Articles Change Rhetorics and Charisma
Theme 1: Invention / inventio, first canon of classical rhetoric
➢ A. Giorgi, S. (2017). The mind and heart of resonance: The role of cognition and emotions
in frame effectiveness. Journal of Management Studies, 54(5), 711-738.
➢ B. Suddaby, R., & Greenwood, R. (2005). Rhetorical strategies of legitimacy.
Administrative Science Quarterly, 50(1), 35-67.
➢ C. Patriotta, G., Gond, J. P., & Schultz, F. (2011). Maintaining legitimacy: Controversies,
orders of worth, and public justifications. Journal of Management Studies, 48(8), 1804-1836.
➢ D. Solinger, O.N., Heusinkveld, S., & Cornelissen, J. P. (2024). Building theory by
redefining concepts: A repertoire for conceptual innovation. Human Resource Management
Review.
Theme 2: Arrangement / Dispositio, second canon of classical rhetoric
➢ A. Locke, K., & Golden-Biddle, K. (1997). Constructing opportunities for contribution:
Structuring intertextual coherence and “problematizing” in organizational studies. Academy of
Management Journal, 40(5), 1023-1062.
➢ B. Koralija, S., Solinger, O., Burg, E. van, Peursen, W. van. (2024) Charismatic
Organizations: Specifying a Role for Charisma in Producing Inhabited Institutions.
Manuscript submitted for publication. VU Amsterdam.
➢C. Baur, J. E., Ellen III, B. P., Buckley, M. R., Ferris, G. R., Allison, T. H., McKenny, A. F.,
& Short, J. C. (2016). More than one way to articulate a vision: A configurations approach to
leader charismatic rhetoric and influence. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(1), 156-171.
➢ D. Gerritsen, M., & Wannet, E. (2005). Cultural differences in the appreciation of
introductions of presentations. Technical Communication, 52(2), 194-208.
Theme 3: Style / elocutio, third canon of classical rhetoric
➢ A. Gardner, W. L., & Avolio, B. J. (1998). The charismatic relationship: A dramaturgical
perspective. Academy of management review, 23(1), 32-58.
➢ B. Ernst, B. A., Banks, G. C., Loignon, A. C., Frear, K. A., Williams, C. E., Arciniega, L. M.,
& Subramanian, D. (2022). Virtual charismatic leadership and signalling theory: A
prospective meta-analysis in five countries. The Leadership Quarterly, 33(5), 101541.
➢ C. Carton, A. M., & Lucas, B. J. (2018). How can leaders overcome the blurry vision bias?
Identifying an antidote to the paradox of vision communication. Academy of Management
Journal, 61(6), 2106-2129.
➢ D. Clarke, J. S., Cornelissen, J. P., & Healey, M. P. (2019). Actions speak louder than
words: How figurative language and gesturing in entrepreneurial pitches influences
investment judgments. Academy of Management Journal, 62(2), 335-360. 11
Theme 4: Delivery / pronunciatio, the fifth canon of classical rhetoric
➢ A. Caspi, A., Bogler, R., & Tzuman, O. (2019). “Judging a Book by Its Cover”: The
Dominance of Delivery Over Content When Perceiving Charisma. Group & Organization
Management, 44(6), 1067-1098.
➢ B. Sharma, A., & Grant, D. (2011). Narrative, drama and charismatic leadership: The case
of Apple’s Steve Jobs. Leadership, 7(1), 3-26.
➢ C. DeGroot, T., Aime, F., Johnson, S. G., & Kluemper, D. (2011). Does talking the talk
help walking the walk? An examination of the effect of vocal attractiveness in leader
effectiveness. The Leadership Quarterly, 22(4), 680-689.
➢ D. Maran, T., Furtner, M., Liegl, S., Kraus, S., & Sachse, P. (2019). In the eye of a leader:
Eye-directed gazing shapes perceptions of leaders' charisma. The Leadership Quarterly,
30(6),
101337
, Theme 1, Article A: The Mind and Heart of Resonance: The Role of
Cognition and Emotions in Frame Effectiveness (Giorgi, 2017)
The article examines the role of cognitive and emotional resonance in the effectiveness of
framing, particularly in organizational and social movement contexts. Resonance refers to
the impact a frame has when it aligns with an audience’s beliefs and understandings
(cognitive resonance) or an appeal to audiences’ feelings, passions, and aspirations
(emotional resonance). This alignment is critical for influencing audience reactions and can
determine the success of a message or idea.
The author argues that current framing research lacks a clear understanding of how
resonance works, often treating audiences as passive recipients. By focusing on how
emotions and cognition influence the effectiveness of frames, the paper proposes a model
that distinguishes between two types of resonance: emotional and cognitive.
Key concepts: framing, audiences and resonance
Frames: ‘External, strategic processes of evoking meaning, in line with existing cultural
categories of understanding and as a basis for mobilizing support and gaining legitimacy’.
Strategic rhetorical devices by which one actor seeks to define a situation for another and
influence their thinking and behaviours. Frames act as ‘filters’ or ‘brackets’ that delimit our
perception of reality.
Framing: Frames are defined as “strategic rhetorical devices” used by organizations or
individuals to shape perceptions. Frames influence how audiences interpret information by
highlighting certain aspects of reality while downplaying others.
The audience for which framing is deployed is an actor or a collection of actors that control
or have access to material and/or symbolic resources believed to affect the success and
failure of the framer.
• Examples of such resources include money, professional contracts, and votes, as
well personal time and efforts, as in the case of social movement organizations.
• Audiences can include a variety of actors, from employees to public opinion, media
organizations, minorities, critics, clients, or potential investors.
• ‘Not all audiences are equally important’ for a framer, making it a strategic choice for
an organization or an individual as to which audience it should attend to.
Resonance: An audience’s experienced personal connection with a frame. It’s the way a
particular frame aligns with an audience’s values or feelings, thus making the message
impactful. The term resonance originates from the discursive sphere of sound and refers to
an object’s ‘power or quality of evoking or suggesting images, memories, and emotions’ for a
particular recipient.
Audience responses vary based on their beliefs, aspirations, emotions, and values, making
resonance essential for effective framing. Resonance happens when a frame “strikes a
chord” with an audience, resulting in either cognitive or emotional engagement.
Two types of resonance can be distinguished on the basis of their appeal to either audience
cognition (cognitive resonance) or emotions (emotional resonance).
for the purpose of this paper I refer to cognition as thinking, problem solving, and planning,
and emotions as feeling, or the ‘passions and desires [that] are not reducible to the pursuit of
rational interests’.
This distinction between emotions and cognition does not imply that emotionality is a barrier
to rationality; rather, more in line with recent research (Voronov and Weber, 2016), emotions
are regarded as an alternative source of knowl edge that is often interpenetrated with
cognitive processes.
1
,Cognitive Resonance: Achieved when a frame aligns with the audience’s beliefs or
understandings, often via familiarity.
• Familiarity: The display of elements that are known or close to the intended
audience. Frames are more resonant when they blend familiar element with new
ideas as the example of Sushi.
• Blending familiar elements with novel concepts can make an unfamiliar idea more
approachable, thereby enhancing resonance.
• The Success of Sushi in America was because of the Californian roll. This contained
ingredients like avocado and rice, which became familiar to Americans. Therefore,
Sushi became very popular because people were familiar with its ingredients.
• It is not the same as logic, but more fitting with someone’s mental space or world-
view.
• The challenge for the "framers" (those presenting the idea) is to strike the right
balance between familiarity and novelty, depending on the audience. In some cases,
such as with consumers or critics, familiarity is more important, while with investors or
avant-garde cultural groups, novelty may be more appealing.
Challenges to Cognitive Resonance: Empirical and Cultural Credibility
Empirical credibility: defined as the frame correspondence to the audience’s personal
experiences and lifestyles. Resonance may not be achieved if framing does not align with an
audience’s lived experience, or does not offer ‘answers and solutions to troublesome
situations and dilemmas’. In sum, personal experiences can prevent resonance, or lead to
the demise of resonant frames when empirically disconfirmed. (e.g. if someone tells you the
sky is green; you know yourself it’s not)
Cultural credibility: the frame correspondence to the cultural codes available in the context
in which the audience is embedded. Cultural credibility suggests that the mechanism of
familiarity is enhanced when framing can connect to the available cultural codes, and
curtailed when out of sync with the broader cultural context.
Outcomes and application of cognitive resonance
2
, The main outcome that ensues the achievement of cognitive resonance can be summarized
as audience appreciation of the framer and/or the frame. Such audience appreciation can
translate into the winning of client engagements that lead to the construction of new
buildings; the conferrals of honours and awards to framers, who may come to be perceived
as the ‘stars’ in their field; the delineation of new boundaries of certain artistic expressions as
a distinct categories that can command high market prices; and investors’ financing of new
entrepreneurial ventures.
Two sets of circumstances in which cognitive resonance is likely to apply:
• Competition for audience attention and appreciation: In environments where
multiple framers (e.g., entrepreneurs, analysts, or professional service firms) compete
to stand out, legitimacy is necessary but not enough. Framers need to achieve
cognitive resonance by aligning their offerings with the audience’s existing beliefs or
expectations. For example, professional service firms must reflect clients’
expectations of what their services should provide, while entrepreneurs need to craft
a compelling narrative about their business to attract investment. In financial markets,
securities analysts compete for recognition, where even though all analysts have
similar credentials, only a few can stand out based on how well their ideas resonate
with investors.
• Causal ambiguity: Resonance also applies in situations where the quality or
outcome of a product or service is difficult to assess beforehand, or even after the
exchange. This is referred to as "causal ambiguity" — when it’s hard to link a cause to
the desired outcome. For example, screenwriters may succeed in Hollywood by
aligning their pitches with the stereotypical expectations of executives, even though
their potential is not fully known. Similarly, in financial markets, it’s hard to separate
luck from skill when evaluating an analyst’s advice. In such cases, framing and
achieving cognitive resonance are crucial for securing audience attention and
appreciation.
Emotional Resonance: This arises when a frame connects with the audience’s emotions or
passions, desires and aspirations often facilitated through identification.
• Identification: The feeling reflected in the message, like the look in the mirror. It
focuses on how emotions are tied to a person’s self-concept. When audiences
identify emotionally with a framer or a product, this creates a deep emotional
connection that goes beyond surface-level understanding. This can be strengthened
through rituals or dramatic performance that create shared emotional experiences.
Activist movements for instance, often use rituals like sit-ins or marches, to
emotionally connect audiences to their cause.
• It is mostly about making people feel powerful by connecting to your audience’s
emotions and aspirations. For example, Trump who resonated emotionally by
connecting with the frustrations and hopes of many American voters.
• Emotional resonance is further strengthened by rituals that create a collective
emotional experience, such as symbolic ceremonies or shared cultural events. Rituals
are cultural performances that create a shared emotional experience, which helps
audiences connect with a frame or framer. Rituals can promote collective
effervescence, a heightened emotional state that fosters commitment and
identification.
• Emotional resonance is crucial when audiences are indifferent or need emotional
resolution.
Challenges to Emotional Resonance: Emotional Embeddedness and Contagion
Emotional Embeddedness: This refers to the need for a frame (the concept or product
being presented) to align emotionally with the prevailing institutional or organizational culture.
Each institution or organization has its own emotional norms and values, which dictate what
types of emotions are acceptable or desirable. If a frame evokes emotions that clash with
3
Theme 1: Invention / inventio, first canon of classical rhetoric
➢ A. Giorgi, S. (2017). The mind and heart of resonance: The role of cognition and emotions
in frame effectiveness. Journal of Management Studies, 54(5), 711-738.
➢ B. Suddaby, R., & Greenwood, R. (2005). Rhetorical strategies of legitimacy.
Administrative Science Quarterly, 50(1), 35-67.
➢ C. Patriotta, G., Gond, J. P., & Schultz, F. (2011). Maintaining legitimacy: Controversies,
orders of worth, and public justifications. Journal of Management Studies, 48(8), 1804-1836.
➢ D. Solinger, O.N., Heusinkveld, S., & Cornelissen, J. P. (2024). Building theory by
redefining concepts: A repertoire for conceptual innovation. Human Resource Management
Review.
Theme 2: Arrangement / Dispositio, second canon of classical rhetoric
➢ A. Locke, K., & Golden-Biddle, K. (1997). Constructing opportunities for contribution:
Structuring intertextual coherence and “problematizing” in organizational studies. Academy of
Management Journal, 40(5), 1023-1062.
➢ B. Koralija, S., Solinger, O., Burg, E. van, Peursen, W. van. (2024) Charismatic
Organizations: Specifying a Role for Charisma in Producing Inhabited Institutions.
Manuscript submitted for publication. VU Amsterdam.
➢C. Baur, J. E., Ellen III, B. P., Buckley, M. R., Ferris, G. R., Allison, T. H., McKenny, A. F.,
& Short, J. C. (2016). More than one way to articulate a vision: A configurations approach to
leader charismatic rhetoric and influence. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(1), 156-171.
➢ D. Gerritsen, M., & Wannet, E. (2005). Cultural differences in the appreciation of
introductions of presentations. Technical Communication, 52(2), 194-208.
Theme 3: Style / elocutio, third canon of classical rhetoric
➢ A. Gardner, W. L., & Avolio, B. J. (1998). The charismatic relationship: A dramaturgical
perspective. Academy of management review, 23(1), 32-58.
➢ B. Ernst, B. A., Banks, G. C., Loignon, A. C., Frear, K. A., Williams, C. E., Arciniega, L. M.,
& Subramanian, D. (2022). Virtual charismatic leadership and signalling theory: A
prospective meta-analysis in five countries. The Leadership Quarterly, 33(5), 101541.
➢ C. Carton, A. M., & Lucas, B. J. (2018). How can leaders overcome the blurry vision bias?
Identifying an antidote to the paradox of vision communication. Academy of Management
Journal, 61(6), 2106-2129.
➢ D. Clarke, J. S., Cornelissen, J. P., & Healey, M. P. (2019). Actions speak louder than
words: How figurative language and gesturing in entrepreneurial pitches influences
investment judgments. Academy of Management Journal, 62(2), 335-360. 11
Theme 4: Delivery / pronunciatio, the fifth canon of classical rhetoric
➢ A. Caspi, A., Bogler, R., & Tzuman, O. (2019). “Judging a Book by Its Cover”: The
Dominance of Delivery Over Content When Perceiving Charisma. Group & Organization
Management, 44(6), 1067-1098.
➢ B. Sharma, A., & Grant, D. (2011). Narrative, drama and charismatic leadership: The case
of Apple’s Steve Jobs. Leadership, 7(1), 3-26.
➢ C. DeGroot, T., Aime, F., Johnson, S. G., & Kluemper, D. (2011). Does talking the talk
help walking the walk? An examination of the effect of vocal attractiveness in leader
effectiveness. The Leadership Quarterly, 22(4), 680-689.
➢ D. Maran, T., Furtner, M., Liegl, S., Kraus, S., & Sachse, P. (2019). In the eye of a leader:
Eye-directed gazing shapes perceptions of leaders' charisma. The Leadership Quarterly,
30(6),
101337
, Theme 1, Article A: The Mind and Heart of Resonance: The Role of
Cognition and Emotions in Frame Effectiveness (Giorgi, 2017)
The article examines the role of cognitive and emotional resonance in the effectiveness of
framing, particularly in organizational and social movement contexts. Resonance refers to
the impact a frame has when it aligns with an audience’s beliefs and understandings
(cognitive resonance) or an appeal to audiences’ feelings, passions, and aspirations
(emotional resonance). This alignment is critical for influencing audience reactions and can
determine the success of a message or idea.
The author argues that current framing research lacks a clear understanding of how
resonance works, often treating audiences as passive recipients. By focusing on how
emotions and cognition influence the effectiveness of frames, the paper proposes a model
that distinguishes between two types of resonance: emotional and cognitive.
Key concepts: framing, audiences and resonance
Frames: ‘External, strategic processes of evoking meaning, in line with existing cultural
categories of understanding and as a basis for mobilizing support and gaining legitimacy’.
Strategic rhetorical devices by which one actor seeks to define a situation for another and
influence their thinking and behaviours. Frames act as ‘filters’ or ‘brackets’ that delimit our
perception of reality.
Framing: Frames are defined as “strategic rhetorical devices” used by organizations or
individuals to shape perceptions. Frames influence how audiences interpret information by
highlighting certain aspects of reality while downplaying others.
The audience for which framing is deployed is an actor or a collection of actors that control
or have access to material and/or symbolic resources believed to affect the success and
failure of the framer.
• Examples of such resources include money, professional contracts, and votes, as
well personal time and efforts, as in the case of social movement organizations.
• Audiences can include a variety of actors, from employees to public opinion, media
organizations, minorities, critics, clients, or potential investors.
• ‘Not all audiences are equally important’ for a framer, making it a strategic choice for
an organization or an individual as to which audience it should attend to.
Resonance: An audience’s experienced personal connection with a frame. It’s the way a
particular frame aligns with an audience’s values or feelings, thus making the message
impactful. The term resonance originates from the discursive sphere of sound and refers to
an object’s ‘power or quality of evoking or suggesting images, memories, and emotions’ for a
particular recipient.
Audience responses vary based on their beliefs, aspirations, emotions, and values, making
resonance essential for effective framing. Resonance happens when a frame “strikes a
chord” with an audience, resulting in either cognitive or emotional engagement.
Two types of resonance can be distinguished on the basis of their appeal to either audience
cognition (cognitive resonance) or emotions (emotional resonance).
for the purpose of this paper I refer to cognition as thinking, problem solving, and planning,
and emotions as feeling, or the ‘passions and desires [that] are not reducible to the pursuit of
rational interests’.
This distinction between emotions and cognition does not imply that emotionality is a barrier
to rationality; rather, more in line with recent research (Voronov and Weber, 2016), emotions
are regarded as an alternative source of knowl edge that is often interpenetrated with
cognitive processes.
1
,Cognitive Resonance: Achieved when a frame aligns with the audience’s beliefs or
understandings, often via familiarity.
