http://13.50.150.85/api.php?action=feedcontributions&feedformat=atom&user=JacobammitsoeDTU ProjectLab - User contributions [en-gb]2026-07-14T16:03:48ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.43.3http://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Authenticity&diff=101831Authenticity2021-03-01T14:16:20Z<p>Jacobammitsoe: </p>
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<div>Authenticity may seem as a trivial topic in project management since it doesn’t directly improve projects. Yet, project managers who behave according to their core values will inspire their team members to perform better with more satisfaction and improve the overall organization. This article takes its starting point in authenticity and looks at how personal introspection leads to better leadership and more truthful project management. The focus is very much on Authentic Leadership which has proved to enhance followers well-being, work engagement and job satisfaction. However, Authentic Leadership is merely a description of an authentic person in a position of authority behaving authentically. <br />
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One can not just be an authentic project manager, you must start by being an authentic person in everything you do. Being an authentic person comes first and then the benefits of authenticity will shine through all aspects of your life from project management to fatherhood. This article is not meant as a 3 step tutorial to being authentic, because you cannot become authentic by intellectual understanding only. The hope is to challenge some of the existing views of success and leadership with modern research in this lesser known academic field of authenticity and especially Authentic Leadership Theory.<br />
<br />
We find that many of the “hot topics" in project management such as and “Emotional Intelligence” as well as different “leadership styles” from an authenticity point of view, are just consequences of authentic behavior and we discuss whether charisma is an authentic or inauthentic trait. Although development of authenticity is not straight forward, research has found mindfulness to be very effective.<br />
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<br />
<br />
= What is authenticity? =<br />
Many philosophers and sociologists have attempted to define authenticity since it was first brought up in ancient Greece. The Greeks wrote: “to thine own self be true” <ref> Harter, S. (2002). Authenticity. In C. R. Snyder, & S. Lopez (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology (pp. 382 – 394). Oxford, UK7 Oxford University Press. </ref><br />
, which is a quite precise definition of authenticity - to be true to your own self. We will not go into all the facets and philosophical views of authenticity - which wouldn’t bring us closer to our authentic self - and go with the two main aspects which defines authenticity that the literature generally agrees on: <br />
<br />
* Knowing one’s true self; owning one’s personal experiences, be they thoughts, emotions, needs, wants, preferences, or beliefs.<br />
* Acting in accord with one’s true self; expressing oneself in ways that are consistent with one’s understanding of self.<br />
<br />
Authentic individuals can be said to be “in tune” with their basic nature and clearly and accurately see themselves and their lives. They are self-aware and unencumbered by others’ expectations and opinions for them, and therefore they can make more sound personal choices based on their own true values <ref name="root"> Avolio, B. and Gardner, W., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.315-338. </ref>. Authentic individuals will naturally have high self-esteem, what is referred to as “optimal self-esteem”. Optimal self-esteem involves favorable feelings of self-worth that arise naturally from successfully dealing with life challenges; the operation of one’s core, true, authentic self as a source of input to behavioral choices; and relationships in which one is valued for who one is and not for what one achieves <ref name="kern"> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
<br />
“Measure success based on your inner scorecard. If you base success and/or your actions on an outer scorecard, that is, what others think, your life will be hollow” (Warren Buffett, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, September 30, 2005).<br />
<br />
Warren Buffetts point may be the key point of authenticity in regards to one’s professional career. The achievements or success will not in itself have any value for an authentic person, because the authentic person solely follows his/her core beliefs. “Success” as Warren Buffett points out should instead be measured in the extent one follows one’s core values in life. Failures will also not be seen as a personal failure, rather it can be used as a source of information to guide their future behavior <ref name="kern"> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
<br />
The measurement of how authentic a person is, is typically done through a questionnaire called, Authentic Leadership Questionnaire (ALQ). <br />
<br />
<br />
==Four components of authenticity==<br />
The most accepted definition of authenticity is the four components of authenticity proposed by Walumbwa et al. (2008) <ref name="w"> Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure†. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89–126. </ref>. The components have a certain “direction”, the first component must be learnt before the next component can be authentic and so forth. The descriptions of the four components below is based on the work of Kernis and Goldman (2005) <ref> Kernis, M. H., & Goldman, B. M. (2005). From Thought and Experience to Behavior and Interpersonal Relationships: A Multicomponent Conceptualization of Authenticity. In A. Tesser, J. V. Wood, & D. A. Stapel (Eds.), On building, defending and regulating the self: A psychological perspective (p. 31–52). Psychology Press. </ref> and Walumbwa et al. (2008) <ref name="w"> Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure†. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89–126. </ref>.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Self-Awareness ===<br />
The awareness of self refers to possessing, and being motivated to increase, one’s knowledge and trust in one’s motives, feelings, desires. It includes, for example, understanding one’s likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, goals and aspirations, dispositional characteristics, and emotional states.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Balanced Processing ===<br />
<br />
This component refers to being objective about all what is observed; one’s positive and negative aspects, emotions, experiences and information. Balanced processing involves not denying, distorting or exaggerating information to fit your personal needs. It can be understood by looking at how people with low or fragile high self-esteem select and interpret information. Such persons find it hard to acknowledge personal shortcomings, such as certain skills or personality traits that they don’t like. They will typically develop strong ego defense mechanisms to distort information about their shortcomings. Individuals with balanced processing will not have strong self-serving biases to gain personal success, and will not have strong defense mechanisms.<br />
<br />
=== Behaviour ===<br />
Authentic behaviour means “acting in accord with one’s values, preferences, and needs as opposed to acting merely to please others or to attain rewards or avoid punishments through acting falsely... Authenticity is not reflected in a compulsion to be one’s true self, but rather in the free and natural expression of core feelings, motives and inclinations.” <ref name="kern"> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
This can be seen as the behavioural output of Self-Awareness and Balanced Processing.<br />
<br />
Of course, there will be instances where it will not be appropriate to act on behalf of your core needs and values, because it may not fit the immediate environment. Therefore one must act against the true self, which will lead to a temporally internal conflict. However, unbiased processing and awareness can still be present in such an instance, which would allow one to reflect and learn from the situation. In contrast, if awareness and unbiased processing was not present at that instance, then may not be recognized as an act against one’s values and that would lead to blind obedience.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Relational transparency ===<br />
<br />
A person with high relation orientation will strive for truthfulness and openness in his/her close relationships. It’s about self-disclosure, wanting others to see the “real” you, and the development of mutual intimacy and trust. At the core, it’s about being genuine rather than fake in one’s relationships.<br />
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<br />
=Authentic Leadership in Project Management=<br />
As PMBOK points out <ref> Project Management Institute, Inc.. (2017). Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) (6th Edition). Project Management Institute, Inc. (PMI). </ref>, project managers both need managing skills and leadership skills. Leadership is more focused on the relations with team members or stakeholders, to inspire and guide them. In short, management is about ''doing things right'' and leadership is about ''doing the right things''. <br />
PMBOK points to different leadership styles like eg. Transformational and Charismatic, which “project managers can adopt'' (PMBOK, p.65). However, as PRINCE 2 says a leadership style may work in one situation but be inappropriate in another, which is one of the reasons they will not cover leadership in project management <ref> AXELOS, AXELOS. Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2 2017 Edition, chapter 1.2, page 4, The Stationery Office Ltd, 2017. </ref>. <br />
The same scepticism for the “leadership styles” is found in Authentic Leadership. That is why Authentic Leadership should not be seen as a leadership style, but rather as a “root concept” that forms the basis of observed leadership styles such as above mentioned. Authentic Leadership has gained much scholarly attention in the last decade, perhaps because of the crisis of confidence in today's corporate and government<br />
leaders <ref>Gardner, W. L., Cogliser, C. C., Davis, K. M., & Dickens, M. P. (2011). Authentic leadership: A review of the literature and research agenda. The Leadership Quarterly, 22, 1120–1145. </ref>. We will go through what it is and how it differs from traditional leadership styles.<br />
<br />
<br />
