The Magic of Leadership

Charisma and its RedressCharisma and its Redress

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Orientation

• Charismatic Leadership and the uniqueness of the special leader

• Examine maps of the New Leadership Pioneers

• Transformational and transactional leadership

• Dilemma of the ego driven transformational leader

• Empowerment and the alignment between organizational and individual goals

• Shift of focus to upper-level leadership

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The Dilemma of Charisma

 Think about the following questions• What does being charismatic mean to you?• Have you ever met a person whom you would describe as

charismatic?• What qualities made this person so special?• Would you be happy with her/him as a leader of your

organization? Why?• Do you believe you possess some of the qualities of a

charismatic person?

• Are there ways you can acquire charismatic qualities?

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Robert House and Path-Goal Theory

• Claim that way leader behaves with respect to goals and followers influences the leadership impact

• Leadership effectiveness is shaped by situational circumstances

• In line with contemporary theories at the time, focus on leader’s consideration of followers’ needs and the task structure

• Emphasis is placed on structuring the psychological maps of the followers, using motivational approach developed through valence theory

• Situations of ambiguity draw more on directional leadership and repetitive work contexts require more consideration and encouragement

• Transactional nature of early work led House to reformulate theory to be more aligned with new leadership ideas

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• Core assumptions of self-interest and personal development

• Transactional leadership transactional leaders respond to followers’ immediate self-

interests leader identifies with what followers want & helps them

achieve level of performance that results in rewards that satisfy them

• Transformational leadership leaders influence workforces to go beyond simple self-

interests leader has ability to inspire and motivate followers to

achieve results greater than originally planned and for internal rewards

Bernard Bass & Full Range Leadership Model

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Bass’s Research on Transactional & Transformational Leadership

Transformational leadershipTransformational leadership• Idealized influence - charisma

• Inspirational motivation• Intellectual stimulation

• Individualized consideration

Transactional leadershipTransactional leadership• Contingent rewards & Constructive transactions

• Management by exception• Laissez-faire leadership

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Charisma & Transformational Leadership

• Bass’s model examined using Multifactor leadership Questionnaire (MLQ)

• Two similar and differentiable leadership styles? Idealisation of leader Inspirational content of leader’s words or vision Together a measure of charismatic leadership style

• Provides an expanded picture of leadership that includes the exchange of rewards & leader’s attention to growth of followers

• Places a strong emphasis on followers’ needs, values, and morals - motivated to transcend self-interests for good of team

• Best leaders are both transformational and transactional

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Jay Conger and Empowerment

• Appreciation of dilemmas associated with empowerment

• Theoretical rationale based on social learning theory

• Individuals feel empowered through experience of Evidence that they are actually being successful Recognition of progress, by words of encouragement General emotional support Powerful role models

• Creative jolts to expectations Jolt followers out of sense of negativity & behavioural impotence

through act of leadership

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Conger - Dark Side of Leadership

• Conger warns of dangers associated with high-profile leadership practices

• Looks at leaders first hailed as exemplary & later as misguided or morally suspect

• Leader’s distort vision to meet egocentric ambitions

• Leader develops sense of invulnerability & belief in ‘rightness’ of their vision

• Failure of charismatic leader due to: Commitment to vision – shift to single-minded obsessiveness Authentic communication – with vision as extension of leader’s

personality needs communication is les authentic Style of charismatic leader – exclusion and stereo-typing

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James McGregor Burns on Empowerment

• Burns is pioneer of transformational leadership

• Transforming nature of a leadership act understood through unexpected and individualistic action of individual

• Leadership roles exist in web of relationships which offer insights into how values impact on leadership The ethical dimension Social values Socially desired goals

• Initiating acts trigger value-laden reactions by individuals acting out three roles

• Dilemmas of empowerment who empowers who? To whose purpose?

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Jim Collins on the Fifth Level LeaderBeyond Charisma

• Collins examined features of exceptional companies• From 1400 companies eleven chosen as showing sustained

excellence. The strongest differentiating factor of these companies termed ‘level five leadership’

• Level 1 – Individual‘s talent, knowledge, & skills are key contribution• Level 2 – Leadership as collaborative team efforts• Level 3 – Competent manager, effectively organizes towards

predetermined goals• Level 4 – Effective leader, promoting commitment to compelling vision &

high performance standards• Level 5 – Executive builds great companies, exercising of personal

humility combined with assertiveness (willfullness)

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Summary

• Fundamental map - charismatic leadership & relationship with new leadership thinking

• Transformational leadership contrasted with economic exchange models of transactional leadership

• Exposes mechanisms through which leaders manage change

• Bass presents each leaders as having elements across a range of leadership styles. Transformational leaders incorporate some transformational behaviours

• Transformation maps imply leadership development is possible at all organizational levels

• Acceptance of charismatic leader ignores the dilemma of the self-seeking and destructive leader who is ‘taken on trust’.