by Venchito Tampon | Last Updated on December 7, 2024
Leadership styles are crucial in shaping families, organizations, communities, and corporate teams in the Philippines.
If you’re part of a team or a leader yourself, understanding these styles helps you clearly see how Filipino leaders inspire their people in various settings.
Let’s explore the different types of leadership in the Philippines while providing clear examples and insights into their impact.
1. Authoritative Leadership
Authoritative leadership is characterized by a clear command structure in which leaders set goals and provide direct instructions. This style of leadership is particularly common in the government, military, non-profit organizations, and traditional businesses. As the scope and demand of work are too high, leaders need to use authority to further control the situation.
Leaders under this style maintain control over decisions and expect followers to comply with little input.
The decision-making is centralized from top to bottom, and there’s little need for recommendations and suggestions from the frontline staff.
As for the people they’re leading, you could observe high expectations for discipline. Team members must adhere to the rules and regulations of the team and organization, allowing less time and resources for slack output.
Impact in the Philippines:
Authoritative leadership is effective in environments requiring quick decision-making and strict compliance, such as disaster response teams or manufacturing sectors. However, if overused, it may limit creativity and innovation.
2. Democratic Leadership
Democratic leadership encompasses the majority of leadership know-how, as the Philippines is a democratic country.
Leaders with democratic leadership actively involve their team members in decision-making processes, valuing their input and ideas. It fosters a sense of ownership and accountability among employees or community members.
This approach empowers subordinates to make their own decisions, think of new ways to improve processes and level up themselves to achieve progress and success for the organization.
You’ll find open communication, shared problem-solving and decision-making, and genuine encouragement of feedback (promoting what we call “psychological safety”).
Impact in the Philippines:
This style is evident in Filipino workplaces and organizations with flat hierarchies and inclusive cultures. Start-ups and NGOs often adopt this style to build cohesive teams and generate innovative ideas.
3. Transformational Leadership
Transformational leaders inspire and motivate their teams by focusing on shared goals and vision.
During strategic planning and goal-setting exercises, transformational leadership is reflected in the facilitator, who is involved in facilitating the trainer and the management team involved in the major strategic roles and execution.
Transformational leadership aims to drive positive change through encouragement and personal leadership. This leadership style relies on a leader’s emotional connection with their team. With higher emotional intelligence, leaders can address concerns objectively and with greater sensitivity to their team members’ feelings and emotions.
Relationships have become more transformational than mere transactional at work.
Impact in the Philippines:
Transformational leadership is prevalent in educational institutions, religious organizations, and community development programs. For instance, Filipino pastors and community organizers often use this approach to unify and uplift their followers.
4. Servant Leadership
Servant leadership prioritizes the needs of the team or community over the leader’s personal ambitions. It is a selfless act rooted in humility, empathy, and the willingness to serve others.
While it’s not always apparent in many situations, servant leadership is primarily found in the private sector—corporations and small- to medium-sized enterprises.
Servant leaders who are in charge create an atmosphere where no one is higher above themselves than anyone else. Everyone must serve others, whether it is their internal customers (stakeholders) or external customers/clients who bring money and profit to the organization.
Leaders ensure their team’s well-being and empower them to reach their full potential. Through service, leaders can act and lead by example. They don’t simply say what they want; they act on it, modeling the right behavior and attitude visible to their teams.
Impact in the Philippines:
Servant leadership resonates strongly with Filipino cultural values, such as bayanihan (community spirit) and pakikipagkapwa (relationship-building). It is often seen in family-run businesses and grassroots initiatives, where leaders genuinely care about their people’s welfare.
5. Laissez-Faire Leadership
Laissez-faire leadership allows team members to work with minimal interference from their leader. Leaders under this style trust their team’s expertise and give them autonomy in completing tasks. This approach is ideal for highly skilled and self-motivated teams.
In leading the younger workforce today (Gen Z), leaders who practice laissez-faire leadership put themselves at an advantage by releasing freedom and flexibility to their younger subordinates.
It creates an atmosphere of trust and empowerment, where each team member participates in the decision-making process. They also delegate in a way that empowers, not controls, which helps the team move forward in the right direction.
Impact in the Philippines:
In the Philippine context, laissez-faire leadership is less common due to the preference for hands-on guidance. However, it can be effective in creative industries such as advertising, where teams thrive on independence and innovation.
Given the lack of discipline commonly seen in Filipinos, some leaders don’t practice laissez-faire leadership but resort to other leadership styles mentioned in this guide.
6. Transactional Leadership
Transactional leadership focuses on structured roles and clear expectations. Leaders motivate their teams using rewards and punishments to ensure compliance with established goals.
This results-oriented style works well in environments where measurable outcomes are prioritized.
