Charismatic leadership and organizational hierarchy: Attribution of charisma to close and distant leaders

This study examined the attribution of charisma to socially close and distant leaders. Respondents were 554 Israeli combat soldiers who completed five questionnaires describing their perceptions of either their platoon commander or their battalion commander. The results showed that the attribution of charisma to socially close leaders is related to the ascription of extraordinary traits to the leader and to the perception both of the leader as a behavioral model and of his confidence in the individual. The attribution of charisma to distant leaders was related to a willingness to accept the leader's ideas, the perceived confidence of the leader in the group, the ascription of extraordinary traits to the leader, and a general positive impression of the leader. The results are discussed with regard to the influence of situational variables on the attribution of leadership qualities.