Dynamics of charismatic leadership - A process theory, simulation model, and tests

The recently revived interest in charisma as an element of transformational leadership has led students of organizational behavior and management to s tudy the psychological bases of this phenomenon. By integrating these studi es with the traditional sociological approach to charisma, we present a mor e comprehensive account of the process of charismatic leadership. This newl y formulated theory of charismatic leadership dynamics was transposed into a simulation model with which to test its empirical adequacy. Six clearly c harismatic leaders of the past were then chosen to test the model's ability to reproduce the time series of data found in documented evidence. Sixteen data sets relevant to these leaders' careers were successfully reproduced, averaging 76.7% of the variance in the data and attesting to the empirical adequacy of the theoretical integration. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. Al l rights reserved.