SOCIAL DISTANCE AND CHARISMA - THEORETICAL NOTES AND AN EXPLORATORY-STUDY

The article addresses the relationship between social distance and cha rismatic leadership. Current theories of charismatic leadership in org anizations have borrowed ideas from the literature on socially distant charismatic leaders and applied them to leadership situations that in volve direct contacts between leaders and their immediate subordinates . This article argues that while social distance is not a necessary co ndition for charismatic leadership, there are fundamental differences between distant charismatic leadership and close charismatic leadershi p. The article attempts to identify these differences through a theore tical analysis of the two leadership situations and through an explora tory content analysis of interviews about close and distant charismati c leaders.