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Charismatic leadership: Beyond love and hate and toward a sense of belonging?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 May 2019

Ken Parry ,
Michael Cohen ,
Sukanto Bhattacharya ,
Andrea North-Samardzic  and
Gareth Edwards Open the ORCID record for Gareth Edwards [Opens in a new window]
Ken Parry
Affiliation:
Department of Management, Deakin Business School, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia Bristol Business School, University of the West of England (UWE), Bristol, UK
Michael Cohen
Affiliation:
Department of Management, Deakin Business School, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia
Sukanto Bhattacharya
Affiliation:
Department of Management, Deakin Business School, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia
Andrea North-Samardzic
Affiliation:
Department of Management, Deakin Business School, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia
Gareth Edwards*
Affiliation:
Bristol Business School, University of the West of England (UWE), Bristol, UK
*
*Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

Developing previous work on charismatic leadership by Boas Shamir and Ken, we investigate the contention that followers of charismatic leaders have an emotional connection with that leader in the form of a ‘sense of belonging’ and links to community. We, therefore, investigate whether there is any evidence of a sense of belonging when people describe those they judge to be charismatic. Using a mixed-methods aesthetic narrative approach, we are able to supply empirical support for the existence of such a relationship and to extend the findings of previous studies by incorporating the connection that the leader has with the community, in general, as an important factor in the leader–follower relationship.

Keywords

leadershipcharismabelongingleader–follower relationshipsaesthetic narrative
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Management & Organization , Volume 25 , Special Issue 3: ‘Take your Lead’: In Search of Very Short, Fairly Interesting, and Reasonably Impactful Contributions to the Future of Leadership Studies , May 2019 , pp. 398 - 413
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management 2019 

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