Participatory Leadership

Participatory leadership also known as democratic leadership allows group to contribute. This type of leadership takes time, the approach can be slow decision making but the result is often good. The approach can be most suitable when working as a team is essential, and when quality is more important than efficiency or productivity. Although it is not suitable for all cultures, it is all about collaboration and not competition.

Circumstances ideal for participatory leadership is when team members are both interested in a decision-making issue and technically equipped to deal with it. “Hot” items such as goal setting and program design present a fertile opportunity for team building through participant leadership. This kind of leaders should explain the practical reasons behind the decision and how the team will benefit from it. This arena is labelled political because the participant leaders acts like a politician, seeking to keep the “constituency” happy.

The downside of this sort of leadership is that it might be creative in frustration of some members whose ideas are not approved for action. The approach requires that team members are literate informed and organised.