Charisma or Group Belonging as Antecedents of Employee Work Effort?

Journal of Business Ethics · 2010 · Volume 96 · Issue 4

Abstract

Previous studies have consistently argued that employees’ perception of their leaders as charismatic will positively influence their willingness to commit themselves to the ethical and philanthropic objectives of the organization. However, the empirical relationship between charisma and employee work effort is only modestly explored. This study hypothesizes that in decentralized, professional, and normative organizations characterized by demanding and philanthropic tasks, group belonging, in its capacity to socially and professionally support employees, is better suited to explain employee work effort than leadership charisma. Hierarchical regression analyses based on data from a bishopric supported this assumption. Practical and theoretical consequences are discussed.

Keywords

group belonging, charisma, normative organizations, professional organizations, church, philanthropy

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