Interactive picture of the autocratic management style: one manager above a fixed row of eight employees, with message arrows that stop travelling upward as the manager's authority rises.
Shutting off every voice but one can be the right call
An autocratic manager keeps every decision and tells staff what to do, so messages travel one way: downward. That sounds harsh, yet when a kitchen is on fire or the whole team started last week, it is often what works. Raise the manager's authority and watch which way the messages travel between the manager and the eight employees.
Who talks to whomMixed authority
Raise the manager's authority. Watch the arrows on each line.
50% authority · ▼ 8 down · ▲ 4 up
Manager's authority50%
SharedMixedAbsolute
Decision speed (relative)
5.5×
Lines carrying employee input
4
Which situation is the business in?
At 50% authority: partial fit
Know This
An autocratic manager keeps every decision and sends one-way communication down the line, so employee input never travels back up.