Distal charismatic leadership and follower effects: An examination of Conger and Kanungo’s conceptualization of charisma in China

Abstract

Conger and Kanungo’s conceptualization of charismatic leadership has received extensive investigation in Western nations and has helped us understand the nature of leadership, especially during times of uncertainty. The present study assessed whether this conceptualization of charismatic leadership is generalizable to top-level organizational leadership in Chinese society, where culture is tremendously different from Western society. Data were collected from two independent samples with full-time employees from Chinese society. Results show that although the factor structure of charismatic leadership is replicated, some behaviors are not attributed as charismatic and are less effective in the Chinese context. Results also demonstrate that charismatic leadership is positively related to followers’ job performance and job satisfaction, and such positive relations are partially mediated by followers’ identification with the leader and the organization. The implications for utilizing Conger and Kanungo’s conceptualization of charisma to investigate top-level organizational leadership in Chinese society are discussed.