Expert answer:Leadership, Management, and Organisational Effecti

Expert answer:Read Case Study 11.1, “Am I Really a Leader?” in your textbook. Answer the three questions at the end of the case study.Directions:Write a three-part essay (i.e., an essay that includes an introduction paragraph, the essay’s body, and a conclusion paragraph) that addresses the assignment’s guide questions. Do not address the questions using a question and answer format.Your well-written paper should meet the following requirements:Be three to five pages in length, which does not include the title page, abstract or required reference page, which are never a part of the content minimum requirements.Use APA style guidelines.Support your submission with course material concepts, principles, and theories from the textbook and at least two scholarly, peer-reviewed journal articles unless the assignment calls for more.
leadership_theory_and_practice___chapter_11.pdf

interactive_lecture_.pdf

Unformatted Attachment Preview

11
Authentic Leadership
DESCRIPTION
Authentic leadership represents one of the newest areas of leadership
research. It focuses on whether leadership is genuine and “real.” As the
title of this approach implies, authentic leadership is about the authenticity
of leaders and their leadership. Unlike many of the theories that we have
discussed in this book, authentic leadership is still in the formative phase
of development. As a result, authentic leadership needs to be considered
more tentatively: It is likely to change as new research about the theory is
published.
In recent times, upheavals in society have energized a tremendous
demand for authentic leadership. The destruction on 9/11, corporate scandals at companies like WorldCom and Enron, and massive failures in the
banking industry have all created fear and uncertainty. People feel apprehensive and insecure about what is going on around them, and, as a result,
they long for bona fide leadership they can trust and for leaders who are
honest and good. People’s demands for trustworthy leadership make the
study of authentic leadership timely and worthwhile.
In addition to the public’s interest, authentic leadership has been
intriguing to researchers: It was identified earlier in transformational leadership research but never fully articulated (Bass, 1990; Bass & Steidlmeier,
1999; Burns, 1978; Howell & Avolio, 1993). Furthermore, practitioners
had developed approaches to authentic leadership that were not evidence
based, and so needed further clarification and testing. In attempts to more
fully explore authentic leadership, researchers set out to identify the
parameters of authentic leadership and more clearly conceptualize it,
efforts that continue today.
11.1 Authenticity
253
254
LEADERSHIP
THEORY AND PRACTICE
Authentic Leadership Defined
On the surface, authentic leadership appears easy to define. In actuality,
it is a complex process that is difficult to characterize. Among leadership
scholars, there is no single accepted definition of authentic leadership.
Instead, there are multiple definitions, each written from a different viewpoint and with a different emphasis (Chan, 2005).
One of those viewpoints is the intrapersonal perspective, which focuses
closely on the leader and what goes on within the leader. It incorporates
the leader’s self-knowledge, self-regulation, and self-concept. In Shamir
and Eilam’s (2005) description of the intrapersonal approach, they suggest
that authentic leaders exhibit genuine leadership, lead from conviction,
and are originals, not copies. This perspective emphasizes a leader’s life
experiences and the meaning he or she attaches to those experiences as
being critical to the development of the authentic leader.
A second way of defining authentic leadership is as an interpersonal
process. This perspective outlines authentic leadership as relational, created by leaders and followers together (Eagly, 2005). It results not from the
leader’s efforts alone, but also from the response of followers. Authenticity
emerges from the interactions between leaders and followers. It is a reciprocal process because leaders affect followers and followers affect leaders.
Finally, authentic leadership can be defined from a developmental perspective, which is exemplified in the work of Avolio and his associates
(Avolio & Gardner, 2005; Gardner, Avolio, & Walumbwa, 2005; Walumbwa,
Avolio, Gardner, Wernsing, & Peterson, 2008). This perspective, which
underpins the approaches to authentic leadership discussed in the following section, views authentic leadership as something that can be nurtured
in a leader, rather than as a fixed trait. Authentic leadership develops in
people over a lifetime and can be triggered by major life events, such as a
severe illness or a new career.
Taking a developmental approach, Walumbwa et al. (2008) conceptualized authentic leadership as a pattern of leader behavior that develops from
and is grounded in the leader’s positive psychological qualities and strong
ethics. They suggest that authentic leadership is composed of four distinct
but related components: self-awareness, internalized moral perspective, balanced processing, and relational transparency (Avolio, Walumbwa, &
Weber, 2009). Over a lifetime, authentic leaders learn and develop each of
these four types of behavior.
11.1 Building Authenticity
