Psychology of management

1. Authoritarian style
. A decision is taken by an executive in person. (S)he acts 
peremptorily towards subordinates, sternly fixates the participants’ roles, carries out detailed 
control, concentrates in his/her hands all the main functions of management. 
This style is the most effective in well-ordered (structured) situations, when the 
employees’ activity can be algorithmed (by a preset rules system). It is oriented at solving 
algorithmed tasks. 
2. Democratic style
. Decisions are taken by the manager together with the employees. 
Under such style the leader strives to manage the group together with the employees, providing 
freedom of choice to them, organizing discussion of his/her decisions, supporting initiative. 
This style is effective in weakly structured situations and is oriented at interpersonal 
relations, solving creative tasks. 
3. Liberal style
. Decisions are imposed on the manager by the employees. (S)he is 
practically removed from active group management, behaves like a common participant, 
provides group members with total freedom. Group participants behave in accordance with their 
wishes, their activity is spontaneous in character. This style is the most effective in the situations 
of search for the most productive directions of group activity. 
Later there were taken many attempts of providing psychological characteristic of the 
three styles of management. The main their result was clarification and concretization of at least 
two sides: the content of decisions taken by the leader, and of techniques (methods, means) of 
implementing these decisions. 
Thus, a style of management 
is a considerably stable system of means, methods, and 
forms of a manager’s influencing employees in accordance with the aims of mutual activity
. This 
is a subjective-personal characteristic of activity of certain executive, a peculiar psychological 
handwriting of work with employees. 
Every concrete manager cannot be characterized by only one, single style. Depending on 
the forming specific situation there is often observed a combination of various styles traits with 
prevailing of one of them. One of the three styles finds its real embodiment in one’s individual 

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management style. Individual style is expressed in the manager’s practical application of modern 
management principles, main points of management theories, use of management standards. 
New tasks facing executives called for necessity of serious improvement of managerial 
style. Methods and forms used for development and realizing of taken decisions are noted for 
their great variety. Even within two quite identical organizations there can be quite often seen so 
dissimilar styles of management. For every executive has his/her notion of management, power, 
and style of work with employees.