What
is Charismatic Leadership? Description
Charismatic Leadership is defined by Max Weber as "resting on devotion
to the exceptional sanctity, heroism or exemplary character of an individual
person, and of the normative patterns or order revealed or ordained by him".
He defines Charisma as "a certain quality of an individual personality,
by virtue of which he is set apart from ordinary men and treated as endowed
with supernatural, superhuman, or at least specifically exceptional powers
or qualities. These are such as are not accessible to the ordinary person,
but are regarded as of divine origin or as exemplary, and on the basis of
them the individual concerned is treated as a leader (...). How the quality
in question would be ultimately judged from an ethical, aesthetic, or other
such point of view is naturally indifferent for the purpose of definition".
Charismatic people have a remarkable ability to distill complex ideas into
simple messages ("I have a dream"); they communicate by using symbols, analogies,
metaphors and stories. Furthermore they relish risk and feel empty without
it, they are great optimists, they are rebels who fight convention, and they
may seem idiosyncratic.
Charismatic leaders are pictured as organizational heroes or magic leaders
who have the social
power basis to orchestrate turnarounds, launch new enterprises, inspire
organizational renewal, and obtain extraordinary performance from organizational
members. These leaders inspire trust, faith and belief in themselves. Of course
none of this is a guarantee that the mission will be correct, ethical, or
successful.
Origin of the Charismatic Leadership model. History
German Sociologist Max Weber distinguished back in the 1920's three ideal
types of leadership, domination and authority:
- Charismatic domination (familial and religious),
- Feudal / Traditional domination (patriarchs, patrimonalism, feudalism),
and
- Bureaucratic / Legal domination (modern law and state, bureaucracy).
Robert House (1977) used four phrases to define charismatic leadership:
- Dominant.
- Strong desire to influence others.
- Self-confident.
- Strong sense of one’s own moral values.
Conger & Kanungo (1998) describe five behavioral attributes of Charismatic
Leaders:
- Vision and articulation.
- Sensitivity to the environment.
- Sensitivity to member needs.
- Personal risk taking.
- Performing unconventional behavior.
Most recently charisma is being characterized as theatrical (Gardner
& Alvolio, 1998): charismatic leadership is an impression management process
enacted theatrically in acts of framing, scripting, staging, and performing.
Compare also: EPIC ADVISERS.
Usage of the Charismatic Leadership style. Applications
- In difficult times or circumstances, such as an urgent organizational
turnaround. Compare: Crisis
Management.
- Note that according to Weber, a charismatic leader does not have to
be a positive force. Both Mahatma Gandhi and Adolf Hitler could be reasonably
considered charismatic leaders. Compare:
Servant-Leadership
- See Core Groups theory
for some of the mechanisms behind charismatic leadership.
Steps in Charismatic Leadership approach. Process
Jay Conger (1989) proposed the following four-stage model of charismatic
leadership:
- Continual assessment of the environment and formulating a
vision.
- Communication of vision, using motivational and persuasive arguments.
- Building trust and commitment. subordinates must desire and support
the goals of the leader and this is likely to be accomplished by more than
coercion; rather the leader builds trust in the leader and the viability
of the goals; this is likely to be done through personal risk taking, unconventional
expertise, and self-sacrifice.
- Achieving the vision. Using Role modeling, empowerment, and unconventional
tactics.
Strengths of Charismatic Leadership style. Benefits
- Results in relatively strong, unchallenged levels of obedience.
- Useful in difficult times or circumstances, such as an urgent organizational
turnaround. Compare: Crisis
Management.
- Effective. If the charismatic leader's vision is right, this leadership
style can be extremely effective.
- Rhetorical ability. Compare:
Framing.
- Energetic, inner clarity, visionary, unconventional, and exemplary.
Limitations of Charismatic Leadership style. Disadvantages
- Results in relatively strong, unchallenged levels of obedience. Tendency
of gathering weak "yes-men" around him. Poor delegation.
- People possessing these skills and attributes are relatively rare.
- Tendency to narcissism. Loosing reality. Insensitive to others. Compare:
Seven Signs
Of Ethical Collapse
- Lack of accountability. Freedom from inner (moral) conflicts. The values
of charismatic leaders are essential. If such leaders are well-intentioned
towards others, they can elevate and transform an entire company. But if
they are selfish or poor, they can create cults and effectively rape the
minds of the followers.
- Unpredictable. Potentially dangerous.
Charismatic Leadership Special Interest Group

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Recent User Comments
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Nocturnal - USA
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Current Charismatic Leaders |
"Who, at the present moment do you consider to be prominent charismatic leaders in the world today? Why?" |
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Alyson Emmins - Australia
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Female Charisma / Charismatic Leadership |
"I have recently been double-checking various inflections of the usage 'charisma' in business or, in fact, in the description of photographic emblems. It would seem from the limited range of examples provided across onelook.com in various dictionaries, that women cannot have charisma or display charismatic leadership." |
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Pulane - S.A.
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Zuma: Charismatic Leader? |
"Is president Zuma a charismatic leader or not?" |
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Melanie - Holland
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Creating a Shared Vision by Listening |
"According to recent research by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner, being forward-looking - envisioning new possibilities and creating a shared vision of the future is the attribute that most distinguishes leaders from non-leaders. When people are asked what they believe is required for a colleague and a leader, the number one answer for both is honesty. After this, only 27% of respondents selected being forward-looking as something important in a colleague, whereas 72% mention this as a requirement for a leader.
The authors recommend that the best way to lead people in the future is to connect with them deeply in the present, listening very closely to others, appreciating their hopes, and attending to their needs.
Source HBR Jan 2009, p. 20-21." |
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Danish Noor - USA
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Effective Leadership |
"Effective Leadership style is the integration of three factors: Charismatic -- style based on exceptional personality or behavior, Knowledge -- style based on distinctive knowledge, and Experiential -- style based on vast experience. An effective leader can only achieve big hairy audacious goals when (s)he gained skills in all three paradigms. However, these persons are available in extreme paucity and are therefore in great demand by efficient organizations." |
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Charismatic Leadership Education & Events
Compare with Charismatic Leadership:
EPIC ADVISERS |
Seven Surprises
| Leadership Styles
| Hagberg Model
of Personal Power |
Leadership Continuum
| Level 5 Leadership
| Servant-Leadership
| Path-Goal Theory
| Theory X Theory Y
| Bases of Social
Power | Seven Habits
| Results-Based
Leadership |
Situational Leadership
| Ashridge Mission
Model | Framing
| Crisis Management
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