Which leadership style encourages staff participation and involvement in planning, and communicates effectively?

• A. Autocratic (Authoritative)
• B. Democratic/Participative
• C. Laissez-faire/Permissive
• D. Transformational

Answer: (B)

The democratic/participative leadership style invites staff to participate in planning and communicates openly and effectively. By sharing decision-making, this approach brings input from team members into goal setting and problem solving, which helps create plans that fit real needs and locations. That involvement builds ownership and trust, and the open communication channels reduce miscommunication, speeding up implementation and ensuring everyone stays informed. In contrast, an autocratic style centralizes decisions with little staff input, which can limit planning quality and buy-in; laissez-faire tends to leave teams without clear direction; and while transformational leadership can motivate and inspire, its focus is more on vision and change than on structured participation in planning and two-way communication.