‘if you’re a project manager, provide for quality and truth, and success will come on the back of that. If you just go for success on its own, it won’t work. What I <br />
would like project managers to be able to face the truth, stare it in the eye and then operate by it.’ - Camila Batmanghelidjh <ref> Madsen, S., 2021. Category: Authenticity. [online] Susanne Madsen Intl. Developing Project Leaders. Available at: <https://www.susannemadsen.co.uk/blog/category/authenticity?view=full> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. </ref><br />
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<br />
== Authentic Leadership Theory ==<br />
Authentic Leadership has had many definitions and discussions about authenticity and leadership (for an overview see Iszatt-White & Kempster, 2018 <ref> Iszatt-White, M., & Kempster, S. (2018). Authentic leadership: Getting back to the roots of the ‘root construct’? International Journal of Management Reviews, 0(0), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijmr. 12193. </ref>). Authentic Leadership draws insights from positive psychology and full-range leadership (FRL)/transformational leadership theory.<br />
Authentic leaders are, as the name suggests, authentic individuals, which means that they have high levels of the four components of authenticity. Authentic leaders are characterized as <ref name="Becoming"> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>:<br />
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* they accept their strengths and weaknesses and are highly aware of themselves (1. self-awareness)<br />
* they openly show their emotions and their true self to their followers (2. relational transparency)<br />
* they take others’ perspectives and views into account (3. balanced processing); <br />
* they consistently behave according to their own moral standards and values, i.e., match words with actions (4. internalized moral perspective) <br />
<br />
Authentic leaders are in addition self-confident, optimistic, reliable, and trustworthy. They lead by example and help create a healthy and ethical work climate <ref name="banks">Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006. </ref> <ref>Hoch, J. E., Bommer, W. H., Dulebohn, J. H., & Wu, D. (2018). Do ethical, authentic, and servant leadership explain variance above and beyond transformational leadership? A meta-analysis. Journal of Management, 44(2), 501–529. https://doi.org/10.1177/ 0149206316665461. </ref>.<br />
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<br />
=== Authentic followers/team members ===<br />
<br />
Authentic leadership goes beyond the authenticity of the leader as a person to the relationship and development of the team he/she is leading. The relationships are called “authentic followership” and are characterized by <ref name="root"> Avolio, B. and Gardner, W., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.315-338. </ref> <ref name="real"> Gardner, W., Avolio, B., Luthans, F., May, D. and Walumbwa, F., 2005. “Can you see the real me?” A self-based model of authentic leader and follower development. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.343-372.</ref>:<br />
* Transparency, openness, trust<br />
* Guidance towards worthy objectives<br />
* Emphasis on follower development<br />
<br />
Authentic leaders “lead by example” with complete transparency between words and actions. The open and trustworthy relationship between leader and followers is believed to develop the values and beliefs of the followers over time, leading to “authentic followers”. By increasing their authenticity they will in turn be more transparent with the leader which will benefit the organization <ref name="root"> Avolio, B. and Gardner, W., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.315-338. </ref>. <br />
<br />
Empirical research has found that authentic leadership has a positive effect on followers well-being, increased work engagement, commitment, job satisfaction and behaviors like task performance, creativity <ref name="banks">Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006. </ref> <ref>Hoch, J. E., Bommer, W. H., Dulebohn, J. H., & Wu, D. (2018). Do ethical, authentic, and servant leadership explain variance above and beyond transformational leadership? A meta-analysis. Journal of Management, 44(2), 501–529. https://doi.org/10.1177/ 0149206316665461. </ref>. <br />
<br />
In project management context followers or most likely team members, but still in this case authentic leadership behaviors will foster more authentic team members <ref name="lev"> Levy, L., 2020. The Relationship Between Authentic Leadership in Project Managers and Project Success. Walden University, [online] Available at: <https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=9671&context=dissertations> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. </ref>. <br />
As projects often happen in an organizational context the improvement of the organization can have lasting effects on other projects <ref name="banks"> Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006.</ref>.<br />
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[[File:FollowerDev.png|600px]]<br />
<br />
Figure based on the work of Gardner et al. (2005) <ref name="real"> Gardner, W., Avolio, B., Luthans, F., May, D. and Walumbwa, F., 2005. “Can you see the real me?” A self-based model of authentic leader and follower development. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.343-372.</ref><br />
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== Authentic vs Charismatic ==<br />
<br />
=== Relation to Transformative leadership Theory ===<br />
<br />
Authentic Leadership has been accused of being redundant in leadership theory, because the traits are very similar to Transformational and ethical leadership <ref name="banks"> Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006.</ref>. We will look at the differences of Authentic Leadership to Transformational leadership. Transformational leadership is also considered as charismatic leadership as it has considerable emotional appeal and possesses the ability to inspire (Ergeneli et al., 2007). Transformational leadership behaviors are associated with four categories:<br />
<br />
* Idealized influence: when a leader performs as a role model and shares common <br />
visions, encourages and provides a strong sense of purpose.<br />
* Inspirational motivation: a leader expresses the importance of desired objectives of the organization and motivates.<br />
* Intellectual stimulation: when a leader challenges the normal ideas of followers.<br />
* Individualized consideration: when a leader spends more time teaching and coaching for better performance.<br />
<br />
A transformational leader may have a strong vision they communicate influentially, but that vision and charisma may not always come from an authentic place as they could be imposing their own needs or pleasures <ref>Ilies, R., Morgeson, F. P., & Nahrgang, J. D. (2005). Authentic leadership and eudaemonic well-being: Understanding leader–follower outcomes. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), 373–394. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.leaqua.2005.03.002. </ref>. This seems to correlate with Kernis’s description of fragile high self-esteem <ref name="kern"> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref> as he also mentions narcissists as having a type of fragile high self-esteem that may come from deep insecurities that they are not themselves aware of. This is where authenticity becomes relevant because an authentic leader will not be driven by an inflated ego but by his core values and high morality. Another distinction is that authentic leaders may or may not be charismatic but they will always foster positive development of those around them. <br />
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[[File:TransAL.png|400px]]<br />
<br />
Figure based on the work of Walumbwa & Avolio (2008) <ref name="w"> Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure†. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89–126. </ref><br />
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<br />
=== The (in)authenticity of Emotional Intelligence ===<br />
<br />
Studies have found that authentic individuals also possess high levels of Emotional Intelligence. Gardner et al. (2005)<ref name="emo"> Gardner, W., Fischer, D. and Hunt, J., 2009. Emotional labor and leadership: A threat to authenticity?. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(3), pp.466-482. </ref>, however, questions whether Emotional Intelligence always is authentic. It was shown that Emotional Intelligence was a significant predictor of leadership abilities <ref>Walter, F., & Bruch, H. (2007). Investigating the emotional basis of charismatic leadership: The role of leaders' positive mood and emotional intelligence. In C. E. J. Härtel, N. M. Ashkanasy & W. J. Zerbe (Eds.), Functionality, intentionality and morality (pp. 55–85). Amsterdam: Elsevier. </ref>. Interestingly, emotionally intelligent leaders were seen as charismatic leaders by their followers, regardless of their actual emotional state. Apparently, emotionally intelligent leaders are especially skilled at regulating their emotions to generate perceptions of charisma.<br />
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In that regard the question of authenticity becomes relevant in the case of emotional intelligence, because it questions whether the charisma of an emotional intelligent leader is genuine or if it is acting. If a leader engages in, what is called, ''surface acting'' that is, manipulating others by deliberately changing the emotions displayed, then followers will see it as fake. ''Deep acting'', however, is the effort to change inner feelings to deceive themselves. This type of acting will be perceived as authentic by others, but interestingly the deep acting individual will have a higher felt authenticity than surface acting individuals <ref name="emo"> Gardner, W., Fischer, D. and Hunt, J., 2009. Emotional labor and leadership: A threat to authenticity?. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(3), pp.466-482. </ref>. Nonetheless, deep acting still violates inner feelings and therefore compromises authenticity, despite that the leader may not recognize this to be the case. It was shown in empirical studies that surface and deep acting were more emotionally exhausting than being genuine <ref>Grandey, A. A. (2003). When “the show must go on”: Surface acting and deep acting as determiants of emotional exhaustion and peer-rated service delivery. Academy of Management Journal, 46, 86−96. </ref>.<br />
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= How to enhance authenticity =<br />
