Authentic Leadership Theory Research Articles

The gaslighting of authentic leadership revisited

Authentic leadership theory (ALT) has become the target for considerable criticism of its conceptual grounding and the methods used for its empirical investigation. Mats Alvesson and Katja Einola (2019) have led the charge in advancing skepticism about ALT by warning of the pitfalls of excessive positivity in leadership research, using ALT as an illustrative example. In a subsequent exchange of letters, the cases against and for authentic leadership were advanced by Alvesson and Einola and Gardner and Karam, respectively (Gardner et al., 2021). As an extension to this debate, Einola and Alvesson (2021) advanced a provocative argument that ALT is not only misguided, but “perilous” to those who believe in it. We felt compelled to reply to this claim by documenting erroneous elements of their arguments that we contend constitute “academic gaslighting” in that they may cause leadership scholars and practitioners to inappropriately discount empirical evidence and their own lived experiences of authentic leadership (Gardner and McCauley, 2022). Alvesson and Einola (2022), in turn, replied with a lengthy defense of their position in which they assert that rather than engaging in gaslighting, their critique constitutes an effort to “enlighten” ALT. In this final entry in this academic exchange, we identify areas of agreement as well as continued disagreements in our exchange and take issue, yet again, with their argument that ALT is inherently dangerous for scholars and practitioners alike. We conclude by asking readers to be wary of these efforts to gaslight ALT and instead rely on the extant empirical evidence and their own lived experiences to draw their own conclusions about the merits of authentic leadership as a topic for academic inquiry and an approach for practicing leadership in the workplace.

Addiction and leadership: How authentic and transformative leaders are emerging from the adversity of substance use disorder

Objectives: This novel study explores the leadership traits held by people with substance use disorder. The purpose of this study is to help advance understanding of the positive qualities people with substance use disorder possess which can produce positive societal and organizational benefits once that person enters recovery. Additionally, this understanding can provide insight into effective treatment approaches that incorporate personal attributes that are present within active addiction. Methods: A qualitative methodology was used which included semi-structured interviews, observations, and a focus group which allowed the researcher to conduct a thematic coding analysis. The participants came from diverse backgrounds and included participants from multiple regions across the United States. Leadership was defined as having various dimensions of effective leadership that are found in both Transformational and Authentic Leadership Theories. Results: The findings revealed that people in addiction possess numerous leadership traits which position them for effective leadership and are further enhanced during their recovery journey. The top three traits which emerged from the data indicate that people in recovery from addiction are authentic, tenacious, and empathetic. Additionally, those in recovery have strong abilities to empower and inspire others and demonstrate posttraumatic growth which helps establish significant bonds of trust and commitment among followers. Conclusion: The impact of this study will change how people view addiction. Identifying the hidden treasures of leadership which are present in those struggling with addiction could illuminate recovery pathways that help identify purpose and value. This would not only advance treatment opportunities but greatly assist organizations that need strong leadership. People with substance use disorder have all the right tools to become effective leaders, and this understanding can help mitigate the stigma associated with addiction and paint it in a more positive light.

The gaslighting of authentic leadership

In a recent critique of authentic leadership theory, Einola and Alvesson (2021) assert that the theory “is not only wrong in a harmless way, but it may be outright perilous to leadership scholars, scholarship, and those who believe in it” (p. 483). They describe four “perils” of authentic leadership theory to support their arguments; in this response paper, we address each “peril”. Unfortunately, their criticism is based, in part, on misleading and inaccurate information about authentic leadership theory, which we identify and correct in this article. We contend that their arguments are at odds with the experiences of authentic leadership that both practitioners and scholars have personally encountered. In essence, through their critique, Einola and Alvesson are engaging in the practice of gaslighting, as they try to convince others to doubt their perceptions of and experiences with authentic leadership, along with the extensive empirical support that has accumulated. Further, Einola and Alvesson suggest that encouraging leaders to strive to be authentic by enhancing their self-awareness, processing positive and negative self-relevant information in a balanced fashion, establishing open and transparent relationships with followers, and living by their core values, is dangerous. We ask readers to consider the merits of their criticism, as well as our alternative, more positive perspective of authentic leadership theory. We suspect that, for many, such introspection will yield a realization that Einola and Alvesson are gaslighting them into questioning their own reality about what it means to lead with authenticity.

Authentic Leadership and Task Performance via Psychological Capital: The Moderated Mediation Role of Performance Pressure.

