The Power of Situation: How Lewin's Leadership Styles Dictate Human Behavior

Kurt Lewin was a psychologist. Lewin and his colleges were fascinated by the way leaders were able to mold their followers. In 1939 they set up an experiment to decipher how groups act in different styles of leadership. 

Lewin and other researchers began their experiment by taking school boys and putting them into groups of three and performing certain tasks and goals. Each group had a leader who was trained to perform different, distinct styles of leadership. There was an autocratic leader who dictated all decisions for the group, a laissez-faire leader who allowed complete freedom with almost no guidelines, and a democratic leader who would actively enforce group decisions. Each week the leaders would switch to a different group of boys so each group would experience all leader styles. 

After the data was compiled it was clear that the autocratic boys worked the hardest but typically, only when the leader was watching. The boys were much more aggressive and hostile under autocratic leadership and showed more submission to the leader acting like child fascists. 

Very little work was accomplished under the laissez-faire leadership and if work was accomplished it was poorly done. The laissez-faire style of leadership, total freedom without guidance, also lead to mayhem between the children. 

The democratic style ran the smoothest. The boys showed the highest levels of motivation and creativity with more mutual praise and playfulness than any other leadership style. 
The experiment was best at portraying how democracy was the best leadership style to implement. However, this experiment plays a very important role in understanding social situations. The outcome of each leadership style was due to the social situation that was created and did not stem from each boy’s individual personality. The social factors and interactions were the critical part of this experiment. 1

1, 5. Discovering Psychology hosted by Philip Zimbardo “The Power of Situation” Annenberg/CPB: Annenberg Foundation-Corporation for Public Broadcasting. WGBH Boston with the American Psychological Association. <http:></http:> 2001

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