Charismatic Leadership Communication: A Finnish Perspective

Lauri Tapio Louekari University of Da Nang

Abstract

This study examines how information workers perceive charismatic communication in Finnish knowledge-intensive organizations. Based on 10 semi-structured interviews across IT firms, government agencies, and financial institutions conducted in 2014–2015, it identifies six dimensions of charismatic communication that emerged inductively through thematic analysis: authority, approachability, character, aspiration, integrity, and intelligence. Findings suggest that charismatic leaders combine confidence with warmth, emotionally engage followers, and adjust their style to different contexts. The research contributes to leadership studies by offering a perception-based understanding of charisma as a multidimensional and situational phenomenon in a Nordic cultural context. While the small, purposefully selected sample limits generalizability, the study provides rich qualitative insights into how charismatic communication manifests in flat, egalitarian organizational cultures that differ markedly from the Anglo-American contexts dominating existing research.

Journal
Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
Published
2026-03-09
DOI
10.1177/23294906261426273
CompPile
Search in CompPile ↗
Open Access
Closed
Topics
Export

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (0)

No articles in this index cite this work.

References (41)

  1. Learning charisma
    Harvard Business Review
  2. 10.1016/S1048-9843(99)00022-3
  3. 10.1016/j.leaqua.2017.12.005
  4. Leadership and performance beyond expectations
  5. 10.1080/135943299398410
Show all 41 →
  1. 10.1016/j.leaqua.2006.04.008
  2. 10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
  3. 10.1016/j.leaqua.2004.09.007
  4. 10.1111/j.1559-1816.2001.tb00167.x
  5. 10.5465/AME.1991.4274713
  6. 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.590271
  7. 10.1016/S1048-9843(97)90020-5
  8. 10.1177/160940690900800105
  9. 10.1016/j.emj.2023.04.011
  10. 10.4135/9780857028044
  11. 10.1016/j.leaqua.2021.101541
  12. 10.1177/104973202129120052
  13. 10.1177/1525822X05279903
  14. 10.4135/9781483384436
  15. 10.1177/0893318994008002002
  16. Leadership: The cutting edge
  17. 10.1016/0749-5978(89)90052-6
  18. 10.5465/amr.2005.15281435
  19. It takes two: How followers’ perceptions contribute to constructing charismatic leadership
    Journal of Leadership Studies
  20. 10.1037/0021-9010.89.5.755
  21. 10.1026/0932-4089.50.4.203
  22. 10.1111/apps.12122
  23. 10.1177/15480518231176231
  24. Leadership and information processing: Linking perceptions and performance
  25. 10.2307/2392813
  26. 10.1016/j.leaqua.2008.03.010
  27. 10.1016/j.leaqua.2013.02.001
  28. 10.1080/13645570701401305
  29. Qualitative research & evaluation methods
  30. 10.1016/1048-9843(90)90009-7
  31. 10.1016/j.leaqua.2009.03.004
  32. 10.4135/9781526435620.n3
  33. 10.1287/orsc.4.4.577
  34. 10.1016/j.leaqua.2011.12.007
  35. 10.5465/19416520.2013.759433
  36. The theory of social and economic organization