Authentic leadership has received significant academic attention. It is now imperative to understand how authentic leadership’s effectiveness varies in different situations or conditions, which is vital to reestablishing it as an independent leadership theory. To this end, this study aims to verify the positive influence of authentic leadership on the task performance of members within an organization. Further, it seeks to confirm the situations that moderate the relationship between authentic leadership and task performance. Specifically, the mediating mechanism of psychological capital in this relationship, the moderating effect of performance pressure on the relationship between authentic leadership and psychological capital, and the moderated mediating effect are demonstrated. This study used a time-lagged survey to test the hypotheses; two online surveys were staggered by 1 month and completed by 485 participants in South Korea. The empirical analysis confirmed all the proposed hypotheses. First, authentic leadership was positively related to task performance. Second, psychological capital had a mediating effect on the relationship between authentic leadership and task performance. Third, task performance pressure was negatively related to the relationship between authentic leadership and psychological capital. Specifically, the strength of the indirect effect increased as the employee performance pressure decreased. Based on these results, various theoretical and practical implications are suggested for the extended application of the authentic leadership theory in organizations and future research directions are proposed.

Burnout and the role of authentic leadership in academic medicine

BackgroundRecently, there has been increasing evidence that reducing burnout in healthcare providers requires significant organizational efforts that include the integration of leadership strategies.MethodsFocus groups were conducted across four health systems within the University of Colorado Department of Medicine in four affinity groups (administrative staff, medical trainees, research faculty, and clinical faculty). Authentic leadership theory was used for analysis to advance the understanding of the role of leadership style upon participants’ work experiences and preferences, and to identify opportunities for translation of site-specific results to other academic medical settings.ResultsStudy participants from each affinity group believed their clinical leaders lacked objectivity with decision-making (lacking “balancing processing”), which contributed to their overall feeling of powerlessness. The experience of increasing work demands was salient throughout all twelve focus groups, and participants identified leadership that interacted in a more open and self-disclosing manner (“relational transparency”) as alleviating at least some of this burden. Strong preference discernable alignment between their leaders’ decision-making and their internal moral compass of values (demonstrating “internalized moral perspective”) was described, as was clinical leaders demonstrating “self-awareness” (having a self-reflective process that informs the leader’s decision-making). Comparing affinity group experiences within each authentic leadership theory construct identified the relevance of contextual factors, such as work setting and roles, upon employees’ perceptions and expectations of their leaders.ConclusionsUse of authentic leadership theory advanced the understanding of the association between leadership traits and experiences of burnout amongst a large group of academic clinicians, researchers, trainees, and administrative staff. Leadership styles that promoted relationship transparency, openness, and support were preferred and fostering these traits may help address the demands in academic medicine, including symptoms of burnout.

How and when top manager authentic leadership influences team voice: A moderated mediation model

Extant research has primarily investigated the influence of middle managers on team voice. Extending this line of research, our work goes beyond the impact of middle managers by examining the role of top manager authentic leadership. Integrating social learning theory with authentic leadership theory, we argue that top manager authentic leadership indirectly affects team voice through middle manager authentic leadership. Furthermore, we investigate the moderating effect of middle manager power distance orientation on the mediation process. Results based on a two-wave, multiple-source, team-based field study support the cascading influence of top manager authentic leadership on team voice through middle manager authentic leadership. Middle manager power distance orientation enhances the relationship between top manager authentic leadership and middle manager authentic leadership, thereby strengthening the indirect effect of top manager authentic leadership on team voice through middle manager authentic leadership.

Michael Scott and Authentic Leadership: What we Learn About Leadership from The Office

The current study examines the actions of Michael Scott, self‐proclaimed “World's Best Boss”, to determine how he communicates leadership on The Office. Using Northouse's (2020) definition of leadership, Scott's behavior is content analyzed to establish his particular message transmission tendencies. Further, given Scott's unique management style, George's (2003) dimensions of authentic leadership are used to code Scott's behavior as Scranton's regional manager. Based on a quantitative coding of shows, two main findings are advanced. First, Scott's leadership prioritizes verbal over nonverbal messages. Second, Scott's approach to leadership emphasizes the authentic dimensions of close relationships, clear purpose, and a caring heart most often with his employees. Scenes from The Office are identified that validate these findings and feature authentic leadership theory in action. Pragmatically, the current research offers trainers, managers, and teachers a resource for educating trainees and students on the role of verbal and nonverbal messages in leadership as well as a tool for developing authentic leadership in others.

