Dependence on leaders
When the leaders are charismatic, their followers become more inclined to depend on these leaders. That is, they rely on these leaders to set goals, impart information, cultivate a strong team spirit, plan work, manage conflicts, solve problems, and complete many other activities. This pattern of observations is especially pronounced when these charismatic leaders also invite employees to participate in decision making. This reliance on charismatic leaders can be destructive; employees may follow corrupt or unsuitable leaders unconditionally rather than challenge existing practices.
This possibility was discovered by de Vries, Pathak, and Paquin (2012). In their study, participants were asked to indicate the extent to which they feel the CEO is needed to set goals, coordinate work, and so forth, on a five point scale--a measure that gauges need for leadership. In addition, these individuals rated the degree to which this CEO exhibits the hallmarks of charismatic leadership as well as participative leadership, epitomized by items such as "Allows subordinates to have influence on critical decisions". Charismatic leadership was positively associated with need for leadership, especially when participative leadership was high.
Presumably, when a leader is charismatic, individuals may relinquish their need to control events to this leader. They will, therefore, want this leader to assume many responsibilities. When the leader also invites participation, individuals know their activities or practices could change in the future. They experience some uncertainty. They become even more motivated to depend on this charismatic leader to assume control and to override their uncertainty.