Authentic Leadership Theory Research Articles

Leadership and the ethics of hope: Václav Havel and the Charter 77 human rights movement in Czechoslovakia

Hope as a feature in both authentic and spiritual leadership theory has become a diminished moral concept, departing from its philosophical and theological roots, and distorted by excessive positivity, success, instrumentalization, cultural bias, and ideology. Following Ciulla’s (2014) assertion that biography can do much to inform leadership theory, this paper contributes a richer understanding of hope through the though case of Václav Havel and the Charter 77 human rights movement in Czechoslovakia using French existentialist Gabriel Marcel’s ethics of hope. Five elements of Marcel’s philosophy demonstrate hope’s transforming vulnerability amidst technological control, relationship with despair, active presence, creative fidelity, and transcending power in love. Examining Czechoslovakia’s human rights movement through the lens of Marcellian ethics provides insight into the role of absurdity and truth-telling as a precursor to hope, taking responsibility for failure, overcoming fear through the “solidarity of the shaken,” creative fidelity through living in truth and using humor, and love manifesting as sacrifice and openness to seeing one’s contribution to the moral contamination of society under totalitarianism.

University leadership within the neoliberal agenda: Reframing the landscape through a principled leadership approach

This article emerged from a doctoral study that explored Nova Scotia university leaders’ leadership beliefs and values, and change agency approaches. “Principled leadership” was conceptualized as an expansion of authentic leadership theory and involved – authenticity (identity), spirituality, and love (an ethic of care). Principled leadership was examined as a possible approach which could facilitate successful change agency. The leader-participants included university presidents, vice-presidents, directors, and deans. A key finding was that leaders were operating within a conceptualization of authenticity. They held honesty, integrity, and trust as critical to their change agency. Another finding was that principled leadership offered an antidote to the depredations on positive leadership resulting from neoliberalism that has seriously impacted Canadian higher education. This study raised questions surrounding the nature of authentic leadership and identity; that is, the core of authenticity is knowing oneself and being true to one’s own values, but what if a leader has “drunk the Kool-Aid of neoliberalism” thereby truly believes that their top-down, autocratic (or destructive leadership) approach was ‘efficient’ (a neoliberal tenet) and crucial to organizational effectiveness and change agency. Can they still be considered authentic leaders? Thus, this study indicated that principled leadership was a useful expansion of Avolio and his colleagues’ authentic leadership theory.

AUTHENTIC LEADERSHIP AND KNOWLEDGE SHARING IN INDONESIA'S DATA SCIENCE COMMUNITIES: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT

This study aims to investigate the relationships between authentic leadership, organizational commitment, trust, and knowledge sharing behavior in the context of the workplace. Data were collected from members of the astronomy community in Indonesia involved in the development of community-based astronomy tourism. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to test the relationships between these variables. The results show that authentic leadership has a significant positive relationship with organizational commitment and knowledge sharing behavior, both tacit and explicit. Organizational commitment also mediates the relationship between authentic leadership and knowledge sharing behavior. However, trust does not strengthen the relationship between organizational commitment and knowledge sharing behavior. Managerial implications include the importance of developing authentic leadership and fostering organizational cultures that support employee commitment. Academic implications include supporting theories of authentic leadership and enriching understanding of the mechanisms of mediation and moderation in the relationships among variables. This study provides a significant contribution to understanding the dynamics of workplace relationships and highlights the importance of psychological factors in the development of sustainable organizations.

How authentic principal leadership influences teacher organisational identification via teacher academic optimism and collective responsibility: a moderated-mediation analysis

PurposeTeachers’ organisational identification is crucial for the success of educational reform in the change process. This study investigates how and under what conditions authentic principal leadership contributes to teachers’ organisational identification.Design/methodology/approachData collected from 7907 public high school teachers across Türkiye were analysed using bootstrapping method. This research tested a moderated mediation model of authentic principal leadership effects on teachers’ organisational identification by incorporating teacher academic optimism as a mediator, and teacher collective responsibility as a moderator.FindingsResults revealed significant direct and indirect effects of authentic principal leadership on the teachers’ organisational identification via teacher academic optimism. Teacher collective responsibility significantly moderated the effects of authentic principal leadership on both teacher academic optimism and on teachers’ organisational identification. The positive effects of authentic principal leadership were strengthened when the collective responsibility was higher.Originality/valueThis study integrates authentic leadership theory with social identity theory, which provides a more theoretically accurate understanding of how authentic principal leadership influences teachers’ organisational identification.

Authentic nursing leadership theory and nurse leaders' stories: Storytelling workshop impact on nurse leader burnout.

