Whilst business management across different companies shares many of the same goals, there are lots of different ways to achieve those goals. People who run companies have many different management styles. These can depend on the things they have learned, as well as the kind of person they are and the staff they employ.

Much of business management comes down to personal experience and individual people. Teams will need to be managed differently depending on the people they include. Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses, and they will all be at different levels professionally. Managers need to take this into account when getting the best out of their team.

There are three widely-recognised general styles of business management:

• Autocratic – the manager-worker relationship is very much one way, with the manager closely supervising employees. There is often a lack of trust with this management style.
• Paternalistic – this kind of manager is largely concerned with the social needs of their staff. They will usually be receptive to ideas and feedback, and will actively consult their team to hear their opinions.
• Democratic – a two-way system of open communication, this method allows employees to make their own decisions and judgements. There are aspects of mentoring involved to help employees arrive at positive conclusions.