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Management & Leadership vocabulary · Leadership Styles and Skills

Paternalistic leadership

Meaning in management & leadership, with examples

nounAdvanced term

In management & leadership, paternalistic leadership means: A leadership style combining strong authority with personal concern for employees, often expecting loyalty in return.

In Turkish: babacan liderlik

How it is used

Use analytically; the term can describe caring relationships but also dependence and limited employee autonomy.

Example sentences

  1. Paternalistic leadership in the firm included personal help but little consultation about major decisions.

    Concern for employees coexists with concentrated decision authority.

  2. Some staff valued the paternalistic leadership, while others wanted clearer boundaries and more independence.

    People can respond differently to the combination of care and control.

Common collocations

  • paternalistic leadership style
  • paternalistic leadership approach
  • authorityThe official power or right to make decisions, give instructions and use resources, usually linked to a person's role in an organisation.
  • leadership styleThe typical way a person leads others, including how they make decisions, give instructions, share information and involve their team.

More terms: Leadership Styles and Skills

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