Affiliative leadership

An affiliative leadership style primarily concentrates on individuals. It aims to increase motivation by creating a good atmosphere and bringing people together. Affiliative leaders appreciate the time spent with their people and pay attention to their emotions. They foreground human relationships above the results and try to keep people happy (D. Ahlstrom, G. D. Bruton 2010, p. 252).

Advantages of affiliative leadership

The affiliative leadership style positively impacts on communication between people. They discuss a lot among themselves because of the good atmosphere. And as a result of it, they are more willing to share their ideas and conceptions. The affiliative leadership style also influences flexibility. It is because people treat each other with trust that enables them to implement innovation and take a risk. Moreover, flexibility is on the rise because affiliative leaders do not say how people should get their work done. They allow them to complete the task in the way which they consider as the most effective. Additionally, being an affiliative leader means giving plenty of positive feedback for work well done. Such information has great importance in the job site. It is because many people's day-to-day effort is not valued and that is why they generally do not receive any positive feedback. Basically, in addition to an annual review, employees get negative feedback and that makes the positive words said by the affiliative leader even more motivating and encouraging (A. Kumar, N Meenakshi 2009, p. 115).

Usage of affiliative leadership

The affiliative leadership style fits a lot of situations, but its use is very helpful especially when a leader wants to:

• build harmony
• increase morale
• improve communication
• or repair broken trust.

What is important, this type of leadership should not be used alone because it can lead to failure. Focusing only on praises may cause poor performance of the company and as a result, employees may think that such situations are completely tolerated. They have to make up how to improve the ensuing situation on their own because according to the affiliative style leaders do not give any advice. When people need clear instructions to overcome difficulties, they just leave them rudderless. That is why the affiliative leadership style should be combined with the other leadership style, or else the company will not succeed. For instance, it can be mixed with the authoritative leadership style. An authoritative leader clearly states a vision, sets standards and lets people know how their work affects the company and an affiliative leader mainly care about employees (A. Kumar, N Meenakshi 2009, p. 115).

Examples of Affiliative leadership

• Oprah Winfrey: Oprah is well known for her strong affiliative leadership style. She has created a strong connection with her employees and audience, and she creates a positive atmosphere in her workplace. She also takes into account the emotions of her staff and actively listens to their feedback.
• Steve Jobs: Despite his often abrasive personality, Jobs was a great example of an affiliative leader. He was well known for his ability to connect with his employees and foster a sense of belonging. He was also known for his ability to break down the boundaries between departments and unite people around a shared goal.
• Bill Gates: Gates is another example of an affiliative leader. He was known for his ability to get employees to work together and collaborate. He also encouraged open communication and dialogue amongst employees to foster a sense of trust and understanding.

Limitations of Affiliative leadership

The main limitations of the affiliative leadership style include:

• Inability to deal with aggressive/conflictual situations - Affiliative leaders are not well-equipped to handle aggressive situations and can have difficulty in dealing with conflicts among team members.
• Lack of performance orientation - Affiliative leaders are not always very performance-oriented, as they focus more on building relationships and motivating people.
• Difficulty in making tough decisions - Affiliative leaders may have difficulty making hard decisions, as they may be more focused on keeping everyone happy and thus tend to avoid taking decisive action.
• Unbalanced approach - An affiliative leadership approach can be unbalanced, as it may neglect to focus on the tasks at hand. This can lead to a lack of progress and results.

Other approaches related to Affiliative leadership

In addition to the Affiliative leadership style, there are several other approaches related to it.

• Democratic Leadership encourages the participation of others in decision-making, promotes open and honest communication, and creates an environment of mutual trust and respect.
• Transformational Leadership seeks to inspire and motivate followers by communicating a shared vision and purpose. This leadership style encourages creativity and innovation, and emphasizes the importance of individual development.
• Servant Leadership focuses on providing service to others, rather than on top-down authority. It emphasizes building relationships, listening to others, and creating a supportive and caring environment.
• Coaching Leadership is a style of leadership focused on helping others develop their skills and potential. This style focuses on providing support, guidance, and feedback to help others reach their goals.

In summary, Affiliative leadership is just one of several approaches related to leadership. Other approaches include Democratic Leadership, Transformational Leadership, Servant Leadership, and Coaching Leadership. All of these styles focus on creating an environment of trust, respect, and positive relationships, and emphasize the importance of individual development.

Affiliative leadership — recommended articles

Informal leader — Laissez faire leadership — Charismatic leadership — Motivation — Delegative leadership — Business etiquette — Motivation system — Cross-cultural leadership — Internal motivation — Principle of legality

References

• Ahlstrom D., Bruton G. D. (2010), International Management: Strategy and Culture in the Emerging World, South-Western Cengage Learning, Mason, p. 252
• Bahago, Shawai F. J. (2012), The Implications of Leadership Style on Workers' Motivation, "International Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities Reviews", vol. 3, no. 2, p. 132
• Burke R., Barron S. (2014), Project Management Leadership: Building Creative Teams, John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, p. 93
• Harpelund C., Højberg M. T., Nielsen K. U. (2019), Onboarding: Getting New Hires off to a Flying Start, Emerald Publishing, Bingley, p. 228
• Kumar A., Meenakshi N (2009), Organizational Behaviour: A Modern Approach, Vikas Publishing House, New Delhi, p. 115
• Preston G., Moon J., Simon R., Allen S., Kossi E. (2015), The Relevance of Emotional Intelligence in Project Leadership, "Journal of Information Technology and Economic Development", vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 16-19
• Rhode D. L. (2012), Developing Leadership, "Santa Clara Law Review", vol. 52, no. 3, pp. 708-709

Author: Klaudia Nycz