What Are the Main Features of Charismatic Leadership - Essay Example

What are the main features of Charismatic Leadership Introduction Charisma, as Max Weber puts it, “a certain quality of an individual personality which is considered extraordinary and treated as capable of having supernatural, superhuman, or exceptional powers or qualities”(as cited in Morrison 2006,p.364). These features of personality are not accessible to the ordinary person because these are considered to have divine origin that made charismatic leader eligible for such power and authority (Morrison 2006, p.364).The paper studies main features of a charismatic leadership. According to Weber charismatic leaders can be prophets, persons with reputations, devoted religious believers or war heroes. They manifest such powers that are thought to rise above the rational and normal. They are believed to have magical or oracular qualities that are based on ability to foresee events. They emerge from ordinary population, announce themselves as saviour and people consider them valid. Leader may prove his legitimacy by demonstrating his extraordinary experience, predicting future or by putting forward his unique vision, prophecy or inspiration. Such proves makes his charisma unquestionable and win devoted believers for him (Morrison 2006, p.365).Max Weber defined charismatic leadership as: “Rests on devotion to the exceptional sanctity, heroism or exemplary character of an individual person, and of the normative pattern or order revealed or ordained by him” (cited in Kronman 1983, p.47). Among three basic justifications for the legitimizing domination (first traditional and second is legal), according to Weber there is charismatic domination based on familial or religious grounds: ‘There is authority of the extraordinary and personal gift of grace (charisma), the absolutely personal devotion and personal confidence in revelation, heroism, or other qualities of individual leadership. This is ‘charismatic’ domination, as exercised by the prophet or-in the field of politics-by the elected war lord, the plebiscitarian ruler, the great demagogue, or the political party leader’(cited in Gerth, Mills & Turner 1991, p.79). 1.2. Revolutionary/Change agent Charismatic leaders are considered to be the change agents in the situation of crisis and decline. Wilson and Cresswell (1999, p.20) state: ‘There are, however, some characteristics that make an NRM more visible and, thereby, significant as an NRM. One may find, for example, the first generation enthusiasms, the unambiguous clarity and certainty in the belief system, the urgency of the message, the commitment of life-style, perhaps a charismatic leadership, and, possibly strong Them/Us and/or Before/After distinctions-all of which are, of course, liable to undergo significant change within a single generation’. Charismatic leaders have the capability to create social revolutions. They become change agents as they confront and transform traditionally accepted ideas and beliefs, they overthrow all the beliefs of sanctity. In this way, he translates charisma into a creative and revolutionary social force for change in society, and an antithesis of routine (Takim 2006, p.3). 1.3. Visionary Ultimate goal and destination of a charismatic leadership is projection and propagation of his unique vision. It is the base of his doctrine and an inspiration for the believers. Wilson and Cresswell (1999, p.261) state: ‘...Cults are deemed to operate, under the authoritarian leadership of a wealthy charismatic self-appointed guru or messiah, who subjects members to an intensive indoctrination programme and is this able to demand total commitment to the cause’. Charisma of a leader doesn’t remain limited to motivate people and urge them in specific direction, it finally institutionalize and expand beyond physical and mental boundaries. As Chryssides (1999, p.17) puts it: ‘...in sociological terms, there is a tendency towards ‘institutionalization’; what starts out as a loosely organized movement, often centred around a charismatic leader, becomes a structures organization with clearly defined tenets, rituals and criteria for determining who belong and who do not. The leader’s authority becomes ‘institutional’ and not simply charismatic, or, following the leader’s death, institutional structures determine the succession’. 1.4. Legitimate and influential Buhl (2001-2) states: ‘Charismatic rule can become highly subjective and also evolves into the direction of finding more sources of legitimacy from potential followers and sympathizers’. According to Dawson (2003, p.264) organizations never do anything as far as functioning of new religious movements is concerned. It is the individual action that is interpreted on the behalf of organization that they coordinate. There are some bases for legitimate authority within the organization. It depends on some factors, for instance, whether members are paid participants or whether some skill or expertise is recognized as fundamental qualification to lead. All religious movements define some particular doctrine that defines the basis of leadership. Any kind of social movement require effective leadership which in turn requires that the authority of the leader is considered as legitimate. He presents it as a complex proposition and state: ‘Religious movements will succeed to the extent that they have legitimate leaders with adequate authority to be effective... Adequate authority requires clear doctrinal justifications for an effective and legitimate leadership...authority is regarded as more legitimate and gains in effectiveness to the degree that members perceive themselves as participants in the system of authority’ (Dawson 2003, p.264). 