Reframing commitment in authentic leadership: Untangling relationship–outcome processes

Andrei A Lux,Steven L Grover,Stephen T T Teo

doi:10.1017/jmo.2019.78

Andrei A Lux, Steven L Grover + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1017/jmo.2019.78

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Abstract

AbstractAffective organizational commitment is theorized and empirically tested as a key mediator between authentic leadership and desirable employee outcomes. The results of a two-wave survey of 830 business people in Australia support a serial mediation model of authentic leadership efficacy. Followers' perceptions of authentic leadership behavior influence their personal identification and affect-based trust in the leader, which in turn are mediated by affective organizational commitment to positively influence their work engagement and job satisfaction. These findings reinforce previous work that positions personal identification and affect-based trust as the two primary mediating mechanisms of authentic leadership. This paper extends prior research by demonstrating the important role of followers' affective bonds with their organization in the operation of authentic leadership, moving beyond the dyad in our understanding of follower outcomes.

Highlights

Authentic leadership is a dominant theory of contemporary business leadership, gripping scholars and practitioners alike and enjoying ample research attention
Prior research shows that followers’ personal identification with leaders and affect-based trust mediates the relations between authentic leadership and employee outcomes (Alilyyani, Wong, & Cummings, 2018), because followers have stronger and more positive relationships with leaders with whom they share values and trust
An anonymous survey link was emailed to panel members who met our selection criteria: employed adults living in Australia who had an immediate supervisor at work and were not self-employed

Summary

Introduction

Authentic leadership is a dominant theory of contemporary business leadership, gripping scholars and practitioners alike and enjoying ample research attention (for a recent review, see Iszatt-White & Kempster, 2018). Authentic leaders ‘are guided by sound moral convictions and act in concordance with their deeply held values, even under pressure; they are keenly aware of their views, strengths, and weaknesses, and strive to understand how their leadership impacts others’ Prior research shows that followers’ personal identification with leaders and affect-based trust mediates the relations between authentic leadership and employee outcomes (Alilyyani, Wong, & Cummings, 2018), because followers have stronger and more positive relationships with leaders with whom they share values and trust. Authentic leadership has broader work- or job-related outcomes such as engagement and satisfaction. The influence of authentic leadership, goes beyond the leader-follower dynamic to affect followers’ experiences within organizations. We theorize that through increased personal identification and trust, authentic leadership positively influences employees’

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