the type of leader who determines policy and makes decisions autocratically, rejects suggestions from others, assigns tasks to group members without considering their preferences, and dominates interactions through frequent criticism and the stick approach. Studies find that groups with authoritarian leaders work less when the leader is absent, display greater reliance on the leader, express more critical discontent, and make more aggressive demands for attention than groups with democratic leaders or with laissez-faire leaders. |defined by Kurt Lewin and his colleagues in experimental studies of leadership styles]
AUTHORITARIAN LEADER: “An authoritarian leader is unlikely to listen to the preferences of group members, but rather, dictates the way things will be.”