Introduction. The twenty-first-century business world requires a new leadership paradigm based on elements such as vision, extra effort, commitment and pro-action. Consequently, the leaders should be not only visionary and positive, but also charismatic and transformational. The theorization of charismatic leadership has become a challenging subject in the literature in the last decades.
Aim of the study. The goals of the paper are to define the concept of charismatic leadership and to exemplify it in the case of Jack Ma, a famous Chinese entrepreneur. The methodology was based on a quantitative research method and a case study. The paper underlines the existence of a strong relationship between the charismatic leader and his followers. Also, it identifies some of the key characteristics of a charismatic leader by analysing the case of Jack Ma.
Keywords: charismatic leadership, leader, Jack Ma, Alibaba
JEL Classification: M1, M19