Authentic nursing leadership theory and nurse leaders' stories: Storytelling workshop impact on nurse leader burnout.

Trust in leadership and perceptions of justice in fostering employee commitment.

In a period of uncertainty, trust in leadership and perceptions of fairness have emerged as pivotal factors for fostering employee identification and affective commitment. Drawing from authentic leadership theory, this leadership style is identified as a crucial antecedent of affective commitment, examining the mediating role of distributive justice and the moderating role of interactional justice. A quantitative approach was employed, utilizing data from 302 questionnaires completed by Spanish retail workers. For data analysis, SPSS v.25 was used to generate descriptive statistics, while partial least squares structural equation modeling was applied to test the proposed hypotheses. Our findings revealed that authentic leadership is positively associated with the development of affective commitment, with distributive justice acting as a mediating factor between the two. Furthermore, interactional justice negatively moderates the relationship between distributive justice and affective commitment. Contrary to initial expectations, the second moderation, between authentic leadership and affective commitment, was not found to be significant. The research concludes by discussing the practical implications of the results.

Songs of the self: the importance of authentic leadership and core self-evaluations for LGBT managers

PurposeBased on authentic leadership (AL) theory and research on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) workplace experiences, this study proposes that AL explains variance beyond transformational leadership (TL) in attitudinal outcomes for LGBT managers compared to non-LGBT managers. It is further predicted that core self-evaluations (CSEs) bound relationships between AL, LGBT status and outcomes.Design/methodology/approachA time-lagged survey of 193 LGBT and 218 non-LGBT (i.e. heterosexual and cisgender) managers was conducted. The first survey assessed respondents' evaluations of their leadership behavior and CSEs whereas the second survey, conducted one month later, assessed role engagement and career satisfaction.FindingsRegression and moderation analyses revealed support for the hypotheses. AL seems especially relevant for LGBT leaders, particularly at low levels of CSEs.Practical implicationsLeadership development programmes emphasizing AL could be particularly beneficial for LGBT managers, especially those low in CSEs. Harnessing a leader’s sense of identity could help those who have been marginalized.Originality/value The current study proposes, explains and demonstrates that relationships between AL and leader outcomes will likely be different between managers with and without stigmatized identities, in this case those who are (not) LGBT.

Integrating the technology acceptance model for social media-based learning with authentic leadership development: symmetric and asymmetric modeling.

The growing trend of social media use has influenced all segments of society, including education, during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, authentic leadership is an emerging concept in positive psychology for dealing with emergencies in the digital era. The possibility of a relationship between the two was checked in preservice teachers studying in a teacher education department of a university in Pakistan. The conceptual framework of the study was built around teaching acceptance model (TAM) and Authentic leadership theory. The survey method suited the aim of the research, and questionnaires aided us in gathering participant self-reporting responses. We conducted two surveys, and in between them, a course was taught online using social media as a teaching and learning platform. The survey results checked preservice teachers' positive intentions toward social media-based learning, and the post-course survey studied the development of Authentic leadership attributes among the preservice teachers. Technology acceptance was measured across three constructs: ease of use, usefulness, and positive intentions. The results also reported the development of three authentic leadership characteristics: ethics, self-regulation, and self-awareness. This study is among the pioneering studies integrating TAM (i.e., the acceptance of social media-based learning) with leadership theory (i.e., authentic leadership). It also adds a methodological contribution by combining symmetrical (i.e., partial least squares structural equation modeling) and asymmetrical (i.e., fuzzy set qualitative comparative technique) for data analysis. The study's findings are valuable for teacher education institutions, as they help prepare future teachers to become authentic leaders capable of addressing future crises by leveraging education through social media-based teaching and learning platforms.

Authentic Leadership’s Impact on Follower Psychological Capital and Performance Through Organizational Identification and Role Clarity

ABSTRACT Scholars have criticized positive leadership styles, such as authentic leadership, as being limited to influencing follower performance through relations-oriented behaviors without necessarily providing more task-oriented direction. Applying this behavioral leadership theory dichotomy, we extend authentic leadership theory and research by proposing and testing how authentic leadership influences followers’ psychological capital (PsyCap) and subsequent performance through both relations- (organizational identification) and task-oriented (role clarity) pathways. The results of a three-wave field study, multiple experiments, and a time-lagged, multi-source field study support that authentic leadership influences follower psychological resources and performance through both organizational identification and role clarity. Moreover, our results hold when controlling for other leadership constructs (ethical and transformational leadership) and other potential mediators that have been the focus of prior authentic leadership research (leader trustworthiness, leader identification, and LMX). We discuss the implications of our findings for expanding work on authentic leadership by examining a more task-oriented focus in future research, including how this research sheds light on several recent critiques of authentic leadership theory.

