When and Why Do Leaders Feel Authentic? Investigating Antecedents of Leaders’ Felt Authenticity

Abstract

This paper explores the question when and why leaders feel authentic at work. We tested a research model of personal resources and ethical work climates as predictors of leaders’ felt authenticity. Results from a daily diary study with 134 leaders surveyed on ten consecutive work days showed the predicted positive intra-individual variations between personal resources and felt authenticity. In a field study with 230 leaders surveyed at two points of measurement, this link was also established on an inter-individual level. We further found an indirect link from personal resources to felt authenticity via leaders’ promotion focus. In both studies, principle but not benevolent ethical work climates positively predicted leaders’ felt authenticity. Personal resources and stable organizational environments provide leaders with the certainty they need to feel true to their own self. Our findings advance the current understanding of factors that contribute to felt authenticity as a psychological state at work.