Research Paper: Democratic Leadership Application in Etisalat Group

This research paper investigates the implementation of democratic leadership within Etisalat, a multinational telecommunications company. The study explores the extent to which Etisalat employs a participative leadership style, where all team members are involved in the decision-making process. The research question focuses on determining the degree to which democratic leadership is followed within the organization. The paper includes a literature review that defines democratic leadership and discusses its benefits, particularly in dynamic environments. Primary research, including interviews with company managers, reveals that Etisalat encourages employee participation, fosters open communication, and involves staff in decision-making and problem-solving. The findings suggest that Etisalat's leaders are fast, smart, and flexible, which helps attract top talent and facilitates overall development. The conclusion affirms that democratic leadership is prevalent within Etisalat, contributing to the company's global success. References and a bibliography are included.

Running head: DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP: RESEARCH PAPER
Democratic Leadership: Research paper
Name Student:
Name of University:
Author’s Note:

1DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP: RESEARCH PAPER
Introduction:
The chosen company is Etisalat Telecommunication Group Company is basically a
multinational Emirati based telecommunications service provider which is presently operating in
several countries across the world. The concept of democratic leadership is a participative form
of leadership in which all the members of the team take an equal part in the decision making
process. It is to be researched that whether democratic leadership is applied in the Etisalat
Company. This would be evident from the conducted research and the interview of the manager
of the group of companies whether participation is encouraged from the employees.
Research Question:
The research question which is to be studied is “To what extent is democratic leadership
followed in Etisalat”. The research question is to be studied from suitable sources and on the
basis of the obtained data, a necessary conclusion is to be drawn on the research question either
positive or negative.
Literature Review:
The democratic style of leadership is a very open and congenial style of running any
team. In such a sort of leadership ideas move freely, every person has the right to openly discuss
his or her ideas. Such a style of leadership is required in “dynamic and rapidly changing
environments”, in which very scarce can be considered to remain a invariable. In the fast paced
organisations, there is every possible option for development in case such a style of leadership is
specifically adopted.

2DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP: RESEARCH PAPER
At times when conditions change frequently, “democratic leadership” provides a great
deal of flexibility to adjust to a better way in which things can be done. The style of democratic
leadership has the ability to bring out the best out of an experienced and professional team. There
is an assisted capitalization of their skills and talents which helps them in sharing their views in
comparison to simply expecting them to conform to existing ways (Hendriks & Karsten, 2014).
In order to effectively apply this style of leadership, there are certain factors which can
assist this. The style thrives when all the considerations are laid out in the open for every person
to examine. In discussions it is most important to ensure that ideas and opinions are on the topic
as it is very easy to stray from it. It often happens that the leaders are faced with a plethora of
ideas and making the crucial choices become difficult. However it is necessary for the leader to
commit for the organisation to succeed (Raelin, 2012).
Primary Research:
From a proper study of the organisation it has been seen that democratic style of
leadership is actually followed by the managers in order to help their team members in
performing their tasks effectively. The managers have experience in taking crucial decisions of
the company, which reduces the risk of taking any sort of wrong choices. In case the ideas are to
be effective the group discussions also need to be encouraged. Staff are also kept involved about
the factors which influence their work and shares the decision making and problem solving tasks.
As a result, the staff members like the trust, they respond with cooperation, team spirit and high
degree of morale. The company also helps in the development of plans in order to help the staff
evaluate their own performance. The managers also allow the staff to enjoy their own goals. The
leaders also help the staff to grow on the job and be promoted. It has been seen that the business

3DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP: RESEARCH PAPER
leaders of the company are fast, smart, flexible and this helps the company in attracting the best
talent to their business. This also facilitates the overall development (Kolachi & Akan, 2014).
According to the response from the leaders which is explained from the staff report, there
is a deep and effective group of “elevated performing leaders”, who are highly mobile and can
lead the strategy, technology and finance functions which provide the establishment with the
flexibility to meet the plans of growth and rewarding career paths.
Discussion:
The Etisalet group of companies have been successful in fulfilling majority of its global
aspirations which has been possible due to its great team and a world class leadership
programme. The telecommunications corporation has markets across the Middle East, Africa and
Asia among others. The programmes which have been launched by the Company, have been
successful due to the brilliant capabilities of the company.
Conclusion:
Thus it can be concluded on the basis of the existing research that democratic leadership
is applied to the Etisalat group of industries. Al the relevant staff reports and opinions of the
higher authorities point to the fact that democratic leadership is very common in this particular
organisation. This has led the company to reach a level of global success.

4DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP: RESEARCH PAPER
References and Bibliography:
Al-Harithy, M. M. (2016, November). Barriers of knowledge acquisition in telecommunications
companies in Saudi Arabia: An exploratory study on Etihad Etisalat Mobily.
In Communication, Management and Information Technology: International Conference
on Communciation, Management and Information Technology (ICCMIT 2016, Cosenza,
Italy, 26-29 April 2016) (p. 313). CRC Press.
Hendriks, F., & Karsten, N. (2014). Theory of democratic leadership. P.'t Hart & R. Rhodes
(Eds.), Oxford handbook of political leadership, 41-56.
Kolachi, N., & Akan, O. (2014). HRD Role in Organizational Development (A Case of
Corporate Thinking at ETISALAT, UAE). International Business Research, 7(8), 160.
Olatunji, A. G., Ojelabi, A., Isiaq, A. A., Moshood, I., & Ewaoda, A. S. (2017). Leadership
training and delivery prospects of team leaders in Communication Network Support
Services Limited, Ilorin. Africa’s Public Service Delivery and Performance Review, 5(1),
8.
Puddington, A. (2014). The democratic leadership gap. Journal of Democracy, 25(2), 77-92.
Raelin, J. A. (2012). Dialogue and deliberation as expressions of democratic leadership in
participatory organizational change. Journal of Organizational Change
Management, 25(1), 7-23.