<br />
Atuhtenticity can only be enhanced if one somehow acknowlegdes his/her core values and beliefs. In context of becoming an authentic leader or project manager, then very little help is found in traditional leadership training, which merely focuses on a specific set of skills (e.g., goal setting or intellectual stimulation). Authentic leadership cannot be directly taught with methods or ways to behave because imitating those would be inauthentic. To enhance authenticity, it has to be a holistic approach that accounts for the whole person: individual character, values, and preferences <ref name="Becoming"> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>. <br />
<br />
<br />
=== Trigger events ===<br />
<br />
An experience of either positive or negative quality can lead to the development of one’s authentic being. These are called trigger events and can take the form of sudden experiences such as a person close to you passing away, a promotion, reading a book that challenges your core beliefs, forming a relationship, or having an anxiety attack. Such events will “cut through” the perception of self and force one to look critically upon certain aspects of one’s core beliefs and values. This mechanism will naturally allow for personal growth and will increase authenticity <ref name=real> Gardner, W., Avolio, B., Luthans, F., May, D. and Walumbwa, F., 2005. “Can you see the real me?” A self-based model of authentic leader and follower development. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.343-372.</ref>.<br />
<br />
This approach of developing authenticity through trigger events has been conceptualized as a potential training “program” for leaders and managers to push them out of their comfort zone to change their behaviors. It consists of two phases, an exploration phase where participants recognize their ways of acting inauthentically and trying out new ways of behaving. The second phase is an integration phase where participants recognize the benefit of change through the successful behaviors in their life. <br />
This approach is still on a conceptual basis and it would require many resources to actually make such a program <ref> Baron, L. and Parent, É., 2014. Developing Authentic Leadership Within a Training Context. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 22(1), pp.37-53.</ref>. <br />
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<br />
=== Mindfulness ===<br />
<br />
Mindfulness seems to be the best way of increasing one’s authenticity. Mindfulness is simply the practise of being self-aware, open and non-judgemental. Enhancing self-awareness with mindfulness one can more easily discover what is true and false within oneselves <ref name="Becoming"> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>.<br />
Mindfulness training has shown to increase authenticity and well-being. The study found that mindfulness leads to value-based authentic actions, and that the authentic actions themselves leads to well-being <ref>Christie, A., Atkins, P. and Donald, J., 2016. The Meaning and Doing of Mindfulness: The Role of Values in the Link Between Mindfulness and Well-Being. Mindfulness, 8(2), pp.368-378. </ref>. <br />
Mindfulness practices were also shown to enhance authentic leadership in a very comprehensive study of over 1000 leaders. This study showed that leaders with high levels of trait mindfulness were more likely to show authentic leadership behaviors, as perceived by both themselves and their followers. They also found that low-dose mindfulness interventions enhanced leaders authentic behaviors (perceived by themselves and followers). In the study they had leaders do 30 days of app-based meditation, which directly impacted their behavior <ref name="Becoming"> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>. <br />
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<br />
<br />
= Limitations =<br />
<br />
Perhaps the reason why authenticity hasn’t had the greatest impact so far is that it is not a quick fix method that can be implemented. It is not a leadership style that can be learnt, and it might (properly) be a difficult process to accept that certain beliefs are false for instance about one's job or partner. It has a disruptive power that is both its strength and weakness. <br />
<br />
Authentic Leadership can be seen as a very idealized leadership theory, and it is easy to blame other leadership styles for being inauthentic. However, for project or organizational success it might be beneficial to display emotions that are not heartfelt. Gardner <ref name="emo"> Gardner, W., Fischer, D. and Hunt, J., 2009. Emotional labor and leadership: A threat to authenticity?. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(3), pp.466-482. </ref> comes with an example that if a leader announces employee layoffs it would be expected to express empathy and concern for the affected employees, and would most likely be met with anger and resentment from employees if the leader failed to display such emotions. If such emotions are not heartfelt, however, expressing them would be inauthentic. If the employee detects a lack of sincerity the leader may be viewed as disingenuous, thereby undermining his or her credibility with followers. This is the sort of challenge that authentic leaders face in a leadership role, where one might violate one’s true feelings. This example suggests that being completely authentic could have a negative effect on followers and organizations. Here, emotional intelligence might be more appropriate to apply instead.<br />
<br />
Authentic Leadership has been questioned for having fundamental flaws in its "shaky philosophical and theoretical foundations, tautological reasoning, weak empirical studies, nonsensical measurement tools, unsupported knowledge claims, and a generally simplistic and out of date view of corporate life." <ref> Alvesson, M. and Einola, K., 2019. Warning for excessive positivity: Authentic leadership and other traps in leadership studies. The Leadership Quarterly, 30(4), pp.383-395. </ref><br />
<br />
The question also remains if Authentic Leadership applies for project management. A study <ref name= "lev"> Levy, L., 2020. The Relationship Between Authentic Leadership in Project Managers and Project Success. Walden University, [online] Available at: <https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=9671&context=dissertations> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. </ref> didn’t find a significant correlation between authenticity of project managers and project success. This might be because project managers don’t have as much influence as positional leaders, or because project success is influenced very little by the leadership qualities of project managers.<br />
If project success is the only parameter you are interested in, then improving one's authenticity may be a lot of work for a small change. However, further studies should investigate whether authentic project managers positively influence team members in psychological areas such as well-being, felt authenticity, and job satisfaction. These enhanced factors may help the organization in future projects.<br />
<br />
The practise of mindfulness is a great entry to discovering your authentic self. However, critics have accused mindfulness of decontextualising mindfulness from its Buddhist roots, which cuts out the ethics and morals. Instead, it is solely used for practical reasons to reduce stress but without any introspection <ref>Purser, R., & Loy, D. (2013). Beyond McMindfulness. Huffington post, p. 13. Retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/ron-purser/ beyond-mcmindfulness_b_3519289.html. </ref>. Nonetheless, the research shows great results from mindfulness without taking the Buddist tradition into account. <br />
<br />
==Annotated biblography==<br />
<br />
'''Project Management Institute, Inc. (2017). Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) (6th Edition). Project Management Institute, Inc. (PMI)'''<br />
Chapter 3 - The Role of The Project Manager.<br />
The Project Management Institute (PMI) has defined the standards of project management. This chapter looks at the project managers role and compares it to leadership. It concludes that leadership skills are a big part of project management.<br />
<br />
'''Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership, Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488'''<br />
This paper goes through the literature and definitions of Authentic Leadership as well as discusses mindfulness as means of enhancing authenticity. The study is of over 1000 leaders which have been meditating for 30 days, and the paper concludes that mindfulness enhances authenticity.<br />
<br />
'''Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.''' <br />
Very interesting psycological take on authenticity and self-esteem. Kernis proposes an “optimal self-esteem” and compares this to low self-esteem and fragile high self-esteem. It is one of the key papers that started the Authentic Leadership movement, which often cites this article.<br />
<br />
'''Levy, L., 2020. The Relationship Between Authentic Leadership in Project Managers and Project Success. Walden University'''<br />
<br />
One of the few sources that deals with Authentic Leadership in project management context. It argues for why project managers also can be seen as non-positional leaders and that the benefits of authenticity may extend to the organization. He studies the relation between project success and authentic project managers, but finds no correlation.<br />
<br />
'''Gardner, W., Fischer, D. and Hunt, J., 2009. Emotional labor and leadership: A threat to authenticity?. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(3), pp.466-482.<br />
'''<br />
This paper discusses Emotional Intelligence in leaders and the benefits of these skills, but also looks critically on whether Emotional Intelligence can be used to manipulate others by “deep acting”. Authentic leaders score high on Emotional Intelligence so where lies the difference between manipulation and authentic expression.<br />
<br />
'''Gardner, W., Avolio, B., Luthans, F., May, D. and Walumbwa, F., 2005. “Can you see the real me?” A self-based model of authentic leader and follower development. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.343-372'''<br />
<br />
This paper goes in depth of what Authentic Leadership means and how it affects followers. It starts from the definitions of authenticity and then goes on and explains each concept at length.<br />
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==References==<br />
<br />
<references/></div>Jacobammitsoehttp://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Authenticity&diff=101827Authenticity2021-03-01T14:05:08Z<p>Jacobammitsoe: </p>
