Charismatic Leadership Research Paper

Idealized influence. Idealized influence includes leaders’ charisma, or their ability to generate strong emotions in followers, and is considered the most important of the four characteristics of transformational leaders (Avolio, Bass, & Jung, 1999). Charismatic leaders are confident in themselves and hold a strong conviction in their beliefs, evoking passion in their followers (Bass, 1985). They many times place the team’s needs before their own, and they guide the organizational culture into the change envisioned (Bass et al., 2003). Bass (1985) suggested that charismatic leadership strongly influences followers, thus positively influencing organizational performance. This ability to influence is due largely in part to the charisma exhibited by the leader (Bass & Avolio, 1994). Ehrhart and Klein’s (2001) review of literature concerning charismatic leadership found four behaviors repeatedly referred to as “charismatic”: (a) communicating high performance expectations, (b) exhibiting confidence in followers’ ability to reach goals, (c) taking calculated risks, and (d) articulating a value-based vision of the future (Kark & Van Dijk, 2007). Accumulated evidence points to transformational and charismatic leadership as influential modes of leadership that are associated with high levels of individual and organizational performance (Dvir, Eden, Avolio, & Shamir, 2002; Kark & Van Dijk, 2007; Lowe, Kroeck, & Sivasubramaniam, 1996).

Goleman (1998) described charismatic leaders as being able to control their emotions as well as understand the emotions of the team, displaying an idea termed “emotional intelligence.” Using this knowledge, leaders have the ability to mold and influence a team. Teams react with high self-esteem and...

... middle of paper ...

...ent activities include but are not limited to delegation, informal communication, and mentoring. Individual consideration augments employees’ capabilities, trust, and respect for the leader, thus enhancing the leader’s influence over the organization (Bryman, 1992).

The transformational leadership characteristics of idealized influence, inspirational motivation, and individualized consideration are heavily linked with Daniel Goleman’s theory of emotional intelligence (Barling, Slater, & Kelloway, 2000). Emotional Intelligence has gained great prominence in the study of its relationship with leadership effectiveness. By understanding one’s own emotions, managing and controlling these emotions, as well as understanding the emotions of others, research shows that leaders can have great influence on an organization’s success (Goleman, 1997; Goleman et al., 2002).