Charismatic leadership: Strategies for effecting social change

Because of their unique relationship with followers, charismatic leaders ca n be powerful agents of social change. Current theories of charismatic lead ership have emphasized primarily the personality and behavior of leaders an d their effects on followers, organizations, and society. This emphasis fai ls to uncover why and how the charismatic leader/follower interaction can g enerate social change. Our study draws on theories of social meaning to dev elop a process model of charismatic leadership. Empirical exploration of ou r model suggests that charismatic leaders employ a set of consistent commun ication strategies for effecting social change.