Chapter 11 Authentic Leadership 255
Approaches to Authentic Leadership
Formulations about authentic leadership can be differentiated into two
areas: (1) the practical approach, which evolved from real-life examples and
training and development literature; and (2) the theoretical approach,
which is based on findings from social science research. Both approaches
offer interesting insights about the complex process of authentic leadership.
Practical Approaches
Books and programs about authentic leadership are popular today;
people are interested in the basics of this type of leadership. Specifically,
they want to know the “how to” steps to become an authentic leader. In
this section, we will discuss two practical approaches to authentic leadership: (1) Robert Terry’s authentic leadership approach (1993), and (2) Bill
George’s authentic leadership approach (2003). Each of these approaches
presents a unique perspective on how to practice authentic leadership.
Robert Terry’s Authentic Leadership Approach. Terry’s approach to authentic
leadership is practice oriented. It utilizes a formula or guide for “how to
do” leadership. At its core, the Terry approach is action centered: It focuses
on the actions of the leader, leadership team, or organization in a particular situation. The moral premise underlying this approach is that leaders
should strive to do what is right. The framework of the approach serves as
a guide to these actions.
In any given situation where leadership is needed, Terry advocates that
two core leadership questions must be addressed. First, what is really, really
going on? Second, what are we going to do about it? Authentic leadership
involves correctly answering these questions. It includes knowing and acting on what is “true” in yourself (authenticity), in your organization, and
in the world. The challenge for leaders is to distinguish between authentic
and inauthentic actions, and then to commit to authentic actions over the
inauthentic. Unless leaders know what truly is going on, their actions will
be inappropriate and can have serious consequences.
Terry developed the Authentic Action Wheel (Figure 11.1) to help
diagnose and address underlying problems in organizations. The wheel
has six components: Around the top of the wheel are Meaning, Mission,
and Power; clockwise around the bottom are Structure, Resources, and
Existence. The center of the wheel is labeled Fulfillment and represents
11.2 Human Rights Leadership
256
LEADERSHIP
THEORY AND PRACTICE
Figure 11.1 Authentic Action Wheel
g
in
Resources
People, capital, information,
equipment, and time
Mission
Goals, objectives,
and desires
Mission
w er
Po
re
Fullfillment
Re
sources
Power
Energy, motivation,
morale, and control
ru
ctu
e
nc
Existe
Existence
History and identity
Me
an
Meaning
Guiding values,
principles, and ethics
St
Structure
Systems, policies,
and procedures
SOURCE: Adapted from Authentic Leadership: Courage in Action, by Robert W. Terry,
1993, p. 84, and Action Wheel Publishing.
the completion of the process. To answer the questions posed by Terry, two
steps are required: (1) Locate the problem on the diagnostic wheel, and
(2) strategically select an appropriate response to the problem.
The first step, locating the problem, is accomplished by doing an assessment of employees and their organizational concerns. Based on this assessment, leaders can identify on the action wheel the real concerns of the
organization. For example, if employees make comments such as “We seem
lost” or “Nobody cares around here,” their concerns would be diagnosed as
a problem related to mission. If employees are saying such things as “We are
really stretched thin” or “We can’t possibly do what they’re asking us to do,”
their concerns could be diagnosed as resource issues on the wheel. Although
there are an infinite number of possible issues within a group or an organization, the Authentic Action Wheel provides a structure that allows leaders
to categorize various employee concerns into six major areas.
The second step, selecting the appropriate response to the issue, is also
accomplished by using the Authentic Action Wheel. However, in this
phase of the process the wheel is used prescriptively, to recommend a
particular course of action. After a problem is identified, the wheel is used
11.1 Steve JobS Commencement Speech
Chapter 11 Authentic Leadership 257
to encourage leaders to explore alternative explanations for the problem
and to select a response based on that information. For example, if
employees seem to be struggling with issues related to power and who is
in control, leaders may wish to pay attention to the mission of the organization and the goals and objectives of the people involved. Similarly, if
employees are raising questions about the meaning of a particular program, leaders may want to focus on existence because their concerns may
be about the history and identity that undergirds the program. In other
words, the Authentic Action Wheel is used to explore the various possible
responses to a problem and to select the response that comes closest to
solving the issue. Authentic leaders try to address the real problem in the
most appropriate fashion.
To illustrate how the Authentic Action Wheel is used, consider the following story about problems in a high school baseball program.
