The Pied Piper of the Art School

Chris Owen

Anglia Ruskin University

The Pied Piper of Hamelin

• German folk-tale

• Retold by Robert Browning, and illustrated by Kate Greenaway

• The villagers, suffering from an infestation of rats, promise the piper 1000 guilders to save them from the vermin.

• The piper uses his powers to miraculously charm the rats to follow him away from the village, and he drowns them in the River Weser.

• When the piper asks for his reward and is refused…

• …he leads the children away to

the mountains and they are never seen again

• The story demonstrates the polarities

of good and evil, hero and monster.

• This duality, and the potential for teaching styles to have both positive and negative effects, is the starting point for this paper.

• The Pied Piper also demonstrates the power of charisma in an artist.

• The magical power of his pipe, symbol of his art, can persuade all living creatures to follow him

• What do we mean by charisma ?

• What characteristics does a charismatic artist or teacher possess ?

• How does charisma influence the power relations of the classroom or studio ?

• How might these power relations manifest themselves in the quality of teaching ?

• What evidence do we have of the effects of charisma on students ?

“a certain quality of an individual personality, by virtue of which he is set apart from ordinary men and treated as endowed with supernatural, superhuman, or at least specifically exceptional powers or qualities. These are not accessible to the ordinary person, but are regarded as of divine origin or as exemplary, and on the basis of them the individual concerned is treated as a leader.” Max Weber (1947) Theory of Social and Economic Organization

What do we mean by charisma ?

“The benign ruler of heaven” decided to send “into the world an artist who would be skilled in each and every craft”, and he determined to give Michelangelo “the knowledge of true moral philosophy and the gift of poetic expression, so that everyone might admire and follow him as their perfect exemplar in life, work, and behaviour and in every endeavour, and he would be acclaimed as divine”

Giorgio Vasari (1550) Lives of the Artists

Joseph Beuys Teacher at the Dusseldorf Academy, 1961-72

“Teaching is my greatest work of art"

“Beuys crafted a charismatic artistic persona that infused his work with mystical overtones and led him to be called "shaman" and "messianic" in the popular press.”

Cornelia Lauf, 1992

Johannes Itten Teacher at the Bauhaus 1919-23

“There was something demonic about Itten. As a Master he was either ardently admired or just as ardently hated by his opponents, of whom there were many… Itten exuded a special radiance. ”

Paul Citroen, 1950

Personality

Characteristics

Dominant

Desire to influence

Self-confident

Strong moral values

Behaviours

Sets strong role model

Shows competence

Articulates goals

Communicates high

expectations

Expresses confidence

Arouses motives

Effects on followers

Trust in leader’s ideology

Belief similarity between

leader and followers

Unquestioning acceptance

Affection toward leader

Emotional involvement

Heightened goals

Increased confidence

What characteristics does a charismatic leader (or artist or teacher) possess ?

Peter G. Northouse (2010) Leadership; Theory and Practice , 5th ed.

“Leaders described as charismatic, transformational, or visionary cause followers to become highly committed to the leader’s mission, to make significant personal sacrifices in the interest of the mission, and to perform above and beyond the call of duty”

(Fiol et al. 1999, Charismatic Leadership: Strategies for Effecting Social Change)

• Transformational leaders are focussed on transforming their teams and organizations (Burns, 1978, Leadership)

Idealized Influence. Successful transformational leaders or teachers are positive role models. Followers or students admire their leaders and try to emulate their behaviour. Inspirational Motivation. Transformational teachers, like transformational leaders, are enthusiastic about what they are doing and that enthusiasm infects their students. Individualized Consideration. Transformational leaders or teachers coach and mentor each follower or student, providing the individualised attention that helps them to succeed. Intellectual Stimulation. The best leaders or teachers encourage thinking about things in new ways, and challenge individuals to greater intellectual achievements. Ronald E. Riggio (2010) Cutting-Edge Leadership

Teachers as Transformational Leaders

• Vision and articulation;

• Sensitivity to the environment;

• Sensitivity to member needs;

• Personal risk taking;

• Performing unconventional behaviour

(Conger & Kanungo 1998, Charismatic Leadership in Organizations )