With transactional leadership, you’ll expect clear performance expectations, reward and penalty systems, and short-term goal orientation.
Impact in the Philippines:
Transactional leadership is widely practiced in corporate settings, sales teams, and front-line staff. Filipino managers in these environments often set quotas and incentivize employees with performance-based bonuses.
7. Charismatic Leadership
Charismatic leaders rely on their personality and charm to influence others. They inspire loyalty and enthusiasm by connecting with people on an emotional level. This leadership style often thrives in times of change or uncertainty.
This type of leadership is usually visible in politics, where most politicians are celebrities and famous personalities on social media. Relying on charisma as a determining factor of leadership is mostly being considered by many Filipinos.
Charismatic leadership involves strong personal leadership, an emotional connection with followers, and the ability to provide a vision and inspire confidence in the crowd.
Impact in the Philippines:
Charismatic leadership is evident in Filipino politics, where leaders often win support through charm and relatability. It is also prevalent in the entertainment industry, with artists and influencers inspiring large audiences.
8. Situational Leadership
Situational leadership adapts to the needs of the moment. Leaders assess the situation and choose the most effective style to guide their team. This flexibility makes situational leadership highly practical in dynamic environments.
The framework that popularized this, Ken Blanchard, Situational Leadership, covers the four situational leadership styles: delegating, supporting, coaching, and directing.
As the name suggests, leadership style depends on the situation and current context of the mentee or coachee you lead. It requires greater flexibility on the part of the leader to ensure he or she can assess the situation and respond to the daily challenges they encounter as a team.
Impact in the Philippines:
This approach is common among Filipino entrepreneurs and project managers who handle diverse teams or unpredictable challenges. Adapting leadership styles helps them manage varying circumstances effectively.
9. Paternalistic Leadership
Paternalistic leadership mirrors familial relationships. Leaders act as parental figures, offering guidance, protection, and support.
In return, they expect loyalty and respect from their team. This leadership style aligns closely with Filipino cultural values.
Given our family values, you’ll see paternalistic leadership even translated to corporate settings, where subordinates see their bosses as father figures who show care, guidance, and protective leadership.
It also has some disadvantages. At some point, leaders with this leadership approach have the difficulty of coaching their team, giving constructive feedback, and reprimanding for mistakes only as needed. As they care more about the feelings rather than the actual output, this hinders them from achieving the desired goals of the team.
Impact in the Philippines:
Filipino leaders in small businesses or family-owned companies often adopt this style. Employees value the sense of belonging and support it provides, fostering long-term loyalty and dedication.
10. Bureaucratic Leadership
Bureaucratic leadership emphasizes structure, rules, and policies. Leaders focus on ensuring processes are followed to achieve consistency and fairness. This style is often necessary in large organizations and government institutions.
This is almost similar to authoritative and transactional leadership, where the leaders must instill strictness and leadership so the team can focus on their work and create momentum out of consistent wins and individual successes.
Impact in the Philippines:
Bureaucratic leadership is common in Philippine government offices and regulatory bodies. It ensures that decisions are made systematically and resources are managed responsibly.
11. Autocratic Leadership
Autocratic leadership centralizes all power and decision-making in the leader’s hands. Team members have limited input and are expected to follow orders without question.
While it can seem rigid, this style is effective in high-stakes or crisis situations. Leaders must sometimes know how to be autocratic to solve problems and effectively communicate their concerns and challenges so the team can navigate tough times.
Impact in the Philippines:
Autocratic leadership is often seen in traditional workplaces and emergency response settings. For example, Filipino leaders managing natural disaster relief efforts use this style to ensure fast and coordinated action.
12. Empathetic Leadership
Empathetic leadership focuses on understanding and addressing the emotions and needs of the team. Leaders who show genuine care and concern for their people build strong relationships.
We Filipinos are empathetic (also known as “pusong mamon”). We know the basic elements of empathy, such as active listening, emotional intelligence, and genuine focus on the well-being of the people we lead.
This is essential in driving high performance as we strengthen our professional relationships with our colleagues.
Impact in the Philippines:
This style aligns with the Filipino malasakit (compassion) culture. Leaders in healthcare and education often adopt this approach to connect with their teams and build trust.
Different Strokes For Different Folks
The leadership styles in the Philippines reflect the country’s rich cultural values, diverse industries, and unique challenges. While some styles emphasize structure and control, others focus on collaboration, inspiration, or service.
Influential leaders often blend these approaches to suit their teams and circumstances, ensuring they achieve their goals while fostering trust and unity.
Understanding these leadership types provides valuable insights into the dynamics of Filipino workplaces and communities.
Leaders can inspire positive change and achieve meaningful outcomes by choosing the right approach.
If you’re looking for comprehensive leadership and management training, send your training needs using our contact form, and we’ll schedule a TNA session with your team.
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