1.5. Extraordinary conviction According to Weber, charismatic leader have the ability to mobilize legitimacy by a process called ‘renunciation of the past’. He rejected the norms, inequality or long term sufferings and call people to understand their spiritual duty and stand by him in the mission. In doing so, leaders tend to reject everyday human desires and needs. They get legitimacy by being emotionally indifferent, rejecting desire and denying materialistic pleasures as they prefer to perform their higher religious duty instead of ordinary mundane reality. For instance, Dalai Lama rejects everyday life and created a distance from the world in order to present the religious grace. Due to these characteristics, charismatic leaders appear at the time of crisis when mankind is on the verge of some catastrophic edge. Ordinary men cannot handle the things and charismatic leader with his exceptional power get control of their emotions and direct them towards a specific path of survival that is founded by leader’s divine inspiration or unique vision (as cited in Morrison 2006, p.367). 1.6. Sensitivity and Aesthetic traits Charismatic leader is considered to be unusual and unconventional. He can realistically assess the situation and engage all the available resources to bring a miraculous change that surprises everyone. Weber (1978, p.1116) states: ‘The power of charisma rests upon the belief in revelation and heroes, upon the conviction that certain manifestations-whether they be of religious, ethical, artistic, scientific, political or other kind-are important and valuable; it rests upon ‘heroism’ of an aesthetic, military, judicial, magical or whichever kind. Charismatic belief revolutionizes men ‘from within’ and shapes material and social conditions according to revolutionary will’ (cited in Buhl 2001-2). According to Buhl (2001-2) charismatic leader holds truly exceptional and fruitful traits. His humanistic, normative, sentimental, prophetic, magical understanding gives him amazing insight. He is the ‘idealist with utopian imagination’ who does not care for his own loss but change the stigma with his charisma. 1.7. Behavioural characteristics Generally charismatic leaders possess some very dominant features, for instance, magnetic aura, self assured, articulate, inspiring, motivator and bearer of a revolutionary vision. Robert House (1977) characterized charismatic leadership by five phrases: dominant in their vision, with strong desire to inspire and influence others in order to get the mission objectives, self confident with a strong sense of one’s own moral values, set personal example of the values of mission, challenge the assumptions and stereotypes(cited in Miner 2005,p.344). 1.8. Incompatible with other domination Due to unstable and unpredictable nature of charismatic leadership, charisma according to Weber is incompatible with legal and traditional forms of domination in many respects. For instance, in order to rise above the ordinary level and maintain the charismatic vision, charisma is unable to accommodate everyday life demands. It rejects specific rules and traditions set with time as it undermines the implementation of his powers. Finally, charisma resists the development of legal administration due to the fact that bureaucracy can dilute his powers and as part of the procedure can delegate his powers to others (as cited in Morrison 2006, p.367). 1.9. Divine Powers Takim(2006,p.3)states, “Because of the leader’s purported connection with the divine, charisma is quality that is frequently, though not always, associated with holiness, heroism, or an acute sense of mission or calling”. According to Weber, charismatic leaders exude the divine force of charisma. They are believed to represent specific supernatural gifts of body and mind; these divine blessings are considered intrinsic features of a leader’s personality. The charismatic figure commands respects that he deserves as a bearer of the innate gift of grace. Fundamental to the charismatic leader’s traits are what his followers perceive to be the divine dedication of the mission, it points towards the metaphysical basis of a leader’s authority. Submission to such a leader’s powers also depends on the leader’s exceptional qualities and traits that differentiate him from his peers. His ability to arise emotions and great pathos help him in the process of getting complete obedience (as cited in Takim 2006, p.3).Weber regarded charismatic authority as suited only for ‘the process of originating’ religious movements and as movements and as too unstable to sustain an organized social enterprise. Capacity to reveal new truth is usually associated with the leader (Dawson 2003, p.264) 1.10. Conclusion Charismatic leader radiates an inescapable magnetism and presents his vision with such vigour and assurance that raise him above ordinary human beings. His devotion to a particular cause, belief or vision is so strong that he gathers disciples around him in no time. Charismatic leaders are bestowed with divine powers for bringing change and rejecting status quo; therefore they become saviour for humanity. Work cited Buhl.2001-2002.Advanced Grad-Seminar Herrschaft und Charisma, [internet] Germany Availableat:http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:YLqEIs6Xi74J:iws.ccccd.edu/mbuhl/charisma_max_weber.pdf+max+weber+and+the+theory+of+charisma:charisma+or+chemistry%3F+prof+buhl&hl=en&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESha6lKzbUTA4oe3IHE0TQ8ejdNO3aTvN5Ga7okaRtrz8a27k3rRZJq5AXEo-1UlymS8MiMDnkc9cAgz3971LzJq_hZy-q4GihthO4KeHUJ1lRweOqxC_knzCIc3TBPOdT-IgA8v&sig=AHIEtbRXyEvMukaa9p7f5MUHQzsdIq2M-w [Accessed 4 March 2010] Chryssides, G.D.1999.Exploring new religions. London: Continuum International Publishing Group. Dawson, L.L.ed., 2003.Cults and new religious movements: A reader. USA: Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Gerth, H.H., Mills, W.C., &Turner, B.S.ed., 1991.From Max Weber: Essays in Sociology. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. Kronman, A.T., 1983.Max Weber: Jurists: profiles in legal theory. California: Stanford University Press. Miner, J.B., 2005.Essential theories of motivation and leadership. 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