Authentic Leadership and Its Role in Building Psychological Contracts

The concept of psychological contract has been gaining importance in the recent times along with the theory of authentic leadership. It is the prerogative of the leaders to understand the psychological contract between themselves and their employees as it provides them with a competitive advantage in creating a motivational work environment where equity is valued. Four companies, namely, Costco, PwC, Southwest Airlines and Aravind Eye Hospital were selected for case study analysis in this study with respect to impact of authentic leadership on the building of psychological contracts. It was found that the leadership style does have a significant positive impact on building of psychological contracts between the employer and employee in an organization.

The Role of Authentic Leadership on Employee Engagement in Europe

Authentic leadership encourages self-awareness, relational transparency, balanced processing and Internalized moral perspective of information and the relations with respect to the leaders working with their subordinates, consequently cultivating positive self-improvement. This study related the idea of authentic leadership in refining employee engagement. The concepts of authentic leadership incorporate self-awareness, relational transparency, balanced processing and relational transparency. An extensive literature review was done to infer the findings, conclusions, and recommendations. In perspective on the assessed review, authentic leadership positively affect and employee engagement. There was a significant and positive connection between authentic leadership, work fulfilment and employee engagement. Numerous studies concluded that teams with more authentic characteristics in their leaders, had more satisfied and engaged employees. The influential mentors were perceived as authentic leaders who acted within dimensions that were consistent with authentic leadership theory: self-awareness, relational transparency, balanced processing and internalized moral perspective. Employee engagement is positively influenced by quality employee organization relationships and positive internal reputation. Results showed that both leader’s consistency between words and actions as well as their balanced processing are positively related to employee engagement. As an antecedent, authentic leadership critically affects the nurturing of an organization’s transparency and positive employee relational outcomes, which, in turn, enhance reputation and thus overall performance. Keywords: Authentic Leadership, Employee Engagement & American Workplaces.

The Role of Authentic Leadership in Shaping Performance Feedback Reactions: The Mediating Role of Trust in Leader

In this study we attempted to explore the effect of authentic leadership on followers’ feedback reactions in the performance appraisal context using trust in leader as the mediating variable. We collected data from a sample of 183 employees working in the information technology sector of Pakistan using a self-administered questionnaire, employing a cross-sectional study design with convenience sampling technique. The study provided empirical evidence about the effect of authentic leadership on performance feedback reactions and the associated mediating mechanism. It drew on authentic leadership theory and investigated why such a leadership style was important in making the performance appraisal process successful and effective. As hypothesized, authentic leadership significantly predicted perceived feedback accuracy and utility (two feedback reactions in performance appraisal). Our findings confirmed that there was a significant mediating effect of trust in leaders between authentic leadership and performance feedback reactions. The inferences drawn based on the results suggested that raters’ authenticity in performance appraisal context creates a trusting situation and leads to ratees’ perception of feedback accuracy and utility.

The impact of values based leadership on sport coaching

There is growing concern that the current cultural environment in sports fails to develop ethical and moral character in athletes. An examination of the development and genesis of values-based leadership (VBL) in business allows the construction of a model for VBL in sport coaching. After defining each VBL behavior a literature review documents previously confirmed benefits occurring in the sport environment. The four VBL theories of authentic, ethical, servant and transformational leadership are identified as most useful. In depth interviews and ethnographic observations are conducted with eight NCAA Division 1 basketball coaches to determine the origin, application, and priority of the values underlying individual VBL behaviors. Twenty NCAA coaches were interviewed and observed, with eight displaying behaviors consistent with the values they espoused. Based on the VBL business literature, a literature review of VBL applications in sport and the NCAA coaches studied, a VBL model for sport coaching is proposed.

