The end of leadership? Person-group fit as a moderator in the relationship between charismatic leadership and individual outcomes

Introduction: This study examines charismatic leadership (CL) and its boundary conditions, focusing on their impact on task performance and providing new insights into a phenomenon that has been largely neglected in leadership literature. It examines how person-group (PG) fit moderates the relationship between CL and task performance through followers’ organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Methods: Data was collected using survey methodology from two different sources (136 employees and their supervisors) at two points in time in a public-sector firm in Korea. Hypotheses were tested using hierarchical linear modeling. Results and discussion: Results showed that CL did not affect task performance via OCB when the employees had a high PG value fit. In contrast, employees’ task performance via OCB was positively related to CL when the employees had a high PG demands-abilities (DA) fit. Departing from the dominant conception of leadership and person-environment (PE) fit, we identify the mediating processes between CL and task performance. Thus, we can advance our understanding of CL’s effects on task performance by observing the mediating role of OCB. This study also explores the boundary conditions (PG value and DA fit) in the relationship between CL and task performance through OCB. By examining the two-way interaction between CL and PG fit, this study provides a comprehensive analysis of CL and its boundary conditions that influence task performance.