Participant
often only appear so - but aren't}. He sincerely encourages and listens to, is influenced by, full two-way communication, suggestions, thorough discussion and debate of his department's goals, problems and any decisions to be made. But, after all discussion, he reserves the final decisions to himself. This form of leadership is common in America's White House where the president solicits the best advice from all expert sources but, at end, makes the final decisions himself

Strengths :
When people have a genuine voice and part in the making of a decision, they tend to view it as their own, support it and try hard to make it work. Wide-open, two-way communication and the free-of people to voice their ideas, information and knowledge of specific aspects of jobs, especially highly technical ones, provide a leader valuable ideas and advice, an optimum "information base" for his decisions -the vital factor in today's com-plex and fast-changing organizations. When people have a genuine share in decisions and thereby share in the burden and responsibility for decisions, they tend usually to:
(a) Feel important, respected and recognized as valuable (a deep ego satisfaction)/and
(b) Develop rapidly their full potential of effort, talent, accomplishment and value.

Most people work harder, more efficiently, more enthusiastically and at a high level of motivation when they are given genuine responsibility, free-dom to act and contribute to their work and goals. People's deep personal satisfaction in a participa-tive climate results in maximum human contribu-tion to the accomplishment of organizational goals.

Weakness:
People participation in decisions can consume great amounts of time (in meetings, discussions/waiting for the views of all, telephone calls, etc.) causing inefficiency, delay or inability to decide and act within critical time limits (especially in emergen-cy situations).

Some managers use (abuse) the participative style, especially the democratic form of it, to shirk the responsibility of decision making, avoiding or "abdicating" it by shifting it to groups (committees being the most common ploy in this game of safe-and indecisive- survival).

The consultative style invites people to urge their views, sometimes quite emotionally, and often many strongly divergent views or "fact ions "emerge -the leader must finally decide on one of them and those whose recommendations were rejected may resent it and even fight or sabotage the decision. This style, unless carefully handled, can lead to collapse of managerial control by the manager who is ultimately and solely accountable for results.