Authentic leadership: application to women leaders

Purpose Leadership theories have moved from viewing leadership as an innate trait, towards models that recognise leadership as a social construction. Alongside this theorisation, gender and leadership remain of considerable interest, particularly given the under-representation of women in leadership positions. Methodological approaches to understanding leadership have begun to embrace innovative methods, such as historical analyses. This paper aims to understand how high profile women leaders construct a gendered leadership identity, with particular reference to authentic leadership. Design/methodology/approach Thematic analysis of autobiographies, a form of identity work, of four women leaders from business and politics: Sheryl Sandberg, Karren Brady, Hillary Clinton and Julia Gillard. Findings Analyses reveal that these women construct gender and leadership along familiar normative lines; for example, the emphasis on personal and familial values. However, their stories differ in that the normative extends to include close examination of the body and a sense of responsibility to other women. Overall, media representations of these “authentic” leaders conform to social constructions of gender. Thus, in the case of authentic leadership, a theory presented as gender neutral, the authenticity of leadership has to some extent been crafted by the media rather than the leader. Originality/value The study reveals that despite attempts to “craft” and control the image of the authentic self for consumption by followers, gendered media representations of individuals and leadership remain. Thus, alternative approaches to crafting an authentic leadership self which extend beyond (mainstream) media is suggested.

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View from the top – in women’s own words

Human Resource Management International Digest ◽

10.1108/hrmid-01-2017-0005 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 25 (2) ◽

pp. 25-27

Keyword(s):

Women Leaders ◽

Authentic Leadership ◽

Women In Leadership ◽

The Body ◽

Media Representations ◽

Leadership Identity ◽

Content Type ◽

Representation Of Women ◽

Gendered Leadership ◽

The Media

Purpose This review is based on “Gender, authentic leadership and identity: analysis of women leaders’ autobiographies” by Kapasi et al. (2016). Given the under-representation of women in leadership positions, attempts to uncover reasons why remain of interest. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. This paper uses the autobiographies of four high-profile women leaders to understand how they construct a gendered leadership identity, with particular reference to authentic leadership. Findings The paper reviewed found that analyses reveal that these women construct gender and leadership along familiar normative lines; for example, the emphasis on personal and familial values. However, their stories differ in that the normative extends to include close examination of the body and a sense of responsibility to other women. Overall, media representations of these “authentic” leaders conform to social constructions of gender. Thus, in the case of authentic leadership, a theory presented as gender neutral, the authenticity of leadership has to some extent been crafted by the media rather than the leader. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

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Impact of women authentic leadership on their own mental wellbeing through ego depletion: moderating role of leader's sense of belongingness

Engineering Construction & Architectural Management ◽

10.1108/ecam-02-2021-0143 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Naseer Abbas Khan ◽

Zhang Hui ◽

Ali Nawaz Khan ◽

Mohsin Ali Soomro

Keyword(s):

