Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION
In the last decade, highly publicized corporate scandals, (e.g., Bernie Madoff, Enron, Pacific Gas and Electric), unethical management and illegal behavior together with broader social and economic challenges have turned public and academic attention toward the behavior of individual organizational leaders. In response to repeated unethical lapses by highly visible leaders, the general public is demanding greater accountability, calling for positive forms of leadership in organizations in order to restore confidence in our social institutions (Avolio, & Gardner, 2005; Walumbwa, Avolio, Gardner, Wernsing, & Peterson, 2007; Gardner, Cogliser, Davis, Mathew, & Dickens, 2011). A theory of authentic
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(3) There is space in the literature to study and compare follower and leader perceptions of authenticity.
Defining authentic leadership has been of great interest in the field and has made for a starting point in measuring and operationalizing the concept. Currently accepted definitions of authenticity in leadership generally include some variation of a deep sense of self-awareness and intrapersonal congruence. Beyond those general characteristics there is not a widely accepted parsimonious definition of authentic leadership (Avolio, Gardner, Walumbwa, Luthans, & May, 2004; Avolio, Luthans, Walumbwa, 2004; Erickson, 1995; Hansen, Ropo, 2007; Harter 2002; Luthans & Avolio, 2003; Shledon, Gunz, Schachtman, 2012; Wang, Hsieh, 2013). For example, one study states that the “initial conceptualization [of authentic leadership] is obviously multi-dimensional…It contains elements from diverse domains-traits, states, behaviors, contexts, and attributions…Moreover, the observers or perspective involved vary from leader, to followers (at various ‘distances’), to possibly additional observers” (Cooper, Scandura, & Schriesheim, 2005, p.478). The authors also suggest identifying the key dimensions of authentic leadership to create a theoretically-based definition of the construct. Multiple conceptualizations of the same construct
Herminia Ibarra’s article in the Harvard Business review titled “The Authenticity Paradox” presents an interesting perspective on leadership. She emphasizes the importance of authenticity as an effective leadership tool, but cautions against an oversimplified understanding of the term. Authenticity is often associated with integrity and being honest and true to oneself, which according to Ibarra, should not be interpreted as such in the workplace. The author defines an authentic managers as one who, while remaining true to his values, is able to adapt to various situations, is able to balance closeness and detachment with his employee. The authentic manager is someone who steps outside of his comfort zone, is willing to try different ideas, admit his mistakes and move on to the next project or activity.
Three weaknesses of authentic leadership are: lack of trust demonstrated from top to bottom and vice versa, a lack of development due to the infancy of this theory and the pursuit with passion can lead to a blind pursuit. Trust must be given in order to receive it, if managers are not being fully authentic with their employees, the trust and level of commitment expected will never be reciprocated. Although John usually displays this trust to his team, he is only human and at times, as with any other manager or person, people are not trustworthy. For example for years, Big Hospital has preached that everyone is a family, yet, due to certain circumstances, there had to be a lot of layoffs, and whether granted or not, this is looked as being deceitful or not being honest with your employees. The second weakness of authentic leadership can be related to its infancy and its lack of leadership development. Fusco, T. (2016, p.119) argues that the next challenging frontier is to establish genuine leadership development. Often times, leadership seems to simply fit someone’s personality, however, leaders must continue to read and develop oneself to become a better leader, either through experiences or personal training. Big Hospital provides continued training for all its employees, and although some may take it more than others, employees are often encouraged to take training classes. Lastly, the third weakness of this theory is that of a “blind pursuit” or following an idea with
I believe my former manager was authentic in his effort to be a company man. He was for the organization and concerned mostly about building morale during a time that the Cuyahoga County was freezing pay raises and promotions. Morale was at a low point and as a result job performances suffered. Employees began to be okay with doing the minimum or what was required and nothing more. Our department meetings were bombarded with the “be glad you got a job theme,” and that got old very quickly. My manager tried to infuse in our meetings some humor and come up with ways to keep us engaged and interested, but in my opinion failed on all accounts to build morale. As a matter of fact, most people spent more time looking for jobs and writing
I want to practice genuine leadership in my art education business in future. In order to achieve this goal, I should be aware of my limitations, emotions, and strengths. My behavior will not differ when in public or in private, since I do not intent to hide my mistakes in fear of appearing weak. As an authentic leader, I will be driven by my objectives and I will always focus on the results. The mission of all the project I lead will always come before my interests. I will always pursue result and not power, money or ego. Furthermore, my intention will be to lead
Importance Of Leaders’ Exercise Professional Advocacy And Authenticity As Well As Power And Influence When Working With
In the work place today records show a study of unethical behaviors taking place in the area of professional organizations. This has been a growing problem among a different variety of businesses and corporations. The problem with these issues being brought to the public is that it brings a negative outlook on the company as a whole. The words “crook” and “fraud” have been slanted towards some of our countries fortune five hundred companies and most respected business partners in the market. There are many reasons as to why these fraudulent acts are now relevant to the Medias eye, but none of them are helping these businesses reputation of leadership within corporations. Issues such as Improper handling of funds /theft, mistreatment of
