Leadership, Charisma

Charismatic leadership has become an important theoretical approach to explaining leader effectiveness since the concept was most fully described in a 1977 article by Robert House. Prior to House's work, charismatic leadership theory was only loosely articulated, and the research that was done tended to follow ethnographic, qualitative forms. Since then, the theory has been more explicitly articulated and has permitted the use of other, more quantitative methods to be used. Based in part on Max Weber's conception of personal power, charismatic leadership theory rests on the notion that a leader's influence on his or her followers is often beyond the legal and formal authority structure of a group or organization and relies instead on the leader's personal charm, attractiveness, and persuasive communication. According to Weber, charismatic leaders are able to influence followers by articulating a compelling vision for the future, arousing commitment to organizational objectives, and inspiring commitment and a sense of self-efficacy among followers.

The unique and compelling traits that are attributed to charismatic individuals are often regarded as gifts granted from higher powers. Many of the most prominent charismatic individuals in human history are those that have been influential in the spiritual domain, such as Buddha, Jesus, Mohammed, and Moses. To others, charisma is associated with persuasion, power, and political leadership, with personal charisma regarded as the unique quality of exceptional heads of state (e.g., Winston Churchill, Mohandas Gandhi, Adolph Hitler, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Ronald [Page 781]Reagan, and Mao Zedong). Finally, charisma finds itself as an important aspect of business leadership, as executives who are visionary, agents of organizational change, and capable of arousing commitment among employees tend to be described as charismatic. The most popular charismatic business leaders, such as GE's Jack Welch and Apple's Steve Jobs, have separated themselves as particularly attractive to stakeholders both inside and outside of their respective organizations.