Charismatic Leadership and Team Strain: The Roles of Citizenship Pressure and Coping Strategies

Charismatic leadership has long been noted as a driving force behind effective teams, though its benefits are not always guaranteed. This study explores the implications of charismatic leadership, examining how different styles—personalized and socialized—affect team dynamics, specifically in relation to team citizenship pressure (CP) and its impact on team strain. It also explores how coping strategies can moderate these effects, offering a deeper understanding of team well-being. The research, conducted across 105 teams in 30 different organizations, revealed intriguing results. Personalized charismatic leadership, characterized by leaders who emphasize self-interest, was found to correlate positively with team CP. In contrast, socialized charismatic leadership, which focuses on collective interests and values, showed no significant relationship with team CP. Furthermore, team CP was shown to have a direct positive relationship with team strain, indicating that increased CP leads to heightened stress within teams. An interesting yet counterintuitive finding of the study was that coping strategies as moderators appeared to intensify the relationship between team CP and team strain rather than buffer it, suggesting that coping strategies may not be universally helpful across different contexts. These findings underscore the complex interplay among leadership styles, team CP, team strain, and coping strategies. They also offer valuable insights for organizations seeking to develop charismatic leadership in ways that enhance team well-being without overburdening employees. Understanding these dynamics can lead to more thoughtful leadership development and healthier workplace environments.