Based on what you have learned in Chapter 4, what are the potential benefits and risks from the use of participative leadership? Give examples to elaborate on your point.  What are the benefits of delegation in terms of empowering employees?   What challenges exist with delegation?
These discussion postings will prompt some personal thoughts and research on the topics being studied. The discussion question posting should be no less than 300 words, giving a clear answer to the question. The discussion postings are graded on clarity and an understanding of the information (quality of the response).

You must cite references in text and at the end of your posting using APA format. You must cite additional references, in addition to your textbook, if you use it.
Chapter 4
Participative Leadership and Empowerment
Participative Leadership
An extroverted, sensitive leader who openly share decisions
and authority with subordinates
Harvard Business Review Study of 318 executives
Participative Leadership
• The opposite of autocratic…. Because I said So
• This is a Democracy!
• Involves Consultation, Joint Decision Making, Inclusion
and Delegation
Forms of Participative Leadership
• Autocratic- The manager makes decision alone without
asking for opinions or input. No participation
• I tell you that I have decided to schedule the test Tuesday
• Delegation- The manager gives an individual or a group the
authority to make a decision together. Manager provides
limitations and may require prior approval or review before
implementation
• You ask employees to come up with performance standards for their
own positions
Forms of Participative Leadership
• Consultation- managers asks for opinions and input and then
makes the decision alone while considering that input
• Physician asks a specialist to consult on a patient. The consult offers
the physician his/her opinion, but the MD makes the final treatment
decision
• Joint decision making- managers meets with group to
discuss problem, find options and make decision together.
The Manager has no more influence over the final decision
than any other participant
• Your group deciding on your group name
Level of Influence
Autocratic
Decision
NO
influence
by others
Consultation
Joint
Decision
Delegation
High
Influence
by others
Benefits of Participative Leadership
• Better Quality Decisions-participants may have knowledge or
experience that the leader lacks
• In order to share their experience and ideas they must trust the group and
the leader
• All members must have the same understanding of the problem or scenario
• Higher Decision Acceptance- creates ownership of the decision. They
understand the reasoning behind it because they (or their peer) came
up with it collaboratively
• Higher Decision Satisfaction- just being heard and allowed to
contribute can result in a higher satisfaction with the outcome
• Procedural Justice
• More Skill Development- allows participants to develop problemsolving skills in a controlled environment
7
Guidelines for Participative
Leadership
Diagnose decision situations
• Decision importance- evaluate consequences
• Urgent, Important decisions may not have time for participation
• Expertise- if others have knowledge or skills, include them
• Likely cooperation- do subordinates care about the outcome? Do they trust
that their superior really wants to hear their input and will consider it? Is the
boss trying to put their decision on someone else and thus the consequences
will be someone else’s fault?
• Likely acceptance- if decision will be positively received, do we need to waste
their time with input?
• Meeting feasibility- off site employees who work remotely, large workforces,
diverse employees who do different jobs, etc.
Guidelines for Participative Leadership
(Cont.)
Encourage participation
• Express concerns- meet with
those it will affect
• Tentative proposals- present it
before it is final
• Record ideas- write it down
and ask them to send them in
and acknowledge receipt
• Build on ideas- use ideas as
starters
• Tactful- don’t hate, be positive
• Avoid defensiveness- take it
like a (wo)man.
• Utilize suggestions
• Appreciation- give credit
Benefits of Delegation
Delegation- assignment of new or existing tasks to subordinates.
You give them both the task as well as the authority associated
with that task
Benefits• Subordinate implementation commitment
• Enriched job- especially the vivacious employee who is always
wanting more
• Time management- allows manager to spend their time on
other tasks or decisions.
• Urgent vs. Important
• Management development- for future management positions,
however coaching and mentoring may be required
Risks of Delegation
• Power sharing
• Mistakes- manager still ultimately responsible
• Competition
• Personal achievement
• Performance bias- difficulty considering ideas that you know are wrong
or handing over decisions when you know what should be done
• Subordinate characteristics
• Distrust
• Leader authority
Guidelines for Delegation
What to Delegate
• Tasks that can be done better by a subordinate
• Urgent but not high priority
• Relevant to a subordinate’s career
• Appropriate difficulty
• Both pleasant and unpleasant tasks
• Tasks not central to the manager’s role
Guidelines for Delegation (Cont.)
How to Delegate
• Specify responsibilities clearly
• Provide adequate authority limits- what needs
approval and what doesn’t?
• Specify reporting requirements
• Ensure subordinate acceptance of responsibilities
• Inform others who need to know
• Provide support, but don’t reverse delegation
Empowering Employees
• Encourage In-The-Moment Feedback
• Ask employees specific questions about their job
•
What can I do to make your job easier, safer, more efficient
• Cultivate the Executive Mentality
• Fill employees in on new changes or what is going on in the company, include
them
• What do you do all day?
• Present New Challenges and Opportunities- identify strengths and utilize
those in new ways
• But Respect their Boundaries- don’t make them so uncomfortable that it
becomes negative. (speaking in front of people etc)
• Give Them Flexibility- give them options or allow them to achieve goals
the way they think it should be done as long as it falls within their scope
• Don’t Babysit