A Meta-Analytic Review of the Productivity and Satisfaction of Democratic and Autocratic Leadership

Small Group Research Vol. 25 No, 3, Augu. 1994, 384-410

14 Pages Posted: 23 Mar 2016

See all articles by John Gastil

John Gastil

Pennsylvania State University

Date Written: August 1, 1994

Abstract

There exists a wealth of research examining the effects of democratic and autocratic leadership on group productivity and member satisfaction: however, past reviews of this literature have not systematically integrated the results of available quantitative studies. This essay use a meta-analysis to provide such an integration. Analysis reveals no correlation between democratic/autocratic leadership style and productivity, except when taking into consideration the influence of study setting and task complexity. Results also suggest that democratic leadership has a moderate positive correlation with member satisfaction, but this relationship may be moderated by task complexity. The conclusion discusses the limits of experimentally manipulating democratic leadership and the need for conceptual refinement.

Keywords: political opinion, autocracy, democracy, democratic approval

Suggested Citation

Gastil, John, A Meta-Analytic Review of the Productivity and Satisfaction of Democratic and Autocratic Leadership (August 1, 1994). Small Group Research Vol. 25 No, 3, Augu. 1994, 384-410 , Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2748395

John Gastil (Contact Author)

Pennsylvania State University ( email )

University Park, PA 16802
United States

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