Advancing leadership in medical radiation sciences: Incorporating systematic leadership education in pre-registration curricula

Advancing leadership in medical radiation sciences: Incorporating systematic leadership education in pre-registration curricula

Impact of women authentic leadership on their own mental wellbeing through ego depletion: moderating role of leader's sense of belongingness

PurposeLeadership research is of interest to academics and practitioners in the construction industry. Based on the ego-depletion theory and authentic leadership theory, the current study aims to investigate the impact of women authentic leadership on leaders' emotional exhaustion and job engagement in the construction industry.Design/methodology/approachThe data were gathered in two waves using a time lag approach. The responses of 276 women leaders-follower dyads from construction firms in China's eastern provinces were analyzed using a moderated mediation model.FindingsMost of the proposed hypotheses were supported by the findings of this study, which showed that authentic leadership can reduce emotional exhaustion in women leaders and increase work engagement through ego depletion. Furthermore, the leader's sense of belonging, according to this study, moderates the mediating effect of ego depletion.Research limitations/implicationsThis study can help managers, policymakers and human resource professionals think about authentic leadership and its impact on women leaders. Furthermore, ego depletion has an impact on the psychological well-being of authentic women leaders. The sense of belongingness of a leader is critical in buffering the negative effects of ego depletion for women in authentic leadership. Thus, women leaders in construction sector should be encouraged to express a sense of belonging to their followers, since this will improve their work engagement and lessen their emotional exhaustion.Originality/valueThis study is unique in that it examines the authentic behavior of women leaders in the Chinese construction sector, which is a challenging profession for women to work in as site managers. This study contributes to the literature on women in leadership by demonstrating how authentic leadership behavior influences the wellbeing and engagement of leaders. In addition, the study indicated that the effect of the mediator (ego depletion) and moderator (leader sense of belongingness) on the relationship between women's authentic leadership and the leader's own psychological wellbeing and job engagement was significant.

“Authenticity” as a Moral Virtue: A Conceptual Framework for Perceived Leader Authenticity

As a reflection of the on-going controversies related to whether an internalized moral perspective should be included in theories of authentic leadership, this paper introduces virtue ethics to the scholarly conversation. It argues that authenticity is inherently a moral virtue that resides in the leader’s character. As such, external perceptions of leader authenticity are essentially about moral judgment. Based on recent empirical evidence in moral psychology, this paper further illustrates why character judgment is more relevant than the judgment of actions in the overall moral judgment of leader authenticity. More specifically, it matters more for leaders to be perceived as possessing the moral virtue of authenticity rather than simply displaying authentic actions, such as being consistent. Thus, recognizing different types of signaling behaviors related to leader authenticity is extremely important, since behaviors that signal the moral virtue of authenticity are more relevant than behaviors that signal authentic actions. Theoretical, empirical, and practical implications of this framework are also discussed.

The Rise or Fall of Authentic Leadership

This fragility of organisations, institutions, and society has been exposed by the context of the COVID 19 pandemic. This has necessitated the demand for new leadership that will drive to improve and develop institutions and enterprises. This paper examines authentic leadership, highlighting the complexity and problematic nature of the construct. The rise and the acceptance of this construct are explored as well as its inability to advance beyond the current conceptualisation. Though, the importance of this leadership approach has been affirmed by scholars; with positive organisational outcomes linked to this leadership approach. Scholars are yet to chart the path that provides a second chance for leaders; that is enabling inauthentic leaders to become authentic and be perceived as such by their followers. This paper contributes to the literature on authentic leadership theory by proposing the authentic leadership plumb line and its role in the resurgence of authentic leadership within organisations. This paper concludes that authentic leadership should be adopted within organisations during crises as it facilitates the alignment of the leader-follower interaction.

Two sides of the same coin? An analysis of the authentic and charismatic leadership during crisis

Crises are crucial events in which a leader’s efficacy is challenged and tested. Both authentic and charismatic leadership theories have examined the leadership tenure in such troubling circumstances. However, findings are still equivocal, especially regarding the features of both leadership styles in coping with crisis management. To address this void, we use the case of Jacinta Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand, who was celebrated by media as an effective leader during two important crises, namely a terrorist attack and the Covid-19 pandemic. To do so, we employed a large dataset of newspaper articles that framed her endeavour over the last three years. We show how Ms Ardern leveraged on some features of both leadership styles, and yet she successfully managed the two different crises. Hence, our study makes a contribution to the literature on leadership in crisis situations, providing a critical examination of the two constructs, showing how they can be interrelated.

On the Relationship Between Authentic Leadership, Flourishing, and Performance in Healthcare Teams: A Job Demands-Resources Perspective.

