The Development of Charismatic Leaders

This paper explores the origins of leadership potential and motivation for leadership, primarily with regard to two types of leaders: personalized and socialized charismatic leaders. Bowlby's attachment theory (1969, 1973) provides a theoretical basis for determining an individual's potential to be in leadership positions. The "internal working model," formed (according to Bowlby) in the course of attachment processes in infancy, has a considerable impact on self-perception, which may later affect the development of "ego resources" required for leadership. The motivation to be a leader is analyzed with the help of various psychodynamic concepts and models.     

Charismatic theology: approaches and themes

Ever since the irruption of Pentecostal spirituality within Protestant and Roman Catholic denominations, there has been a gradual emergence of what might be called ‘charismatic theology’. To be sure a lot of this theology is and has been written at a popular level, but within the last twenty years there has evolved a distinct theology with discernable approaches and common themes expressed at an academic level. This survey article seeks to articulate such a charismatic theology and discusses some critical questions en route.     

Charismatic Leadership and Objective Performance Indicators

Recent empirical and theoretical work has advanced our understanding of charismatic leadership in organisations. Despite this progress, only a few studies have tested the hypothesis that charismatic leadership might be related to objective, organisationally relevant indicators. In order to address this research gap, the present study tested whether charismatic leadership was related to followers’ absenteeism, their training and development activities, as well as branch‐level profit. Charismatic leadership was defined according to Conger and Kanungo's (1998 ) theory. It could be demonstrated that facets of charismatic leadership were negatively related to followers’ absenteeism, but positively related to their training and development activity. Moreover, charismatic leadership showed a positive relationship to profit. In sum, the results contribute to theory and practice of charismatic leadership. Un travail empirique et théorique récent a fait progresser notre compréhension du leadership charismatique dans les organisations. Malgré ce progrès, seules quelques études ont testé l’hypothèse selon laquelle un leadership charismatique serait liéà des facteurs objectifs et pertinents pour l’organisation. Pour une compréhension plus approfondie des effets du leadership chatismatique, la présente étude teste si ce style de leadership est lié aux suiveurs, à l’absentéisme, aux activités de formation et de développement ainsi qu’aux bénéfices au niveau de la branche. Le leadership charismatique est défini en accord avec la théorie de Conger et Kanungo (1998). On a pu démontrer que les facettes du leadership charismatique sont liées négativement aux suiveurs, à l’absentéisme et positivement à l’activité de formation et de dévelpppement. En outre, le leadership charismatique montre une relation positive au profit. En somme, les résultats contribuent à la théorie et à la pratique du leadership charismatique.     

The Charismatic Movement and the Secularization Thesis

A brief account of the secularization approach is presented with some rebuttal of common criticisms and it is argued that the charismatic renewal movement in Britain, far from refuting secularization, is the kind of religious expression one would expect in an increasingly secular society.     

Charismatic Christianity and the Dilemmas of Globalization

Unlike his other books, Walter Burkert's Homo Necans and Creation of the Sacred both explicitly utilise evidence from Roman religion to reach their interpretive goals. But Burkert's use of that evidence is at variance with the meticulousness which has characterised his use of Hellenic evidence throughout his academic career. This article demonstrates how his use of Roman materials is at best impressionistic and incomplete; important evidence is too often missing, and too often a Hellenist's orientation apparently compromises what does appear. More detailed attention to Roman materials could sometimes improve and sometimes undercut the interpretation. Consequently, Burkert's large-scale conclusions are less inevitable than he, and his admirers, might like. Finally, explanations for these circumstances appear in the larger context of the traditional tension between Greek and Roman in the field of classical studies even today. A tacit assumption of those who specialise in Greek religion is that expertise there automatically becomes expertise in Roman religion.     

Charismatic leadership,environmental dynamism,and performance

Most studies relating charismatic leadership to performance have limitations concerning selection of criterion measures and investigation of moderators. Therefore, this study examines relationships between charismatic leadership and multiple performance outcomes under different levels of environmental dynamism (i.e., level of environmental uncertainty, degree of technological change) and per type of Chief Executive Officer (firm owner versus managing director). Results revealed that charismatic leadership was positively related to common-source and multi-source perceptual performance outcomes (i.e., subordinates' positive work attitude) and to organization profitability, but unrelated to organization liquidity and solvency. The relationship between charismatic leadership and perceptual performance was stronger under conditions of environmental uncertainty than under conditions of environmental certainty. Furthermore, charismatic leadership was more strongly related to organization profitability for firm owners than for managing directors who do not own their firm. The results are discussed and several potentially fruitful avenues for future research on charismatic leadership and employee as well as organizational performance are presented.     

