Does Every Work Environment Need a Leader?

The prevailing assumption is that every department, business and work environment can only succeed with an obvious chain of command. We think that in order to have productive workers or employees, we also need to have a solid leader or boss to run the show. This is not always the case, however, and there are those work situations and environments where a boss or leader might not be necessary.

In general, the more qualified, skilled and self-regulated the workers or employees are, the less likely they are to need someone to tell them what to do. This is not always the case and it can be important to take personalities and other issues into account but those individuals who are most qualified may not need to have someone tell them what to do. Small departments or special work groups where the employees are highly skilled and focused on specific tasks may be just fine working productively without daily guidance. An overall leader or business owner will suffice just fine.

There are actually those work environments where a "boss" can get in the way of productivity. If workers or employees are used to working independently or have a solid history of being self-motivated and self-regulated, then having a boss come in and try to take control can be seen as threatening and unproductive. This is especially true if the "leader" has less experience, skill or technical ability than the work team.

As workers or employees mature or grow in terms of skills and experience, they often have less of a need for someone to guide them or tell them what do in the workplace. Of course, this is not always the case, but it is important to keep in mind that what makes one situation productive and efficient-may not be what makes another work.

In a work environment where there are one or a few workers who are highly productive and quite capable, it may not be necessary to have a "head" or a leader to dictate work tasks or manage productivity. It is perfectly reasonable to organize a functional department (or leave well enough alone) without leadership as long as work is getting done and objectives are being met.