Leaders are the backbone of teams and organizations. A leader’s decision can have an overall impact on an organization. Thus, the rise or fall of an organization is tied to the effectiveness of the leader and the efficiency of the processes the leader adopts to actualize organizational goals. Effective leadership is needed to drive the realization of the goals and objectives of an organization. In this article, we take an in-depth look at the definition of task-oriented leadership and examples.
Generally, leadership is classified into two types: task-oriented leadership and people-oriented leadership.
Task-oriented leadership is leadership style that is an umbrella term used for leaders who are autocratic in their style of leading their followers or subordinates. They focus on tasks rather than people. They are authoritative and ensure things are done in their own way. They are insensitive to the needs of employees or subordinates as opposed to people-oriented leadership that is employee-centric.
What Is Task Oriented Leadership?
Task-oriented leadership is often contrasted against people-oriented leadership. While task-oriented leadership focuses on getting the job done, people-oriented leadership puts more emphasis on the well-being of employees or members of a team.
Task oriented leadership is an autocratic style of leadership that is more concerned about executing set goals and objectives within a specific time frame no matter the cost. Task-oriented leaders put more emphasis on getting the job done than on the well-being of the individuals carrying out the task.
A task-oriented leader initiates the decision and ideas for the execution of organizational goals and objectives without seeking the opinions or inputs of members of the team.
Task-oriented leaders adopt a step-by-step approach to finding solutions to organizational problems. They do so by defining the tasks, assigning the roles to be performed, and providing the tools and resources that are needed to get the job done.
Forms of leadership that fall under this category are transactional leadership, pacesetters, bureaucratic and autocratic style of leadership. Real-life examples of leaders with this trait are Margaret Thatcher, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Martha Stewart. Leaders with this leadership style are often effective with the processes and procedures but lacking in the area of fostering relationships with team members which is one of the advantages of people-oriented leadership, a leadership style that is often contrasted with task-oriented leadership.
Task-oriented leadership is hailed for helping organizations achieve efficiency and productivity.
Characteristics of A Task Oriented Leader
- They place emphasis on the completion of tasks within deadlines and meeting targets.
- They design clear methods and easy to follow processes that ensure members of the team stay on track until the task is completed within the set deadline.
- Task oriented leaders create structured work environments and are always organized. They set out clearly defined structures and processes in completing tasks, assignments, and jobs.
- They make all the decisions about the task to be performed. They decide what each individual in a team will do because they are well acquainted with their strengths and capabilities.
- Their processes are usually straightforward and direct thus increasing productivity.
Strategies of Task Oriented Leadership
- They educate and instruct members of a team about tasks to be completed. Every member of the team is well informed about the job to be done.
- Tasks are arranged according to their level of importance and how it is to be performed. Task oriented leaders give precise instructions on how the task is to be completed. They do this by summing up tasks, arranging them, and providing guidance. This eliminates any form of confusion and enables team members to work efficiently.
- A reward system is established. Team members are rewarded for the completion of tasks before deadlines and for performing tasks optimally. This increases the motivation of team members.
- They know what to do to work productively.
Skills of Task Oriented Leaders
- Strategic: A task oriented leader knows how to maximize the strengths of individuals in a team. He knows what methods to employ to get the best output from team members.
- Meticulous: Task oriented leaders know how to arrange tasks efficiently. They categorize tasks according to their importance. They employ processes that facilitate the completion of tasks at set deadlines.
- Planning: The task oriented leader is a skillful planner. The task oriented leader plans every step, process, and procedure that are required for achieving organizational goals and objectives.
- Design: The task oriented leader is skillful and effective at designing processes and procedures that are easy to follow through.
- Time Management: They are skilled at creating schedules that others follow to achieve the set goals. They know how to ensure that team members stick to the processes until the completion of tasks.
- Delegation: They delegate roles and responsibilities in a way that maximizes the strength of each member of the team.
Advantages of Task Oriented Leadership
- Sets Clear Objectives
The task-oriented leader is meticulous in his approach to getting things done. He sets clear, specific, and easy-to-follow work schedules with the exact time for completion of each task.
