Tracking Perceived Charisma Over Time: How Good Delivery May Shadow the Vision

• In Event: 54.080 - Roundtable Session 22
  In Roundtable Session: 54.080-3 - Leadership Roles in Various Settings

Abstract

Previous findings regarding the relationship of message delivery and content to perceived charisma were framed within dual-process theories, suggesting rapid processing of delivery and slow processing of content. In two experiments, we manipulated content (visionary vs. non-visionary) and delivery (strong vs. weak), and measured perceived charisma moment-by-moment. The results indicate the dominance of delivery over content, explained in terms of the asymmetry between the two processes. The study main contribution is in tracking perceived charisma over time, showing that delivery has immediate impact on perceived charisma, while content lags behind, even when attention is directed toward the content. Unexpectedly, when participants paid attention to the content, the difference between visionary and non-visionary content that was revealed in Experiment 1, disappeared.

Authors

• Ronit Bogler, The Open University of Israel

• Avner Caspi, The Open University of Israel

• Ofir Tzuman, The Open University of Israel