When your team is more motivated, it only follows that the work they put out will be more efficient and higher quality. Unfortunately, recent Gallup polls have found that over half of employees are disengaged in the workplace. Want to boost your team’s morale? It may call for a change in management style.
Here are a few management styles that will bring about a positive change to your workplace and motivate your team:
#1 – Visionary Management Style
A visionary manager is a manager who is able to look at the big picture, and who can show that big picture to their team, as well. Sometimes teams become unmotivated if they feel a little lost or daunted by their work and can’t see the forest through the trees. A visionary manager helps to clarify what needs to be done and then lets the team get to it, without micromanaging. Instead, visionary managers are more likely to check in occasionally and make sure everything is on task or reroute when needed.
This style gives teams a clear sense of direction, but otherwise gives them control over their own input and workflow. This allows teams to take more pride in their work and feel more motivated to do it well.
#2 – Democratic Management Style
In a democratic management style, most decisions are made with everyone’s input — typically by vote. A manager is less of a leader who points and assigns tasks and more of a moderator who makes sure that every voice is heard.
Democratic management styles are a great way to boost morale amongst your team. In a democratic management style, everyone is involved in the decision-making process and has control over the decisions that are made and work they do. Democratic management encourages teamwork and collaboration as the team comes together to work towards the desired goal.
#3 – Consultative Management Style
This is a fairly self-explanatory management style. Consultative managers serve as consultants. They will hold one-on-one meetings with members of their team in order to receive status updates on the progress of the project.
Managers offer advice when needed and encourage open communication, both with them and between the team members in general. This open communication and encouragement helps to boost productivity, as well as make team members feel better about the work they’re doing. They then go about their work and come to you to report the status or to seek help for any unforeseen issues.
#4 – Laissez-Faire Management Style
“Lasseiz-faire” may not often be the first attitude that you associate with management, but it can have a significant impact on your team’s morale. A lasseiz-faire manager is hands-off, allowing the team to take care of the execution of their tasks and projects. This does not mean that you are uninvolved as a manager. Rather, you offer direction and advice when needed, much like a college advisor. Otherwise, you monitor progress from afar, stepping in only when absolutely necessary.
Of the four management styles mentioned so far, the lasseiz-faire style offers the most freedom to your team — and the least stress for yourself. That means morale will boost not just for your employees, but for yourself. And when your morale is higher, you’re able to be a better manager.
#5 – Persuasive Management Style
A lack of communication can be one of the biggest frustrations in any office setting. If your team doesn’t talk to each other, or doesn’t understand the reason why they’re doing things, motivation will be low and resentment will build up. You can tackle this with a persuasive management style.
A persuasive management style is a little more authoritative and hands-on than the management styles above. However, it is not quite as strict as an autocratic management style, in which you simply say what needs to be done and the team does it. In a persuasive management style, you work to help your team understand why certain tasks or methods are the best choices for your team and the company as a whole. You will have the final say in decisions, but only after holding a discussion with your team to explain your reasoning.
We’ve all experienced that frustration, as children, when a parent or teacher says, “Because I said so” without explaining their reasoning. This can be frustrating as a team member with an obstinate manager, as well. The persuasive management style is the opposite of that. It helps your team to feel more respected, and it keeps communication lines clear throughout the entire project.
