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Article Author: Lorri Freifeld

LEVERAGING 3 PRIMARYMANAGEMENT STYLESWhen and how to employ each of these styles—directing, discussing, and delegating—to maximizeyour effectiveness.Posted: June 6, 2013

By Paul B. Thornton, Professor, Business Administration, SpringfieldTechnical Community College

Management style greatly affects employees’ motivation and capacityto learn. The most effective managers vary their styles depending onthe employee’s knowledge and skills, the nature of the task, timeconstraints, and other factors. By so doing, they encourage andinspire employees to do their best at all times.

Unfortunately, some managers fail to utilize different managementstyles, either because they don’t know about them or don’t think toapply them. This article discusses three primary management stylesthat should be in the tool chest of every manager, along with practicalsuggestions about when and how to use them.

The basic concepts presented in this article are derived from the“Situational Leadership Theory Model,” developed by Ken Blanchard

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and Paul Hersey. I was privileged to study with both Professor Herseyand Professor Blanchard at Ohio University. Since then, as a collegeinstructor, coach, consultant, corporate trainer, manger, andfacilitator, I have successfully applied the concepts described belowwith many employees and students in a variety of settings.

The Three Ds

It is helpful to think of management styles according to the three Ds:Directing, Discussing, and Delegating.

The directing style promotes learning through listening and followingdirections. With this style, the manager tells the employees what todo, how to do it, and when it needs to be done.

The discussing style promotes learning through interaction. In thisstyle, practiced by Socrates, the manager encourages critical thinkingand lively discussion by asking employees questions about theproblem, opportunity, or issue that must be resolved. The manager isa facilitator guiding the discussion to a logical conclusion.

The delegating style promotes learning through empowerment. Withthis style, the manager assigns tasks that employees work onindependently, either individually or in groups.

Using an appropriate management style helps employees learn,grow, and become more independent.

Below is a brief description of each management style, withsuggestions about how to use it for best results. For presentationpurposes, I have organized this material according to four keycomponents of all management styles: communication, coaching,decision-making, and recognition.

The Directing Style

Communication in the directing style is predominantly one-way, frommanager to employee. The manager imparts information to theemployee via verbal or written instructions. The only feedback themanager looks for is “Do you understand the instructions?”

Coaching occurs as the manager tells employees what they need tochange. In addition, the manager may demonstrate desiredbehaviors to the employee, such as rewriting an e-mail to improve

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clarity or showing how to run an effective meeting.

Decision-making occurs when the manager defines the problem,evaluates options, and makes a decision. Employees learn how toframe problems, evaluate alternatives, and make effective decisionsby understanding the process the manager follows.

Recognition happens spontaneously when the managerpraisesemployees who follow directions and complete assignmentscorrectly. It can be accomplished on a more formal basis throughcompany reward/recognition programs and feedback provided inprivate manager-employee conferences.

Suggestions for using the directing style:

The Discussing Style

Communication in the discussing style is two-way (betweenmanager and employee) or multi-way (among employees, or among

Start with the big picture. Provide the context beforelaunching into specifics.

Be precise. State clearly what you expect, how you expect itto be done, and when it’s due. To increase motivation, tellemployees why they will benefit from learning the material.Clear goals, specific deadlines, and concise directionsincrease employee motivation and eliminate confusion.Wordy, sloppily written, poorly organized directionsconfuse, overwhelm, and frustrate employees.

Provide the right amount of detail. Communicationbreakdowns can occur when important details are omittedor instructions are ambiguous.

Always interact in an adult-to-adult manner. Thisengenders mutual respect, disarms defensiveness, andfacilitates positive change.

Don’t sugarcoat the message. There are times whenmanagers need to be direct and candid to get through toemployees. For example, I once told an employee, “Stopbeing a victim and blaming everyone else. Start takingresponsibility for your actions.”

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employees and manager). The manager asks challenging questionsand listens carefully to the employees’ comments. Follow-upquestions help uncover underlying assumptions, reasoning, andfeelings. Employees learn to have opinions and be able to back themup with facts and data.

