Explaining the Occurrence of Charismatic Leadership in Organizations

Richard J. Ellis

Journal of Theoretical Politics, 1991, vol. 3, issue 3, 305-319

Abstract: Charisma is commonly regarded as disruptive and unpredictable. Its origins are treated as mysterious and unexplainable. This view of charisma is due in part to a tendency to reify charisma, but more importantly to the lack of an adequate theory of social organization. After clearing up some methodological confusions surrounding the concept of charisma, I present a theory that predicts the type of organization, and the type of organizational situation, in which charismatic leadership will occur. By joining Mary Douglas's grid-group analysis with Herbert Simon's decision theory, I show that charismatic leadership, far from being a disruptive force, serves an integrative function in egalitarian organizations hampered by disagreement on facts and values.

Keywords: charisma; decision theory; grid-group analysis; leadership; organizations (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 1991
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:jothpo:v:3:y:1991:i:3:p:305-319

DOI: 10.1177/0951692891003003004

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