Democratic/participative leadership — or the style with two names — has become popular in recent decades. It dates to the 1930s and '40s. That's when noted behavioral researcher Kurt Lewin led studies that helped identify the value of the democratic/participative leadership style in organizations.
Who is the founder of democratic leadership?
One of the earliest frameworks on leadership styles was proposed by a team of researchers led by psychologist Kurt Lewin in the 1930s. Lewin's leadership styles fall into three categories: Authoritative (or autocratic leadership) Participative (or a democratic leader)
Who is the theorist for democratic leadership?
According to theorist John Gastil, Lewin and his colleagues created a rough sketch of democratic leadership, one that we still rely on today: Democratic leaders rely on group decision making, active member involvement, honest praise and criticism, and a degree of comradeship.