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Management - Vikhanskiy OS

4.2. The concept of charismatic leadership

Paradoxically, there are two opposing positions for the formation of the leader's image. One denies in general any influence of the leader on organizational effectiveness, and the other leads to leadership charisma and the attempt of followers to attribute to the leader almost magical, and in some cases divine qualities.

Charisma is a form of influence on others through personal attraction, which evokes support and recognition of leadership, which provides the possessor of charisma the power over followers. As a source of leadership power, charisma refers to the power of the example associated with the ability of a leader to influence subordinates due to his personal qualities and leadership style. Charisma gives the leader the advantage of more effectively exerting his influence on his subordinates. Many believe that the acquisition of charisma is associated with the ability of the leader to find his adorers and admirers and even change their composition depending on the situation. Others define charisma as a set of specific leadership qualities. The latter formed the basis for the concept of charismatic leadership considered below, which is, in fact, a continuation of the concept of attributive leadership and a leader's combination of qualities and behavior.

Charismatic is the leader who by virtue of his personal qualities is able to exert a profound influence on followers. Leaders of this type have a high need for power, have a strong need for activity and are convinced of the moral correctness of what they believe. The need for power motivates them in their striving to become leaders. Their belief in their own right strengthens this need. The desire of such a person to be active communicates to people the feeling that he is able to be a leader. These qualities develop such features of charismatic behavior as role modeling, image creation, simplification of goals (focus on the simple and dramatic nature of the goal), emphasis on high expectations, manifestation of confidence and inspiration from followers of the impulse to action.

Studies show that charisma has a negative side, connected with the usurpation of personal power or the leader's full focus on himself, and positive - related to the emphasis on shared power and the tendency to delegate a part to its followers (Table 11.8.) This helps explain the difference between Such * leaders as Hitler, Lenin, Stalin, and such as Sakharov, Martin Luther King and the like. In general, the charismatic leader is credited with the presence of self-confidence, high sensitivity to the external environment, a vision for solving the problem outside the status quo, the ability to reduce this vision to a level understood by the followers and encouraging them to act; Extraordinary behavior in the realization of his vision.

Table 11.8

Ethics and charisma

Models of charismatic leadership differ in the number of stages in the development of charisma and relations with followers. It is believed that in the beginning it is necessary to develop sensitivity to the discovery of a problem that could be attacked with criticism. Then it is necessary to develop a vision of idealized ways of solving this problem. The vision should include something new, previously uninvited and as to which it seems that it can immediately advance the solution of the problem.

The next step is connected with the ability of the leader to convey the meaning of his vision through interpersonal communication (publications, speech, gestures, poses, etc.) to followers in such a way that it makes a strong impression on them and stimulates them to action. Further, it is important for a leader to unite followers around him to develop a relationship of trust with them, showing such qualities as knowledge of the case, the ability to achieve success, taking risks and performing unusual actions or actions. At the final stage, the leader must demonstrate the ability to realize his vision through the delegation of authority to followers. It is possible to do this by putting followers on tense and meaningful tasks, involving them to participate in governance, weakening bureaucratic fetters, rewarding them for the results accordingly.

A study of the practice of business organizations has shown that in the usual situation charismatic leadership is not always required to achieve high results in business. More often it approaches those cases when followers strongly ideologize their desires and ways of their fulfillment. This largely explains the more frequent presence of charisma among leaders who manifest themselves in politics, religion, military operations. For business, the importance of charismatic leadership increases as necessary in the organization of radical changes in connection with the criticality of the situation. However, in these circumstances, another concept of leadership arises: the concept of a leader-transformer or a leader-reformer.