The Impact of Value-Based Leadership on Teacher Commitment and Job Performance in Private Islamic Senior High

Introduction/Main Objectives: This study aims to analyze the impact of authentic leadership on teacher performance in private Islamic senior high schools (ISHS) mediated by commitment. Background Problems: Authentic leadership as a value-based approach offers solutions to teacher performance, but there are complexities and doubts that require further exploration and empirical testing. Novelty: It provides an in-depth exploration of the role of authentic leadership in promoting commitment and performance. It consolidates existing knowledge and synthesizes relevant value-based leadership (VBL) and authentic leadership (AL) theories. It provides a valuable resource for further research and practical applications in this educational setting. Research Methods: This study applied an explanatory survey by using a set of questionnaires. The respondents consisted of teachers and administrative staff. This study successfully collected the data of 462 respondents randomly chosen. Finding/Results: The interaction between leaders and subordinates is a dynamic process that directly influences performance and organizational commitment. A leader's ethical, moral, and values guide their actions and interactions with followers, ultimately fostering commitment and driving performance. Conclusion: Authentic leadership not only directly influences commitment and performance but also indirectly affects performance by nurturing a strong sense of commitment among teachers. Research implications: AL's cultivated values act as a beacon for nurturing commitment and performance. Practical implications underscore the paramount role of values in authentic leadership to ensure and focus on strategies for cultivating authentic leadership values to pave the way for enhancing teacher commitment and performance.

Authentic leadership in a bureaucratic environment: A qualitative study

Authenticity is a crucial component of leadership for developing moral and ethical leaders in the public sector. Despite that, authentic leadership has struggled to progress into a more advanced theory. Therefore, this study serves as a foundation for new developments in authentic leadership studies. The research is valuable because it investigates aspects of authenticity and leadership drawn from public sector leaders’ experiences. It employs a qualitative approach using in-depth interviews of 15 top executive leaders in Malaysian public administration. The interpretive study is underpinned by authentic leadership and self-determination theory, and content analysis is applied to understand the subjective interpretation of the interviews through the identification of specific themes and patterns of coding facilitated by the NVivo software. The participants describe authenticity in leadership as a combination of mindset and qualities, such as purposeful intention, spiritual connection and sustainable legacy. This study provides a new perspective on authenticity in leadership from the public sector context. A new important factor emerged from the study, namely, spiritual connection, which is unique to the Malaysian context. Another theoretical contribution to the body of knowledge is that the element of personal growth, which is connected to human motivation by addressing autonomy from the self-determination theory perspective, is important to describe authenticity. These elements suggest the third wave of the leadership model that is derived from the interpersonal process between leader and followers in a bureaucratic environment. These results may be used to develop a new instrument for examining the public leadership context – as a new leadership model or design development intervention for future leaders in the public sector.

Rethinking Authentic Leadership: Insights from a Study of Female Entrepreneurs

The critiques of Authentic Leadership Theory (ALT) require us to reconsider the concept of authenticity in leadership. Through semi-structured interviews with 14 female entrepreneurs in the United Kingdom (UK), this study sought to establish whether the concept of authenticity in leadership has practical applicability for female entrepreneurs. Support was found for the strongest critiques of ALT, and a consensus was identified among the participants that being authentic in leadership is a balancing act between the values of the individual and the values of (and duties to) the organisation and its members. The study also found that, as entrepreneurs, the participants did not experience the challenges of being authentic leaders that extant literature has shown females in other roles to be experiencing. The findings lead to the proposition that the concept of ALT is abandoned and replaced by a more fluid understanding that acknowledges the complexities and subjectivities associated with the notions of ‘leading with authenticity’.

Servant and authentic leadership as drivers of innovative work behaviour: the moderating role of creative self-efficacy

PurposeThe importance of innovation has attracted growing attention due to the complex and rapidly changing business environment. This study aimed, first, to examine the joint effect of servant and authentic leadership (AUL) styles on employee creativity (EC), second, to examine the direct and mediated effect of servant leadership (SL) on employees' innovative work behaviour (IWB), third, to examine the effect of EC on IWB and finally, to investigate the moderating effect of creative self-efficacy (CSE) on the relationship between AUL and EC.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative approach was used, and the data were collected from 446 employees in the Qatari public sector. The data were then analysed by employing partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) using SmartPLS software to validate the measures before testing the proposed model.FindingsThe results of this study emphasized the strong hypothesized link between EC and IWB. It also endorsed the mediating role of EC between SL and IWB and the moderating role of CSE in the AUL-EC relationship.Originality/valueThe originality of this study comes from various aspects. First, it is unique in separately examining EC and innovation and the link between them. Second, it investigates the joint impact of servant and AUL styles on EC. Third, it explores the mediating role of EC between SL and IWB. Fourth, the moderating effect of CSE on the AUL-EC link also was examined to gain a full understanding of the relation effect. Finally, the value of the current study also comes from the integration of the triangular theory of creativity, SL and AUL theories and self-efficacy theory to explain the proposed model of the study. Moreover, this study serves as a guideline for decision-makers on how to enhance IWB among employees by focusing on leadership programmes and the creative and innovative culture.

