The informal leader influences the team, but he is not fixed in the corresponding leadership position. The influence of this person can be due to various factors, it can bring both benefits and harm.
Formal and informal leaders
The formal team leader is the appropriate managerial position. His responsibility is to guide others, he is responsible for the results of his work. Interaction with subordinates is carried out only on business. But leadership is formed not only on a formal basis; a formal leader may not be recognized for him. Often, the formal leader is preoccupied with his career advancement, and emotional attachment to the group only hinders him.
The formal leader has support in the form of officially assigned powers. The informal one becomes a leader due to his abilities and personal qualities. The informal leader is a symbol of the group's community and a model of its behavior. Its selection occurs spontaneously and is usually saved by default after that. An informal leader can also be called a psychological leader. Often they choose the person who possesses qualities that are absent from the leader.
Often, formal leaders lack charisma, self-confidence, flexibility and originality, energy, and a sense of humor. They are too domineering and aggressive, too fixated on their own ambitions. The informal leader most often deals with the regulation of interpersonal relations in a team, when the formal one observes the interests of the organization as a whole. He shows a higher level of activity and participation. Other team members see this and voluntarily take the lead.
What is an informal leader
There are several types of opinion leaders. The "conductor" influences the collective without departing from the direction set by the management. He feels significant because his superiors are counting on him. They are distinguished by friendliness and activity, encouraging others to do the same. They usually coexist peacefully with the leader. "Shirt-guy" is the soul of the company, he is great at organizing people to complete tasks with his charm. Communicating on an equal footing with his superiors is a pleasure for him.
The "gray cardinal" comes up with ways to solve problems, taking into account the personal abilities of all subordinates. Pays attention to every little thing, because they can be played successfully. Such an informal leader does not aim openly to the first places, but he knows that he is the first. "Rebel" is a lover of fighting injustice. He loves to fight for the rights of team members, but he can also stand up for leadership. The rebel must be calculated in time and entrusted with an important task so that he does not decompose the collective.
