what is Routinization of charisma in your own words?

Answer 1

To answer this question, it will help if I back up just a smidge.

Before we can talk about routinization, first we have to talk about the 'charisma' itself. In this context we're talking about a charismatic authority figure. A single individual who influences many not because of tradition or through a bureaucracy, but through an immense force of personality. And perhaps it goes without saying, but this tends to mean that a charismatic is probably un-conventional and very personal (the opposite of the two above systems).

This kinds of system cannot last forever. The individual person around which it circles might die (or be killed, as often seems to happen), or he might just lose his charismatic hold. If the system persists in spite of the loss of its charismatic center, then theoretically it will only do so by transitioning to one of the other types of authority systems by various means. This process may happen before or after the loss of the charismatic, and is referred to as 'routinization'.

It gets that name, of course, because what may have started as an un-conventional and personal force gets turned into a mechanical routine. The charismatic's views might be adopted by society at large and become the NEW tradition, or a bureaucracy might develop among followers to try and maintain and enforce what they percieve to be the charismatic's original goals.

And since we're in the religion section, we'll use Christianity as a good example of all of these. At first, it was a rebellious movement centered entirely around Jesus as its core figure. A charismatic. At the time of Jesus' death, it was FAR from the accepted norm; instead we see several different bureaucracies form. None of the figures that follow were anywhere close to the charismatic the Jesus was... instead, they claimed authority on the basis of one or another precedents. In other words, they were in charge because that was the rules. A bureaucracy.

Of course now Christianity DOES form a core traditional basis in some countries. And we see even atheists and followers of other religions sharing many ideas and values on that basis. Nor are the various sects of Christianity any less bureaucratic. And to make things even more interesting, we see new charismatic Christians arising all the time... the new 'outsiders' even within the Christian faith.

That's the thumbnail sketch anyway. Hope that helps!