- Setting Clear Deadlines
A task-oriented leader is keen and focused on setting clear deadlines for achievements of set goals. Leaders utilizing this approach ensure that the set deadlines for the task are met. Any shortcomings or underperformance from employees are usually met with disciplinary measures.
Research shows that people who struggle with keeping to time prefer the task-oriented leadership style because their method of leadership helps them stay on track to meet deadlines for tasks to be performed.
This essential quality of the task-oriented leader ensures that goals are reached more quickly and thus increases productivity.
- Distributes Task Effectively
A task-oriented leader is well acquainted with the nitty-gritty of a job. The leader has a well-rounded knowledge of what it takes to get the job done, the resources and skills that are needed to execute the task. As such, he delegates work to be done appropriately.
- Provides Clear Directions
Because processes and procedures are clearly spelled out, employees are not confused. They are clear about what is to be achieved and thus eliminates the risk of making mistakes.
- Focused
The task-oriented leader is entirely focused on getting the job done. This speeds up the time for job completion.
Disadvantages of Task Oriented Leadership
- Lack of Autonomy
Employees are to stick to the stated procedures of completing the job throughout the entire process. They are not given a free hand to navigate the processes as they seem fit. This approach stiffens employees’ creativity, spontaneity, and inspiration. This may also lead to burnout as employees must stick to scheduled time in completing the task regardless of how they feel.
- Fixed Deadlines
There is no allowance for the adjustment of time for the completion of a task. The processes are rigid. No form of flexibility can be entertained. Employees must complete their tasks within a specified deadline. Employees are always subjected to working under pressure to complete tasks at specified deadlines.
- No Balance Between Work And Fun
Employees are not given breaks throughout the scheduled period. They are not allowed to socialize or have fun. This decreases their morale to perform the job as a little break usually refreshes the employee and thus increases their productivity.
- Lack of Empathy
A task-oriented leader does not pay attention to the well-being of members of the team. They are less concerned about their welfare and stress levels. They lack apathy and show no form of empathy.
- Lack Opportunities For Growth
Since task-oriented leadership is focused on the tasks and ignores employee welfare, opportunities for growth through training and development are not prioritized. As such, employees do not have access to skills that will help them become successful and live meaningful lives.
Forms Of Task Oriented Leadership
- Pacesetters
This type of task-oriented leader is a perfectionist and is constantly raising the bar high for their employees. Higher goals are set each time a task is completed. There is usually no breathing space for employees. Because they are highly goal-oriented, lots of pressure are exerted on employees.
- Transactional Leadership
This form of task-oriented leader exacts compliance from subordinates or employees through a system of rewards and punishments. A shortfall from expected output is met with punishment. The leader focuses on the extreme motivation for the performance of job tasks. This is the form of leadership prevalent in large corporations where the work environment is highly structured.
- Autocratic
This is the extreme form of task-oriented leadership. This type of leaders set clear goals and issue clear and direct instructions. Compliance is demanded regardless of what subordinates may think. These leaders do not expect any form of input, suggestion, or feedback from subordinates. The military lends itself to this form of leadership style. This type of leadership is especially useful when there is an urgency to reach a determined course of action.
- Bureaucratic Leadership
This form of leadership is prevalent in the manufacturing and public service sectors. Because of the uniformity of tasks and workflow. There are highly formalized procedures and structures. This form of leadership focuses more on the processes of completion of tasks. Duties are uniform and processes are rigid.
Examples of Task Oriented Leadership
- Martha Stewart
Martha Stewart is a businesswoman, magazine publisher, and cookbook author. Her success in the media industry is credited to her autocratic style of leadership which made her powerful.
She is famously known for being a perfectionist, meticulously paying attention to details, placing overwhelming demands on her workers, treating people as commodities, and following rigid work structures and schedules. These traits are commonly found in task-oriented leaders.
- Bill Gates
Bill Gates is the co-founder of Microsoft, a tech giant company. According to an article by Liquid Learning, Bill Gates handpicked employees with personality types that could match up to his task-oriented (transactional)style of leadership during the growth stages of Microsoft. The following statements by Bill Gates provide further insight into his style of leadership.
