Examining charisma: The influence of leader emotions and contextual variables on follower perceptions and performance

Abstract

Charisma has historically been poorly conceptualized in the literature, making it difficult to advance research in the charismatic leadership domain. In addition, charisma is typically associated with a leader’s use of positive emotions when articulating a mission to mobilize followers towards a cause. Despite these findings, research on charisma has failed to consider a leader’s use of negative emotion and other contextual variables. Such a narrow focus limits our understanding of how such factors influence perceptions of charisma and other relevant follower outcomes. Drawing on a new conceptualization of charisma proposed by Antonakis et al. (2016), the present effort investigates how a leader’s display of emotion (compassion vs. anger), values expressed in a vision (benevolence vs. retribution), and organizational climate (cooperative vs. competitive) influence follower outcomes of state affect, perceptions of charisma, trust in leader, and performance. Findings reveal a differential impact of leader emotions on different outcomes, highlight the role of organizational climate for leader trust, and emphasize the importance of considering interactive effects for perceptions of charisma. Theoretical and practical implications, limitations, and future directions are discussed.