Leadership in Organizations

Ninth Edition , Global Edition

Chapter 8
Charismatic and
Transformational
Leadership

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Learning Objectives
After studying this chapter, you should be able to:
8.1 Understand similarities and differences for charismatic
and transformational leadership.
8.2 Understand how leaders, followers, and the situation
affect attributions of charisma.
8.3 Understand the traits, behaviors, and influence
processes included in each type of leadership.
8.4 Understand the benefits and costs of charismatic
leadership for followers and the organization.
8.5 Understand how to inspire more follower commitment
and optimism.

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Charismatic Leadership (1 of 4)
Charisma is a Greek word that means “divinely inspired
gift,” such as the ability to perform miracles or predict future
events.
1. Behavior of Charismatic Leaders
1. A Novel and Appealing Vision
2. Emotional Appeals to Values
3. Expression of Confidence and Optimism
4. Self-Sacrifice
5. Unconventional Behavior and Methods
6. Demonstrate Exceptional Abilities

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Charismatic Leadership (2 of 4)
1. Influence Process and Mediating Variables
1. Personal Identification
2. Social Identification
3. Internalization
4. Self-efficacy and Collective Efficacy
5. Impression Management
6. Emotional Contagion
2. Traits and Values of Charismatic Leaders

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Charismatic Leadership (3 of 4)
1. Positive and Negative Characteristics
TABLE 8-1 Dysfunctional Attributes of a Narcissistic
Charismatic Leader
• Fails to manage important details for the success of a project
• Pays too much attention to superficial aspects of the job
• Informal, impulsive leader actions create chaos and confusion
• Autocratic decisions fail to use available expertise from others
• Controlling style of managing creates excessive dependence by others
• Creates disruptive rivalries among favored and unfavored groups of
employees
• Makes exaggerated claims of unique personal expertise and commitment
• Makes exaggerated claims for the success of leader decisions or actions
• Claims credit for successful ideas and outcomes produced by others
• Emphasizes positive events to distract attention from failing programs
• Limits access to negative information about leader weaknesses and failures
• Devalues and demeans critics and opponents of the leader
• Uses unconventional, dysfunctional behavior that alienates some people
• Is often absent from managing operations (too many nonrelevant activities)

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Charismatic Leadership (4 of 4)
1. The Leadership Situation
1. Crisis Situations
2. Attributional Ambiguity
3. Follower Characteristics
4. Interaction with the Leader

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Effects of Charismatic Leaders (1 of 4)
1. Types of Research on Charismatic Leaders
1. Different types of research methods have been used
to study how charismatic leaders influence followers
and the leader's organization or institution.
2. The research methods include the analysis of
biographical information about famous charismatic
leaders, intensive case studies of an individual
charismatic leader, survey studies with behavior
questionnaires, and experiments in laboratory or field
settings.

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Effects of Charismatic Leaders (2 of 4)
1. Findings from Research on Effects of Charismatic Leaders

TABLE 8-2 Some Negative Consequences of Charismatic Leaders

• Being in awe of the leader reduces good suggestions by followers.

• Desire for leader acceptance inhibits criticism by followers.
• Adoration by followers creates delusions of leader infallibility.
• Excessive confidence and optimism blind the leader to real
dangers.
• Denial of problems and failures reduces organizational learning.
• Risky, grandiose projects are more likely to fail.
• Taking complete credit for successes alienates some key followers.
• Impulsive, nontraditional behavior creates enemies as well as
believers.
• Dependence on the leader inhibits development of competent
successors.
• Failure to develop successors creates an eventual leadership crisis.