Women Leaders ◽

Construction Industry ◽

Emotional Exhaustion ◽

Work Engagement ◽

Sense Of Belonging ◽

Authentic Leadership ◽

Ego Depletion ◽

Job Engagement ◽

Construction Sector ◽

Content Type

PurposeLeadership research is of interest to academics and practitioners in the construction industry. Based on the ego-depletion theory and authentic leadership theory, the current study aims to investigate the impact of women authentic leadership on leaders' emotional exhaustion and job engagement in the construction industry.Design/methodology/approachThe data were gathered in two waves using a time lag approach. The responses of 276 women leaders-follower dyads from construction firms in China's eastern provinces were analyzed using a moderated mediation model.FindingsMost of the proposed hypotheses were supported by the findings of this study, which showed that authentic leadership can reduce emotional exhaustion in women leaders and increase work engagement through ego depletion. Furthermore, the leader's sense of belonging, according to this study, moderates the mediating effect of ego depletion.Research limitations/implicationsThis study can help managers, policymakers and human resource professionals think about authentic leadership and its impact on women leaders. Furthermore, ego depletion has an impact on the psychological well-being of authentic women leaders. The sense of belongingness of a leader is critical in buffering the negative effects of ego depletion for women in authentic leadership. Thus, women leaders in construction sector should be encouraged to express a sense of belonging to their followers, since this will improve their work engagement and lessen their emotional exhaustion.Originality/valueThis study is unique in that it examines the authentic behavior of women leaders in the Chinese construction sector, which is a challenging profession for women to work in as site managers. This study contributes to the literature on women in leadership by demonstrating how authentic leadership behavior influences the wellbeing and engagement of leaders. In addition, the study indicated that the effect of the mediator (ego depletion) and moderator (leader sense of belongingness) on the relationship between women's authentic leadership and the leader's own psychological wellbeing and job engagement was significant.

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Authentic leadership: Women leaders in Serbia

Bizinfo Blace ◽

10.5937/bizinfo2002033d ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 33-45

Author(s):

Sandra Dramićanin ◽

Snežana Mihajlov ◽

Nebojša Pavlović

Keyword(s):

Women Leaders ◽

Leadership Style ◽

Work Experience ◽

Authentic Leadership ◽

Bachelor's Degree ◽

The Other ◽

Self Awareness ◽

Leadership Potential ◽

Moral Principles ◽

The Republic

Authentic leaders are people who are aware of themselves and own capabilities, who respect other people's opinions, perspectives and attitudes (about business and them as leaders), who are guided by high moral principles and practice transparency in business and communication with other employees. The aim of this research is to show are the women leaders in Serbia belong to the authentic type of leader and which of the characteristics of the authentic leader is the most common among them. In the research 113 women leaders from various activities from the territory of the Republic of Serbia participated. Of the total number of respondents, 31 results show an authentic leadership style, while only 3 results show a strong authentic style. Self-awareness is a dimension that stands out in relation to the other three and characterizes the largest number of women leaders. Further analysis showed that the greatest leadership potential in terms of authentic leadership has women who deal with services, have between 36-45 years and 10-15 years of work experience in the business in which they are engaged and have Bachelor's degree. The society in Serbia is such that it prefers male leaders, the goal of this research is to show that women are excellent leaders based on their characteristics and to have the predisposition to become great authentic leaders.

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Women’s Leadership in Southeast Asia: Examining the Authentic Leadership Implementation Potency

Policy & Governance Review ◽

10.30589/pgr.v4i2.275 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

pp. 116

Author(s):

Fajar Apriani ◽

Dini Zulfiani

Keyword(s):

Southeast Asia ◽

Women Leaders ◽

Authentic Leadership ◽

Current System ◽

Southeast Asian ◽

Women's Leadership ◽

Leadership Role ◽

Asian Women ◽

Public Confidence ◽

Strategic Support

Rapid economic growth in Asia has helped reduce gender inequality in several countries, especially those in Southeast Asia. This has led, among many other things, to the fact that women have higher opportunities to become leaders. Yet, in Southeast Asia the biggest challenge that remains is the tendency of “untrained” women in public leadership. Then the birth of women needs to get strategic support from the current system of leadership culture, that good life for women is the main pillar of women’s leadership requirements. This paper discusses the opportunities present for preparing Southeast Asian women to become future leaders from a number of authentic leader characteristics that they have. By using the content analysis method, the preliminary findings of this study is the existence of better gender relations, accompanied by the resilience and pragmatism of today’s location communities, bringing Southeast Asian women to a promising future leadership role. A number of characteristics of authentic leaders that have become the basis of women’s identity are actually the main capital to be prepared further through a number of educational efforts, assistance and training in order to increase knowledge, insight, organizational skills and self- confidence. Next, women leaders must be made. Women’s willingness and ability to adapt and develop stronger skills in the areas of emotional intelligence, empowerment, and power of influence place them in a strong position to use these advantages to propel them forward in leadership roles. Southeast Asian countries, especially those with a low human development index, have to begin to open up the need for a state led by women leaders who have the potential to represent a number of authentic leadership criteria to respond to the crisis of public confidence in the country’s leadership.

