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Leadership Style Preference Questionnaire

Leadership Style Preference Questionnaire Test

See how a leader comes across to the team and which style they tend to use in about 4 minutes. Get quick, actionable insight to improve communication, align expectations, and strengthen day to day teamwork.

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Questions: 184 minutes

Hi! My name is Freudly, i am an AI therapist, I will give you an interpretation of the test after you complete it.

08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

25,051 view

2,377 completions

2,003 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

13/18

Liberal (L)

Measures the extent to which a leader is perceived as using a liberal (permissive) style with low control, leniency, and shared or shifted responsibility.

Low permissiveness

High permissiveness

0 – 12: Low permissiveness | 13 – 18: High permissiveness

A score of 13 indicates a high permissive tendency, suggesting the leader is perceived as relatively lenient with limited discipline and control and a greater tendency to delegate or shift responsibility.

example score

11/18

Democratic (D)

Measures the degree to which the leader is perceived as using a democratic, collaborative style that combines oversight with shared decision-making and delegation.

Low

Moderate

0 – 12: Low | 13 – 18: Moderate

A score of 11 falls in the Low range, suggesting the leader is perceived as using collaborative decision-making and shared responsibility less consistently than a predominantly democratic style.

example score

13/18

Autocratic (A)

Measures the extent to which a leader is perceived as using a directive, control-focused approach and making decisions unilaterally.

Low directive

High directive

0 – 12: Low directive | 13 – 18: High directive

A score of 13 falls in the High directive range, indicating the leader is perceived as relying strongly on strict control, discipline, and unilateral decision-making with limited openness to initiative.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

HR and L&D specialists

41%OF USERS

Use the survey to gather team feedback on managers and plan development actions, coaching, or training programs.

Team members rating a manager

34%OF USERS

Take the test to describe how their leader actually behaves day to day and compare perceptions across the team.

New and middle managers

25%OF USERS

Ask their teams to complete it to spot whether they come across as directive, collegial, or permissive and adjust their approach.

BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.

RESULTS YOU CAN ACTUALLY USE

Scale Results
— Explained Clearly

Your scores across each test scale are translated into plain, usable insights. You won’t just get numbers — you’ll learn how your results impact your daily life, emotional state, and overall well-being.

AI-Powered
Interpretation

You’ll receive a structured, clinically-grounded explanation. Our AI analyzes patterns and relationships between scales to provide a coherent interpretation, without exaggerated language.

Statistical
Comparison

See how your results compare to others. Anonymized platform data is used to create a percentile scale, which identifies whether your results are typical.

Practical
Recommendations

You’ll receive clear, actionable guidance tailored to your profile. These easy-to-implement suggestions focus on coping, self-regulation, and realistic next steps.

AI-Powered
Insights

Get insights on behavioral and thought patterns you might not notice on your own. By uncovering subtle connections between your responses, you’ll better understand what may be driving your current results.

Discuss with
an AI Therapist

Clarify, reflect, and explore your results right away. Talk through your experience, ask questions, and explore meanings in a calm, non-diagnostic dialogue.

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Used in 52+ countries

Benchmarking

See How You Compare

Once you complete the test, your results are compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.

Liberal (L)

Average

7.3

Normal range

4.4 — 10.3

min.

max.

Majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Democratic (D)

Average

4.9

Normal range

1.8 — 7.9

min.

max.

Majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Autocratic (A)

Average

7.5

Normal range

4.3 — 10.8

min.

max.

Majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

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CLEAR ANSWERS TO COMMON QUESTIONS

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this questionnaire measure?

It estimates the leadership style experienced by subordinates in day-to-day management. Results indicate a tendency toward directive, collegial, or permissive behavior.

Who should complete the items?

Team members who regularly interact with the leader being evaluated should respond. It is not intended as a leader self-report measure.

How long does it take and how many items are included?

Completion time is about 4 minutes. The questionnaire contains 18 items.

How should responses be given?

Answer all items based on typical behavior observed over time rather than isolated incidents. Use the same judgment standard across items.

How should the results be used?

Scores support feedback, coaching, and team discussions about interaction patterns. They do not provide a diagnosis and should be interpreted with context.

WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

About This Assessment

Leadership Style Preference Questionnaire Test - Symptoms and Signs

business arrange leadership style

This questionnaire is designed to characterize perceived leadership behavior and preferred approaches to directing and supporting a work group. The Leadership Style Preference Questionnaire provides a brief, structured way to summarize how a leader is experienced in day-to-day interactions, as rated by respondents rather than as a self-report.

The measure includes 18 items and typically requires about 4 minutes to complete. Items are intended to reflect broad patterns of leadership behavior (e.g., directive versus participative tendencies) and can support screening, group feedback, or structured discussion in organizational settings. If used for personnel decisions or high-stakes evaluation, the Leadership Style Preference Questionnaire should be interpreted in context and alongside other assessment data; authorship is attributed to R. J. House and B. M. Bass.

Author: B. M. Bass, R. J. House

Literature: Bass, B. M. Leadership and performance beyond expectations. Free Press. 1985.; Yukl, G. Leadership in organizations. Prentice Hall. 2002.; McClelland, D. C. The achieving society. Van Nostrand. 1961.; Hackman, J. R., & Oldham, G. R. Work redesign. Addison-Wesley. 1980.; Judge, T. A., Bono, J. E., Ilies, R., & Gerhardt, M. W. Personality and leadership: A qualitative and quantitative review. Journal of Applied Psychology. 2002.

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