CHAPTER 3: Charismatic and Transformational Leadership

The Meanings of Charisma

Charisma: A special quality of leaders whose purposes, powers, and extraordinary determination differentiate them from others. A positive and compelling quality that makes others want to be led by the person that has it.

Charismatic: To have a charming and colorful personality.

Charisma: A Relationship between the leader, Group Members, and Other Stakeholders

A key dimension is that it involves a relationship or interaction between the leader and the people being led.

Charismatic leaders use impression management to deliberately cultivate a certain relationship with group members.

Impression management implies these leaders are skillful actors in presenting a charismatic face to the world.

Their influence extends beyond the immediate work group and beyond reporting relationships.

Possible only when constituents share the leaders’ beliefs, have unquestioning acceptance of and affection for the leader, must be willing to obey the leader, have a strong desire to identify with the leader, and must be emotionally involved in the mission and in their own goals.

The Effects of Charisma

Research concluded workers under a charismatic leader were happier than those under a non-charismatic leader.

The positive effect of the leader tended to reduce the negative affect among the workers.

$Happier leaders spread their positive mood to group members.$

Not being charismatic enough can sometimes make it difficult to hold onto a high-level leadership position.

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Three Types of Charismatic Leaders

Socialized charismatic: A leader who restrains the use of power in order to benefit others.

• Attempts to bring group members’ values in line with his or her values.
• Formulates and pursues goals that fulfill the needs of group members and provide them with intellectual stimulation.
• Followers are autonomous, empowered, responsible, and less likely to engage in workplace deviance.

Personalized charismatic: Primarily serve their own interests and exercise few restraints on their own use of power.

• Impose self-serving goals on constituents and offer consideration and support to group members only when it facilitates their own goals.
• Followers are typically obedient, submissive, and dependent, identify more with the leader than the leader’s message and may follow the leader down an unethical path.

Celebrity charismatic: Can be found in organizational life, politics, and entertainment.

• May overlap with other types of charismatic leaders.

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Characteristics of a Charismatic Leader

Outstanding characteristic is that they are charismatic, and can attract, motivate and lead others.

Many of these characteristics also apply to transformational leadership

Transformational Leader: One who brings about positive, major changes in an organization.

$Not all charismatic leaders are transformational.$

1. Are visionary because they offer an exciting image of where the organization is headed and how to get there.
2. Possesses masterful communication skills by using colorful language and exciting metaphors and analogies.
3. Have the ability to inspire trust and make group members feel capable.
4. Typically tactful in social situations due to their ability to read other people’s emotions
5. Demonstrate an energy and action orientation
6. They romanticize and enjoy risk.
7. Often have a self-promoting personality.

The Vision Component of Charismatic Leadership

Vision-The ability to imagine different and better future conditions and ways to achieve them. Lofty and long-term goals

Creating a vision (according to Jim Collings) is a major task of top management and is likely to be more inspirations when it combines

1. A reason for being beyond making money
2. Timeless, unchanging core values
3. Ambitious but achievable goals

The Communication Style of Charismatic Leaders

Charismatic and transformational leaders communicate their visions, goals, and directives in a colorful, imaginative, and expressive manner.

Leadership by Inspiration

$An important way to inspire others is to articulate a highly emotional message$

1. Use metaphors and analogies
2. Gear language to the different audiences

Leadership by storytelling

The inspiring and instructing team members by telling fascinating stories. The technique is a major contributor to building a strong company vision.

The Development of Charisma

$A person can increase charisma by developing some of the traits, characteristics, and behaviors of charismatic people.$

Techniques for developing Charisma

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Transformational Leadership

transformational leader is one who brings about positive, major changes in an organization.