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<div>Authenticity may seem as a trivial topic in project management since it doesn’t directly improve projects. Yet, project managers who behave according to their core values will inspire their team members to perform better with more satisfaction and improve the overall organization. This article takes its starting point in authenticity and looks at how personal introspection leads to better leadership and more truthful project management. The focus is very much on Authentic Leadership which has proved to enhance followers well-being, work engagement and job satisfaction. However, Authentic Leadership is merely a description of an authentic person in a position of authority behaving authentically. <br />
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One can not just be an authentic project manager, you must start by being an authentic person in everything you do. Being an authentic person comes first and then the benefits of authenticity will shine through all aspects of your life from project management to fatherhood. This article is not meant as a 3 step tutorial to being authentic, because you cannot become authentic by intellectual understanding only. The hope is to challenge some of the existing views of success and leadership with modern research in this lesser known academic field of authenticity and especially Authentic Leadership Theory.<br />
<br />
We find that many of the “hot topics" in project management such as and “Emotional Intelligence” as well as different “leadership styles” from an authenticity point of view, are just consequences of authentic behavior and we discuss whether charisma is an authentic or inauthentic trait. Although development of authenticity is not straight forward, research has found mindfulness to be very effective.<br />
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<br />
= What is authenticity? =<br />
Many philosophers and sociologists have attempted to define authenticity since it was first brought up in ancient Greece. The Greeks wrote: “to thine own self be true” <ref> Harter, S. (2002). Authenticity. In C. R. Snyder, & S. Lopez (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology (pp. 382 – 394). Oxford, UK7 Oxford University Press. </ref><br />
, which is a quite precise definition of authenticity - to be true to your own self. We will not go into all the facets and philosophical views of authenticity - which wouldn’t bring us closer to our authentic self - and go with the two main aspects which defines authenticity that the literature generally agrees on: <br />
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* Knowing one’s true self; owning one’s personal experiences, be they thoughts, emotions, needs, wants, preferences, or beliefs.<br />
* Acting in accord with one’s true self; expressing oneself in ways that are consistent with one’s understanding of self.<br />
<br />
Authentic individuals can be said to be “in tune” with their basic nature and clearly and accurately see themselves and their lives. They are self-aware and unencumbered by others’ expectations and opinions for them, and therefore they can make more sound personal choices based on their own true values <ref name="root"> Avolio, B. and Gardner, W., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.315-338. </ref>. Authentic individuals will naturally have high self-esteem, what is referred to as “optimal self-esteem”. Optimal self-esteem involves favorable feelings of self-worth that arise naturally from successfully dealing with life challenges; the operation of one’s core, true, authentic self as a source of input to behavioral choices; and relationships in which one is valued for who one is and not for what one achieves <ref name="kern"> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
<br />
“Measure success based on your inner scorecard. If you base success and/or your actions on an outer scorecard, that is, what others think, your life will be hollow” (Warren Buffett, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, September 30, 2005).<br />
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Warren Buffetts point may be the key point of authenticity in regards to one’s professional career. The achievements or success will not in itself have any value for an authentic person, because the authentic person solely follows his/her core beliefs. “Success” as Warren Buffett points out should instead be measured in the extent one follows one’s core values in life. Failures will also not be seen as a personal failure, rather it can be used as a source of information to guide their future behavior <ref name="kern"> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
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The measurement of how authentic a person is, is typically done through a questionnaire called, Authentic Leadership Questionnaire (ALQ). <br />
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<br />
==Four components of authenticity==<br />
The most accepted definition of authenticity is the four components of authenticity proposed by Walumbwa et al. (2008) <ref name="w"> Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure†. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89–126. </ref>. The components have a certain “direction”, the first component must be learnt before the next component can be authentic and so forth. The descriptions of the four components below is based on the work of Kernis and Goldman (2005) <ref> Kernis, M. H., & Goldman, B. M. (2005). From Thought and Experience to Behavior and Interpersonal Relationships: A Multicomponent Conceptualization of Authenticity. In A. Tesser, J. V. Wood, & D. A. Stapel (Eds.), On building, defending and regulating the self: A psychological perspective (p. 31–52). Psychology Press. </ref> and Walumbwa et al. (2008) <ref name="w"> Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure†. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89–126. </ref>.<br />
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<br />
=== Self-Awareness ===<br />
The awareness of self refers to possessing, and being motivated to increase, one’s knowledge and trust in one’s motives, feelings, desires. It includes, for example, understanding one’s likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, goals and aspirations, dispositional characteristics, and emotional states.<br />
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=== Balanced Processing ===<br />
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This component refers to being objective about all what is observed; one’s positive and negative aspects, emotions, experiences and information. Balanced processing involves not denying, distorting or exaggerating information to fit your personal needs. It can be understood by looking at how people with low or fragile high self-esteem select and interpret information. Such persons find it hard to acknowledge personal shortcomings, such as certain skills or personality traits that they don’t like. They will typically develop strong ego defense mechanisms to distort information about their shortcomings. Individuals with balanced processing will not have strong self-serving biases to gain personal success, and will not have strong defense mechanisms.<br />
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=== Behaviour ===<br />
Authentic behaviour means “acting in accord with one’s values, preferences, and needs as opposed to acting merely to please others or to attain rewards or avoid punishments through acting falsely... Authenticity is not reflected in a compulsion to be one’s true self, but rather in the free and natural expression of core feelings, motives and inclinations.” <ref name="kern"> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
This can be seen as the behavioural output of Self-Awareness and Balanced Processing.<br />
<br />
Of course, there will be instances where it will not be appropriate to act on behalf of your core needs and values, because it may not fit the immediate environment. Therefore one must act against the true self, which will lead to a temporally internal conflict. However, unbiased processing and awareness can still be present in such an instance, which would allow one to reflect and learn from the situation. In contrast, if awareness and unbiased processing was not present at that instance, then may not be recognized as an act against one’s values and that would lead to blind obedience.<br />
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<br />
=== Relational transparency ===<br />
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A person with high relation orientation will strive for truthfulness and openness in his/her close relationships. It’s about self-disclosure, wanting others to see the “real” you, and the development of mutual intimacy and trust. At the core, it’s about being genuine rather than fake in one’s relationships.<br />
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<br />
=Authentic Leadership in Project Management=<br />
As PMBOK points out <ref> Project Management Institute, Inc.. (2017). Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) (6th Edition). Project Management Institute, Inc. (PMI). </ref>, project managers both need managing skills and leadership skills. Leadership is more focused on the relations with team members or stakeholders, to inspire and guide them. In short, management is about ''doing things right'' and leadership is about ''doing the right things''. <br />
PMBOK points to different leadership styles like eg. Transformational and Charismatic, which “project managers can adopt'' (PMBOK, p.65). However, as PRINCE 2 says a leadership style may work in one situation but be inappropriate in another, which is one of the reasons they will not cover leadership in project management <ref> AXELOS, AXELOS. Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2 2017 Edition, chapter 1.2, page 4, The Stationery Office Ltd, 2017. </ref>. <br />
The same scepticism for the “leadership styles” is found in Authentic Leadership. That is why Authentic Leadership should not be seen as a leadership style, but rather as a “root concept” that forms the basis of observed leadership styles such as above mentioned. Authentic Leadership has gained much scholarly attention in the last decade, perhaps because of the crisis of confidence in today's corporate and government<br />
leaders <ref>Gardner, W. L., Cogliser, C. C., Davis, K. M., & Dickens, M. P. (2011). Authentic leadership: A review of the literature and research agenda. The Leadership Quarterly, 22, 1120–1145. </ref>. We will go through what it is and how it differs from traditional leadership styles.<br />
