Charisma and Capital: The Role of Social Movement Organization Leaders in Organizational Strategy and Success

• In Event: 463 - Section on Collective Behavior and Social Movements Roundtables (one-hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable: Section on Collective Behavior and Social Movements Roundtables (one-hour). Table 01. Coalition Building in Social Movements

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to map connections between different concepts in distinct sociological subfields in order to initiate conversation centered about the role of individuals in social movement organizations, which may ultimately allow for an examination of the effect of social movement organization leaders on the success of their organization. Specifically, the present study represents the incipient stages of considering an SMO leader’s leadership capital, transcultural skills, and use of strategy in relation to an organization’s ability to achieve self-defined successes or resist co-optation of it’s goals or ideals. Preliminary findings suggest that leaders of SMOs, or people presented as leaders, must possess a skill set not dissimilar to that which is typically attributed to business entrepreneurs. This study seeks to fill a gap in current social movement literature by considering intraorganizational factors as well as the reflexive capacity of individual’s via the medium of situational expertise. Further research will consider the possibility that a given individual’s leadership capital and legitimacy, as well as their understanding of community and constituent grievances, is central to an organization’s ability to create the frames from which an SMO may propose solutions to socially recognized problems.

Author

• Megan Robinson, Vanderbilt University