CHARISMA |
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Modes of Authority (legitimate domination) Max Weber identifies three types of authority Traditional authority – the right to rule derives from custom. Certain kinds of people have always ruled through history. Rational-legal authority – the right to rule is identified with certain offices that are legally constituted, no matter who may occupy those offices. The authority is invested in the position, not the person. Charismatic authority – the right to rule is rooted in the display of exceptional abilities by an
individual. These abilities are thought to be divinely (or supernaturally) granted or inspired. Weber’s definition of charisma The term charisma will be applied to a certain quality of an individual personality, by virtue of which (s)he is set apart from ordinary people and treated as endowed with supernatural, or at least specifically exceptional powers or qualities. These are not accessible to the ordinary person, but are regarded as of divine origin or as exemplary, and on the basis of them the individual concerned is treated as a leader.
1. Charisma is rooted in the exceptional qualities or powers of an individual. Although Weber’s definition suggests inherent qualities, he makes it clear that charisma is really something that people attribute to someone. It is a quality that people perceive on the basis of certain identifiable behaviors.
Institutionalization of Charisma Charisma is transferred to the ideology or organization
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