GLP 5: Critical Perspective on Leadership

The dark side of Charismatic Leadership

Psychodynamic Approach

Charismatic leaders are considered by personalized use of power, negative life themes, and narcissism (Padilla, et al., 2007). Such leaders are likely to engage in behavior that is destructive to the organization and harmful to its members. This behavior can include self-centered decision making, greed, and lack of communality (Fogarty, 2015).

- Negative life themes

- Narcissism: self-focus, and self-importance (King, 2007).

Benefits of leadership through psychodynamic approach (Northouse, 2013, p.339):

• Analysis of the relationship between the leader and the follower
• Emphasizes the need for awareness on the part of the leaders
• The leader come to understand his or her reactions to subordinates actions, and to see why followers react as they do to certain actions by the leader
• Allows leader to control actions and responses

Example of these leaders:

- (Negative life themes & Narcissism)

Adolf Hitler

However:

• Not all the leaders or followers think about these ego states or take them into consideration when they interact with other people
• It focuses on personalities, but not into organizational factors, such as culture
• No clear prescriptions for how an individual can change his or her personality style - it requires only to accept their ways of acting and those in which other behave

Our Opinion

Introduction

Both leaders and followers need to study leadership!

Charismatic Leadership cont:

* Why leadership is beneficial (Trait Approach Theory, Psychodynamic Approach, Charisma and leadership)

* Why leadership should be studied and why not

Charismatic leaders are able to analyse the current situation, develop an ambitious or extraordinary goal (vision), and implement the strategies to ensure the achievement of that goal.

• They are inspiration to those around them, and their ability to communicate their vision to those around them, is outstanding.

(James Poon Teng Fatt, 2000)

Charisma and Leadership

• Assumptions:

Charm and grace

Self-belief is a fundamental need of leaders.

People follow others that they personally admire.

• Style:

The Charismatic Leader gathers followers through dint of personality and charm, rather than any form of external power or authority. Changing Minds (n/d)

Definition of Leadership

* Many definitions for leadership

"Leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal"

(Northouse, 2013, p.5)

* Involves influence, Occurs in groups and Includes attention to a Common goal

Reference List:

Chamorro-Premuzic, T. (2012). The Dark Side of Charisma. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2012/11/the-dark-side-of-charisma.

Changing Minds, (n/d), Charismatic Leadership. Retrieved from http://changingminds.org/disciplines/leadership/styles/charismatic_leadership.htm.

Fogarty, S. (2015). 02 The Dark Side of Charismatic Leadership. Retrieved from http://webjournals.ac.edu.au/journals/aps/issue-13/02-dark-side-charismatic-leadership/.

James Poon Teng Fatt, (2000),"Charismatic leadership", Equal Opportunities International, Vol. 19 Iss 8 pp. 24 – 28

Northouse, P.G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice (6th ed.). London: SAGE Publications Ltd.

Criticisms on Trait approach?

Northouse (2007, p.25) lists the weaknesses of the traits approach as follows:

1) The approach has not fixed a definitive list of leadership traits and the list that has emerged seems endless.

2) The approach has failed to take situations into account.

3) The trait approach is weak in describing how leaders' traits affect the outcomes of groups and teams in organizations.

4) Traits are largely fixed psychological structures and this limits the value of teaching and leadership training.

Why leadership is beneficial and should be study:

Trait Approach Theory

Northouse (2007, p.24) lists the strengths of the traits approach as follows:

1) It supports the general image in the society that leaders are a special kind of people who can do extraordinary things. People have a need to see their leaders as gifted people, and the trait approach fulfills this need.

2) A second strengths is that the trait approach has a long research tradition and a significant body of research data that support this approach.

3) The trait approach has given us some benchmarks for what we need to look for if we want to be leaders.

GLP 5: Critical Perspectives on Leadership

Ali, Alanoud, Noora, Daniela, Anna