OB Research Seminar - Nir Milstein, Bar Ilan University

Recent research demonstrates the significant impact of charismatic leadership on individuals and groups, yet the mechanisms through which charisma operates remain poorly understood. In this talk, I will present a series of studies that combine behavioral experiments with physiological measurements to explore how charisma influences follower behavior. Across two online studies involving over 800 participants, we examined the "contagious" nature of charisma and its effect on cooperation. The third study, conducted in the lab, aims to uncover the mechanisms through which charisma achieves these effects. Findings reveal that charismatic leadership can indeed be "contagious," with followers adopting charismatic behaviors after exposure to charismatic signals. Additionally, we find that charisma increases cooperation by approximately 13%. Intriguingly, initial physiological data suggest gender-specific responses to charismatic leadership. I will further discuss how physiological and other objective measures can advance our understanding of charisma's mechanisms and offer practical implications for leadership development.