Introduction
Autocratic leadership is a type of leadership style in which the leader asserts absolute power over their employees and demands complete obedience from their employees (Cheng et al. 2004; Ertureten et al. 2013). This style is also often referred to as authoritarian leadership, and both terms are somewhat synonymous. Leaders who adhere to this style of leadership often centralize their decision-making and desire power and control over their employees. An autocratic leader creates a “clearly defined intra-team hierarchy” (DeHoogh et al. 2015), and this is strictly adhered to by the leader. Any breaks or disobedience with this hierarchy is not tolerated and can lead to detrimental consequences for employees.
Autocratic leaders make decisions based on their own ideas and judgments and rarely consider or accept advice from their employees and subordinates. Autocratic leaders are known to be dominant, and...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Amor AM, Xanthopoulou D, Calvo N, Vázquez JPA (2021) Structural empowerment, psychological empowerment, and work engagement: a cross-country study. Eur Manag J
Aryee S, Chen ZX, Debrah YA (2007) Antecedents and outcomes of abusive supervision: test of a trickle-down model. J Appl Psychol 92(1):191–201. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.92.1.191
Cheng B, Chou L, Wu T, Huang M, Farh J (2004) Paternalistic leadership and subordinate responses: establishing a leadership model in Chinese organizations. Asian J Soc Psychol 7(1):89–117. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-839x.2004.00137.x
DeHoogh AH, Greer LL, Hartog DN (2015) Diabolical dictators or capable commanders? An investigation of the differential effects of autocratic leadership on team performance. Leadersh Q 26(5):687–701. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2015.01.001
Ertureten A, Cemalcilar Z, Aycan Z (2013) The relationship of downward mobbing with leadership style and organizational attitudes. J Bus Ethics 116(1):205–216. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-012-1468-2
Fiaz M, Su Q, Amir I, Saqib A (2017) Leadership styles and employees’ motivation: perspective from an emerging economy. J Dev Areas 51(4):143–156. https://doi.org/10.1353/jda.2017.0093
Kiazad K, Restubog SL, Zagenczyk TJ, Kiewitz C, Tang RL (2010) In pursuit of power: the role of authoritarian leadership in the relationship between supervisors’ machiavellianism and subordinates’ perceptions of abusive supervisory behavior. J Res Pers 44(4):512–519. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2010.06.004
Sauer SJ (2011) Taking the reins: the effects of new leader status and leadership style on team performance. J Appl Psychol 96(3):574–587. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0022741
Schuh SC, Zhang XA, Tian P (2013) For the good or the bad? Interactive effects of transformational leadership with moral and authoritarian leadership behaviors. J Bus Ethics 116(3):629–640
Vugt MV, Jepson SF, Hart CM, Cremer DD (2004) Autocratic leadership in social dilemmas: a threat to group stability. J Exp Soc Psychol 40(1):1–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0022-1031(03)00061-1
Wu TY, Hu C (2009) Abusive supervision and employee emotional exhaustion: dispositional antecedents and boundaries. Group Org Manag 34(2):143–169
Yin K, Xing L, Li C, Guo Y (2017) Are empowered employees more proactive? The contingency of how they evaluate their leader. Front Psychol 8:1802
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Section Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2022 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this entry
Cite this entry
Ahmed, S., Simha, A. (2022). Autocratic Leadership and Abuse. In: Poff, D.C., Michalos, A.C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Business and Professional Ethics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-23514-1_1300-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-23514-1_1300-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-23514-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-23514-1
eBook Packages: Religion and PhilosophyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences