Abstract
This research effort was undertaken to empirically examine the existence and development of the nine elements of charismatic leadership in a case study approach of His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates. The central question was, Does the subject, a Muslim Arab political leader, possess charismatic leadership (as first theorized by Max Weber) and does this leadership vary over three distinct epochs of his political career? The subject does indeed exhibit charismatic leadership and this leadership does not change in intensity over three uniquely distinct periods of his career. A secondary hypothesis states that the nine elements of charismatic leadership theory are distinct and equal contributors to overall charismatic leadership. A survey instrument was administered to a nonprobability convenience sample of respondents in the United Arab Emirates. Statistical analyses of ANOVA, factor analysis, and stepwise multiple linear regression was performed. The primary hypothesis was rejected when analysis revealed that the subject's charismatic leadership actually increased over the three epochs. The secondary hypothesis was also rejected when factor analysis revealed that the nine elements could be combined and collapsed into three elements that constitute charismatic leadership. The subject possesses the qualities of charismatic leadership that improved over time. Weber's theory needs to be modified when ascertaining the interaction of nine elements that make up this theoretical approach to leadership. Further research should be conducted to test the generalizability potential using random sampling of political leaders from differing cultures, political systems, and religions.