<br />
<br />
‘if you’re a project manager, provide for quality and truth, and success will come on the back of that. If you just go for success on its own, it won’t work. What I <br />
would like project managers to be able to face the truth, stare it in the eye and then operate by it.’ - Camila Batmanghelidjh <ref> Madsen, S., 2021. Category: Authenticity. [online] Susanne Madsen Intl. Developing Project Leaders. Available at: <https://www.susannemadsen.co.uk/blog/category/authenticity?view=full> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. </ref><br />
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== Authentic Leadership Theory ==<br />
Authentic Leadership has had many definitions and discussions about authenticity and leadership (for an overview see Iszatt-White & Kempster, 2018 <ref> Iszatt-White, M., & Kempster, S. (2018). Authentic leadership: Getting back to the roots of the ‘root construct’? International Journal of Management Reviews, 0(0), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijmr. 12193. </ref>). Authentic Leadership draws insights from positive psychology and full-range leadership (FRL)/transformational leadership theory.<br />
Authentic leaders are, as the name suggests, authentic individuals, which means that they have high levels of the four components of authenticity. Authentic leaders are characterized as <ref name="Becoming"> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>:<br />
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* they accept their strengths and weaknesses and are highly aware of themselves (1. self-awareness)<br />
* they openly show their emotions and their true self to their followers (2. relational transparency)<br />
* they take others’ perspectives and views into account (3. balanced processing); <br />
* they consistently behave according to their own moral standards and values, i.e., match words with actions (4. internalized moral perspective) <br />
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Authentic leaders are in addition self-confident, optimistic, reliable, and trustworthy. They lead by example and help create a healthy and ethical work climate <ref name="banks">Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006. </ref> <ref>Hoch, J. E., Bommer, W. H., Dulebohn, J. H., & Wu, D. (2018). Do ethical, authentic, and servant leadership explain variance above and beyond transformational leadership? A meta-analysis. Journal of Management, 44(2), 501–529. https://doi.org/10.1177/ 0149206316665461. </ref>.<br />
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=== Authentic followers/team members ===<br />
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Authentic leadership goes beyond the authenticity of the leader as a person to the relationship and development of the team he/she is leading. The relationships are called “authentic followership” and are characterized by <ref name="root"> Avolio, B. and Gardner, W., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.315-338. </ref> <ref name="real"> Gardner, W., Avolio, B., Luthans, F., May, D. and Walumbwa, F., 2005. “Can you see the real me?” A self-based model of authentic leader and follower development. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.343-372.</ref>:<br />
* Transparency, openness, trust<br />
* Guidance towards worthy objectives<br />
* Emphasis on follower development<br />
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Authentic leaders “lead by example” with complete transparency between words and actions. The open and trustworthy relationship between leader and followers is believed to develop the values and beliefs of the followers over time, leading to “authentic followers”. By increasing their authenticity they will in turn be more transparent with the leader which will benefit the organization <ref name="root"> Avolio, B. and Gardner, W., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.315-338. </ref>. <br />
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Empirical research has found that authentic leadership has a positive effect on followers well-being, increased work engagement, commitment, job satisfaction and behaviors like task performance, creativity <ref name="banks">Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006. </ref> <ref>Hoch, J. E., Bommer, W. H., Dulebohn, J. H., & Wu, D. (2018). Do ethical, authentic, and servant leadership explain variance above and beyond transformational leadership? A meta-analysis. Journal of Management, 44(2), 501–529. https://doi.org/10.1177/ 0149206316665461. </ref>. <br />
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In project management context followers or most likely team members, but still in this case authentic leadership behaviors will foster more authentic team members <ref name="lev"> Levy, L., 2020. The Relationship Between Authentic Leadership in Project Managers and Project Success. Walden University, [online] Available at: <https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=9671&context=dissertations> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. </ref>. <br />
As projects often happen in an organizational context the improvement of the organization can have lasting effects on other projects <ref name="banks"> Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006.</ref>.<br />
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[[File:FollowerDev.png|600px]]<br />
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Figure based on the work of Gardner et al. (2005) <ref name="real"> Gardner, W., Avolio, B., Luthans, F., May, D. and Walumbwa, F., 2005. “Can you see the real me?” A self-based model of authentic leader and follower development. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.343-372.</ref><br />
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== Authentic vs Charismatic ==<br />
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=== Relation to Transformative leadership Theory ===<br />
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Authentic Leadership has been accused of being redundant in leadership theory, because the traits are very similar to Transformational and ethical leadership <ref name="banks"> Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006.</ref>. We will look at the differences of Authentic Leadership to Transformational leadership. Transformational leadership is also considered as charismatic leadership as it has considerable emotional appeal and possesses the ability to inspire (Ergeneli et al., 2007). Transformational leadership behaviors are associated with four categories:<br />
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* Idealized influence: when a leader performs as a role model and shares common <br />
visions, encourages and provides a strong sense of purpose.<br />
* Inspirational motivation: a leader expresses the importance of desired objectives of the organization and motivates.<br />
* Intellectual stimulation: when a leader challenges the normal ideas of followers.<br />
* Individualized consideration: when a leader spends more time teaching and coaching for better performance.<br />
<br />
A transformational leader may have a strong vision they communicate influentially, but that vision and charisma may not always come from an authentic place as they could be imposing their own needs or pleasures <ref>Ilies, R., Morgeson, F. P., & Nahrgang, J. D. (2005). Authentic leadership and eudaemonic well-being: Understanding leader–follower outcomes. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), 373–394. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.leaqua.2005.03.002. </ref>. This seems to correlate with Kernis’s description of fragile high self-esteem <ref name="kern"> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref> as he also mentions narcissists as having a type of fragile high self-esteem that may come from deep insecurities that they are not themselves aware of. This is where authenticity becomes relevant because an authentic leader will not be driven by an inflated ego but by his core values and high morality. Another distinction is that authentic leaders may or may not be charismatic but they will always foster positive development of those around them. <br />
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[[File:TransAL.png|400px]]<br />
<br />
Figure based on the work of Walumbwa & Avolio (2008) <ref name="w"> Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure†. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89–126. </ref><br />
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=== The (in)authenticity of Emotional Intelligence ===<br />
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Studies have found that authentic individuals also possess high levels of Emotional Intelligence. Gardner et al. (2005)<ref name="emo"> Gardner, W., Fischer, D. and Hunt, J., 2009. Emotional labor and leadership: A threat to authenticity?. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(3), pp.466-482. </ref>, however, questions whether Emotional Intelligence always is authentic. It was shown that Emotional Intelligence was a significant predictor of leadership abilities <ref>Walter, F., & Bruch, H. (2007). Investigating the emotional basis of charismatic leadership: The role of leaders' positive mood and emotional intelligence. In C. E. J. Härtel, N. M. Ashkanasy & W. J. Zerbe (Eds.), Functionality, intentionality and morality (pp. 55–85). Amsterdam: Elsevier. </ref>. Interestingly, emotionally intelligent leaders were seen as charismatic leaders by their followers, regardless of their actual emotional state. Apparently, emotionally intelligent leaders are especially skilled at regulating their emotions to generate perceptions of charisma.<br />
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In that regard the question of authenticity becomes relevant in the case of emotional intelligence, because it questions whether the charisma of an emotional intelligent leader is genuine or if it is acting. If a leader engages in, what is called, ''surface acting'' that is, manipulating others by deliberately changing the emotions displayed, then followers will see it as fake. ''Deep acting'', however, is the effort to change inner feelings to deceive themselves. This type of acting will be perceived as authentic by others, but interestingly the deep acting individual will have a higher felt authenticity than surface acting individuals <ref name="emo"> Gardner, W., Fischer, D. and Hunt, J., 2009. Emotional labor and leadership: A threat to authenticity?. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(3), pp.466-482. </ref>. Nonetheless, deep acting still violates inner feelings and therefore compromises authenticity, despite that the leader may not recognize this to be the case. It was shown in empirical studies that surface and deep acting were more emotionally exhausting than being genuine <ref>Grandey, A. A. (2003). When “the show must go on”: Surface acting and deep acting as determiants of emotional exhaustion and peer-rated service delivery. Academy of Management Journal, 46, 86−96. </ref>.<br />
