Northouse: Leadership
Chapter 11: Authentic Leadership
- one of the newest areas of leadership research
- focuses on whether leadership is genuine and real
- still in formative phase- so needs to be considered tentatively
- society looks toward trustworthy leadership in recent, tumultuous times
- researchers seek to identify & conceptualize the parameters of authentic leadership
Authentic Leadership Defined
complex process; many definitions, from different viewpoints
intrapersonal
focuses on leader and what goes on within leader
- self-knowledge, self-regulation, self-concept
- authentic leaders exhibit genuine leadership, lead from conviction, original
- emphasize a leader's life experiences and meaning
interpersonal
outlines authentic leadership as relational, created by leaders and followers together
- emerges from interactions between leaders and followers
- reciprocal process; both affect each other
developmental
views authentic leadership as something that can be nurtured in a leader, not fixed trait
- develops in people over a lifetime and can be triggered by major life events
- grounded in leader's positive psychological qualities and strong ethics
Approaches to Authentic Leadership
two areas:
practical- evolved from real-life examples and training & development literature
theoretical- based on findings from social science research
Practical Approaches
books/programs about authentic leadership popular today
people want to know "how to" become an authentic leader
Robert Terry's Authentic Leadership Approach
practice-oriented
focuses on actions of the leader, team, org
leaders should strive to do what is right
in any given situation, leaders must address two core questions:
- what is really going on ?
- what are we going to do about it?
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Authentic Action Wheel used to help get to underlying problems in orgs
- locate problem, select response
Bill George's Authentic Leadership Approach
focuses on the characteristics of authentic leaders
describes essential qualities of authentic leadership & how people can develop them
five basic characteristics:
 understand their purpose- know what they are about, where they're going. they are
passionate, truly care about their work
 understand their own values- behave toward others based on values. clear idea of
who they are, their "true north".
 have strong relationships- capacity to open themselves up and make connections
 have self-discipline- focus and determination, clear standards, helps reach goals
- they are consistent. predictable in behavior, so people know what to expect and
find them easer to communicate with.
 have compassion- heart. sensitive to plight of others, open self, willing to help
Theoretical Approach
still in initial stages of development, but theory is emerging
Background
interest has been around a while, but research is recent
first articles sparked from Gallup Leadership Institute summit
interest in authentic leadership increased during time of societal upheaval and instability
in US (9/11, Enron..)
- need more human, constructive leadership that serves common good
definition- p.262
different models:
Gardner et al; Ilies, Morgenson, & Nahrgang; Luthans & Avolio
Components of Authentic Leadership
self-awareness
- understand self, strengths & weaknesses, reflect on core values
- provides anchor for decisions and actions
internalized moral perspective
- use own moral standards to guide behavior, not outside pressures
- shows they are consistent with expressed beliefs and morals
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balanced processing
ability to analyze info objectively, weigh perspectives before making decision
relational transparency
- open and honest in presenting self to others
- share core feelings, motives, positive & negatives aspects of self
Factors that Influence Authentic Leadership
four key positive psychological attributes that impact authentic leadership
confidence - self-efficacy, belief one can successfully accomplish a task
hope
optimism
resilience
moral reasoning - capacity to make ethical decisions about issues of right or wrong
critical life events - understand own life experiences, makes leader more authentic
how it works
- approach provides prescriptions for how to be authentic
- describes what authentic leadership is and what accounts for it
Strengths
 fulfills society's need for trustworthy
leadership
 provides guidelines to become authentic
leader
 explicit moral dimension
 values and behaviors can be developed in
leaders over time
 can be measured using ALQ- Authentic
Leadership Questionnaire
Criticisms
 no empirical base, not tested for validity
 moral component not fully explained
 researchers question whether positive
psychological factors should be included
 not clear how authentic leadership results
in positive organizational outcomes