Human Resources: Leadership Styles Classroom Activity

This Human Resource Management: Leadership Styles classroom activity is designed for the IB Business Management syllabus and supports learners in understanding and applying key leadership styles and their impact on motivation and performance.

The resource includes structured, scaffolded tasks that guide students from knowledge and understanding to application and evaluation, making it suitable for mixed-ability classes. An adapted SEND version is included to ensure accessibility and inclusion, using simplified language, clear instructions, sentence starters, and reduced cognitive load.

Students explore leadership styles such as autocratic, paternalistic, democratic, laissez-faire, and situational leadership, and examine how each style affects employee motivation and business performance. Activities include matching tasks, tables, short written responses, role play, and reflection, allowing for written, verbal, or creative outcomes.

What’s included

General learner worksheet with scaffolded tasks

SEND-adapted worksheet with simplified language and support

Leadership styles definitions and characteristics

Activities linking leadership styles to motivation and performance

Role play task to apply leadership styles in a workplace context

Reflection task suitable for written, verbal, or video responses

Specification / Curriculum

IB Business Management (Human Resource Management)

Also suitable for IGCSE Business, BTEC Business, and KS4/KS5 Business Studies

How it can be used

Classroom lesson or cover work

Differentiated group activities

SEND-inclusive teaching

Revision or consolidation lesson

Assessment for learning (AfL)

File types included

PDF worksheets (printable and digital use)

Key search terms

IB Business Management, HRM, leadership styles, motivation, performance, SEND business studies, inclusive teaching, differentiated worksheets, role play activity, business management classroom activity