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Which role do authentic behaviour and leadership have in organisations?
What factors in the corporate environment promote authentic behaviour
of managers and employees?
What obstacles prevent employees and managers from behaving
authentically and how might these obstacles be overcome?
Are there cultural differences in authenticity between Germany, Russia, and the UK?
What are the effects of corporate organisational structures on authenticity?
WHY AUTHENTICITY?
Why of all things should we choose authentic behaviour and
leadership as the subject of our study?
Firstly, because we see in practice – in our ongoing consulting
work with several hundred managers a year – what a keen sense
employees have for authentic behaviour and the negative effects
that a lack of credibility in leadership can have in companies.
Even major credibility crises, like the ones VW and Deutsche
Bank are currently experiencing, have been attributed to aspects
of corporate leadership. Many commentators maintain that rigid
hierarchical structures and a culture in which mistakes were not
addressed openly were among the causes of the emissions scandal
at VW (see, for example, n-tv, 13 Nov. 2015: Abgasskandal wird
für VW teuer [Emissions scandal will cost VW dearly]).
Secondly, we observe how difficult it is to allow and live authenticity
in the corporate environment despite all the models and
guidelines put in place by companies. Almost every day, we see
people on the career ladder jettison their own convictions, bow
to genuine or supposed pressure, and find it difficult to remain
true to themselves, pursue their chosen path and make the
right decisions in today’s complex working world.
We are convinced that a paradigm shift is necessary for organisations
to meet the demands of the future. Old habits must
be thrown overboard so that companies are to be steered
effectively into the future. In particular, organisations require a
new leadership paradigm. Start-ups, for example, are showing
the way forward, achieving success with new, more democratic
leadership styles and organisational structures. Similarly, some
established companies have benefited from managers who
challenge conventional thinking and decision-making styles.
We are convinced that authenticity will be a powerful LEVER
for this transformation. On the one hand, an authentic stance
is one of the basic prerequisites for a new leadership paradigm.
On the other hand, this new type of leadership also enables
employees at all levels to be more authentic and effective.
The purpose of our study is to establish the role that authenticity
really plays. We examine the factors promoting authenticity
and the role that authenticity can play in organisations. In addition,
we identify the obstacles hindering authentic behaviour
and leadership, and outline the options for overcoming these.
The results of the study identify promising pathways that can
help organisations move towards a new leadership paradigm. ||
EBERHARD HÜBBE PROF. DR. MATTHIAS SPITZMÜLLER LARS FÖRSTER