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CLEAR STANCE,
CLEAR DIRECTION
Why an authentic stance is good for people and organisations
Authentic leadership = good leadership = corporate success?
Unfortunately, it is not quite as simple as that. But there are clear
indications that authentic leadership can help organisations
become more efficient and effective. Equally, leadership without
an authentic stance can cause lasting damage in the corporate
environment.
The results of other recent studies underscore the positive effects
of authentic leadership on a company’s success. For example,
Spitzmüller and Ilies demonstrated in an empirical study
that authentic managers are perceived as more charismatic and
transformational, which should in turn enable them to be more
The study provides clear indications
of the positive effects of authentic
leadership. For instance, 83 percent
of the managers surveyed say that an
authentic leadership stance has a positive
influence on the performance of
employee teams, whereas 77 percent
noted positive effects on their own
performance. Similarly, 77 percent of
respondents assume that, in times
of uncertainty, employees are more
likely to align themselves with authentic
managers. More importantly,
76 percent of the managers surveyed
believe that transformation processes
can be better managed if leaders are
authentic. Overall, 79 percent of respondents
consider authentic leadership
to be the more effective leaders.
POSITIVE EFFECTS OF AUTHENTIC LEADERSHIP
ENHANCED PERFORMANCE OF EMPLOYEE TEAMS: 83%
MORE SUCCESSFUL LEADERSHIP: 79%
IMPROVEMENT IN OWN PERFORMANCE: 77%
ORIENTATION IN TIMES OF UNCERTAINTY: 77%
BETTER MANAGEMENT OF TRANSFORMATION PROCESSES: 76%
Percentage of respondents agreeing with these effects of authentic leadership
When it comes to collaboration within
the company, those surveyed believe that employees (81
percent) are more likely to value authenticity than managers
(58 percent) – an indication that authentic managers are still
having a hard time in many companies, in spite of corporate
leadership guidelines.
successful in guiding employees through change processes. It is
interesting that this applies in particular to employees who, on
average, are more critical of management – the effect of authenticity
on employee attitudes towards managers is strongest here.
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