“If you think your teacher is tough, wait until you get a boss. He doesn’t have tenure.”
“If you give people tools, [and they use] their natural ability and their curiosity, they will develop things in ways that will surprise you very much beyond what you might have expected.”
- Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher was Britain’s first female Prime Minister and was nicknamed the Iron Lady by a journalist from the Soviet Union because of her autocratic style of leadership.
Through her style of leadership, she weakened the influence of labor unions and instigated a lot of measures that made it difficult for them to embark on strikes. She was also able to help Britain gain a strong foothold in international affairs. Under her leadership, Britain experienced a huge impact on its socio-economic landscape.
- Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs was the founder of Apple before his death in 2011. Under his leadership, Apple was listed as the most successful technology company. According to business leaders and past employees, Steve jobs leadership style was autocratic. He set the bar high and had high expectations. He took all decisions by himself and didn’t rely on external validation and suggestions to keep things moving forward.
For example, a former Apple employee Guy Kawasaki wrote about Steve Jobs leadership style in an article for CNBC that “In the Macintosh Division, you had to prove yourself every day, or Jobs got rid of you,”
Also, in an article for “The Telegraph”, Richard Branson the founder of Virgin Atlantic wrote that “Steve Jobs’ leadership style was autocratic; he had a meticulous eye for detail and surrounded himself with like-minded people to follow his lead”.
The ensuing quotes by Steve Jobs sum up his perfectionist and demanding leadership style traits.
“Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected.”
“When you’re a carpenter making a beautiful chest of drawers, you’re not going to use a piece of plywood on the back, even though it faces the wall and nobody will see it. You’ll know it’s there, so you’re going to use a beautiful piece of wood on the back. For you to sleep well at night, the aesthetic, the quality, has to be carried all the way through.”
In conclusion, task-oriented leadership is hailed for its effectiveness in helping organizations increase efficiency, productivity, and performance. But when employed to the extreme can make employees and team members demoralized and demotivated. For example, Martha Stewart was heavily criticized for not caring about people. Also, Margaret Thatcher lost face with her own conservative members in Britain’s parliament due to her autocratic style of leadership.
Leadership and management proponents advise combining task-oriented leadership styles with people-oriented leadership styles to create a balanced and productive workforce.
Related Questions
1. What is the opposite of Task-Oriented Leadership
People-oriented leadership is the opposite of task-oriented leadership. It focuses on fostering the relationship between the leader and team members and also interpersonal relationships amongst team members. A people-oriented leader is more concerned about the welfare and wellbeing of employees or subordinates as opposed to task-oriented leaders who are only concerned about the work processes and the task to be executed.
People-oriented leaders are democratic in their approach to leadership and seek inputs from team members before making decisions. They are keen on how their decisions affect the performance of team members. The drawback of this type of leadership is that it will be difficult to make quick decisions when one is needed as every member of the team will want their opinion to count.
2. How Do You Balance Task-People Oriented Leadership?
The people-oriented leadership style is focused on people rather than processes, structures, and procedures. While the task-oriented leader is focused on getting things done, following through with a plan, and staying on course, the people-oriented leader is concerned about the employee’s wellbeing and feelings. Leadership and management proponents say employees will gravitate towards either form of leadership style. The key is understanding which leadership style best helps the employee to be effective and efficient.
3. What Personality types do task-oriented leaders have?
According to the DISC behavioral assessment tool based on Marston’s theory, task-oriented leaders are the dominant “D” type of personality. They are strong-willed, always wanting to get results fast, giving clear and direct commands. They always tend to lead than follow. They are motivated by achieving specific goals. They are insensitive to the feelings of others and very demanding.
4. What Makes Task-Oriented Leadership Effective?
Task-oriented Leaders set clearly defined goals and objectives. Their work environment is highly structured. They delegate responsibilities according to the capacity of individuals in a team and the available resources. They set deadlines and ensure team members deliver on outcomes within the specified deadlines. Clearly defined outcomes help employees have a great sense of what is expected and help them to work towards achieving those goals unhindered.
