Purpose of the Questionnaire (Scale)

The primary objective of the Charismatic Leadership Scale (CLS) is to assess the core charismatic attributes of a leader, such as the ability to communicate a compelling vision, express confidence and trust, foster emotional commitment among followers, and use symbolic actions to enhance influence. It is aimed at professional leaders (CEOs, managers, politicians), organizational settings, and educational institutions for evaluating leadership capabilities.

Questionnaire (Scale) Analysis

The CLS, developed by Conger and Kanungo (1994), is a tool for the quantitative assessment of charismatic leadership characteristics. Based on transformational leadership theory, it measures leaders’ abilities to inspire, motivate, and emotionally connect with their followers. The CLS consists of 20 items covering four main dimensions:
Vision and Communication (6 items)
Sensitivity to Others’ Needs (5 items)
Non-Conventional Behavior (4 items)
Personal Risk and Sacrifice (5 items)
Participants rate each item on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = “Strongly Disagree” to 5 = “Strongly Agree”).

Scoring of Items

Each item is scored from 1 to 5, and the total score is calculated as the sum of all responses (range: 20–100). Higher scores indicate stronger charismatic traits, expressed across the scale’s four dimensions.

Statistical Analysis

The CLS measures the core dimensions of charismatic leadership using factor analysis. The subscales—related to vision creation, sensitivity to others, unconventional behavior, and personal sacrifices—yield scores ranging from 1 (low expression of characteristics) to 5 (high expression of characteristics). For instance, a high score on the “Vision and Communication” subscale indicates that the leader has a strong vision and communicates it effectively to followers.

Scale Validity

The validity of the CLS has been confirmed through factor analysis and correlation with other leadership instruments, such as the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ), supporting its ability to measure charismatic leadership competencies.

Scale Reliability

The CLS demonstrates exceptionally high reliability, with Cronbach’s alpha values ranging from 0.89 to 0.92, indicating strong internal consistency. Additionally, its test-retest reliability is high (r = 0.85), suggesting that responses remain stable over time.

References

Conger, J.A., & Kanungo, R.N. (1994). Charismatic Leadership in Organizations. Sage.
Bass, B.M. (1990). Handbook of Leadership: Theory, Research, and Applications. Free Press.
Shamir, B., et al. (1993). The Motivational Effects of Charismatic Leadership. Organizational Science, 4(4), 577–594.

Keywords

Questionnaire, Charismatic Leadership, Scale, Transformational Leadership, Leadership Skills, Professional Leaders, Organizational Settings, Educational Institutions, Statistical Analysis, Validity, Reliability, Symbolic Actions, Emotional Commitment, Likert Scale.