Jeffrey A. Sonnenfeld’s research while affiliated with Yale University and other places

This presenter symposium will focus on autism in the inclusive organization, an important and timely issue facing an increasing number of young adults and the organizations seeking to provide them with positive work experiences. While research suggests that work outcomes for young adults with ASD are poor as compared with those of the general population, recent efforts by several high-profile companies to hire individuals with ASD and to create more inclusive organizations, have the potential to offer more positive outcomes for individuals with ASD. The purpose of this presenter symposium is to encourage research on this topic by bringing together stakeholders from academia, business, and not for profits working on this important issue.

Although charismatic leadership theorists have long argued that leader–follower value congruence plays a central role in the development of charismatic relationships, few studies have tested this proposition. Using data from two studies involving a total of 329 CEOs and 1807 members of their top management teams, we tested the hypothesis that value congruence between leaders and their followers is empirically linked to follower perceptions of the charisma of their leader. Consistent with a relational perspective on charismatic leadership, strong support was found for the hypothesis that perceived value congruence between leaders (CEOs) and their followers (members of their top management teams) is positively related to follower perceptions of the degree of charisma possessed by the leader. Conversely, only limited support was found for the hypothesis that actual value congruence is linked to perceptions of charismatic leadership. Implications of these findings for research and practice are discussed. Keywordscharisma–leadership–top management–value congruence–values

Recent research on charismatic leadership has focused on the relationship between the leader and follower. Thus far though, researchers have simply assumed the existence of the relationship or distinguished between strong and weak relationships between the leader and the followers. What have been overlooked are the underlying dimensions of the relationship that may influence a charismatic attribution. The current study identifies two relational qualities and tests the relationship of these dimensions with the perception of charisma in a sample of Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) and their top management team (TMT) members. Results indicate that a constructive relationship is positively related to the attribution of charisma, while a competitive relationship has a negative relationship with the charismatic attribution. Implications and future directions for the study of charismatic leadership from a relational perspective are discussed.

Even the most seasoned executives may have strongly opposing views about the wisest course of action for an organization, particularly given their diverse personal backgrounds or previous immersion in other corporate cultures. But such differences in approach don't necessarily lead to conflicts that are unproductive and damaging to an organization. To investigate such issues, the authors conducted a study of the organizational values of the top management teams in 31 companies. (As defined by the authors, organizational values are the objectives that an individual or group believes are important in running a business, such as industry leadership, employee welfare, and profit maximization.) The authors investigated two specific types of team conflict: task and relationship. Task conflict is characterized by substantive, issue-related differences in opinion. This type of disagreement can be beneficial when it ensures that a greater number of possible solutions are explored and that ideas are battle-tested within the group before significant resources are deployed. In contrast, relationship conflict - characterized by disagreements over personalized, individually oriented matters - is generally detrimental. It corrodes trust, hinders communication, slows the acceptance of ideas and leads to isolation and politicization among group members. When it comes to both task and relationship conflicts, the study results showed that behavior is driven by perception rather than reality. Specifically, the greater the perceived difference in organizational values among members of a top management team and their CEO, the greater the conflict. Interestingly, any actual dissimilarity was not a factor. Thus, the bottom line is that many top management teams are unnecessarily encountering difficulties because of members' faulty assumptions. To lessen this tendency, the authors advise companies to consider the following: establish an appropriate atmosphere for the team; because perceptions become reality, understand and manage them; investigate the gaps between perceptions and reality; and act decisively to correct gross misperceptions. Copyright © Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2007. All rights reserved.

This study examined the effects of individual top management team (TMT) members' level of dissimilarity in the importance placed on organizational values from their Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and from their other TMT members. A model is proposed whereby task and relationship conflict mediate the relationships between organizational value dissimilarity and attitudinal reactions to the team and evaluation of the CEO's leadership effectiveness. The hypotheses were tested in a sample of 31 CEOs and 133 TMT members. Results indicated that perceived organizational value dissimilarity from the CEO and other TMT members was positively related to relationship conflict, while only perceived dissimilarity from the CEO was related to task conflict. Both task and relationship conflicts were negatively related to individual team members' satisfaction with the team. Relationship conflict was also negatively related to organizational commitment and evaluations of the CEO's leadership effectiveness. The mediation model was partially supported and the results also indicated significant interactions between task and relationship conflict on satisfaction with the TMT and organizational commitmement.

Among the tests of a leader, few are more challenging-and more painful-than recovering from a career catastrophe. Most fallen leaders, in fact, don't recover. Still, two decades of consulting experience, scholarly research, and their own personal experiences have convinced the authors that leaders can triumph over tragedy--if they do so deliberately. Great business leaders have much in common with the great heroes of universal myth, and they can learn to overcome profound setbacks by thinking in heroic terms. First, they must decide whether or not to fight back. Either way, they must recruit others into their battle. They must then take steps to recover their heroic status, in the process proving, both to others and to themselves, that they have the mettle necessary to recover their heroic mission. Bernie Marcus exemplifies this process. Devastated after Sandy Sigoloff ired him from Handy Dan, Marcus decided to forgo the distraction of litigation and instead make the marketplace his batttleground. Drawing from his network of carefully nurtured relationships with both close and more distant acquaintances, Marcus was able to get funding for a new venture. He proved that he had the mettle, and recovered his heroic status, by building Home Depot, whose entrepreneurial spirit embodied his heroic mission. As Bank One's Jamie Dimon, J.Crew's Mickey Drexler, and even Jimmy Carter, Martha Stewart, and Michael Milken have shown, stunning comebacks are possible in all industries and walks of life. Whatever the cause of your predicament, it makes sense to get your story out. The alternative is likely to be long-lasting unemployment. If the facts of your dismissal cannot be made public because they are damning, then show authentic remorse. The public is often enormously forgiving when it sees genuine contrition and atonement.

This paper proposes a four-cell typology of career systems, which describes the way different corporate strategies reflect the nature of executive labor markets. The two critical dimensions of the model, “supply flow” and “assignment flow,” reflect the external and internal movement of executives. We use recent examples from industry to demonstrate the way in which business and career system strategies align. We then examine individual background and personality variables, drawn from a ten-year study tracking 125 MBA graduates, to show how executives sort themselves into the career system best suited to their needs. The broader purpose of this research is to begin to tie together a general theory of career systems that focuses on the level of the firm in its changing strategic and industry context.

Research on forced CEO succession has focused on determinants of exit, impact on the organization, or implications for the incoming CEO. Generally unexamined is what happens to the ousted CEO. Using a sample of 60 forced exits from the Business Week 1000 from 1988 to 1992, this study seeks to identify factors which influence the career outcomes for the ousted CEO. The study found that age matters—older CEOs were less likely to obtain other active executive positions, but were more likely than younger ousted CEOs to enter advisory roles. Further, the reason for the CEO's exit had a significant impact on the likelihood of subsequently assuming either an active or an advisory role. No relationship was found between career outcomes and the following: media coverage, levels of compensation at exit, board memberships. © 1995 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.