Charismatic Leadership Still Important to Dutch Employees - Research from Erasmus

Saturday, 20 March 2010 | University News

Workers employed by Dutch companies still believe in leadership - particularly charismatic leadership - despite the current economic crisis. This is one of the findings of research carried out by Professor David De Cremer and Dr. Marius van Dijke of the Erasmus Centre of Behavioural Ethics, Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University. Charismatic leaders possess a clear vision for the future, inspire their workforce and have the passion and ability to turn vision into reality.

Research conducted among 531 Dutch employees in mid-2009 shows that charisma is a crucial leadership quality in a time when distrust and a lack of moral fortitude are very much in evidence. One of the main reasons why respondents feel this way is because, in their view, charismatic leadership helps to strengthen moral and ethical values, which they see as necessary during today's crisis. So Dutch employees see a charismatic leader as one with a clear moral compass.

Experimental research by De Cremer and Van Dijke further demonstrates that leaders with charismatic qualities (having passion and providing inspiration, for example) have more success in infusing their corporate environment with a sense of justice and morality. Employees will also pay more attention to the erosion of ethical standards in their working environment when they are led by a charismatic leader. Recent news coverage, including a survey conducted by TNS Nipo at the request of the Netherlands' Volkskrant daily newspaper, suggests that Dutch people no longer believe in leadership, least of all political leadership. However, these new results demonstrate that employees are still setting considerable store by leaders blessed with charisma.

For more information contact:

Marianne Schouten, Media & Public Relations Manager for RSM,
tel: (+31) 10 408 2877, email: mschouten@.rsm.nl