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I find a supportive social environment – for
instance, similar attitudes or the same sense
of humour – very helpful in acting authentically.
And of course it helps when I have freedom
«
to
act and decide more things myself.
Manager, 44, medium-sized enterprise
about act to a large degree authentically in their day-to-day work;
the corresponding correlation coefficient is 0.46. Coercive power
– i.e. managers whose position allows them to discipline their
employees – displays the weakest correlation in relative terms.
Even though the correlation coefficient of 0.21 is significant and
positive, it is much less pronounced than the other factors.
Professional expertise is substantially
more important for authenticity than
functional power.
This indicates that personal authority and authority stemming
from professional expertise are more central to the experience
of authenticity than power derived from a person’s position in
the corporate hierarchy. This should remind companies to not
rely simply on functional hierarchies and structures. Authentic
leadership is strongest when functional power goes hand in hand
with authority from professional expertise. That is something
that can be taken into account when selecting managers, and
should also play a role in job transfers, training measures and talent
management.
People striving to take on a leadership role in an organisation,
or who already occupy such a position, face demanding requirements.
Substantially more is required of them than simply
“leadership techniques” and management: factors such as inner
stance and credibility are central to leadership.
FEELING OF BELONGING
AND INDIVIDUALITY
There is also a clear correlation between a feeling of belonging
and the experience of authenticity. A feeling of belonging is a
strong driver of authenticity, with a correlation coefficient of 0.47
according to the study. Strong, healthy personal relationships in
the workplace are thus an important factor in encouraging people
to live out their authenticity. If we look at the values individually,
we find that the feeling of belonging is even more important
for the experience of authenticity than the possibility of bringing
one’s individuality to bear in the company.
This makes the structuring of RELATIONSHIPS an important
corporate management task – because relationships (between
members of different hierarchical levels and between employees
on the same level) that are reliable, credible and engender trust
can do much to enhance the feeling of belonging and can have
positive effects on the authenticity of managers.
As regards individuality, the ability to live out personal traits and
idiosyncrasies in the workplace appears to influence the experience
of authenticity less than we might instinctively assume.
The picture changes, however, if we examine how individuality
and the feeling of belonging influence each other reciprocally:
managers who experience both a feeling of belonging and individuality
in the workplace report being most authentic in their
everyday work.
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