Our century is an era of globalization and constant changes that touch on all spheres of human activity. Changes have occurred, in particular, in the field of leadership philosophy. The bureaucratic approach characteristic of the 20th century has been replaced by the concept of authenticity.
If earlier leaders were perceived as a group of managers whose will must be fulfilled impeccably, now the concept of “authentic leadership” is used, which has much in common with sincerity and trust. The leader of the new generation should not only be a competent manager but also be able to gain the trust of subordinates. An authentic leader puts the quality of life in the first place, creating conditions for employees to develop fully.
The problem of authentic leadership began to be actively discussed in literature at the turn of the 20th-21st centuries. Interest in it is associated with a crisis of leadership in various fields ‑ political, state, business, education, and religion. Confidence in leaders is constantly declining; this is especially true for political and business executives. According to a Gallup Institute survey, only 22 percent of Americans trust business leaders, and the level of trust in political leaders is even lower (Bishop, 2013).
Loss of trust poses a risk to the entire political and socioeconomic system and is a challenge for researchers of leadership in psychology and organizational sciences. Restoring a positive attitude towards leaders, according to scientists and practitioners, is possible through the formation of authentic leadership (Bishop, 2013). Turning to the concept of authentic leadership requires clarifying the concepts of authenticity, authentic leader, authentic leadership, and its development.
Authentic leadership is seen as a reaction to criticism of the theory of transformational leadership, namely such a component as the so-called idealized influence. The idealized influence (Charisma-based leadership) suggests that a leader becomes so attractive to followers that they seek to imitate him. Encouraging imitation can form a dependence on the leader, and unethical leaders can use it to manipulate employees (Datta, 2015). In the 21st century, charismatic leadership can no longer be effective.
People change, and very often they are more qualified than their leaders; members of the organization are interested in meaningful and conceptualized work, and they are no longer satisfied with leaders who see employees as a tool for generating profit. Members of the organization expect recognition of their value, trust, and respect, and authentic leadership is intended to provide it.
Authenticity is interpreted as the degree of conformity to one’s values, one’s character, and spirit, despite the pressure of external circumstances compelling one to act contrary to oneself. An authentic person is characterized by a coordinated, holistic, interconnected manifestation of basic psychological processes and mechanisms, the ability to abandon social roles in communication; he demonstrates his true emotions and behavior (Datta, 2015).
About leadership, the concept of authenticity was first applied in sociology and education, and the researchers focused on the negative aspects of the lack of authenticity. The sociologist Simon considered the lack of authenticity as exceptional plasticity of the leader, adjusting to the requirements of social roles (Simon as cited in Hollis, 2018).
Henderson and Hoy have been described as unauthentic leaders in education those who were demonstrating an excessive commitment to stereotypes and leadership role requirements (Henderson and Hoy as cited in Hollis, 2018). Currently, researchers are guided by a more positive approach to understanding leadership authenticity.
George describes authentic leaders as having a clear picture of themselves, recognizing their strengths and weaknesses, values, and principles (George, 2007). They are consistent in the implementation of their principles, despite the pressure of external circumstances, and such a sequence makes authentic leaders attractive to other people.
George identifies six dimensions in leadership authenticity: the growth of self-awareness; following own values; balance of extrinsic and intrusive motivation; creating a support team; maintaining the integrity of the person; understanding of own aspirations and leadership goals (George, 2007).
Thus, the authenticity of a leader is a multi-parameter construct and a multi-level phenomenon that can be considered at an individual, group, and organizational level. Authentic leadership assumes the existence of a special relationship of the leader with subordinates ‑ open, honest, trusting.
Caza and Jackson summarized the conditions that influence the development of authentic leadership. These include organizational and personality factors (Caza and Jackson as cited in Hollis, 2018). For example, organizational variables include a supportive and positive organizational context. In turn, personality factors include role models, learning, personal history, interpretation of past events, a high level of moral development, well-developed psychological abilities, trust in others, emotional intelligence, positive self-perception, honesty (Covelli & Mason, 2017).
Gardner believes that authentic leadership creates a more favorable organizational climate that fosters the development of authentic leaders and followers (Gardner as cited in Abraham & Duraisamy, 2015). An authentic leader must have a high level of emotional intelligence: the ability to understand own strengths and weaknesses, values and motives, the ability to understand the emotional state of other people, the ability to establish and manage relationships, etc.
One of the clearest examples of authentic leadership is Elon Musk ‑ one of the most unusual and progressively minded entrepreneurs of our time. His openness and willingness to constantly reject beaten paths for the sake of new opportunities made him who he is. He positively accepts constructive criticism, speaks openly with employees about any problems in the company.
Musk created an open and trusting atmosphere in his companies, which is very important for the existence of his projects. He inspires and motivates, at the same time understanding the emotions of his employees and trying to find an appropriate approach in difficult situations.
Unfortunately, my authentic leadership skills are far from the skills of Elon Musk. Although I strictly adhere to ethical principles in business, I am not always ready for an honest and open discussion of problems. Moreover, I often lack an understanding of other people’s emotions, which indicates the need to develop my emotional intelligence in terms of understanding emotions. I have an internal understanding that if a person builds relations on an equal footing, which is characteristic of an emotionally competent person, then the communication partner is more willing to cooperate; the position of “equal” allows resolving conflicts more effectively.
However, sometimes, in the event of an emergency, I resort to my authority about other people, which, although it ensures the execution of work on a specific project within the framework of the requirements, nevertheless harms relations and future cooperation. Accordingly, I need to develop empathy and social skills and strive to achieve a reasonable balance between flexibility and openness.
In general, characterizing authentic leadership, it can be said that this concept reflects the essence of leadership itself rather than a new idea in its interpretation. This is a necessary leadership style in the era of dominance of the concept of sustainable development of society and business.
It should be noted that authentic leadership is not the prerogative of the CEO alone ‑ the head of the department or team should also adhere to the principles of authentic leadership mentioned above. Briefly formulated, the task of such leaders is as follows: Authentic leaders work on the well-being of their own, organizations, and society.
References
Abraham, V. C & Duraisamy, S. (2015). Authentic leadership style. Intercontinental Journal of Marketing Research Review, 3(10), 24-30.
Bishop, W. H. (2013). Defining the authenticity in authentic leadership. The Journal of Values-Based Leadership, 6(1), Article 7.
Covelli, B. J. & Mason, I. (2017). Linking theory to practice: Authentic leadership. Academy of Strategic Management Journal, 16(3), 1-10.
Datta, B. (2015). Assessing the effectiveness of authentic leadership. International Journal of Leadership Studies, 9(1), 62-75.
George, B. (2007). Authentic leadership: rediscovering the secrets to creating lasting value. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Hollis, N. T. (2018). Blueprint for engagement: Authentic leadership. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.