:: COMPARE ::
The short answer
Weber's other two types outlast the individual: traditional authority is handed on by custom and inheritance, legal-rational sits in the office rather than the officeholder. Charisma is the one type that dies with — or before — the person.
Side by side
| Aspect | Charisma | Legal-rational authority |
|---|---|---|
| Source | Attributed to a person | Impersonal rules |
| Survives the holder | No | Yes |
| Stability | Lowest | Highest |
| Effect on institutions | Disruptive | Reproductive |
What each one means
Everyday English calls it magnetic personal charm. Older still is the theological sense: a gift or power divinely conferred. And in sociology it is not a quality at all — it is a relationship in which followers attribute extraordinary qualities to a leader.
Full definition of Charisma →The contrast above sets out how Legal-rational authority differs from Charisma on the points that actually matter.