Authoritarianism

Conceptual Overview

In an organizational context, authoritarianism refers to an extreme version of the machine bureaucracy. Such organizations are typified by regimes in which regulations, hierarchy, and centralization are all highly controlling. These could be regarded as totalitarian institutions in which power and control flow downwards and communication flows are all upwards. In these autocracies, the CEO (chief executive officer)/leader is the only center of power and employees have little autonomy or discretion in their day-to-day work activities. Such arrangements are most commonly found in SMEs (small- and medium-sized enterprises) in which proprietary rights give the owner-manager absolute power over his or her employees. In addition, smaller firms are usually notable for the absence of a human resource (HR) function, and most owner-managers actively discourage their employees from joining trade unions. As a consequence, proprietary rights are exercised in a much more overt way in SMEs because the owner-manager's authoritarian power is not subject to the countervailing forces of HR departments or trade unions.

However, authoritarian management based on ownership rights can also be present in larger organizations. Perhaps Ford, the archetypal “modern” organization, is the best example of a small group of family members exerting powerful control over large numbers of employees. Certainly this was the case during the reigns of Henry Ford I and Henry Ford II. Howard Geneen, CEO of ITT, was another example of a manager who was able to exercise authoritarian control over a large organization. More recent examples include Rupert Murdoch, particularly during the period when his company (News International) was involved with the introduction of new technologies to the U.K. printing industry. The power to exercise authoritarian control can come from a number of sources, including family (Ford), personal characteristics, or coalition building.

Authoritarianism signifies the domination one individual is able to exercise over other people (family members or employees). Max Weber's explanation of social domination is important in understanding the basis of authoritarian control. Charismatic domination occurs as a result of the leader's personal qualities, [Page 85]which enable such a leader to exercise power over others. In political systems, Adolph Hitler, Mao Tse Tung, and Joseph Stalin are perhaps the clearest examples of charismatic leaders who exercised authoritarian control over their respective populations. Within an organizational context, Howard Geneen and Henry Ford are good examples of charismatic and authoritarian leaders (although there is no attempt to suggest they are in any way similar to the aforementioned political dictators).

Traditional domination is based on custom and backward looking respect for the “old ways” of doing things. Such social systems are typified by subservience to those perceived to have the right of authority over other people. Traditional domination is usually found in peasant or feudal societies, and may be based on high levels of ignorance among the population. Within organizations, such domination is exercised in many owner-managed firms or in agriculture, where there is still respect for the local laird (lord of the manor).

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