Activity

Authentic Leadership

Chapter 9

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Overview  Authentic Leadership Description

 Authentic Leadership Defined

 Approaches to Authentic Leadership

 Practical

 Theoretical

 How Does Authentic Leadership Theory Work?

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Authentic Leadership Description  Authentic Leadership--focuses on whether leadership

is genuine

 Interest in Authentic Leadership  Increasing in recent times due to social upheavals  People longing for trustworthy leaders  Identified earlier in transformational leadership research but not

studied separately  Needed evidence-based research of construct

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Authentic Leadership Defined (1 of 3)  Intrapersonal Definition:

 Leadership based on self-concept and how self-concept relates to actions (Shamir & Eilam, 2005)

 Relies on the life story of the leader

 Three Authentic Leadership Characteristics:  ALs exhibit genuine leadership

 ALs lead from conviction

 ALs are originals, not copies

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Authentic Leadership Defined (2 of 3)

 Interpersonal Definition:

 Leadership is created by leaders and followers together (Eagly, 2005).

 It is a reciprocal process because leaders affect followers and followers affect leaders.

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Authentic Leadership Defined (3 of 3)  Developmental Definition:

 Leadership can be nurtured and developed over a lifetime (Avolio & Gardner, 2005)

 Can be triggered by major life events

 Leader behavior is grounded in positive psychological qualities and strong ethics

 Four authentic leadership components:  Self-awareness

 Internalized moral perspective

 Balanced processing

 Relational transparency

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Practical Approaches to Authentic Leadership (1 of 2)

 Bill George (2003, 2007)  Leader characteristic model

 Leaders have genuine desire to serve others

 Five characteristics of authentic leaders • Understand their purpose

• Strong values

• Trusting relationships

• Self-discipline

• Act from the heart (mission)

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Practical Approaches to Authentic Leadership (2 of 2)

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Theoretical Approaches to Authentic Leadership

Recent Research Spurred By  Leadership summit publications (2005)

 Social upheaval and desire for leadership that serves the common good

 Need to explore meaning of authentic leadership and create theoretical framework

 Need to define the construct of authentic leadership

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Definition of Authentic Leadership

“A pattern that draws upon and promotes both positive psychological capacities and a positive ethical climate, to foster greater self-awareness, an internalized moral perspective, balanced processing of information, and relational transparency on the part of leaders working with followers, fostering positive self-development.”

-Walumbwa, Avolio, Gardner, Wernsing, and Peterson (2008)

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Basic Model of Authentic Leadership

Four Components  Self-awareness

 Reflecting on one’s core values, identity, emotions, motives  Being aware of and trusting one’s own feelings

 Internalized moral perspective  Self-regulatory process using internal moral standards to

guide behavior  Balanced processing

 Ability to analyze information objectively and explore other people’s opinions before making a decision

 Relational transparency  Being open and honest in presenting one’s true self to

others

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Factors That Influence Authentic Leadership (1 of 2)

 Positive psychological capacities  Confidence  Hope  Optimism  Resilience

 Moral Reasoning Capacities  Deciding right and wrong  Promoting justice, greater good of the organization or community

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Factors That Influence Authentic Leadership (2 of 2)

Critical Life Events

 Positive or negative

 Act as a catalyst for change

 People attach insights to their life experiences

 When people tell life stories they gain clarity about who they are

 Stimulate personal growth

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How Does Authentic Leadership Theory Work? (1 of 2)

 Strengths

 Criticisms

 Application

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How Does Authentic Leadership Theory Work? (2 of 2)

 AL is a complex, developmental process  The practical approaches are prescriptive:

 George (2003)--Five characteristics leaders need to be authentic

 Theoretical approach describes what accounts for AL:  Four attributes  Attributes developed over lifetime, often through

critical events

 Effects on followers:  AL correlates with employee thriving, creativity, hope,

optimism, trust, and engagement

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Strengths  Fulfills society’s expressed need for trustworthy

leadership. Fills a void in an uncertain world.  Provides broad guidelines for those who want to become

authentic leaders. Both practical and theoretical approaches provide a map.

 Like transformational and servant leadership, AL has an explicit moral dimension; focus on collective good.

 Unlike traits that only some people exhibit, everyone can learn to be more authentic.

 Can be measured using an established instrument (ALQ).

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Criticisms  The theory is still in the formative stages, so some concepts in

the practical approaches are not fully developed or substantiated.

 The moral component of AL is not fully explained. It’s unclear how higher values such as justice inform authentic leadership.

 The rationale for including positive psychological capacities as a part of AL has not been clearly explained by researchers.

 New research is needed to determine if AL works well with Millennial generation.

 The link between authentic leadership and positive organizational outcomes is unclear. It is also not clear whether AL is sufficient to achieve organizational goals.

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Application  People have the capacity to become authentic leaders.

It is a lifelong learning process.

 Human resource departments may be able to foster authentic leadership behaviors in employees who move into leadership positions.

 Leaders are always trying to do the “right” thing, to be honest with themselves and others, and to work for the common good.

 Leaders are shaped by critical life events that lead to growth and greater authenticity.

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