Goffee and Jones (2005) describe authentic leadership as the most prized organizational and individual asset as authentic leadership plays a key role in organizational changes by helping employees find value in their work and life and the supporting work environment (Avolio & Gardner, 2005; Luthans & Avolio, 2003). Several studies have examined the influence of authentic leadership on followers in terms of building confidence, creating hope, job satisfaction, engagement, and performance (e.g., Avolio et al., 2004a; Gardner & Schermerhorn, 2004; Gardner et al., 2005). In recent years, the topic of employee engagement in the workplace has gained an increase in popularity as it has been determined that employee engagement predicts high …show more content…
For example, Gardner et al. (2005) suggested that followers who work with authentic leaders also develop authentic followership resulting in workplace well-being and increased work engagement. Moreover, Ilies, Morgeson, and Nahrgang (2005) found that authentic leadership positively affects followers’ behaviors through providing support for self-determination. Furthermore, authentic leaders have “developed the capacity to examine moral dilemmas from several perspectives and make moral judgement calls when confronted with issues that do not have clear solutions” Luthans, F., Luthans, K.W., Hodgetts, R.M. and Luthans, B.C. (2002).
There have been theoretical attempts to articulate the construct of authentic leadership. However, measuring authenticity remains a challenge. Walumbwa et al. (2008) agree with this notion and note that shortage of empirical work on authentic leadership is essentially because of inherent complexity involved in measure authenticity of leadership behavior. In earlier attempts to measure authenticity, Terry (1993) suggests seven criteria to judge the reliability of our partial knowledge about authenticity. These seven criteria are: correspondence,
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
Abstract: There are numerous definitions of leadership, all of which contain elements related to people (the leader and the follower(s)), communicating in person or by the written word, actions (organizing, directing, coaching, and/or motivating), and for a purpose (meeting a goal(s) or accomplishing a task(s)) (ADP 6-22) (Fisher 2015) (Bolden 2013) (Hogan 2005). Additionally, everything done occurs within a given context. Effective leaders are poised, proficient, pertinent, and practical in the application of the art of leadership. This means leaders are ready to engage the group with effective methods and
Good leaders are often recognized for their qualities of genuineness and authenticity. Authenticity is the quality of being real or true. The public perception of an authentic person is the same or
Most people, at some point in time, have desired to assume a position of leadership, in any form or capacity; however, few truly know how to go about it. There are many resources and books to educate someone about leadership, but this evaluation will be on a specific book, Discover Your True North, which is considered by many to be the ultimate book for learning to lead authentically. Bill George, author of Discover Your True North, wishes to equip leaders with strategies and principles to become authentic leaders. Authentic leadership can be defined as when a person leads with intent, considers the success of the entire team and initiative, dedicates appropriate time to all facets of life, and leads with integrity.
There are a wide assortment of definitions and constructs for the authentic leadership, but there are four components that show promise in being the main core of a theory of authentic leadership (Northouse, 2016). Self-awareness, internalized moral perspective, balanced processing, and relational transparency form the basis for authentic leadership (Northouse, 2016). These provide strength to authentic leadership by establishing basic trust, insight, self-control, and self-regulation of one’s own behavior. Authentic leadership shows promise in being able to operate across a wide spectrum, including individual, group, and organizational levels (Peus, Wesche, Streicher, Braun, & Frey, 2012). Authentic leadership also offers steps for individuals
To begin with, “Discovering Your Authentic Leadership”, is a review article which covers the basis on how to become a leader. When conducting the research, researchers interviewed 125 leaders between the ages of 23 to 93. These leaders were chosen based on their reputation for authenticity and effectiveness as leaders, as well as recommendations from other leaders and academics. The groups included both men and women of different race, religion, ethnicity, and social backgrounds. In addition, these leaders varied from CEO’s, profit and nonprofit leaders, midcareer leaders, and young leaders just starting out. After, interviewing and analyzing researchers discovered that these people did not identify with the universal idea of what makes an authentic leader. On the other
Inscribed on the entry-wall at the ancient Greek Temple of Apollo at Delphi are the words “know thyself”. Can a leader be truly effective without knowing one’s self? Although it has roots in previous times Authentic Leadership is a concept that began to emerge in its modern form in the 1960s. It wasn’t until 2003 when Bill George wrote about authentic leadership and its connection to ancient Greece that it became a popular leadership concept (Clark, 2014). Bill George is senior fellow at Harvard Business School, where he has taught leadership since 2004. He is the author of four best-selling books: 7 Lessons for Leading in Crisis, True North, Finding Your True North, and Authentic Leadership, as well True North Groups. His newest book, Discover Your True North, was published in August of 2015 along with its companion workbook, The Discover Your True North Fieldbook. He describes authentic leadership as a style of leading that is consistent with the core values and personality of the leader and one who leads from an honest, ethical and practical perspective. It is through the leaders authentic self, and not just the concept of self but more importantly the actions of the leader and how that is perceived by others that determines whether they believe the leader is authentic. It is through honest relationships and ethical actions that help to maximize the efforts of others in achieving the goal (George, 2016).