The role of HEXACO in the development of authentic leadership and its consequences on task performance

PurposeThe objectives of the current study were to identify the antecedents and outcomes of authentic leadership. For antecedents, the research considered the HEXACO (Honesty-Humility, Emotionality, eXtraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Openness to Experience) personality model and thereby identified the impact of authentic leadership on employee performance with the mediating role of psychological safety and employee engagement by using the trait theory.Design/methodology/approachThe current study adopted a positivism research philosophy followed by a deductive approach. Overall, 347 samples were collected from the public sector organizations using quantitative research techniques, and data were gathered through a self-administrated questionnaire. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used through structural equation modeling (SEM)-Mplus to generate the results and test the formulated hypotheses.FindingsThe results revealed that honesty-humility significantly impacts authentic leadership (β = 0.094 and p < 0.05). Similarly, other dimensions of HEXACO also play a significant role in forming authentic leadership. After analyzing the HEXACO as the antecedent of authentic leadership, sequential mediation of psychological safety and employee engagement was checked and identified that authentic leadership in the presence of mediators was insignificant. Hence the full mediation has been recorded.Originality/valueSince its inception, a plethora of research has been available on the authentic leadership theory. However, the empirical evidence revealed that most research is related to outcomes of authentic leadership. As far as antecedents of authentic leadership are concerned, the literature is still silent, specifically on the development of authentic leaders. The current study is significantly contributing to the theory of authentic leadership, and in this context, the study is unique since it is taking the HEXACO personality model as an antecedent of authentic leadership to investigate its role in the development of authentic leaders. Moreover, the study is also identified as the impact of authentic leadership on task performance, not in isolation, but by taking psychological safety and employee engagement as a mediating mechanism.

The Impact of Authentic Leadership on Employee Innovation Behavior and Work Engagement in Specialized, Fined, Peculiar and Innovative SMEs

Existing firms are undergoing rapid and substantial change as a result of digital transformation. Dealing with accelerating digital transformation is a difficult process for business leaders. The digital transformation process presents both an opportunity and a challenge. This paper examines how authentic leadership may contribute to increased work engagement and innovative behaviors during times of digital change, both theoretically and empirically. This study investigated data from an online survey of 305 current employees of enterprises in the fields of specialized, fined, peculiar and innovative SMEs, include information technology, media, and networking and so on. SPSS 21.0 and AMOS 23.0 were used to analyze the data. The findings indicate that authentic leadership positively impacts employee innovation behaviors and engagement, and that digital transformation moderates the relationship between authentic leadership and innovation behavior and engagement. Not only do these findings contribute to our understanding of digital transformation and extend and broaden applicable theories of authentic leadership, but they also open the way for corporate leaders to adopt appropriate behavioral techniques to encourage work engagement and innovation. Enhancing employee innovation performance, maximizing management leadership behaviors, and offering practical inspiration all contribute to the long-term success of the firm. The findings are conceptually significant and provide corporate leaders with a practical roadmap.

Beyond the Skin: How African American Women Senior Administrators Describe Their Experiences of Developing an Authentic Leadership Style

In this paper, we used a qualitative multiple case study approach. We used the authentic leadership framework (Luthans &amp; Avolio, 2003) to examine how African American women in senior administrator roles, particularly in the president’s cabinet, at a member institution of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU) in Alabama describe their experiences of developing an authentic leadership style. Following previous studies and recommendations for future research (Davis, 2016; Milner, 2006; Pace, 2017; Robinson, 2017; Wiggs-Harris, 2011), the following research question guides this work: How do African American women senior administrators describe their experiences of developing a leadership style? The results of this study revealed six common themes that are related to the authentic leadership style development of African American women. Code-switching was also an interesting element that emerged from some of the interviews, which may impact how some of them may present themselves and are perceived by others. In relation to the findings, theories of authentic leadership and intersectionality are discussed along with suggestions for future research. Keywords: African American women, authentic leadership, senior administrator