• Familiarity: The display of elements that are known or close to the intended
audience. Frames are more resonant when they blend familiar element with new
ideas as the example of Sushi.
• Blending familiar elements with novel concepts can make an unfamiliar idea more
approachable, thereby enhancing resonance.
• The Success of Sushi in America was because of the Californian roll. This contained
ingredients like avocado and rice, which became familiar to Americans. Therefore,
Sushi became very popular because people were familiar with its ingredients.
• It is not the same as logic, but more fitting with someone’s mental space or world-
view.
• The challenge for the "framers" (those presenting the idea) is to strike the right
balance between familiarity and novelty, depending on the audience. In some cases,
such as with consumers or critics, familiarity is more important, while with investors or
avant-garde cultural groups, novelty may be more appealing.
Challenges to Cognitive Resonance: Empirical and Cultural Credibility
Empirical credibility: defined as the frame correspondence to the audience’s personal
experiences and lifestyles. Resonance may not be achieved if framing does not align with an
audience’s lived experience, or does not offer ‘answers and solutions to troublesome
situations and dilemmas’. In sum, personal experiences can prevent resonance, or lead to
the demise of resonant frames when empirically disconfirmed. (e.g. if someone tells you the
sky is green; you know yourself it’s not)
Cultural credibility: the frame correspondence to the cultural codes available in the context
in which the audience is embedded. Cultural credibility suggests that the mechanism of
familiarity is enhanced when framing can connect to the available cultural codes, and
curtailed when out of sync with the broader cultural context.
Outcomes and application of cognitive resonance
2
, The main outcome that ensues the achievement of cognitive resonance can be summarized
as audience appreciation of the framer and/or the frame. Such audience appreciation can
translate into the winning of client engagements that lead to the construction of new
buildings; the conferrals of honours and awards to framers, who may come to be perceived
as the ‘stars’ in their field; the delineation of new boundaries of certain artistic expressions as
a distinct categories that can command high market prices; and investors’ financing of new
entrepreneurial ventures.
Two sets of circumstances in which cognitive resonance is likely to apply:
• Competition for audience attention and appreciation: In environments where
multiple framers (e.g., entrepreneurs, analysts, or professional service firms) compete
to stand out, legitimacy is necessary but not enough. Framers need to achieve
cognitive resonance by aligning their offerings with the audience’s existing beliefs or
expectations. For example, professional service firms must reflect clients’
expectations of what their services should provide, while entrepreneurs need to craft
a compelling narrative about their business to attract investment. In financial markets,
securities analysts compete for recognition, where even though all analysts have
similar credentials, only a few can stand out based on how well their ideas resonate
with investors.
• Causal ambiguity: Resonance also applies in situations where the quality or
outcome of a product or service is difficult to assess beforehand, or even after the
exchange. This is referred to as "causal ambiguity" — when it’s hard to link a cause to
the desired outcome. For example, screenwriters may succeed in Hollywood by
aligning their pitches with the stereotypical expectations of executives, even though
their potential is not fully known. Similarly, in financial markets, it’s hard to separate
luck from skill when evaluating an analyst’s advice. In such cases, framing and
achieving cognitive resonance are crucial for securing audience attention and
appreciation.
Emotional Resonance: This arises when a frame connects with the audience’s emotions or
passions, desires and aspirations often facilitated through identification.
• Identification: The feeling reflected in the message, like the look in the mirror. It
focuses on how emotions are tied to a person’s self-concept. When audiences
identify emotionally with a framer or a product, this creates a deep emotional
connection that goes beyond surface-level understanding. This can be strengthened
through rituals or dramatic performance that create shared emotional experiences.
Activist movements for instance, often use rituals like sit-ins or marches, to
emotionally connect audiences to their cause.
• It is mostly about making people feel powerful by connecting to your audience’s
emotions and aspirations. For example, Trump who resonated emotionally by
connecting with the frustrations and hopes of many American voters.
• Emotional resonance is further strengthened by rituals that create a collective
emotional experience, such as symbolic ceremonies or shared cultural events. Rituals
are cultural performances that create a shared emotional experience, which helps
audiences connect with a frame or framer. Rituals can promote collective
effervescence, a heightened emotional state that fosters commitment and
identification.
• Emotional resonance is crucial when audiences are indifferent or need emotional
resolution.
Challenges to Emotional Resonance: Emotional Embeddedness and Contagion
Emotional Embeddedness: This refers to the need for a frame (the concept or product
being presented) to align emotionally with the prevailing institutional or organizational culture.
Each institution or organization has its own emotional norms and values, which dictate what
types of emotions are acceptable or desirable. If a frame evokes emotions that clash with
3
