Harvard Business Review, May-June 1973, No. 73311. Vecchio, Robert, P. (1998). Leadership: Understanding the Dynamics of Power and Influence in Organizations. University of Notre Dame Press. Newstrom, John W. & Davis, Keith (1993). Organizational Behavior: Human Behavior at Work. New York: McGraw-Hill.