Troubles began when leaders of the booster club asked for an investigation of the coach because of alleged improper use of funds, favoritism (i.e.,
the coach selected his son over others to be on the team), and violations of
school policy (i.e., the coach allowed a parent with a DUI on his record to
drive players home from practice). The booster club’s concerns made the
front page of the local newspaper, and local blogs and editorial pages were
filled with reactions by parents, former players, and community members.
To analyze the baseball problem, a leader should have asked, “What is
really, really going on in this situation?” An initial diagnosis might have
suggested that the concerns about the coach clustered around issues of
structure (i.e., school policy). Leaders of the booster club thought the
coach violated school policies and wanted something done about it, while
the coach thought his decisions were reasonable and that the booster club
was overreaching its authority. The leaders of the booster club and the
principal had different opinions about the policies governing the coach
and the baseball team.
Using the Authentic Action Wheel as a guide, an authentic leader might
have surmised that the conflict was about power. Who had the power to
make decisions about use of funds, the selection of team players, or which
parents could give rides to students? Using the wheel, a leader should have
explored how issues of power were operating in this conflict. In the end,
because these questions were not addressed, effective conflict resolution was
not attained. Power struggles became even more apparent as the principal
replaced the disgruntled cochairs of the booster club with different parents.
258
LEADERSHIP
THEORY AND PRACTICE
In summary, the Authentic Action Wheel is a visual diagnostic tool to
help leaders frame problems. Leaders, with their followers, locate the problem on the wheel and then strategically respond to the major issues of
concern. The Terry approach encourages individuals to see things differently and more clearly. In essence, this approach urges leaders to be
authentic or “true” to themselves, their organization, and their world, and
to base their actions on what is really going on in the situation.
Bill George’s Authentic Leadership Approach. Although the Terry Authentic
Action Wheel focuses on problem areas, the authentic leadership approach
developed by George (2003; George & Sims, 2007) focuses on the characteristics of authentic leaders. George describes, in a practical way, the
essential qualities of authentic leadership and how individuals can develop
these qualities if they want to become authentic leaders.
Based on his experience as a corporate executive and through interviews with a diverse sample of 125 successful leaders, George found that
authentic leaders have a genuine desire to serve others, they know themselves, and they feel free to lead from their core values. Specifically,
authentic leaders demonstrate five basic characteristics: (1) They understand their purpose, (2) they have strong values about the right thing to do,
(3) they establish trusting relationships with others, (4) they demonstrate
self-discipline and act on their values, and (5) they are passionate about
their mission (i.e., act from their heart) (Figure 11.2; George, 2003).
Figure 11.2 illustrates five dimensions of authentic leadership identified by George: purpose, values, relationships, self-discipline, and heart.
The figure also illustrates each of the related characteristics—passion,
behavior, connectedness, consistency, and compassion—that individuals
need to develop to become authentic leaders.
In his interviews, George found that authentic leaders have a real sense
of purpose. They know what they are about and where they are going. In
addition to knowing their purpose, authentic leaders are inspired and
intrinsically motivated about their goals. They are passionate individuals
who have a deep-seated interest in what they are doing and truly care about
their work.
A good example of an authentic leader who exhibited passion about his
goals was Terry Fox, a cancer survivor, whose leg was amputated after it was
overcome by bone cancer. Using a special leg prosthesis, Terry Fox attempted
to run across Canada, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, to raise awareness and
11.2 The Authentic Leader
Chapter 11 Authentic Leadership 259
Figure 11.2 Authentic Leadership Characteristics
Passion
s
hip
lfSe
ns
tio
Rela
es
s
C
sis
isc
ipli
ne
avior
The
Authentic
Leader
D
on
es
Valu
Hear
t
Beh
Compa
ssio
n
Purpose
ten
cy
dn
cte
e
n
Con
SOURCE: From Authentic Leadership: Rediscovering the Secrets to Creating Lasting Value by
Bill George, copyright © 2003. Reproduced with permission of John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
money for cancer research. Although Terry died before he finished his run,
his courage and passion affected the lives of millions of people. He also
accomplished his goals to increase cancer awareness and to raise money for
cancer research. Today, the Terry Fox Foundation is going strong and has
raised more than $400 million (Canadian) for cancer research (http://www
.terryfoxrun.org). Of the dimensions and characteristics in Figure 11.2, Terry
Fox clearly demonstrated purpose and passion in his leadership.