In brief, authentic leadership is defined as a “leadership that emphasizes building the leader 's legitimacy through honest relationships with followers which value their input and are built on an ethical foundation” (Authentic Leadership, n.d.). As leaders, they create close, trusting bonds with their followers through their transparency and their drive to serve their followers (Northouse, 2016). Practical approaches to authentic leadership are linked to a set of five initial characteristics that individuals need to possess. These include motivation, well developed values, strong relational connections, self-control and passion (Northouse,
Authentic leadership is a strong influence on the caring leadership model. Authentic leadership is one of the most recent leadership approaches (Northouse, 2013), nevertheless, leadership scholars do not have a single accepted definition of this leadership approach. The first leadership summit with a focus on authentic leadership development was held at the University of Nebraska (Northouse, 2013). However, the first article regarding authentic leadership development was written by Bruce Avolio and Fred Luthans in 2003 (Northouse, 2013), who are credited with inspiring interest in this leadership approach. Avolio, Gardner, Walumbwa, Luthans, and May (2004a) state that authentic leadership stresses integrity, honesty, and high moral values
It encourages leaders to be confident with whom they are as people. Every situation is unique hence, should be treated as such. Indeed, the article does not seem to select favorites for leadership positions. Leaders are also empowered to guide organizations through difficult moments. Organizations that have leaders who embrace the values of authentic leadership are assured of ethical actions and practices. Indeed, the article has a way of eliminating the clutter that seems to surround leadership topics today. As such, leaders do not have to fumble about what leadership styles suit them most. For this reason, there can only be a focus on personal development. Organizations can also be assured that their leaders are developing and committed to the work that is before them. This coordination in an organization creates a balance that can assist organizations to plan for the long
The theory of authentic leadership has continued to develop since 1966 (Gardner, Cogliser, Davis, & Dickens, 2011). This is a relative new leadership theory and there is no single accepted definition of authentic leadership (Northouse, 2010). Authentic leadership can be defined using three different perspectives to include intrapersonal, interpersonal, and developmental (Chan, 2005). These perspectives include looking at the authenticity of the leader, the relationship between the leader and the follower, as well as the impact of the leader on the follower. For purposes of this study “Authentic leadership” is defined as
This is a draft paper of the literature review from week one to today. This is ensuring the literature reviews, research sources, and including personal throughs and opinions reflect a comprehensive literature research. It’s also includes the major themes identified in week three mapping. The draft paper helps identifying and considering the theoretical or conceptual frameworks present throughout the literatures. In addition, this draft paper continues to focus and including synthesizing and aggregating the literature, as well as providing a critical analysis of the literature sources as regards to ethical leadership or good leadership. This paper
According to Northouse (2013), “Formulations about authentic leadership can be differentiated into two areas: the practical and the theoretical approach” (p. 255). The authentic leadership approach is a developmental process that grows within leaders overtime. Two theorists perceived authentic leadership is two very different ways. Bill George, who invented the Authentic Leadership Characteristic Chart, believes a leader should focus on a specific characteristic in order to be successful. Robert W. Terry, invented the Authentic Action Wheel, believes leaders should identify the problem first. An effective leader is transparent and self-aware of their moral perspectives.
Herminia Ibarra’s article in the Harvard Business review titled “The Authenticity Paradox” presents an interesting perspective on leadership. She emphasizes the importance of authenticity as an effective leadership tool but cautions against an oversimplified understanding of the term. Authenticity is often associated with integrity and being honest and true to oneself, which according to Ibarra, should not be interpreted as such in the workplace. The author defines an authentic managers as one who, while remaining true to his values, is able to adapt to various situations, is able to balance closeness and distance with his employee. The authentic manager is someone who steps outside of his comfort zone, is willing to try different ideas, admit his mistakes and move on to the next project or activity.
Authentic leadership can be separated into two territories; the functional methodology, which advanced from genuine illustrations and preparing and improvement writing; and the hypothetical methodology, which depends on discoveries from sociology research. Both methodologies offer intriguing bits of knowledge about the perplexing procedure of authentic leadership (Northouse, 2016, p. 197).
During the past few years, many companies have seen their reputations plummet in the wake of various corporate scandals (Julia Shaw & Hillary Shaw, 2010). With this context of an amoral and inept set of global management practices, Julia Shaw & Hillary Shaw (2010) propose the need for a new breed of manager, namely the moral manager. While Eastwood describes that “leadership is an essentially moral act,” he elaborates that there is a disconnection between this notion and the behavior of some business