“To thine own self be true”: The effects of enactment and life storytelling on perceived leader authenticity

“To thine own self be true”: The effects of enactment and life storytelling on perceived leader authenticity

Although researchers have emphasized the importance of antecedents to the construct of authentic leadership, very little empirical research exists to confirm this notion. Combining theoretical approaches from dramaturgy and narrative research, we were able to identify possible antecedents that help...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Leadership quarterly Vol. 24; no. 4; pp. 477 - 495
Main Authors: Weischer, Anna Elisabeth, Weibler, Jürgen, Petersen, Malte
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Oxford Elsevier Inc 01-08-2013
Elsevier Science Ltd
Subjects:
Authentic leadership
Authenticity
Design of experiments
Leader enactment
Leadership
Life storytelling
Management theory
Organizational behavior
Perceptions
Randomized experiment
Storytelling
Studies
Leader enactment
Randomized experiment
Life storytelling
Authentic leadership
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Summary:Although researchers have emphasized the importance of antecedents to the construct of authentic leadership, very little empirical research exists to confirm this notion. Combining theoretical approaches from dramaturgy and narrative research, we were able to identify possible antecedents that help followers perceive a leader's authenticity. Using two online experimental designs, we analyzed the concept of perceived leader authenticity. Specifically, we examined how a leader's enactment—that is, a leader's physical actions—(Study 1, n=105) and a combination of leader enactment and life storytelling (Study 2, n=334) influenced followers' perceptions of the leader's authenticity, and how this may impact leadership outcomes. The results of these studies, in which leader enactment in the context of authentic leadership was operationalized for the first time, indicate that leader enactment predicts perceived leader authenticity. Life storytelling, however, only partially predicted followers' perceptions of the leader's authenticity. Findings further revealed that followers' trust in the leader and positive emotions are outcomes of perceived leader authenticity. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
ISSN:1048-9843
1873-3409
DOI:10.1016/j.leaqua.2013.03.003