Research Paper on:
Laissez Faire, Democratic, and Autocratic Styles of Leadership

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
B. The autocratic leader use unilateralism to make decisions. C. Advantages include the quickness of decision making. D. Disadvantages include the loss of motivation from employees. III. Democratic Leadership  A. This styles is also referred to as particpative and collaborative. B. The leader seeks input from employees but remembers the responsibility lies with him or her. IV. Laissez-Faire Leadership  A. This phrase is an oxymoron. B. This style leaves employees floundering without direction and guidance. C. There is at least one situation in which laissez-faire would be  effective. V. Effective Leadership use all styles, depending on the situation. Thesis Statement There is no consensus agreement on the definition of leadership. There are, however, numerous styles of leadership  that have been identified and described. Research has concluded that some styles are more effective than others, in general. In practice, there are situations in which different styles will be  most effective. Introduction Bill Bennett commented: "Leadership is a nebulous concept. We all recognize what it is when we see it and we can sense  where its missing" (2000). Leadership is, however, an incredibly difficult concept to define. Gordon Lippitt, is one of the many who has studied leadership for decades (Bennett, 2000). Lippitt finally  concluded that: "Leadership is the worst defined, least understood personal attribute sometimes possessed by a human being" (Bennett, 2000). Raven and Rubin (1976) defined a leader as "someone who occupies  a position in a group, influences others in accordance with the role expectation of the position and co-ordinates and directs the group in maintaining itself and reaching its goal" (p.  37). People who read a great deal about leadership know that this is a conclusion most theorists have reached. Leadership is an elusive quality that some people seem to