What Is Laissez-Faire Leadership?

Laissez-faire leadership, also known as delegative leadership, is a type of leadership style in which leaders are hands-off and allow group members to make the decisions. Researchers have found that this is generally the leadership style that leads to the lowest productivity among group members.

This leadership style can have both benefits and possible pitfalls. There are also certain settings and situations where laissez-faire leadership might be the most appropriate.

To help make laissez-faire leadership more effective, leaders can check in on work performance and give regular feedback. It's also helpful for leaders to recognize when this style should be best utilized, such as with team members who are experts at what they do.

Characteristics

Laissez-faire leadership is characterized by the following:

• Hands-off approach
• Leaders provide all training and support
• Decisions are left to employees
• Comfort with mistakes
• Accountability falls to the leader

While "laissez-faire" implies a completely hands-off approach, many leaders still remain open and available to group members for consultation and feedback. They might provide direction at the beginning of a project, but then allow group members to do their jobs with little oversight.

Examples

Here's how laissez-faire leadership could look in different settings:

• In school: The teacher is more of an observer while students are able to do as they wish. There is a lack of expectations and discipline in the classroom.
• At work: Leaders and supervisors stand back and let their employees make decisions and may let them set their own deadlines. They don't offer much feedback.
• In government: A political leader who exhibits laissez-faire leadership would leave decisions to subordinates and provide little direction.

Benefits

Like other types of leadership, the laissez-faire style has its advantages.

• It encourages personal growth. Because leaders are so hands-off in their approach, employees have a chance to be hands-on. This leadership style creates an environment that facilitates growth and development.
• It encourages innovation. The freedom given to employees can encourage creativity and innovation.
• It allows for faster decision-making. Since there is no micromanagement, employees under laissez-faire leadership have the autonomy to make their own decisions. They are able to make quick decisions without waiting weeks for an approval process.

To benefit from these advantages, certain preconditions have to be met. For instance, if your team is full of highly skilled and experienced people, capable of working on their own, this approach might work. Since these group members are experts and have the knowledge and skills to work independently, they are capable of accomplishing tasks with very little guidance.

This autonomy can be freeing to some group members and help them feel more satisfied with their work. The laissez-faire style can be used in situations where followers have a high level of passion and intrinsic motivation for their work.

Disadvantages

Because the laissez-faire style depends so heavily on the abilities of the group, it is not very effective in situations where team members lack the knowledge or experience they need to complete tasks and make decisions. This can lead to poor job performance and less job satisfaction.

Some possible disadvantages of the laissez-faire style include:

• Lack of role clarity: In some situations, the laissez-faire style leads to poorly defined roles within the group. Since team members receive little to no guidance, they might not really be sure about their role within the group and what they are supposed to be doing with their time.
• Poor involvement with the group: Laissez-faire leaders are often seen as uninvolved and withdrawn, which can lead to a lack of cohesiveness within the group. Since the leader seems unconcerned with what is happening, followers sometimes pick up on this and express less care and concern for the project.
• Low accountability: Some leaders take advantage of this style as a way to avoid responsibility for the group's failures. When goals are not met, the leader can blame members of the team for not completing tasks or living up to expectations.
• Passivity: At its worst, laissez-faire leadership represents passivity or even an outright avoidance of true leadership. In such cases, these leaders do nothing to try to motivate followers, don't recognize the efforts of team members, and make no attempts at involvement with the group.

Strengths of Laissez-Faire Leaders

If you have a more laissez-faire approach to leadership, there are areas and situations where you might tend to do better.

• In creative fields: Working in a creative field where people tend to be highly motivated, skilled, creative, and dedicated to their work can be conducive to obtaining good results with this style.
• When working with self-managed teams: Laissez-faire leaders typically excel at providing information and background at the start of a project, which can be particularly useful for self-managed teams.
• During the early stages of a project: By giving team members all that they need at the outset of an assignment, they will then have the knowledge they need to complete the task as directed.

When to Avoid

Even in situations where a laissez-faire leadership style may be helpful, such as in a creative field or with self-managed teams, it may pay to utilize a variety of leadership approaches at different phases of the work process.

Generally, this leadership style is not suitable for:

• Situations where efficiency and high productivity are the main concerns. Some people are not good at setting their own deadlines, managing their own projects, and solving problems on their own. Under this leadership style, projects can go off-track and deadlines can be missed when team members do not get enough guidance or feedback from leaders.
• Situations that require great oversight, precision, and attention to detail. In high stakes and high-pressure work settings where every detail needs to be perfect and completed in a timely manner, a more authoritarian or managerial style may be more appropriate.
• People who aren't good at setting deadlines or managing projects. Using a laissez-faire approach in this type of scenario can lead to missed deadlines and poor performance, particularly if group members are unsure of what they need to be doing or do not have the skills they need to perform tasks with little to no direction.

Tips to Improve

To make laissez-faire leadership more effective, you can try:

• Checking in on group performance
• Giving useful and consistent feedback
• Creating incentives to help increase and maintain motivation
• Making sure team members know their roles within the group
• Ensuring group members have the knowledge and expertise for the project or task at hand

Are You a Laissez-Faire Leader?

Try our fast and free quiz to find out if you tend towards laissez-faire leadership or one of the other styles.

Takeaways

Often dismissed as a style that leads to poor group outcomes, laissez-faire leadership can be effective in a variety of situations. If you tend to be more of a laissez-faire leader, you may find it helpful to think about the sort of situations this style might excel.

In settings where the group needs more oversight or direction, you may find that you need to consciously focus on adopting a more authoritarian or democratic approach. By examining your own style, you can hone your skills and become a better leader.