The Motivational Effects of Charismatic Leadership: A Self-Concept Based Theory

TLDR

The literature shows charismatic leadership profoundly affects followers, yet existing theories do not explain how these effects occur. This paper aims to fill that gap by advancing leadership theory. The authors propose a self‑concept based motivational theory in which charismatic leaders engage followers’ self‑concepts around the mission, leading to transformational effects, and derive testable propositions about leader behavior, follower values, and organizational conditions.

Abstract

The empirical literature on charismatic or transformational leadership demonstrates that such leadership has profound effects on followers. However, while several versions of charismatic leadership theory predict such effects, none of them explains the process by which these effects are achieved. In this paper we seek to advance leadership theory by addressing this fundamental problem. We offer a self-concept based motivational theory to explain the process by which charismatic leader behaviors cause profound transformational effects on followers. The theory presents the argument that charismatic leadership has its effects by strongly engaging followers' self-concepts in the interest of the mission articulated by the leader. We derive from this theory testable propositions about (a) the behavior of charismatic leaders and their effects on followers, (b) the role of followers' values and orientations in the charismatic relationship, and (c) some of the organizational conditions that favor the emergence and effectiveness of charismatic leaders.