Date of Award

9-1991

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

First Advisor

Wayne G. Stone, DBA

Abstract

This study set out to identify the parameters in the existing leadership theories that lead to the attribution of charisma in organizational leaders. Once these parameters were identified, the goal was to develop and validate the means to measure the parameters. Organizational scientists began to wrestle with the operation of charismatic authority within organizations in 1961. A review of the literature uncovered eight theories that describe the operation of charisma with organizations. From these eight theories, 37 distinct behaviors or qualities were extracted. Each of these was theorized to lead to the attribution of charisma either singly or in combination with other parameters. The 37 parameters were operationally defined through the use of semantic differential. The scales built were the bulk of an instrument which also included a critical incident. Through analysis of the data from a pilot study, appropriate groups of pairs were found to test each of the 37 parameters. The rigor of the semantic differential is well-documented and the reliabilities achieved (as measured by Cronbach's alpha) were acceptable in all cases. The scales for measuring the 37 parameters and 2 anchoring scales became the input for factor analysis using the rotated principal factors method and Pearson product moment coefficient of correlation.

AFIT Designator

AFIT-GLM-LSR-91S-30

DTIC Accession Number

ADA246729

Comments

The author's Vita page is omitted.

Presented to the Faculty of the School of Systems and Logistics of the Air Force Institute of Technology, Air University, in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science

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