The experiment
Psychologist Kurt Lewin, founder of group dynamics, together with Ronald Lippitt and Ralph White, conducted studies in the late 1930s in clubs for eleven-year-old boys in Iowa. Adult leaders ran the groups in three different styles while researchers observed the atmosphere, aggression and work output (results published in 1939).
Three styles
| Style | Description | Observed effects |
|---|---|---|
| Autocratic | the leader decides alone and gives orders | productive work when the leader was present, but more hostility or apathy; work dropped in the leader's absence |
| Democratic | the leader involves the group in decisions, explains goals | better atmosphere, more originality, work continued without the leader |
| Laissez-faire | the leader leaves full freedom and does not engage | weakest results, chaos, frustration |
Significance
Lewin's studies were among the first experiments on leadership and launched the behavioural approach. They showed that leadership style affects not only output but also group climate. Later research confirmed that laissez-faire (avoidance of leadership) is particularly harmful - see transactional leadership.
A contemporary reading
Today we know that an autocratic style is sometimes needed in crises, while a democratic style requires a mature group and time - cf. situational leadership and Goleman's six styles. In communities, however, the common problem is not autocracy but laissez-faire - a leader who “doesn't want to offend anyone” and avoids decisions. The community is then left without direction.
Sources
K. Lewin, R. Lippitt, R. K. White, Patterns of aggressive behavior in experimentally created “social climates”, Journal of Social Psychology 10 (1939) R. K. White, R. Lippitt, Autocracy and Democracy: An Experimental Inquiry, Harper 1960 A. S. Skogstad et al., The destructiveness of laissez-faire leadership behavior, Journal of Occupational Health Psychology 12 (2007)