The Effects of Charismatic Leadership on Followers' Self-Concept Accessibility

Shamir, House, and Arthur (1993) suggested that the effects of charismatic leadership on followers' motivation are mediated by the increased salience of collective identities in followers' self-concepts. This study empirically examines the effects of leadership messages on followers' self-concept accessibilities. Charismatic and integrative (combined charismatic and individualized consideration) leadership increased the accessibility of followers' collective self-concepts. Individualized consideration increased the accessibility of followers' private self-concepts. These results support the propositions of the self-concept-based theory of charismatic leadership. Charismatic and integrative leadership messages from a leader resulted in higher follower collective self-concept accessibilities than did routinized messages. This finding underscores the importance of a charismatic leader, even when charismatic messages have become routinized.     

Introduction: The Charismatic Movement and Contemporary Social Change

The ‘Emerging Church’ is an American-born movement that dates to the late 1990s. It is fundamentally a movement of cultural critique in which the primary interlocutor is the dominant tradition in the United States, conservative Evangelicalism. In this article I address the phenomenon of Emerging Christianity based on historical, literary, and ethnographic analyses of Emerging Church advocates and critics. In particular, I argue that four points of dialogue characterize the status of Emerging in the United States: ‘post-foundational’ theology, ‘ancient-future’ worship, ‘missional’ evangelism, and a general posture of ‘deconversion.’ Ultimately, I present the story of the Emerging Church for its significance to two broad theoretical questions. First, how do new forms of religious identity come into being? And, second, for those working in the ‘anthropology of Christianity’: what happens when Christianities interact? In response to these questions, I stress the Janus-faced quality of Emerging Christianity and its reliance on the categories, narratives, and vocabulary of conservative Evangelicalism in constructing its thoroughgoing cultural critique.     

The Role of Self-Awareness and Self-Monitoring in Charismatic Relationships

In this paper, a hypothesis from a theory of charismatic relationships is examined that incorporates follower's level of self-monitoring and state of self-awareness. It is argued that changes in the state of self-awareness affect the characteristics of the short-term charismatic relationship between leader and follower, but only for high self-monitoring followers. Providing support for the hypothesis was a repeated-measures study. Participants ( N = 78) viewed video vignettes of charismatic leaders presenting different messages, in either a high or low self-awareness condition. When high in self-awareness, participants with a high self-monitoring orientation were more likely than when in a state of low self-awareness to internalize only those messages congruent with their values and beliefs.     

Post-Involvement Difficulties Experienced by Former Members of Charismatic Groups

Limited qualitative studies have been conducted with former members of charismatic groups, especially in Australia. The majority of studies with former members have been conducted by psychologists through quantitative methodologies and clinical case studies. Qualitative studies that explore the phenomenon of charismatic group involvement have predominantly been carried out by sociologists, and these focus on current members of such groups. Sociologists and psychologists have drawn seemingly contradictory conclusions from their study. This study aims to narrow the gap by investigating adjustment to life after involvement with a charismatic group as experienced by former members of such groups through the use of qualitative methods. Seven participants from four different groups were recruited via purposive sampling and modified snowball sampling. A qualitative methodology informed by phenomenology was chosen. In-depth interviews were used to explore the participants’ accounts of adjusting to life after involvement. The findings of this study suggest that the experiences of former members of charismatic groups may be comparable to others who have experienced extreme transitions and adjustments or relationships where significant power differentials exist.     

Healing through Renewal

The need for change can be seen on many levels: political, personal/psychological, spiritual, and even in the forms of nature. The urge to change, to heal one’s ills, to move forward, and the opposing resistance to altering what is familiar are considered through a psychological lens and in a classic myth of the South African Bushman.     

The Relationship Between Attributional Charismatic Leadership and Organizational Citizenship Behavior

This study examined the relationship between attributional charismatic leadership and subordinate organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Survey data were collected from 63 supervisor-subordinate dyads employed in the Engineering Division of a manufacturing firm. Hierarchical regression analysis supported the prediction that subordinate attributions of supervisor charismatic leadership would be positively associated with supervisor reports of subordinate OCB. The findings were interpreted in terms of how subordinate personal identification and internalization processes induced by charismatic leadership may activate OCB.     

Attack on the Self: Charismatic Leadership and Authoritarian Group Supervision

Charismatic group leadership carries the potential for indoctrination and abuse when countertransference issues remain unexamined. This paper is a personal account of participation by the author in an authoritarian and confrontational supervisory experience with self-serving charismatic leadership. Group casualties are portrayed and discussed. This report applies self-psychological principles to understand the powerful merger of the compliant self and idealized object. Further, the dynamics of group identification with the aggressor are described through the Ferenczian lens of confusion of tongues.