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Laissez-faire leadership is a leadership style in which the leader gives group members minimal (if any) guidance.
In this leadership style, group members assume full responsibility for the group, and “they must determine goals, make decisions, and resolve problems on their own” (Sharma & Singh, 2013).
“Laissez-faire” actually means “leave alone” in French. The leader of a laissez-faire group takes on a minimal role in the inner functions of the group. This leadership style requires group members with certain characteristics to be successful and, like any other leadership style, has both advantages and disadvantages.
What are the Characteristics of Laissez-Faire Leadership?
“Hands-Off Style” Leadership
A hands-off approach is perhaps the fundamental characteristic of laissez-faire leadership, as the “laissez-faire leadership style is also known as the “hands-off” style” (Sharma & Singh, 2013).
In this leadership style, the leader of the group is absent from many of the group’s functions and leaves things in the hands of the group members.
This may be beneficial for people who function best with little direction, but, on the other hand, it may pose problems for people who require more direction to complete tasks effectively and efficiently.
Provide Training and Support
In order for group members to make effective and well-informed decisions on the group’s behalf, training and support from the leader of the group is extremely useful.
As the leader of a laissez-faire group is not very involved with the group’s decision-making process, they must make sure that the people who are in charge (the group members) are adequately prepared for their responsibilities.
A variety of training is likely needed before group members can assume the large responsibilities that this leadership style gives them.
Additionally, it is important for laissez-faire leaders to set up support for their group members if they need it along the decision-making process.
Especially since the leader of a laissez-faire group may not be accessible in the group decision-making process, they must ensure that proper support and materials are available to help their group members through the process as smoothly as possible.
Trust is Given to Employees
Because employees are given so much responsibility in the laissez-faire leadership style, a huge amount of trust is being put in them to keep the group running smoothly.
It is important for a laissez-faire leader to have group members that they can trust so that they can ensure that the group will progress without the leader’s direct input.
If the leader does not trust their group members to handle their responsibilities properly, then it may be difficult for the leader to not be involved, and therefore it would likely not be a laissez-faire leadership.
Placing trust in group members may increase their confidence in themselves and make them more likely to complete their jobs efficiently and effectively, which highlights an advantage of laissez-faire leadership.
Employees Make Decisions
Part of group members’ responsibilities in the laissez-faire leadership style is making decisions (Sharma & Singh, 2013). In this leadership style, employees must come together to make the best decisions for the group’s future development.
It is important for this process to be collaborative, with all group members participating in some way. It may be more efficient to divide responsibilities among group members, but how responsibilities are split up will be different from group to group.
What are the Advantages of Laissez-Faire Leadership?
Encourages Personal Growth
One advantage of laissez-faire leadership is that, by providing group members with more responsibility within the group, it encourages their own personal growth.
Being trusted with more tasks and completing these tasks can boost anyone’s confidence in themselves and their skills.
This highlights a positive cycle within a laissez-faire-led group as if people are more confident in their abilities, they are likely to do a better job, and doing a good job further raises their confidence in themselves.
Encourages Creativity
Because the laissez-faire leadership style includes so many people in the decision-making process and in other important group functions, it encourages creativity through all the different perspectives and ideas that many people can bring (Malec, 2021).
Importantly, “such a focus on personal growth and a general trust in the capabilities of individuals creates room for innovation and to be creative without the fear of failure, or rather the fear of the consequences of failure.”
Removing an authority figure to overlook the decision-making process within a group gives people opportunities to make mistakes, which promotes creativity.
Learning and Development
Another advantage of laissez-faire leadership is that “it facilitates learning and development opportunities…because of its hands-off approach, employees have the chance to learn on their own” (Pathak, 2022).
Many people learn better with direct experience than being shown exactly how to do something, and a laissez-faire leadership style provides this opportunity.
Faster Decision-Making
A laissez-faire leadership style can lead to faster decision-making because group members do not have to pass ideas by the group leader along the way in the decision-making process (Pathak, 2022).
This allows for a smoother, speedier process, where more decisions can be made and, if they are good decisions, a group can progress and develop faster overall.
What are the Disadvantages of Laissez-Faire Leadership?
Lack of Role Clarity
On the other hand, one disadvantage of laissez-faire leadership is that, without a leader being involved in the decision-making process, there may be a lack of role clarity among group members. Without a proper assignment of tasks to group members, it may be unclear to members exactly what they are responsible for.
Additionally, without a leader being involved along the way, there is no one available to clarify group members’ responsibilities if they become unclear.
Isolation
Group members may even feel like the group leader does not care about the group in this leadership style (Malec, 2021).
With the leader being so removed from the group dynamic, it may seem as though the leader is not invested in the group to group members. However, the opposite is likely true.
Those who choose to lead their group in a laissez-faire way should choose this leadership style because they think that it will be the best way for the group to function, and by implementing a whole new style of leadership, the leader would actually be demonstrating just how much they care about the success of their group.
Naturally, if a group has a designated leader, that person would be the authority figure within the group, and therefore for a group to have a laissez-faire leadership style, the leader of the group (or the founder of the group) would have to have gone out of their way to implement this style.