Authentic leaders understand their own values and behave toward others based on these values. Stated another way, George suggests that
authentic leaders know their “True North.” They have a clear idea of who
they are, where they are going, and what the right thing is to do. When
tested in difficult situations, authentic leaders do not compromise their
values, but rather use those situations to strengthen their values.
11.3 Stock Exchange Leadership
260
LEADERSHIP
THEORY AND PRACTICE
An example of a leader with a strong set of values is Nobel Peace Prize
Laureate Nelson Mandela. Mandela is a deeply moral man with a strong
conscience. While fighting to abolish apartheid in South Africa, he was
unyielding in his pursuit of justice and equality for all. When he was in
prison and offered early release in exchange for denouncing his viewpoint,
he chose to remain incarcerated rather than compromise his position.
Nelson Mandela knew who he was at his core. He knew his values, and his
leadership reflected those values.
A third characteristic of authentic leadership in the George approach is
strong relationships. Authentic leaders have the capacity to open themselves up and establish a connection with others. They are willing to share
their own story with others and listen to others’ stories. Through mutual
disclosure, leaders and subordinates develop a sense of trust and closeness.
George argued that people today want to have access to their leaders and
they want their leaders to be open with them. In a sense, people are asking
leaders to soften the boundary around their leadership role and to be more
transparent. People want to have a trusting relationship with their leaders. In
exchange, people are willing to give leaders greater loyalty and commitment.
As we discussed in Chapter 8 (leader–member exchange theory), effective leader–follower relationships are marked by high-quality communication in which leaders and followers demonstrate a high degree of mutual
trust, respect, and obligation toward each other. Leaders and followers are
tied together in productive ways that go beyond the stereotypical leader–
subordinate relationship. This results in strong leader–member relationships, greater understanding, and higher productivity.
Self-discipline is another dimension of authentic leadership, and is the
quality that helps leaders to reach their goals. Self-discipline gives leaders
focus and determination. When leaders establish objectives and standards
of excellence, self-discipline helps them to reach these goals and to keep
everyone accountable. Furthermore, self-discipline gives authentic leaders
the energy to carry out their work in accordance with their values.
Like long-distance runners, authentic leaders with self-discipline are
able to stay focused on their goals. They are able to listen to their inner
compass and can discipline themselves to move forward, even in challenging circumstances. In stressful times, self-discipline allows authentic leaders to remain cool, calm, and consistent. Because disciplined leaders are
predictable in their behavior, other people know what to expect and find
11.2 Vital Leadership
Chapter 11 Authentic Leadership 261
it easier to communicate with them. When the leader is self-directed and
“on course,” it gives other people a sense of security.
Last, the George approach identifies compassion and heart as important
aspects of authentic leadership. Compassion refers to being sensitive to the
plight of others, opening one’s self to others, and being willing to help
them. George (2003, p. 40) argued that as leaders develop compassion,
they learn to be authentic. Leaders can develop compassion by getting to
know others’ life stories, doing community service projects, being involved
with other racial or ethnic groups, or traveling to developing countries
(George, 2003). These activities increase the leader’s sensitivity to other
cultures, backgrounds, and living situations.
In summary, George’s authentic leadership approach highlights five
important features of authentic leaders. Collectively, these features provide a practical picture of what people need to do to become authentic in
their leadership. Authentic leadership is a lifelong developmental process,
which is formed and informed by each individual’s life story.
Theoretical Approach
Although still in its initial stages of development, a theory of authentic
leadership is emerging in social science literature. In this section, we identify the basic components of authentic leadership and describe how these
components are related to one another.
Background to the Theoretical Approach. Although people’s interest in “authenticity” is probably timeless, research on authentic leadership is very recent,
with the first article appearing …
Purchase answer to see full
attachment

How it works

1. Paste your instructions in the instructions box. You can also attach an instructions file
2. Select the writer category, deadline, education level and review the instructions 
3. Make a payment for the order to be assignment to a writer
4.  Download the paper after the writer uploads it 

Will the writer plagiarize my essay?

You will get a plagiarism-free paper and you can get an originality report upon request.

Is this service safe?

All the personal information is confidential and we have 100% safe payment methods. We also guarantee good grades