Boas Shamir

Organizational and contextual influences on the emergence and effectiveness of charismatic leadership

Abstract The literature on charismatic leadership in organizations has neglected the organizational context in which such leadership is embedded. The purpose of this article is to enrich and refine charismatic leadership theory by linking it to its organizational context. We argue that while charismatic leadership principles and processes potentially apply across a wide variety of situations, the emergence and effectiveness of such leadership may be facilitated by some contexts and inhibited by others. We develop and present a series of propositions linking contextual variable to the emergence and effectiveness of charismatic leadership. Among the contextual variable we examine are the organizational environment, life-cycle stage, technology, tasks, goals, structure, and culture, as well as the leaders level in the organization and the circumstances surrounding his or her appointment.

Social distance and charisma: Theoretical notes and an exploratory study

The article addresses the relationship between social distance and charismatic leadership. Current theories of charismatic leadership in organizations have borrowed ideas from the literature on socially distant charismatic leaders and applied them to leadership situations that involve direct contacts between leaders and their immediate subordinates. This article argues that while social distance is not a necessary condition for charismatic leadership, there are fundamental differences between distant charismatic leadership and close charismatic leadership. The article attempts to identify these differences through a theoretical analysis of the two leadership situations and through an exploratory content analysis of interviews about close and distant charismatic leaders.

Meaning, Self and Motivation in Organizations

This paper claims that current work motivation theories are restricted in certain respects due to their overreliance on individualistic-hedonistic assumptions and their over-emphasis of cognitive-calculative processess. It is suggested that a self-concept based theory should be added to the existing core of theories in order to overcome their limitations. Certain assumptions about the relationships between the self-concept and behaviour are presented, followed by a series of theoretical propositions and some research suggestions. The implications of the theory for organizational commitment, collective work behaviour, transformational leadership and symbolic management are briefly discussed.

Calculations, Values, and Identities: The Sources of Collectivistic Work Motivation

This paper argues for the further development of work motivation theories to include better links between the individual and the collectivity, in order to more adequately explain individual contributions to collective work efforts. Three co-determinants of collectivistic work motivation are discussed: calculative considerations, moral commitments, and the affirmation of identities. It is argued that perceived collective efficacy and social rewards and sanctions should be given a central place in calculative models of collectivistic work motivation. It is further argued that moral commitments and identity affirmation should not be reduced to cost-benefit calculations because doing so denies the social origins of collectivistic motivation, and masks the potential importance of these factors in explanations of collective action.

The relationship between vision strength, leadership style, and context ☆

Abstract This investigation examined the relationship between leadership style and the content of vision tapes produced in a comprehensive leadership workshop with community leaders. The transformational leadership style of 141 leaders positively predicted the inspirational “strength” of their vision statements, as reflected in the level of optimism expressed in the videotaped presentation of their visions. Organizational size was related to vision strength and moderated the relationship between passive leadership style and vision strength.

The Dual Effect of Transformational Leadership: Priming Relational and Collective Selves and Further Effects on Followers

Abstract In this chapter, we integrate recent theories on followers’ self-concept and transformational leadership theory in order to develop a conceptual framework for understanding the exceptional and diverse effects transformational leaders may have on their followers. We propose that transformational leaders may influence two levels of followers’ self-concept: the relational and the collective self thus fostering personal identification with the leader and social identification with the organizational unit. Specific leader behaviors that prime different aspects of followers’ self-concepts are identified, and their possible effects on different aspects of followers’ perceptions and behaviors are discussed.

The charismatic relationship: Alternative explanations and predictions

This paper reviews and compares six theoretical explanations of the effects of charismatic leaders on their followers. Of the six explanations two are based on psychoanalytic theory, two on attribution theory, one on a sociological theory of symbolic centers, and one on the social psychology of the self-concept. The review exposes differences among the explanations in their motivational assumptions, their predictions regarding leader behaviors and effects on followers, and the mediating mechanisms they posit between leader behaviors and effects on followers. The most critical differences are highlighted and suggested as foci of future research on charismatic leadership.

Between Service and Servility: Role Conflict in Subordinate Service Roles

The concept Subordinate Service Roles (SSRs) is introduced to denote organizational boundary roles in which an organization member performs direct service to a nonmember whose status is higher than that of the service giver. The relative inattention of Industrial/Organizational Psychology and Organizational Sociology to such roles is pointed out. Various types of role conflict in SSRs are discussed. Some factors affecting the level of conflict in SSRs are proposed, and typical responses of SSRs occupants to role conflict are presented and illustrated. The discussion is based on a review of the literature and on critical incidents of service collected from service givers and clients in two areas: hotels and public transport in Israel.

Trust in Organizational Superiors: Systemic and Collective Considerations

The social-psychological literature on trust in organizational superiors implies that it is an interpersonal phenomenon, based on the superior’s behaviours and on subordinates’ perceptions of the superior’s behaviours and qualities. The sociological literature, in contrast, implies that trust in a superior is a property of the system in which the superior-subordinate relationship is embedded. In this article, we suggest that trust is both an interpersonal and a collective phenomenon and focus on the linkages between three levels of trust: the system level, the group level, and the individual level. We use a longitudinal quantitative analysis of cadets’ trust in their team commanders and a qualitative analysis of critical incidents of trust building and erosion to develop and support three propositions. First, trust in a superior reflects subordinates’ trust in the system that the superior represents. Second, subordinates employ criteria derived from systemic properties such as collective identities and values to evaluate the trustworthiness of their superior. Third, team processes play a major role in the social construction of trust in a superior and in translating systemic considerations into criteria for evaluating superiors’ trustworthiness.

Some correlates of leisure identity salience: Three exploratory studies.

Leisure identity salience (LIS) is the relative importance of a leisure identity for defining ones self, relative to other identities the individual holds. Some correlates of LIS were explored in ...