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= How to enhance authenticity =<br />
<br />
Atuhtenticity can only be enhanced if one somehow acknowlegdes his/her core values and beliefs. In context of becoming an authentic leader or project manager, then very little help is found in traditional leadership training, which merely focuses on a specific set of skills (e.g., goal setting or intellectual stimulation). Authentic leadership cannot be directly taught with methods or ways to behave because imitating those would be inauthentic. To enhance authenticity, it has to be a holistic approach that accounts for the whole person: individual character, values, and preferences <ref name="Becoming"> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>. <br />
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<br />
=== Trigger events ===<br />
<br />
An experience of either positive or negative quality can lead to the development of one’s authentic being. These are called trigger events and can take the form of sudden experiences such as a person close to you passing away, a promotion, reading a book that challenges your core beliefs, forming a relationship, or having an anxiety attack. Such events will “cut through” the perception of self and force one to look critically upon certain aspects of one’s core beliefs and values. This mechanism will naturally allow for personal growth and will increase authenticity <ref name=real> Gardner, W., Avolio, B., Luthans, F., May, D. and Walumbwa, F., 2005. “Can you see the real me?” A self-based model of authentic leader and follower development. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.343-372.</ref>.<br />
<br />
This approach of developing authenticity through trigger events has been conceptualized as a potential training “program” for leaders and managers to push them out of their comfort zone to change their behaviors. Proposed by xx, it consists of two phases, an exploration phase where participants recognize their ways of acting inauthentically and trying out new ways of behaving. The second phase is an integration phase where participants recognize the benefit of change through the successful behaviors in their life. <br />
This approach is still on a conceptual basis and it would require many resources to actually make such a program <ref> Baron, L. and Parent, É., 2014. Developing Authentic Leadership Within a Training Context. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 22(1), pp.37-53.</ref>. <br />
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=== Mindfulness ===<br />
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Mindfulness seems to be the best way of increasing one’s authenticity. Mindfulness is simply the practise of being self-aware, open and non-judgemental. Enhancing self-awareness with mindfulness one can more easily discover what is true and false within oneselves <ref name="Becoming"> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>.<br />
Mindfulness training has shown to increase authenticity and well-being. The study found that mindfulness leads to value-based authentic actions, and that the authentic actions themselves leads to well-being <ref>Christie, A., Atkins, P. and Donald, J., 2016. The Meaning and Doing of Mindfulness: The Role of Values in the Link Between Mindfulness and Well-Being. Mindfulness, 8(2), pp.368-378. </ref>. <br />
Mindfulness practices were also shown to enhance authentic leadership in a very comprehensive study of over 1000 leaders. This study showed that leaders with high levels of trait mindfulness were more likely to show authentic leadership behaviors, as perceived by both themselves and their followers. They also found that low-dose mindfulness interventions enhanced leaders authentic behaviors (perceived by themselves and followers). In the study they had leaders do 30 days of app-based meditation, which directly impacted their behavior <ref name="Becoming"> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>. <br />
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<br />
<br />
= Limitations =<br />
<br />
Perhaps the reason why authenticity hasn’t had the greatest impact so far is that it is not a quick fix method that can be implemented. It is not a leadership style that can be learnt, and it might (properly) be a difficult process to accept that certain beliefs are false for instance about one's job or partner. It has a disruptive power that is both its strength and weakness. <br />
<br />
Authentic Leadership can be seen as a very idealized leadership theory, and it is easy to blame other leadership styles for being inauthentic. However, for project or organizational success it might be beneficial to display emotions that are not heartfelt. Gardner <ref name="emo"> Gardner, W., Fischer, D. and Hunt, J., 2009. Emotional labor and leadership: A threat to authenticity?. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(3), pp.466-482. </ref> comes with an example that if a leader announces employee layoffs it would be expected to express empathy and concern for the affected employees, and would most likely be met with anger and resentment from employees if the leader failed to display such emotions. If such emotions are not heartfelt, however, expressing them would be inauthentic. If the employee detects a lack of sincerity the leader may be viewed as disingenuous, thereby undermining his or her credibility with followers. This is the sort of challenge that authentic leaders face in a leadership role, where one might violate one’s true feelings. This example suggests that being completely authentic could have a negative effect on followers and organizations. Here, emotional intelligence might be more appropriate to apply instead.<br />
<br />
Authentic Leadership has been questioned for having fundamental flaws in its "shaky philosophical and theoretical foundations, tautological reasoning, weak empirical studies, nonsensical measurement tools, unsupported knowledge claims, and a generally simplistic and out of date view of corporate life." <ref> Alvesson, M. and Einola, K., 2019. Warning for excessive positivity: Authentic leadership and other traps in leadership studies. The Leadership Quarterly, 30(4), pp.383-395. </ref><br />
<br />
The question also remains if Authentic Leadership applies for project management. A study <ref name= "lev"> Levy, L., 2020. The Relationship Between Authentic Leadership in Project Managers and Project Success. Walden University, [online] Available at: <https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=9671&context=dissertations> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. </ref> didn’t find a significant correlation between authenticity of project managers and project success. This might be because project managers don’t have as much influence as positional leaders, or because project success is influenced very little by the leadership qualities of project managers.<br />
If project success is the only parameter you are interested in, then improving one's authenticity may be a lot of work for a small change. However, further studies should investigate whether authentic project managers positively influence team members in psychological areas such as well-being, felt authenticity, and job satisfaction. These enhanced factors may help the organization in future projects.<br />
<br />
The practise of mindfulness is a great entry to discovering your authentic self. However, critics have accused mindfulness of decontextualising mindfulness from its Buddhist roots, which cuts out the ethics and morals. Instead, it is solely used for practical reasons to reduce stress but without any introspection <ref>Purser, R., & Loy, D. (2013). Beyond McMindfulness. Huffington post, p. 13. Retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/ron-purser/ beyond-mcmindfulness_b_3519289.html. </ref>. Nonetheless, the research shows great results from mindfulness without taking the Buddist tradition into account. <br />
<br />
==Annotated biblography==<br />
<br />
'''Project Management Institute, Inc. (2017). Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) (6th Edition). Project Management Institute, Inc. (PMI)'''<br />
Chapter 3 - The Role of The Project Manager.<br />
The Project Management Institute (PMI) has defined the standards of project management. This chapter looks at the project managers role and compares it to leadership. It concludes that leadership skills are a big part of project management.<br />
<br />
'''Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership, Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488'''<br />
This paper goes through the literature and definitions of Authentic Leadership as well as discusses mindfulness as means of enhancing authenticity. The study is of over 1000 leaders which have been meditating for 30 days, and the paper concludes that mindfulness enhances authenticity.<br />
<br />
'''Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.''' <br />
Very interesting psycological take on authenticity and self-esteem. Kernis proposes an “optimal self-esteem” and compares this to low self-esteem and fragile high self-esteem. It is one of the key papers that started the Authentic Leadership movement, which often cites this article.<br />
<br />
'''Levy, L., 2020. The Relationship Between Authentic Leadership in Project Managers and Project Success. Walden University'''<br />
<br />
One of the few sources that deals with Authentic Leadership in project management context. It argues for why project managers also can be seen as non-positional leaders and that the benefits of authenticity may extend to the organization. He studies the relation between project success and authentic project managers, but finds no correlation.<br />
<br />
'''Gardner, W., Fischer, D. and Hunt, J., 2009. Emotional labor and leadership: A threat to authenticity?. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(3), pp.466-482.<br />
'''<br />
This paper discusses Emotional Intelligence in leaders and the benefits of these skills, but also looks critically on whether Emotional Intelligence can be used to manipulate others by “deep acting”. Authentic leaders score high on Emotional Intelligence so where lies the difference between manipulation and authentic expression.<br />
<br />