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Effects of Charismatic Leaders (3 of 4)
1. Learning Charismatic Leadership
TABLE 8-3 Charismatic Leadership Tactics
Verbal Tactics
• Metaphors are figures of speech that directly refer to an object or action by mentioning another
similar object or action for rhetorical effect. They are effective persuasive devices because they
stir emotion, simplify the message, aid recall, and invoke symbolic meanings.
• Stories and anecdotes make a message understandable and memorable while inducing
identification with the protagonist(s).
• Expressions of moral conviction communicate that the leader is a person of high moral fiber.
• Statements that reflect the sentiments of the group align followers with the leader by indicating
that the leader shares their interests and values.
• Setting high goals serves as a catalyst for follower motivation.
• Conveying confidence that goals can be achieved increases follower self-efficacy.
• Rhetorical questions (to encourage engagement), three-part lists (to distill a message into key
takeaways, provide a pattern, and instill a sense of completeness), and contrasts (pitting one’s
position against another for dramatic effect) are used to engage followers and distill the leader’s
message.
Nonverbal Tactics
• Body gestures are signals for listeners (e.g., pointing, waving a hand, or pounding a table can
draw attention; a fist can reinforce power, confidence, and certitude).
• Animated voices can convey emotion such as surprise, happiness, passion, and excitement.
• Facial expressions reinforce the leader’s message by conveying associated emotions.

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Effects of Charismatic Leaders (4 of 4)
1. Implications for Organizations
1. Although research on effects of charismatic chief
executives is limited, the available results suggest that
charisma is not an essential attribute for their success
and may even be detrimental for most of them.
2. Despite the adverse consequences found for
charismatic leaders, they are not all doomed to fail.
3. Success is possible when the leaders have the
expertize to make good decisions, the political skill to
maintain power, and the good luck to be in a favorable
situation.

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Transformational Leadership
Transformational leadership theory describes how effective
leaders inspire and transform followers by appealing to their
ideals and emotions.
1. Leader Behaviors
2. Influence Processes
3. Leadership Situations

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Comparison of Charismatic and
Transformational Leadership (1 of 2)
1. One of the most important issues for leadership scholars
is the extent to which transformational leadership and
charismatic leadership are similar and compatible.
1. Some theorists treat the two types of leadership as
essentially equivalent, whereas other theorists view
them as distinct but overlapping processes.
2. Even among theorists who view the two types of
leadership as distinct processes, there remains
disagreement about whether it is possible to be both
transformational and charismatic at the same time.

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Comparison of Charismatic and
Transformational Leadership (2 of 2)
1. Charismatic, Ideological, and Pragmatic Leaders
1. Each type of leader can be effective, but they differ in terms of their
traits, behavior, and influence processes.
1. The charismatic and ideological leaders are more effective in
situations where there is a high level of political and ideological
conflict, whereas pragmatic leaders are more effective when there is
little political conflict and more emphasis on constructive problem
solving.
2. Ideological leaders are more likely to emerge when there is a strong
culture of shared values, and they can articulate a vision that
embodies these values.
3. The charismatic leaders appeal to emotions and articulate a vision
that builds confidence that the leader can show followers how to
resolve a crisis and overcome obstacles to desirable objectives.
4. The pragmatic leaders are more likely to emerge when they are
perceived by followers to have the expertize and commitment
necessary to guide the process of strategy formation and crisis
management.
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Evaluation of the Theories
1. The available evidence supports many of the key propositions of the
major theories of charismatic and transformational leadership.
2. Collectively, the theories appear to make an important contribution to
our understanding of leadership processes.
1. They provide an explanation for the exceptional influence some
leaders have on followers, a level of influence not adequately
explained by earlier theories.
2. Specific contributions include more attention to the importance of
emotional reactions by followers, the importance of symbolic
behavior, and the role of the leader in making ambiguous events
meaningful for followers.
3. Earlier leadership theories did not recognize that symbolic
processes and management of meaning are as important as
management of things.
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Guidelines for Inspirational
Leadership (1 of 2)
1. Articulate a clear and appealing vision
2. Explain how the vision can be attained
3. Act confident and optimistic
4. Express confidence in followers
5. Use dramatic, symbolic actions to emphasize key values
6. Lead by example

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Guidelines for Inspirational
Leadership (2 of 2)
TABLE 8-4 Guidelines for Inspirational Leadership

• Articulate a clear and appealing vision.

• Explain how the vision can be attained.
• Act confident and optimistic.
• Express confidence in followers.
• Use dramatic, symbolic actions to emphasize key values.
• Lead by example.

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Copyright

Copyright © 2020 Pearson Education Ltd.