Coaching occurs when the manager asks questions thatrequireemployees to evaluate their own performance. Goodquestions to ask are “How do you think you did? What could you havedone better? What steps can you take to improve?” The goal is toencourage employees to examine what they did, why they did it, andwhat they can do to improve.

Decision-making occurs as the manager and employees collaborateand work together to define problems, identify and evaluatealternative solutions, and make sound decisions. Employees learnas they respond to the manager’s questions, offer their own ideas,and consider the advantages and disadvantages of each option.

Recognition may be given to employees who express their ideasclearly and succinctly. In addition, employees should be praised forthoughtful observations, creative ideas, building on the ideas ofothers, and helping the group reach a logical conclusion.

Suggestions for using the discussing style:

Start by asking general questions. Management guruTom Peters says the four most important words are “Whatdo you think?” Asking employees for their ideas andopinions increases their engagement in the learningprocess. “What would you do in this situation?” is moreeffective at promoting discussion than a question thataims for a single “right” answer. Start with generalquestions, and then get more specific.

Resist the temptation to immediately answer your ownquestions or give your own opinions. Be willing to wait 20seconds or more for employees to respond. Silence is agreat motivator.

Prepare questions in advance. Great discussions don’tjust happen. Ask one question at a time. Be open, curious,and interested in learning what each employee thinks.

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The Delegating Style

Communication occurs as the manager assigns tasks foremployees to tackle independently or in small groups. Employeeslisten and ask follow-up questions until they fully understand whatthey need to deliver.

Coaching is accomplished primarily through self-coaching.Employees gain the most maturity and confidence when they areable to critique their own performance. For example, to my employee Imight say something such as: “I want you to think about yourperformance on this assignment. Identify three things you did welland one area needing improvement. I’d like to meet tomorrow at 10a.m. to hear what you come up with.”

Decision-making happens as employeesestablish goals, implementplans, and work through issues on their own. They learn by doing.

Recognition most often takes the form of praise and other rewardsgiven to employees who work well independently, meet deadlines,and produce quality work.

Suggestions for using the delegating style:

Don’t allow one or two employees to dominate thediscussion. Solicit everyone’s ideas and opinions. Gentlydraw out employees who seem insecure and reticent toparticipate. Get closure by reviewing the key point or pointsyou want to make.

Promote broad participation by asking each employeeto comment on a question or topic. For example, Isometimes start my meetings by saying, “I want to giveeach of you one minute to discuss your views on thistopic. Let’s go around the room and hear from everyone.”

Assign projects that are challenging, but notoverwhelming. When employees are empowered, mostare inspired and motivated to show what they can do, butsome become anxious. Increase the probability ofsuccess for all employees by expressing confidence intheir ability to get the job done.

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Variety Leads to Effectiveness

There is no one best management style. Effective managers use avariety of styles, and they know how and when to choose the mostappropriate one for the specific situation. In essence, the threemanagement styles boil down to this:

Some managers lean too heavily on the directing style ofmanagement. Greater use of the discussing and delegating stylesincreases employee engagement and enhances the learningexperience.

At the end of each week, managers should assess their ownperformance with questions such as:

Paul B. Thornton is professor of business administration atSpringfield Technical Community College, Springfield, MA, where heteaches principles of management, organizational behavior, andprinciples of leadership. Professor Thornton is the author of“Leadership—Off the Wall” and 12 other books on management and

Be precise. When delegating a task or project, make sureemployees know exactly what they need to do and bywhen.

Establish check-in dates. Managers need to get periodicupdates from employees to insure appropriate progressis being made.

Direct—Tell employees what to do.

Discuss—Ask questions and listen.

Delegate—Empower employees.

Did I use the most appropriate management style for eachtask?

Am I overusing any particular style?

What changes do I need to make when using each style?

Are employees becoming more capable andindependent?

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leadership, as well as numerous published articles. He can becontacted at mailto:PThornton@stcc.edu.

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