Formal leadership: characteristics, advantages and disadvantages

A review of the characteristics of this type of leadership so typical in the business world.

Much of the success or lack thereof in a company or team has to do with leadership. This element can make a group of people who previously could not coordinate their work to reach a goal, to function in almost total harmony.

In this article we will discuss the main characteristics of formal leadershipone of the most common types of leadership.

What is formal leadership?

Formal leadership is based on a leader who has been chosen by means of a procedure in which it is clear that he/she has the authority to exercise leadership functions over a group of people.. There may be leaders in various contexts, such as politics, sports, academia, etc. .....

Formal leaders should possess certain personality characteristics that make them good at managing groups, but this is not always the case.

In order for someone to be considered a formal leader leadership must not have been obtained spontaneously; if this is the case, then we would be in the situation of a formal leader.If so, then we would be in the presence of an informal leader, which is nothing more than that subject who plays the role of leader within a social group without any procedure that granted him that position.

The benefits of this type of leadership

This is a brief summary of the benefits that formal leadership brings to companies and teams.

1. Power assigned externally

This makes it easy for the formal leader to control his team members, since they must obey not because they necessarily like to do so, but because it is their duty to do so. team members must obey not because they necessarily like to do so, but because it is their duty to do so. to do so. This benefit is mainly useful when team members are unfamiliar with a subject on which the natural leader is an expert.

2. Relies on a hands-on leader

Considering that formal leaders usually got to that position because of their knowledge and not because of their ability to please people, it is easier for them to give the orders and to be a hands-on leader, They find it easier to give the orders and take the actions they deem necessary for the best performance of their team, and their judgment is not greatly affected by the team's performance.They do not see their judgment as strongly affected by emotions or personal relationships.

3. Greater effectiveness in achieving specific objectives

Groups that have a formal leader within their ranks tend to achieve a fairly good level of effectiveness, thanks to the fact that the degree of control that the formal leader exercises over his subordinates is very high.

Disadvantages

It is not all positive aspects; formal leadership also has several disadvantages.

1. Level of demotivation of employees

In general, people are not very motivated when they are forced to perform an activity they do not like. This tends to happen in teams where there is a formal leader.

2. Communication problems

Speaking the same language does not guarantee a clear understanding.. The way things are communicated is also important. It is common for the formal leader to communicate his or her wishes in a somewhat dry manner, which can lead to conflict in getting his or her message across.

Increased likelihood of hostile treatment

Although it is not an exact science, there is a greater likelihood of tyranny in work teams based on formal leadership. It may be due to the formal leader focusing too much on power and losing sight of the collective goal, then expecting team members to pay obeisance to him or her.

The differences with natural leadership

The antagonistic term of formal leadership is natural leadership. This occurs when a subject manages to exercise the functions of a leader within a given group of people without the need to have obtained a position by means of some previous procedure and without the need for an established chain of command.

The natural leader uses his virtue for interpersonal relations; it is only on the basis of his personality characteristics that he gets others to follow him and take him into account as an authority.

Natural leaders tend to be more empathetic than their counterparts, as the team follows their charisma the team follows him/her because of his/her charisma and not necessarily because of the position he/she holds.. Although the role of natural leader may be more appreciated, it is not necessarily as effective as that of formal leader, given the significant differences in team performance. In the best case scenario, the formal leader may also be a natural leader; this scenario would be ideal for any member of a work team.

Characteristics of a formal leader

The following are typical behaviors of leaders who embrace formal leadership.

1. Recognition of their role

The intrinsic characteristic that characterizes formal leaders is that their control over the group has been established. their control over the group has been externally established.. In this way they are part of the explicit hierarchy of the environment in which they operate. It is common for formal leaders to achieve this position based on their academic achievements and experience.

2. Control over the group

The role of formal leader brings with it the ease of command, considering that the person who holds the position of leader can give direct orders to subordinates,** without the need to win their affection**.

3. Chain of command

This means that for the figure of a formal leader to exist, there must be a hierarchical order that is responsible for differentiating the different ranks within the environment.

Bibliographical references:

• Nye, J. C. (2011). The qualities of the leader. Barcelona: Paidós.
• Schultz, D. P. Schultz, Sydney E. (2010). Psychology and work today : an introduction to industrial and organizational psychology. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall. p. 171.