The gaslighting of authentic leadership 2.0

This article is a response to Bill Gardner and Kelly McCauley’s ‘gaslighting’ critique of our text on the perils of authentic leadership. Against gaslighting 1.0 (evilly trying to convince people to doubt their perceptions), we propose gaslighting 2.0 (enlightenment). We argue that organizations face severe problems and challenges that cannot be solved by motivating managers to engage in introspection and being overly preoccupied by their own authenticity. A search for one’s true self is a personal journey of inner growth and heightened self-awareness that individuals, leaders and non-leaders may engage in and find highly beneficial, but outside any notion of exercising influence or power on others to reach career objectives or corporate goals. The broad use of simple recipes with claims of overwhelming positive effects is problematic. Leadership research is often based on highly problematic measures, making most efforts to capture the core phenomenon unreliable. That many people are attracted by simplistic, positive-sounding and ego-enhancing formulas is not the same as evidence for theoretical value and relevance of a truth claim. Taking aspiration as a critical element would call for the development and study of Aspirational Authentic Leadership Theory, which would be something quite different from the static study of how managers score in terms of being true to their values, a core self, and so on. In-depth process studies of managers trying to be authentic navigating dilemmas at work could be an alternative to focus further research on.

Reconstructing authenticity through a multi-paradigmatic umbrella: A process perspective

While there is a substantive body of research that recognizes the importance of authentic leadership theory, critiques have challenged its dominant and positive-focused conceptualization. We synthesize these extant critiques, providing researchers with an integrative understanding of the theoretical, conceptual, and empirical deficiencies facing authenticity in a leadership context. These deficiencies have thwarted authentic leadership’s development limiting our understanding of what authentic leadership is and who authentic leaders are. Synthesizing what has been said about authentic leadership demonstrates why authenticity needs to be conceived of and studied differently. We offer being-in-becoming as a multi-paradigmatic umbrella which accommodates different ontological foundations of what it means to be authentic. A being-in -becoming approach recognizes that authenticity emanates from a developmental process, suggesting the study of authenticity must also be thought of processually. Studying authenticity as a developmental process holds important theoretical and practical implications as it embraces the processual nature of our dynamic, evolutionary beings.

Advancing Traditional Leadership Theories by Incorporating Multicultural and Workforce Diversity Leadership Traits, Behaviors, and Supporting Practices: Implications for Organizational Leaders

Well-known and respected traditional leadership theories such as Transformational Leadership Theory (Bass 1985, 1989, Authentic Leadership Theory (Luthans &amp; Avolio 2003), and Distributed Leadership Theory (Lumby, 2013) offer insight into the ways that leadership can be applied and practiced in various organizational contexts. These traditional leadership theories are known for underscoring the kinds of traits and behaviors that prospective and current leaders should possess to enhance their leadership abilities and overall effectiveness. However, one area that is absent from traditional leadership theories is a focus on the kinds of multicultural and workforce diversity leadership knowledge, skills, and abilities that organizational leaders should possess to manage human diversity effectively in a variety organizational setting. The aim of this paper is to: 1) summarize the role of three well-known traditional leadership theories; 2) share examples of existing multicultural and workforce diversity frameworks that offer insights for advancing traditional leadership theories; and 3) highlight the benefits of incorporating multicultural and workforce diversity leadership traits, behaviors and supporting diversity practices into traditional leadership theories.

How to enhance workplace climate through telework communication approaches in organization during the era of changes? Evidences of authentic leaders

This paper aims at investigating how leadership style can enhance workplace climate in the setting of virtual teams. Drawing from the theories of authentic leadership (AL) and social penetration (SPT), this study aims at investigating the role of IT usage of telework communicating tools in building and shaping the relationship between a subordinate (follower) and his or her supervisor at workplace. Variables of trust, identifications with leaders, intentions of knowledge sharing (self-disclosure, knowledge sharing and online voice behavior) are introduced in this research framework. Valid samples of 351 subjects of full-time workers reveal that the social penetration theory applies not only to face-to-face interactions but also to online interactions amongst members of virtual teams. It is projectsed that supervisors' transparency contributes to subordinates’ self-disclosure and consequently leads to better working cohesion and relationship quality. Further, our study demonstrated that the disclosure of work-related knowledge and opinions related to workplace improvements in the computer-mediated communication (CMC) manner that are common at workplaces could positively influence the building of a constructive relationship between authentic leaders and their subordinates. This paper confirmed that the cohesion engaged amongst members of virtual teams and the relationship at work can be enhanced based on reciprocal information disclosure behavior. Especially in the season of epidemic prevention season, enterprises should quickly adopt the changing business environment and encourage staff to work from home. The self-disclosure behavior including online voicing should be promoted. Discussion and implications for theory and practices are given.