The Effects of Charismatic Leadership on Followers’ Self‐Concept Accessibility

Abstract

Shamir, House, and Arthur (1993) suggested that the effects of charismatic leadership on followers’ motivation are mediated by the increased salience of collective identities in followers’ self‐concepts. This study empirically examines the effects of leadership messages on followers’ self‐concept accessibilities. Charismatic and integrative (combined charismatic and individualized consideration) leadership increased the accessibility of followers’ collective self‐concepts. Individualized consideration increased the accessibility of followers’ private self‐concepts. These results support the propositions of the self‐concept‐based theory of charismatic leadership. Charismatic and integrative leadership messages from a leader resulted in higher follower collective self‐concept accessibilities than did routinized messages. This finding underscores the importance of a charismatic leader, even when charismatic messages have become routinized.