'''Gardner, W., Avolio, B., Luthans, F., May, D. and Walumbwa, F., 2005. “Can you see the real me?” A self-based model of authentic leader and follower development. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.343-372'''<br />
<br />
This paper goes in depth of what Authentic Leadership means and how it affects followers. It starts from the definitions of authenticity and then goes on and explains each concept at length.<br />
<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
<br />
<references/></div>Jacobammitsoehttp://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Authenticity&diff=101823Authenticity2021-03-01T13:35:26Z<p>Jacobammitsoe: </p>
<hr />
<div>Authenticity may seem as a trivial topic in project management since it doesn’t directly improve projects. Yet, project managers who behave according to their core values will inspire their team members to perform better with more satisfaction and improve the overall organization. This article takes its starting point in authenticity and looks at how personal introspection leads to better leadership and more truthful project management. The focus is very much on Authentic Leadership which has proved to enhance followers well-being, work engagement and job satisfaction. However, Authentic Leadership is merely a description of an authentic person in a position of authority behaving authentically. <br />
<br />
One can not just be an authentic project manager, you must start by being an authentic person in everything you do. Being an authentic person comes first and then the benefits of authenticity will shine through all aspects of your life from project management to fatherhood. This article is not meant as a 3 step tutorial to being authentic, because you cannot become authentic by intellectual understanding only. The hope is to challenge some of the existing views of success and leadership with modern research in this lesser known academic field of authenticity and especially Authentic Leadership Theory.<br />
<br />
We find that many of the “hot topics" in project management such as and “Emotional Intelligence” as well as different “leadership styles” from an authenticity point of view, are just consequences of authentic behavior and we discuss whether charisma is an authentic or inauthentic trait. Although development of authenticity is not straight forward, research has found mindfulness to be very effective.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= What is authenticity? =<br />
Many philosophers and sociologists have attempted to define authenticity since it was first brought up in ancient Greece. The Greeks wrote: “to thine own self be true” <ref> Harter, S. (2002). Authenticity. In C. R. Snyder, & S. Lopez (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology (pp. 382 – 394). Oxford, UK7 Oxford University Press. </ref><br />
, which is a quite precise definition of authenticity - to be true to your own self. We will not go into all the facets and philosophical views of authenticity - which wouldn’t bring us closer to our authentic self - and go with the two main aspects which defines authenticity that the literature generally agrees on: <br />
<br />
* Knowing one’s true self; owning one’s personal experiences, be they thoughts, emotions, needs, wants, preferences, or beliefs.<br />
* Acting in accord with one’s true self; expressing oneself in ways that are consistent with one’s understanding of self.<br />
<br />
Authentic individuals can be said to be “in tune” with their basic nature and clearly and accurately see themselves and their lives. They are self-aware and unencumbered by others’ expectations and opinions for them, and therefore they can make more sound personal choices based on their own true values <ref name="root"> Avolio, B. and Gardner, W., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.315-338. </ref>. Authentic individuals will naturally have high self-esteem, what is referred to as “optimal self-esteem”. Optimal self-esteem involves favorable feelings of self-worth that arise naturally from successfully dealing with life challenges; the operation of one’s core, true, authentic self as a source of input to behavioral choices; and relationships in which one is valued for who one is and not for what one achieves <ref name="kern"> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
<br />
“Measure success based on your inner scorecard. If you base success and/or your actions on an outer scorecard, that is, what others think, your life will be hollow” (Warren Buffett, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, September 30, 2005).<br />
<br />
Warren Buffetts point may be the key point of authenticity in regards to one’s professional career. The achievements or success will not in itself have any value for an authentic person, because the authentic person solely follows his/her core beliefs. “Success” as Warren Buffett points out should instead be measured in the extent one follows one’s core values in life. Failures will also not be seen as a personal failure, rather it can be used as a source of information to guide their future behavior <ref name="kern"> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
<br />
The measurement of how authentic a person is, is typically done through a questionnaire called, Authentic Leadership Questionnaire (ALQ). <br />
<br />
<br />
==Four components of authenticity==<br />
The most accepted definition of authenticity is the four components of authenticity proposed by Walumbwa et al. (2008) <ref name="w"> Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure†. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89–126. </ref>. The components have a certain “direction”, the first component must be learnt before the next component can be authentic and so forth. The descriptions of the four components below is based on the work of Kernis and Goldman (2005) <ref> Kernis, M. H., & Goldman, B. M. (2005). From Thought and Experience to Behavior and Interpersonal Relationships: A Multicomponent Conceptualization of Authenticity. In A. Tesser, J. V. Wood, & D. A. Stapel (Eds.), On building, defending and regulating the self: A psychological perspective (p. 31–52). Psychology Press. </ref> and Walumbwa et al. (2008) <ref name="w"> Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure†. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89–126. </ref>.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Self-Awareness ===<br />
The awareness of self refers to possessing, and being motivated to increase, one’s knowledge and trust in one’s motives, feelings, desires. It includes, for example, understanding one’s likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, goals and aspirations, dispositional characteristics, and emotional states.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Balanced Processing ===<br />
<br />
This component refers to being objective about all what is observed; one’s positive and negative aspects, emotions, experiences and information. Balanced processing involves not denying, distorting or exaggerating information to fit your personal needs. It can be understood by looking at how people with low or fragile high self-esteem select and interpret information. Such persons find it hard to acknowledge personal shortcomings, such as certain skills or personality traits that they don’t like. They will typically develop strong ego defense mechanisms to distort information about their shortcomings. Individuals with balanced processing will not have strong self-serving biases to gain personal success, and will not have strong defense mechanisms.<br />
<br />
=== Behaviour ===<br />
Authentic behaviour means “acting in accord with one’s values, preferences, and needs as opposed to acting merely to please others or to attain rewards or avoid punishments through acting falsely... Authenticity is not reflected in a compulsion to be one’s true self, but rather in the free and natural expression of core feelings, motives and inclinations.” <ref name="kern"> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
This can be seen as the behavioural output of Self-Awareness and Balanced Processing.<br />
<br />
Of course, there will be instances where it will not be appropriate to act on behalf of your core needs and values, because it may not fit the immediate environment. Therefore one must act against the true self, which will lead to a temporally internal conflict. However, unbiased processing and awareness can still be present in such an instance, which would allow one to reflect and learn from the situation. In contrast, if awareness and unbiased processing was not present at that instance, then may not be recognized as an act against one’s values and that would lead to blind obedience.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Relational transparency ===<br />
<br />
A person with high relation orientation will strive for truthfulness and openness in his/her close relationships. It’s about self-disclosure, wanting others to see the “real” you, and the development of mutual intimacy and trust. At the core, it’s about being genuine rather than fake in one’s relationships.<br />
<br />
<br />
=Authentic Leadership in Project Management=<br />
As PMBOK points out <ref> Project Management Institute, Inc.. (2017). Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) (6th Edition). Project Management Institute, Inc. (PMI). </ref>, project managers both need managing skills and leadership skills. Leadership is more focused on the relations with team members or stakeholders, to inspire and guide them. In short, management is about ''doing things right'' and leadership is about ''doing the right things''. <br />
PMBOK points to different leadership styles like eg. Transformational and Charismatic, which “project managers can adopt'' (PMBOK, p.65). However, as PRINCE 2 says a leadership style may work in one situation but be inappropriate in another, which is one of the reasons they will not cover leadership in project management <ref> AXELOS, AXELOS. Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2 2017 Edition, chapter 1.2, page 4, The Stationery Office Ltd, 2017. </ref>. <br />
The same scepticism for the “leadership styles” is found in Authentic Leadership. That is why Authentic Leadership should not be seen as a leadership style, but rather as a “root concept” that forms the basis of observed leadership styles such as above mentioned. Authentic Leadership has gained much scholarly attention in the last decade, perhaps because of the crisis of confidence in today's corporate and government<br />
leaders <ref>Gardner, W. L., Cogliser, C. C., Davis, K. M., & Dickens, M. P. (2011). Authentic leadership: A review of the literature and research agenda. The Leadership Quarterly, 22, 1120–1145. </ref>. We will go through what it is and how it differs from traditional leadership styles.<br />
