CHARISMATIC LEADERS AND DESTRUCTIVENESS - AN HISTORIOMETRIC STUDY

Previous research has examined the characteristics and behaviors of ch arismatic leaders in an effort to understand their ability to change o rganizational members. Charismatic leaders present a vision for an org anization's future. The leader's beliefs, motives, and self-concept sy stem influence the vision and act as guides for the behaviors the lead er uses in bringing about change in the organization. Unfortunately, l eaders are not always interested in effecting change for the purpose o f benefitting the organization and its members as a whole; rather, the leader may be more interested in personal outcomes. This study tested a model of personality constructs found to contribute to destructive acts in a real-world sample of charismatic leaders. Benchmarks scales were used to operationalize the constructs such that ratings of the de gree to which a leader exhibited behaviors indicative of the construct s could be quantified. A LISREL VI analysis provides support for the m odel. Practical and methodological implications are discussed.