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Authentic Talent Development in Women Leaders Who Opted Out: Discovering Authenticity, Balance, and Challenge through the Kaleidoscope Career Model

Administrative Sciences ◽

10.3390/admsci11020060 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 60

Author(s):

Jennifer Knowles ◽

Lisa Mainiero

Keyword(s):

Women Leaders ◽

Authentic Leadership ◽

Shared Vision ◽

Leadership Practices Inventory ◽

Social Structures ◽

Human Resource Professionals ◽

Opt Out ◽

Career Model ◽

Career Motives ◽

Quantitative And Qualitative Methods

We investigated the parameters of authenticity, balance, and challenge as viewed through the lens of the Kaleidoscope Career Model to discern the career motives of women who opted out and then returned to the workforce. We also were interested in comparing women and men in their leader practices. We triangulated quantitative and qualitative methods to explore these phenomena. First, in Study 1, 2009 individuals completed both the Kaleidoscope Career Self Inventory (the KCSI) as well as an abbreviated version of Kouzes and Posner’s Leadership Practices Inventory (the LPI). Participants rated their needs for authenticity, balance, and challenge on the KCSI as well as their leader practices of challenging the process, inspiring a shared vision, modeling the way, enabling others to act, and Encouraging the Heart. Women were found to exceed the leader practices of men, and women were most interested in authenticity. In Study 2, situational mapping and life history process was used to determine themes of eight high-achieving women who opted out. We interviewed an additional 15 women to deeply understand and assess their opt-out and re-entry experiences as well as “career shocks” they experienced upon returning to the workforce. Our second study offers a robust, deep, penetrating look into social ascription processes and endemic discriminatory social structures that hold women back from achieving advancement. To stop this “brain drain” of talent, we propose a series of actions for human resource professionals to develop the authentic leadership talent of women who reenter the workforce.

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Authentische Führung

Zeitschrift für Arbeits- und Organisationspsychologie A&O ◽

10.1026/0932-4089/a000268 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 62 (3) ◽

pp. 142-160

Author(s):

Luise Franke-Bartholdt ◽

Dirk Frömmer ◽

Jürgen Wegge ◽

Anja Strobel

Keyword(s):

Authentic Leadership ◽

Leader Member Exchange ◽

Member Exchange

Zusammenfassung. Zur Erfassung authentischer Führung fehlt im deutschen Sprachraum ein transparent validiertes Messverfahren. Der vorliegende Beitrag soll mit einer deutschen Adaption des Authentic Leadership Inventory von Neider und Schriesheim (2011) diese Lücke schließen. Nach der Übersetzung des Originals wurde das Deutsche Inventar Authentischer Führung (DIAF) in drei Stichproben (Ngesamt = 705) geprüft und modifiziert. In konfirmatorischen Faktorenanalysen konnte die theoretisch postulierte Binnenstruktur mit vier Komponenten bestätigt werden: Selbstbewusstheit, Transparenz in Beziehung zu anderen, verinnerlichte moralische Perspektive und ausgewogene Informationsverarbeitung. Die internen Konsistenzen der Gesamtskala (16 Items) und Einzelkomponenten lagen im guten bis sehr guten Bereich. Es wurden erwartungskonforme Zusammenhänge zu anderen Führungsskalen gefunden (positive Korrelationen zu ethischer Führung und Leader Member Exchange, negative Korrelationen zu destruktiver Führung). Das Instrument zeigte bedeutsame Zusammenhänge zu zentralen organisationalen Ergebniskriterien (Wohlbefinden, Arbeitsengagement, individuelle Leistung) und inkrementelle Validität über andere Führungsskalen hinaus. Insgesamt kann das DIAF als ökonomisches und valides Verfahren zur Erfassung authentischer Führung eingesetzt werden.

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