A leader who avoids making decisions and provides little guidance is demonstrating which leadership style?

A leader who avoids making decisions and provides little guidance is demonstrating which leadership style?

• A. Laissez-faire leadership
• B. Transactional leadership
• C. Transformational leadership
• D. Contingent Reward

Answer: (A)

Decision avoidance and minimal guidance point to a hands-off leadership approach. Laissez-faire leadership is defined by the leader taking a very low-profile role: they refrain from making decisions, offer little direction, and let the team operate with substantial autonomy. In this style, accountability often rests with the team, and members have broad freedom to determine how to accomplish tasks. The description here—avoiding decisions and providing little guidance—fits that pattern best. By contrast, transactional leadership emphasizes clear expectations, performance monitoring, and rewards or punishments based on results; transformational leadership involves actively guiding and inspiring followers toward a shared vision with developmental support; and contingent reward is a specific transactional tactic that uses rewards to reinforce achieving goals. These styles involve more structured guidance and active leader involvement than the described scenario.

Decision avoidance and minimal guidance point to a hands-off leadership approach. Laissez-faire leadership is defined by the leader taking a very low-profile role: they refrain from making decisions, offer little direction, and let the team operate with substantial autonomy. In this style, accountability often rests with the team, and members have broad freedom to determine how to accomplish tasks. The description here—avoiding decisions and providing little guidance—fits that pattern best.

By contrast, transactional leadership emphasizes clear expectations, performance monitoring, and rewards or punishments based on results; transformational leadership involves actively guiding and inspiring followers toward a shared vision with developmental support; and contingent reward is a specific transactional tactic that uses rewards to reinforce achieving goals. These styles involve more structured guidance and active leader involvement than the described scenario.