The autocratic, consultative, participative, and free-rein styles of leadership are based mostly on the extent to which the leader includes others in the process of making decisions.

The autocratic style involves the leader making decisions without consulting others, the consultative style involves the leader seeking input from others before making the final decision, the participative style involves the leader sharing decision-making power with others, and the free-rein style involves the leader delegating decision-making power to others. All of these styles are based on the degree of involvement of others in the decision-making process.