Inscribed on the entrance wall at the ancient Greek Temple of Apollo at Delphi are the words “know thyself”. Can a leader be truly effective without first knowing one’s self? Although it has roots in ancient times, authentic leadership is a concept that began to emerge in its modern form in the 1960s. It wasn’t until 2003 when Bill George wrote about authentic leadership and its connection to ancient Greece that it became a popular leadership concept (Clark, 2014). Bill George is senior fellow at Harvard Business School, where he has taught leadership since 2004. He is the author of four best-selling books: 7 Lessons for Leading in Crisis, True North, Finding Your True North, and Authentic Leadership, as well True North Groups. His newest book, Discover Your True North, was published in August of 2015 along with its companion workbook, The Discover Your True North Fieldbook. Leading that is consistent with the core values and personality of the leader and one who leads from an honest, ethical and practical perspective is an indicator of authentic leadership. It is through the leader’s authentic self how that is perceived by others that determines whether followers believe the leader is authentic. It is through honest relationships and ethical actions that help to maximize the efforts of others in achieving the goal (George, 2016).
The opportunities to engage employees in corporate America has plenty of room for improvement based upon this survey. Towers Watson conducts the research in order to provide a benchmark to organizations each year. The survey offers engagement opportunities for sustainable engagement. Towers Watson (2014) defines effective leaders as being committed to an organization’s strategic priorities and modelling its values and culture and perform across four key dimensions and associated competencies: envisioning the future, inspiring others to follow, transforming the organization to achieve the vision, and adapting to changing the internal and external conditions (see Appendix C). Employees appreciate being motivated by the leaders of an organization,
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 so rigidly in the workplace as it may “hinder [one’s] growth and limit [one’s] impact” (Ibarra. 55). The author defines an authentic manager as one who, while remaining true to his core values, is able to adapt to various situations, play politics when required; someone who is able to wear different hats and alter their behaviors and actions to the situation that demands it. He is someone who is not afraid to step outside of his comfort zone, is willing to try different ideas, admit his mistakes and move on to the next project or activity. Furthermore, the authentic manager is able to find a proper balance between closeness and detachment with his employee.
This project outline and proposal explores the subject of leadership and employee engagement. As research for employee engagement continues to grow, we are learning how much of an impact leadership teams affect the employee engagement levels. As we continue to explore the subject of employee engagement, we realize there is a direct correlation between leadership, organizational effectiveness and levels of engagement.
Dale Carnegie (2012) teamed with MSW Research and surveyed 1,500 employees to better understand the key drivers of employee engagement. Based on their findings, the key drivers for engagement included an employee’s relationship with their immediate supervisor, a belief in senior leadership, and pride in working for the company. The attitude and actions of the immediate supervisor can enhance employee engagement or can create an atmosphere where an employee becomes disengaged. Saks (2006) also supported these findings in his research as he found that engaged employees are more likely to have a “high-quality relationship with their employer leading them to also have more positive attitudes, intentions, and behaviors” (p.613).
Leadership theories have been a source of numerous studies in the past few decades. In reality as well as in practice various people have tried their best to define what allows the authentic leaders to stand apart from the other leaders. (Goffee & Jones, 2005). Employees always desire to follow a leader who invests everything of himself in his leadership behaviors. All the followers want to be led by someone real, the main reason is the turbulent times we live in today. We all feel that we are being duped. The growing dissatisfaction with polished, false and airbrushed leadership is one of the main reasons that make authenticity a desirable quality in today’s corporations – a quality that is unfortunately in short supply today. This essay clearly discusses the qualities and responsibilities of the authentic leaders. It illustrates the real life example of two authentic leaders Howard Schultz and Walt Disney,
Mark Attridge (2009) in Partnership for workplace mental health conclude that employee engagement is related to key aspects of company performance and is influenced by many aspects of organizational structure and functioning. Employee’s work behavior is often a reflection of the kind of organizational environment where they are working. Also it’s important to improve employee engagement through effective leadership and actions at the organizational level.