Mary Hausfeld

Charismatic leadership remains a focal point in discussions on effective leadership across various domains, from politics to sports. Grounded in signaling theory, charisma functions as a values-based, symbolic, and emotionally charged leader signal that conveys competence and intelligence, thereby motivating followers. While research has established the importance of charismatic signaling, critical gaps remain regarding its boundary conditions—specifically, how factors such as leader gender, formal authority, and industry context influence its effectiveness. This study tests three theoretical boundary conditions of charismatic leadership as a signal. First, followers interpret charismatic signals in conjunction with leader gender (a cue), affecting perceptions of competence and authenticity. Second, formal authority may either bolster or undermine charismatic women leaders by influencing stereotype activation. Third, industry context shapes the reception of charismatic leadership, with gendered industries affecting signal credibility. Through a series of pre-registered experiments (n = 3,013; k = 16), we analyze these conditions to refine signaling theory’s application to leadership. Meta-analytic findings contribute to theoretical advancements in leadership research and inform evidence-based training practices. By identifying when and for whom charisma is most effective, this study enhances our understanding of leadership dynamics and the role of signaling in shaping leader-follower interactions.