Charismatic Leadership

1. CHARISMATIC
LEADERSHIP
GROUP 5
Presented by: Gabrielle Grant, Paige-Marie
edmondson, jevaughn smith

2. TOPIC OUTLINE
OVERVIEW
DEFINITIONS
COMPARISONS
CLOSING

3. OVERVIEW
This presentation encompasses what leadership is,
the different definitions of charisma by Max Weber
and psychology of leadership and the comparisons of
charisma according to Weber and psychology of
leadership

4. Winston Churchill
Nelson Mandela
Martin Luther King Jr.
Mahatma Gandhi

5. DEFINITION OF LEADERSHIP
Leadership encompasses the ability of an
individual, group or organization to"lead",
influence or guide other individuals, teams, or
entire organizations.

6. The word charisma refers to a rare trait found in certain human
personalities usually including extreme charm and a "magnetic"
quality of personality or appearance along with innate and
powerfully sophisticated personal communicability and
persuasiveness; in short, charisma is often used to describe a
seemingly uncanny ability to charm or influence people.
Definition of Charisma

7. Advantages and disadvantages of charismatic
leadership
Advantages Disadvantages
Charismatic leaders inspire
people to work together for
a common cause.
Charismatic-led companies tend
to be cohesive because their
workers have a clear purpose.
Organizations can become
dependent on charismatic
leaders and may suffer if he or
she retires, leaves the
company, or dies suddenly.
Charismatic leaders may
believe they are above the law,
committing financial or ethical
violations.

8. Charismatic Leaders use words such as 'us' and 'our' to promote and increase
togetherness, their firm belief in their mission, and their ability to make their
followers or subordinates feel the same way.

9. The Psychology Approach to
Charismatic Leadership Theory
Charismatic leadership theory identifies the extraordinary characteristics that inspire devotion and
motivation in followers and highlights the relationship between charismatic leaders and their
followers.
Studies describe charismatic leaders as highly influential and confident individuals who hold strong
beliefs. They are change agents who communicate their vision to others, set high expectations, attend
to the needs of their followers, and behave in unconventional ways.
Charismatic leaders are inherently motivated and committed to setting and meeting their goals. They
are naturally diplomatic and work in partnership with their followers to identify organizational issues
and undertake challenges and risks.
They maintain a collective identity while providing a sense of direction that helps followers achieve
both organizational and personal goals.

10. The max weber CULTURAL Approach TO
Charismatic Leadership Theory
Charisma, according to Weber, “is the authority of the extraordinary and personal gift of grace.” Weber
used this ecclesiastical term to denote “the absolutely personal devotion and the personal confidence in
revelation, heroism, or other qualities of individual leadership” (Weber, 1948: p. 79)
Weber emphasized that charismatic authority in its pure form ( i.e. when authority resides in
someone solely because of the person’s charisma and not because the person also has traditional or
legal authority) is less stable than traditional authority or legal authority.
The reason for this is simple: once charismatic leaders die, their authority dies as well.
Although a charismatic leader’s example may continue to inspire people long after the leader dies,
it is difficult for another leader to come along and command people’s devotion as intensely, mainly
because of the influence the leader before held.

11. Comparison
Weber emphasizes the role of the culture, beliefs, and practices in a particular place in
determining how effective charismatic leaders can be in convincing people to follow
them.
Psychology of leadership focuses more on the how the person’s unique abilities or
charisma helps them to convince people to follow them.
Eg: religious leaders can capitalize on the people of a specific place being spiritual based
on their culture.
Eg. As the CEO of Apple in different stages of his career, Steve Jobs was able to bring the
world into the 21st century by motivating his teams to produce their best work.

12. Closing
It can now be said that Webber's
cultural approach to charisma as well
as the approach to charisma in the
psychology of leadership can be very
well contrasted, with Webber's
cultural approach focusing more on
the strength of the leader based on
the beliefs of the population or people
while the psychology of leadership
focuses more on the individual as a
person. The two are compared with
the effect the leaders have on
individuals,

13. REFERENCES
Charisma - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics. (n.d.). Charisma - an
Overview | ScienceDirect Topics; www.sciencedirect.com. Retrieved June 19,
2022, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-
sciences/charisma#:~:text=Charisma-,Charisma%2C%20according%20to%2
0Weber%2C%20%E2%80%9Cis%20the%20authority%20of%20the,
(Weber%2C%201948%3A%20p.
Weber, M. (1978). Economy and Society: An Outline of Interpretive
Sociology. G. Roth,& C.
Wittich (Eds.). Berkeley: University of California Press.

14. REFERENCES
The Art of Charm: The Charismatic Leadership Theory | Alvernia Online.
(2019, August 7). Alvernia Online; online.alvernia.edu.
https://online.alvernia.edu/articles/charismatic-leadership-theory/

15. THANK YOU FOR
LISTENING!
Don't hesitate to ask any questions!