Constrained Charisma: Charismatic Leadership, Bureaucratic Efficiency, and the Experience of Local Governance in China

• In Event: 50460 - Section on Comparative-Historical Sociology Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 2: Unpacking Bureaucratic "Domination"

Abstract

This paper investigates whether and how charismatic leaders can enhance the efficiency of bureaucratic organizations, particularly in uncertain environments. While bureaucracies excel in routine tasks, they become inefficient when facing high uncertainty due to over-routinization. Charismatic leadership, with its capacity to disrupt routines and foster organizational flexibility through a concentric structure, offers a potential remedy. However, I argue that charismatic leadership's effectiveness is fundamentally situational and contingent upon structural constraints. Unconstrained charisma, as exemplified by Mao Zedong's era in China, can lead to disastrous outcomes by over-disrupting routines and neglecting contextualized actions. Conversely, the developmental successes of local states in reform-era China demonstrate the efficiency gains from appropriately constrained charisma. Drawing on Weberian theory and empirical evidence from China, this study argues that realizing charismatic leadership’s efficiency potential in bureaucratic organizations hinges on effective structural constraints that balance disruptive force to maintain organizational stability and leverage local knowledge to reduce unintended consequences. The findings underscore the nuanced and contingent nature of charismatic leadership’s role in enhancing bureaucratic efficiency, offering valuable insights for organizational reform in an age of increasing uncertainty.

Author

• Hongjia Ge, Northwestern University