The Structural, Organizational, and Societal Shape of Authenticity

Abstract

Given the benefits of authenticity for individuals and their organizations, the goal of this symposium is to explore the social dynamics of authenticity, with a particular focus on how authenticity is socially constructed. Our focus complements past research on authenticity, which has primarily focused on the individual processes that prompt authenticity (Heppner et al., 2008; Peus, Wesche, Streicher, Braun, & Frey, 2012; Sheldon, Ryan, Rawsthorne, & Ilardi, 1997). In contrast to that approach, we adopt a social and organizational lens, examining how various structural and contextual factors—including hierarchical and intergroup processes—affect authenticity. Bringing together studies that explore both felt and perceived authenticity, we help to shed light on the complex, dynamic nature of authenticity. Utilizing experimental, archival, and observational methods, these four papers speak to the many ways authenticity can be influenced by social and organizational contexts. Additionally, this set of papers illuminate important psychological, physical, and interpersonal underpinnings of authenticity. To this end, the first two talks in this symposium explore the complex relationship between power and authenticity. Specifically, Bailey demonstrates how a seemingly simple decision—choosing one’s attire—shapes task engagement via feelings of authenticity. Further, emphasizing the importance of felt authenticity, these findings suggest that authenticity explains the effect of attire on workplace outcomes better than feelings of power. Building upon this paper, Carter reveals that social status, rather than power, facilitates greater authentic expression. Taken together, these first two talks clarify how power and authenticity relate to one another and emphasize how external factors, like dress codes and social hierarchy, may affect people’s ability to authentically express themselves at work. Resultantly, these results shed light on the ways that social dynamics impact authenticity. The final two talks explore how the strategies individuals adopt to navigate intergroup interactions impact both felt and perceived authenticity. These concluding talks focus on how identity and context interact to inform dynamics related to authenticity. Brown finds that in an effort to combat intergroup bias, stigmatized individuals may choose to downplay their identities, resulting in diminished feelings of authenticity. Finally, Ponce de Leon discusses perceptions of white allyship from the perspective of Black observers, revealing that whites who signal allyship through consistent and costly acts are viewed as less instrumentally motivated and, in turn, more authentic. Following these presentations, Sheena S. Iyengar will proctor a discussion on what authenticity is, how individuals create and express themselves in their organizations, and future directions for the organizational antecedents of authenticity.