Management styles: meet the democratic manager

Understanding different management styles is an often overlooked element within project management courses, so this article describes one such style - the democratic style.

Steve manages a small sports centre. He has a team of only ten staff, including an all-round sports instructor. This means that he can run his team in the manner he likes best: as a democracy.

When an area adjacent to Steve’s sports centre becomes available, Steve draws up a Business Case for acquiring it and developing it into a ice-skating rink. He presents this plan to his staff and gives them a week to do their own research before holding a company meeting to decide whether Steve should go ahead with his plan.

The team are divided between those who want to expand, those who would rather have something quieter, like a crazy golf course or a picnic area, and those who are worried that the project will fail, jeopardising their own salaries.

Steve compromises: he will acquire the area, but he will build a rink for roller-blading rather than ice-skating. A roller-blading rink will take far less time and cost, and can easily be converted into something else – like a crazy golf course – if it goes wrong.

Almost every member of staff approves of the new plan. Steve’s receptionist privately think that he is an idiot for not making his own decisions, but she doesn’t particularly care whether they build an ice-skating or a roller-blading rink. The caretaker announces that he will be happy so long as he gets the assistant that has been promised to him.

Only the sports instructor is unhappy. He has never tried roller-blading or ice-skating, and he does not want Steve to employ another instructor, because this might reduce the demand for his swimming lesson and tennis coaching.

Steve spends the whole morning bargaining with and trying to persuade the sports instructor, but to no avail. He tells his team that they can have another week to think about the project, while he does some more research into the figures and marketing.

Before the week is up, a rival company buys the vacant site. Steve has to conceal his frustration as he watches the construction process. The following year, when the sports instructor has left to join his son’s newly-opened gym in Wales, Steve sees the first adverts appear for an ice-skating rink, smack next to his own small sports centre.

Steve’s democratic style served him up to a point in creating a cohesive and supportive team with personal investment in his project. But Steve’s refusal to make a decision without the full consent of his team left his staff without direction.

Temporary adoption of the authoritative mantle would have enabled Steve to acknowledge the views of his sports instructor, to weigh them against the benefits to his business, and to inform the team of his decision, rather than waiting for theirs.