Charismatic Leadership

Is it a mysterious quality?
 Charisma
Followers attribute charisma (literally
meaning divine gift) to a leader
because (s)he seems extraordinary
and followers become convinced that
the leader will help them achieve a
noble goal or vision of the future.
 Charismatic Leadership
Emotional expressiveness: use of
metaphors, personal stories,
analogies (Conger, 1991; Shamir,
1993; Mio et al., 2005)
Visionary
Inspirational
Role models
High need for power (personalized or
social)
 Charismatic Leadership
More intense and emotional compared to
transactional leadership
Carefully crafted communication of vision
and mission and of the roles followers must
play to achieve it.
Appeals to followers higher order needs
and ideological values
They put extra effort and the collective
goal takes presedence over their own
wants, needs, goals.
 Transformational Leaders
(Bass, 1985; 1988)
Similar to Charismatic Leaders
Special ability to bring about
innovation and change by
Recognizing followers needs and
concerns
Look at old problems in new ways
Question the status quo
Individualized consideration
Transformational Leadership
Involves charisma, displaying self-
confidence and ideological
arguments
Communication that involves
dramatic emotional rhetoric
Inspirational motivation, that
involves communicating a noble
vision and mission, exhibiting
symbolic behaviors to model the
leaders commitment to the vision
Transformational Leadership
Intellectual Stimulation, where the leaders
encourage followers to change the status
quo and attack problems by using
innovative and creative approaches
Individualized consideration, which
includes showing concern and support for
individual followers as needed and
fostering their future development
 Charismatic and Transfromational
Leadership
What are the results?
 Charismatic and Transformational
Leadership
Results on organizational
performance are mixed
Strong effects on followers
Followers identify with the leader
Abuse of power?
Is it more effective always or under
crisis/ uncertain situations? More
research is needed.
New Leadership Approaches
Servant Leadership
Fulfilling subordinates needs and
goals as well as achieving the
organizations larger mission
Moral Leadership
Seeking the just, the honest and the
good behavior in the practice of
leadership