• Transformational leaders are focussed on transforming their teams and organizations (Burns 1978, Leadership )

• Charismatic leaders tend to be very self-confident in their own vision (House 1977, A 1976 theory of charismatic leadership’ )

“Leaders described as charismatic, transformational, or visionary cause followers to become highly committed to the leader’s mission, to make significant personal sacrifices in the interest of the mission, and to perform above and beyond the call of duty”

(Fiol et al. 1999, Charismatic Leadership: Strategies for Effecting Social Change)

• Vision and articulation;

• Sensitivity to the environment;

• Sensitivity to member needs;

• Personal risk taking;

• Performing unconventional behaviour

(Conger & Kanungo 1998, Charismatic Leadership in Organizations)

• Transformational leaders are focussed on transforming their teams and organizations (Burns 1978, Leadership )

• Charismatic leaders tend to be very self-confident in their own vision (House 1977, A 1976 theory of charismatic leadership’ )

“Leaders described as charismatic, transformational, or visionary cause followers to become highly committed to the leader’s mission, to make significant personal sacrifices in the interest of the mission, and to perform above and beyond the call of duty”

(Fiol et al. 1999, Charismatic Leadership: Strategies for Effecting Social Change)

How does charisma influence the power relations of the classroom or studio ?

The five sources of social power :

Coercive power - the power to force someone to do something against their will. Reward power - the ability to give other people what they want, and hence ask them to do things for you in exchange. Legitimate power - the power invested in a role, or position of power. Referent power - the power which derives from another person liking you or wanting to be like you Expert power - the power which is held by having knowledge and skills which someone else requires

French and Raven (1960) The bases of social power

The sixth source :

Informational power - the power to provide information to a person that results in them thinking/acting in a different way.

Raven (1965) Social influence and power

How does charisma influence the power relations of the classroom or studio ?

The five sources of social power :

Coercive power - the power to force someone to do something against their will. Reward power - the ability to give other people what they want, and hence ask them to do things for you in exchange. Legitimate power - the power invested in a role, or position of power. Referent power - the power which derives from another person liking you or wanting to be like you Expert power - the power which is held by having knowledge and skills which someone else requires

French and Raven (1960) The bases of social power

The sixth source :

Informational power - the power to provide information to a person that results in them thinking/acting in a different way.

Raven (1965) Social influence and power

Lecturer

Legitimate power

Student

Expert power

Reward power

Referent power

Informational

power

How might these power relations manifest themselves in the quality of teaching ?

Personality

Characteristics

Dominant

Desire to influence

Self-confident

Strong moral values

Behaviours

Sets strong role model

Shows competence

Articulates goals

Communicates high

expectations

Expresses confidence

Arouses motives

Effects on followers

Trust in leader’s ideology

Belief similarity between

leader and followers

Unquestioning acceptance

Affection toward leader

Emotional involvement

Heightened goals

Increased confidence

Personality

Characteristics

Dominant

Desire to influence

Self-confident

Strong moral values

Behaviours

Sets strong role model

Shows competence

Articulates goals

Communicates high

expectations

Expresses confidence

Arouses motives

Effects on followers

Trust in leader’s ideology

Belief similarity between

leader and followers

Unquestioning acceptance

Affection toward leader

Emotional involvement

Heightened goals

Increased confidence

How might these power relations manifest themselves in teaching we might consider to be ‘outstanding’ or ‘inadequate’ ?

Personality

Characteristics

Dominant

Desire to influence

Self-confident

Strong moral values

Behaviours

Sets strong role model

Shows competence

Articulates goals

Communicates high

expectations

Expresses confidence

Arouses motives

Effects on followers

Trust in leader’s ideology

Belief similarity between

leader and followers

Unquestioning acceptance

Affection toward leader

Emotional involvement

Heightened goals

Increased confidence

How might these power relations manifest themselves in teaching we might consider to be ‘outstanding’ or ‘inadequate’ ?