Interestingly, a study from 2012 found results that “indicate that laissez-faire style is not an important style that boosts the motivation level of workers as compared to other leadership styles” (Chaudhry & Javed, 2012). This highlights the potential lack of motivation that laissez-faire leadership may cause among group members.
Low Accountability
Without a clear authority figure or hierarchy among the group, group members in a laissez-faire led group are not truly held accountable by anything or anyone other than the success of the group itself.
And, if group members are not invested in the group’s success, then they truly have no accountability.
Avoids True Leadership
With the low involvement of the leader in a laissez-faire leadership style, there is a lack of any true leadership, which can be a disadvantage for many groups.
Leadership can be a strong factor in productivity and in making a group move forward and progress. With all group members at the same leadership level and with no leader in charge, accountability may be low, and therefore little or no progress may be made within the group.
When Should Laissez-Faire Leadership Be Used?
Laissez-faire leadership should be used when group members “are highly skilled, experienced, educated, and trustworthy” (Sharma & Singh, 2013).
If the group members have these skills, laissez-faire leadership may be an option for the group, but it may not always be the best option.
When implementing the laissez-faire leadership style, hiring people that want to work in this type of leadership style is important, instead of forcing people to be in a leadership environment that they don’t feel comfortable in or prefer (Malec, 2021).
People respond differently to the laissez-faire leadership style, as is the case for all leadership styles.
When to Avoid Using Laissez-Faire Leadership
If group members do not have the proper qualities for laissez-faire leadership as described above, it would be extremely difficult for effective decisions to be made for the group without a designated leader, and therefore this leadership style should be avoided (Sharma & Singh, 2013).
Furthermore, laissez-faire leadership should be avoided when group members are not skilled at setting and maintaining deadlines or managing projects.
A laissez-faire leadership style should also be avoided if there are group decisions that need to be made that require precision and attention to detail.
Small details regarding important group decisions may be overlooked, with multiple people making decisions. This is also related to the lack of role clarity that comes with the laissez-faire leadership style.
If every part of the decision-making process is not specifically designated to a group member, some details are bound to be missed.
Also, laissez-faire leadership should be avoided when high productivity is required or preferred.
It is difficult to rely on high productivity with the laissez-faire leadership style, as the productivity of the group overall depends on many people working efficiently together, which could easily not be the case if group members are not aware of their responsibilities if they are unmotivated, or because of other issues that may arise among the group.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who created laissez-faire leadership?
Kurt Lewin, a social psychologist, is often said to be the creator of laissez-faire leadership (STU, 2014). Lewin “identified laissez-faire leadership as the opposite of autocratic leadership” and, notably, “did not subscribe to it as his preferred leadership method”.
What is the difference between laissez-faire and autocratic leadership?
The difference between laissez-faire leadership and autocratic leadership is that “autocratic leadership favors direct control and oversight in the work environment”, while laissez-faire leadership takes the opposite approach (Malec, 2021).
Who are some examples of laissez-faire leaders?
Some examples of laissez-faire leaders include Herbert Hoover (former president of the United States) and Warren Buffet (Malec, 2021). Some important characteristics of a laissez-faire leader are that they are good at delegating tasks, building an effective and balanced group, and genuinely trusting their group members to run the group well.
How can laissez-faire leadership be applied to education?
Laissez-faire leadership can be applied to education by providing a hands-off approach to learning (Sharma & Singh, 2013). In a laissez-faire educational setting, teachers may not provide their students with much direction, allowing them to take charge of their own education.
This may be beneficial for students who learn at a different pace than in a typical learning environment, whether they move faster or slower.
What are the qualities that define a leader who uses laissez-faire?
A leader who uses a laissez-faire style tends to be hands-off, giving their team autonomy to make decisions and complete tasks independently. They trust their team members, encourage innovation and creativity, and provide minimal guidance or intervention.
This leadership style promotes self-direction, fosters a sense of ownership among team members, and often requires proficient and self-motivated individuals.
References
Chaudhry, A. Q., & Javed, H. (2012). Impact of transactional and laissez faire leadership style on motivation. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 3(7). https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.1062.5269&rep=rep1&type=pdf
Learn about laissez-faire leadership and the importance of autonomy. STU. (2014, November 25). Retrieved July 24, 2022, from https://online.stu.edu/degrees/education/what-is-laissezfaire-leadership/
Malec, M. (2021, December 20). Laissez faire leadership: A guide for workplace management. RSS. Retrieved July 24, 2022, from https://www.learnerbly.com/articles/laissez-faire-leadership-a-guide-for-workplace-management
Pathak, A. (2022, March 3). What is laissez-faire leadership? its 8 advantages and disadvantages. Nurture an Engaged and Satisfied Workforce | Vantage Circle HR Blog. Retrieved July 24, 2022, from https://blog.vantagecircle.com/laissez-faire-leadership-style/
Sharma, L., & SINGH, S. K. (2013). CHARACTERISTICS OF LAISSEZ-FAIRE LEADERSHIP STYLE: A CASE STUDY. CLEAR International Journal of Research in Commerce & Management, 4(3).
