Nisbett, M and Walmsley, B (2016) The Romanticization of Charismatic Leadership in the Arts. Journal of Arts Management, Law, and Society, 46 (1). pp. 2-12. ISSN 1063-2921
Abstract
This inter-disciplinary article focuses on the role, significance, and impact of charisma in cultural leadership. It brings together fresh empirical data with a critical review of the literature to investigate the role of charisma in the operation, reputation, and strategic success of arts organizations. For the first time, this article synthesizes a diverse range of literature from sociology, psychology, political science, management, and leadership studies and applies it critically to the context of the arts. This comprehensive review is compared against interviews with key stakeholders in the arts, which challenge the neo-charismatic literature on leadership and support a return to aspects of the original formulation of charisma, as envisaged by Max Weber. The article finds that charismatic leaders are seen as extraordinary individuals and are excessively romanticized by arts managers, policymakers, and audiences. It questions this normative bias and concludes that charismatic leaders should be treated with a degree of skepticism, even caution, to temper any negative impacts on "followers" and organizations.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2016, Taylor & Francis. This is an author produced version of a paper published in Journal of Arts Management, Law, and Society. The version of record of this manuscript has been published and is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10632921.2015.1131218. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | arts management; charisma; charismatic leadership; cultural leadership; Max Weber; strategic management |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures (Leeds) > Performance and Cultural Industries (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 10 Dec 2015 13:27 |
Last Modified: | 22 Aug 2017 07:40 |
Published Version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10632921.2015.1131218 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Taylor & Francis |
Identification Number: | 10.1080/10632921.2015.1131218 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:92691 |