This study integrates the job demands-resources model and authentic leadership theory to test the general hypothesis that authentic leadership is a job resource that enables flourishing and performance in healthcare teams. Furthermore, this article tests the hypothesis that the daily bed occupancy is a job demand that weakens this relationship. Participants were 106 nurses that were distributed across 33 teams from two hospitals. The results suggest that the authentic leadership of team leaders is positively related with subjective and objective team performance, but only when daily bed occupancy is low. Authentic leadership had no relationship with team flourishing, regardless of the daily bed occupancy. Our findings suggest that the extent to which authentic leadership is adequate to promote the performance of teams working in a hospital setting is sensitive to contextual boundary conditions. Leading authentically might only be effective under specific circumstances.

Awakenings: An Authentic Leadership Development Program to Break the Glass Ceiling

Companies are vital agents in achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. One key role that businesses can play in achieving the 5th Sustainable Development Goal on gender equality is implementing training programs for their women executives so they can reach top corporate leadership positions. In this paper, we test the effectiveness of an Authentic Leadership Development (ALD) program for women executives. By interviewing 32 participants from this ALD program and building on authentic leadership theory, we find that this program lifts women participants’ self-efficacy perception, as well as their self-resolution to take control of their careers. The driver for both results is a reflective thinking process elicited during the program that leads women to abandon the stereotype of a low status role and lack of self-direction over time. Through the relational authenticity developed during the program, women participants develop leadership styles that are more congenial with their gender group, yet highly accepted by the in-group leader members, which enhances their social capital. After the program, the women participants flourished as authentic leaders, were able to activate and foster their self-esteem and social capital, and enhanced their agency in career advancement, increasing their likelihood of breaking the glass ceiling.

Unorthodox public leadership: the case study of an atypical approach to crisis in Iceland

PurposeThis paper aims to present the case of Jón Gnarr's leadership as he served as a mayor of Reykjavík, the capital of Iceland. The authors’ view is that his leadership style illustrates a case study of how a “new” leadership style can emerge in times of crisis. Iceland was significantly affected by the financial crisis in 2008, which led to political and economic crises, which were fuelled by the public's anger and lack of trust. In 2010, Jón Gnarr and his new party, the Best Party, were unexpectedly elected. Before he became known as an unorthodox leader, he worked as a comedian. However, he influenced the discourse in politics in the country and raised trust in the system again while empowering the public managers and simplifying the system while downsizing it. This paper explores and sheds light on the leadership abilities that crises can birth.Design/methodology/approachThis research uses qualitative methods. Seven in-depth interviews were conducted, and the interviewees included Jón Gnarr, three key political leaders who were in office at that time and three executive-level leaders from the city administration.FindingsEvidence suggests that Jón Gnarr and his political party became a part of the political arena due to extreme social and economic factors, which might indicate the factors that can give rise to an unorthodox leader. At the same time, the research portrays the image of a leader that closely matches the theories of authentic leadership, and his leadership style at the time made a lasting impact. When Gnarr stepped into the role of mayor of Reykjavík, he used novel tactics. His political discourse was different; his manner with the public as well as within the system was different. When he became mayor, he demonstrated trust, respect and care as his underlying values. His unorthodox political behaviour appears to have empowered public officials. Thus, gradually, he inspired his followers to change their own communication style. He also addressed traditional political issues such as downsizing, mergers and financial undertakings.Research limitations/implicationsIts limitation is that it is difficult to generalize based on one case.Practical implicationsThe case can shed a light on how unorthodox leadership style can unlock the potential of empowering and trust in a traditional political system. Leaders who dare to be different can raise awareness of those who work within the system as well as the public.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the understanding of authentic and unconventional leadership as an efficient vehicle in unusual circumstances in a public leadership position.

Authentic leadership and sustainable operations: How leader morality and selflessness can foster frontline safety performance

Given the roles of leadership and safety for cleaner, sustainable production, in this paper we advance research on the connections between leader behaviors and occupational safety in frontline operations. We ground our framework on authentic leadership theory and propose that leader morality and selflessness can influence safety outcomes through two pathways: by increasing frontline employees' psychological capital and organizational citizenship. We tested these propositions with data from 307 employees from a large private company that operates in production, distribution, and sales of fuels in Brazil. Results from structural equation modeling indicate that authentic leaders’ morality and selflessness affect the psychological capital of frontline employees, while only the latter affects their citizenship behavior; and both psycap and OCB mediate the effects of authentic leader attributes on frontline safety participation and safety compliance. Our findings clarify the connections between virtuous leadership and frontline safety performance, highlighting areas of managerial development that can impact sustainable operations, particularly in high-risk industries.