Chapter 12 Charismatic and Transformational Leadership

Psychodynamic Processes

the explanation of unusual and seemingly irrational influence of some charismatic leaders who are idolized as a superhero or worshiped as a spiritual figure.

Charisma Leader Behaviors

1. Novel and Appealing Vision 2. Emotional Appeals to Values 3. Unconventional Behavior 4. Self-Sacrifices 5. Confidence and Optimism

Conceptions of Charisma

1. Psychodynamic Processes 2. close versus distant charismatics 3. typology that differentiates charismatics from ideological and pragmatic leaders.

Charismatic Leader Traits and Behaviors

Charismatic leaders are likely to have a strong need for power, high self-confidence, and a strong conviction in their own beliefs and ideals. The leadership behaviors that explain a charismatic leader influences the attitudes and behavior of followers include the following: articulating an appealing vision; using strong, expressive forms of communication when articulating the vision; taking personal risks and making sacrifices to attain the vision; communicating high expectations; expressing optimism and confidence in followers; modeling behaviors consistent with the vision; managing follower impressions of the leader; building identification with the group or organization; and empowering followers.

Attribution Theory of Charismatic Leadership

Conger and Kanungo (1987) proposed a theory of charismatic leadership based on the assumption that charisma is an attributional phenomenon. Follower attribution of charismatic qualities to a leader is jointly determined by the leader's behavior, expertise, and aspects of the situation.

Close and Distant Charisma

Shamir (1995) proposed that attributions of charisma for people who have close contact with their leader in some important ways from attributions made by people who only view the leader from a distance. An explanatory study was conducted in Israel to see whether the proposed differences could be verified. The results from the study support Shamir's proposition that the amount of direct interaction between a leader and followers affects attributions of charisma.

Personal Identification

Shamir and his colleagues recognize that personal identification is one type of influence process that may occur for some followers of a charismatic leader. When strong personal identification occurs, followers will imitate the leaders behavior, carry out the leader's requests, and make an extra effort to pleader the leader.

Self and Collective Efficacy

Task motivation depends on individual self-efficacy and collective efficacy. Individual self-efficacy is the belief that one is competent and capable of attaining difficult task objectives. People with high self-efficacy are willing to expend more effort and persist longer in overcoming obstacles to the attainment of task objectives. Collective efficacy refers to the perception of group members that they can accomplish exceptional feats by working together. When collective efficacy is high, people are more willing to cooperate with members of their group in a joint effort to carry out their mission.

Emotional Contagion

The effects of a charismatic leader on followers may also involve emotional contagion, although this process was not emphasized by Shamir et al. (1993) when the theory was initially proposed. A leader who is very positive and enthusiastic can influence the mood of the followers to be more positive, which is likely to increase their enthusiasm for the work and their perception that they can accomplish difficult objectives.

Social Identification

This occurs when people take pride in being part of the group or organization and regard member as one of their most important social identities. They see how their efforts and work roles are related to a larger entity, making their work more meaningful and important.

Internalization

With this influence process, followers embrace the leader's mission or objectives as something that is worthy of their commitment. Sometimes charismatic leaders influence followers to embrace new rules, but it is more common for charismatic leaders to articulate a vision describing task objectives in ideological terms that reflect existing follower values.