Personality

Characteristics

Dominant

Desire to influence

Self-confident

Strong moral values

Behaviours

Sets strong role model

Shows competence

Articulates goals

Communicates high

expectations

Expresses confidence

Arouses motives

Effects on followers

Trust in leader’s ideology

Belief similarity between

leader and followers

Unquestioning acceptance

Affection toward leader

Emotional involvement

Heightened goals

Increased confidence

How might these power relations manifest themselves in teaching we might consider to be ‘outstanding’ or ‘inadequate’ ?

Personality

Characteristics

Dominant

Desire to influence

Self-confident

Strong moral values

Behaviours

Sets strong role model

Shows competence

Articulates goals

Communicates high

expectations

Expresses confidence

Arouses motives

Effects on followers

Trust in leader’s ideology

Belief similarity between

leader and followers

Unquestioning acceptance

Affection toward leader

Emotional involvement

Heightened goals

Increased confidence

How might these power relations manifest themselves in teaching we might consider to be ‘outstanding’ or ‘inadequate’ ?

• Traditionally charisma could lead to the danger of copying the styles, subject-matter and ideas of the lecturer, of a ‘house style’ developing, or even of a kind of hero-worship of the lecturer

• Good teaching conveys principles or processes of creativity, rather than styles or opinions, and the characteristics of a transformational style of teaching can certainly be seen to enhance these messages

• Charisma can be seen to intensify the power of the lecturer in the process of teaching creativity, whether for a positive or a negative effect

How does charisma manifest itself in teaching we might consider to be ‘outstanding’ or ‘inadequate’ ?

What evidence do we have of the effects of charisma on students ?

• Studies of transformational and charismatic leadership in relation to schools and colleges have shown that teachers, like organizational leaders, can lead their students and transform the nature of their ‘micro’-organisations.

• In the classroom, transformational leadership has been shown to

enhance traditional learning outcomes including : cognitive learning; affective learning; levels of motivation; student participation; and student perceptions of lecturer credibility (eg. Bolkan & Goodboy, 2009, Transformational Leadership in the Classroom).

• Transformational leadership has also been linked to other teaching outcomes, including extra student effort and perceived lecturer effectiveness (Pounder, 2008, Transformational Classroom Leadership).

• This field work has not, however, been carried out in the context of creative educational environments. We can only at present fall back on our own experience, and perhaps on analysis of student satisfaction data.

What evidence do we have of the effects of charisma on students ?

‘What do you like best about this module ?’

‘How could we improve this module ?’

ARU Module Evaluations 2013-14

References Bolkan, S. & Goodboy, K.A., (2009) Transformational Leadership in the Classroom; The Development and Validation of the Student Intellectual Stimulation Scale. Communication Reports 07/2010; 23:91-105

Burns, J.M. (1978) Leadership. New York. Harper & Row

Conger, J.A. & Kanungo, R.N., (1998) Charismatic Leadership in Organizations. New York, Sage

French, J. P. R. Jr., and Raven, B. (1960) ‘The bases of social power’, in D. Cartwright and A. Zander (eds.), Group Dynamics (pp. 607-623). New York: Harper and Row.

House, R.J. (1977) ‘A 1976 theory of charismatic leadership’. In J. G. Hunt and L. L. Larson (eds.), Leadership: The Cutting Edge: 189-207. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press.

Northouse, P.G. (2010) Leadership; Theory and Practice, 5th ed. Sage Publications (CA), p.174

Pounder, J.S. (2008) Transformational classroom leadership: A novel approach to evaluating classroom performance. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 33, pp.233-243.

Raven, B. H. (1965) ‘Social influence and power’. In I.D. Steiner & M. Fishbein (Eds.), Current Studies in Social Psychology (pp. 371–382). New York: Holt, Rinehart, Winston

Riggio R.E. (2010) Are Teachers Really Leaders in Disguise? Cutting-Edge Leadership, Psychology Today, June 28, 2010

Vasari, G. (1965) Lives of the Artists, a Selection. Trans. G. Bull, London, p. 325

Weber, M. (1947) Theory of Social and Economic Organization. Chapter: ‘The Nature of Charismatic Authority and its Routinization’ translated by A. R. Anderson and Talcott Parsons. Originally published in 1922 in German under the title Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft chapter III, § 10