<br />
<br />
‘if you’re a project manager, provide for quality and truth, and success will come on the back of that. If you just go for success on its own, it won’t work. What I <br />
would like project managers to be able to face the truth, stare it in the eye and then operate by it.’ - Camila Batmanghelidjh <ref> Madsen, S., 2021. Category: Authenticity. [online] Susanne Madsen Intl. Developing Project Leaders. Available at: <https://www.susannemadsen.co.uk/blog/category/authenticity?view=full> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. </ref><br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic Leadership Theory ==<br />
Authentic Leadership has had many definitions and discussions about authenticity and leadership (for an overview see Iszatt-White & Kempster, 2018 <ref> Iszatt-White, M., & Kempster, S. (2018). Authentic leadership: Getting back to the roots of the ‘root construct’? International Journal of Management Reviews, 0(0), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijmr. 12193. </ref>). Authentic Leadership draws insights from positive psychology and full-range leadership (FRL)/transformational leadership theory.<br />
Authentic leaders are, as the name suggests, authentic individuals, which means that they have high levels of the four components of authenticity. Authentic leaders are characterized as <ref name="Becoming"> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>:<br />
<br />
* they accept their strengths and weaknesses and are highly aware of themselves (1. self-awareness)<br />
* they openly show their emotions and their true self to their followers (2. relational transparency)<br />
* they take others’ perspectives and views into account (3. balanced processing); <br />
* they consistently behave according to their own moral standards and values, i.e., match words with actions (4. internalized moral perspective) <br />
<br />
Authentic leaders are in addition self-confident, optimistic, reliable, and trustworthy. They lead by example and help create a healthy and ethical work climate <ref name="banks">Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006. </ref> <ref>Hoch, J. E., Bommer, W. H., Dulebohn, J. H., & Wu, D. (2018). Do ethical, authentic, and servant leadership explain variance above and beyond transformational leadership? A meta-analysis. Journal of Management, 44(2), 501–529. https://doi.org/10.1177/ 0149206316665461. </ref>.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Authentic followers/team members ===<br />
<br />
Authentic leadership goes beyond the authenticity of the leader as a person to the relationship and development of the team he/she is leading. The relationships are called “authentic followership” and are characterized by <ref name="root"> Avolio, B. and Gardner, W., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.315-338. </ref> <ref name="real"> Gardner, W., Avolio, B., Luthans, F., May, D. and Walumbwa, F., 2005. “Can you see the real me?” A self-based model of authentic leader and follower development. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.343-372.</ref>:<br />
* Transparency, openness, trust<br />
* Guidance towards worthy objectives<br />
* Emphasis on follower development<br />
<br />
Authentic leaders “lead by example” with complete transparency between words and actions. The open and trustworthy relationship between leader and followers is believed to develop the values and beliefs of the followers over time, leading to “authentic followers”. By increasing their authenticity they will in turn be more transparent with the leader which will benefit the organization <ref name="root"> Avolio, B. and Gardner, W., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.315-338. </ref>. <br />
<br />
Empirical research has found that authentic leadership has a positive effect on followers well-being, increased work engagement, commitment, job satisfaction and behaviors like task performance, creativity <ref name="banks">Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006. </ref> <ref>Hoch, J. E., Bommer, W. H., Dulebohn, J. H., & Wu, D. (2018). Do ethical, authentic, and servant leadership explain variance above and beyond transformational leadership? A meta-analysis. Journal of Management, 44(2), 501–529. https://doi.org/10.1177/ 0149206316665461. </ref>. <br />
<br />
In project management context followers or most likely team members, but still in this case authentic leadership behaviors will foster more authentic team members <ref name="lev"> Levy, L., 2020. The Relationship Between Authentic Leadership in Project Managers and Project Success. Walden University, [online] Available at: <https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=9671&context=dissertations> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. </ref>. <br />
As projects often happen in an organizational context the improvement of the organization can have lasting effects on other projects <ref name="banks"> Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006.</ref>.<br />
<br />
[[File:FollowerDev.png|600px]]<br />
<br />
Figure based on the work of Gardner et al. (2005) <ref name="real"> Gardner, W., Avolio, B., Luthans, F., May, D. and Walumbwa, F., 2005. “Can you see the real me?” A self-based model of authentic leader and follower development. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.343-372.</ref><br />
<br />
== Authentic vs Charismatic ==<br />
<br />
=== Relation to Transformative leadership Theory ===<br />
<br />
Authentic Leadership has been accused of being redundant in leadership theory, because the traits are very similar to Transformational and ethical leadership <ref name="banks"> Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006.</ref>. We will look at the differences of Authentic Leadership to Transformational leadership. Transformational leadership is also considered as charismatic leadership as it has considerable emotional appeal and possesses the ability to inspire (Ergeneli et al., 2007). Transformational leadership behaviors are associated with four categories:<br />
<br />
* Idealized influence: when a leader performs as a role model and shares common <br />
visions, encourages and provides a strong sense of purpose.<br />
* Inspirational motivation: a leader expresses the importance of desired objectives of the organization and motivates.<br />
* Intellectual stimulation: when a leader challenges the normal ideas of followers.<br />
* Individualized consideration: when a leader spends more time teaching and coaching for better performance.<br />
<br />
A transformational leader may have a strong vision they communicate influentially, but that vision and charisma may not always come from an authentic place as they could be imposing their own needs or pleasures <ref>Ilies, R., Morgeson, F. P., & Nahrgang, J. D. (2005). Authentic leadership and eudaemonic well-being: Understanding leader–follower outcomes. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), 373–394. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.leaqua.2005.03.002. </ref>. This seems to correlate with Kernis’s description of fragile high self-esteem <ref name="kern"> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref> as he also mentions narcissists as having a type of fragile high self-esteem that may come from deep insecurities that they are not themselves aware of. This is where authenticity becomes relevant because an authentic leader will not be driven by an inflated ego but by his core values and high morality. Another distinction is that authentic leaders may or may not be charismatic but they will always foster positive development of those around them. <br />
<br />
[[File:TransAL.png|400px]]<br />
<br />
Figure based on the work of Walumbwa & Avolio (2008) <ref name="w"> Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure†. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89–126. </ref><br />
<br />
<br />
=== The (in)authenticity of Emotional Intelligence ===<br />
<br />
Studies have found that authentic individuals also possess high levels of Emotional Intelligence. Gardner et al. (2005)<ref name="emo"> Gardner, W., Fischer, D. and Hunt, J., 2009. Emotional labor and leadership: A threat to authenticity?. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(3), pp.466-482. </ref>, however, questions whether Emotional Intelligence always is authentic. It was shown that Emotional Intelligence was a significant predictor of leadership abilities <ref>Walter, F., & Bruch, H. (2007). Investigating the emotional basis of charismatic leadership: The role of leaders' positive mood and emotional intelligence. In C. E. J. Härtel, N. M. Ashkanasy & W. J. Zerbe (Eds.), Functionality, intentionality and morality (pp. 55–85). Amsterdam: Elsevier. </ref>. Interestingly, emotionally intelligent leaders were seen as charismatic leaders by their followers, regardless of their actual emotional state. Apparently, emotionally intelligent leaders are especially skilled at regulating their emotions to generate perceptions of charisma.<br />
<br />
In that regard the question of authenticity becomes relevant in the case of emotional intelligence, because it questions whether the charisma of an emotional intelligent leader is genuine or if it is acting. If a leader engages in, what is called, ''surface acting'' that is, manipulating others by deliberately changing the emotions displayed, then followers will see it as fake. ''Deep acting'', however, is the effort to change inner feelings to deceive themselves. This type of acting will be perceived as authentic by others, but interestingly the deep acting individual will have a higher felt authenticity than surface acting individuals <ref name="emo"> Gardner, W., Fischer, D. and Hunt, J., 2009. Emotional labor and leadership: A threat to authenticity?. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(3), pp.466-482. </ref>. Nonetheless, deep acting still violates inner feelings and therefore compromises authenticity, despite that the leader may not recognize this to be the case. It was shown in empirical studies that surface and deep acting were more emotionally exhausting than being genuine <ref>Grandey, A. A. (2003). When “the show must go on”: Surface acting and deep acting as determiants of emotional exhaustion and peer-rated service delivery. Academy of Management Journal, 46, 86−96. </ref>.<br />
<br />
= How to enhance authenticity =<br />
<br />
Atuhtenticity can only be enhanced if one somehow acknowlegdes his/her core values and beliefs. In context of becoming an authentic leader or project manager, then very little help is found in traditional leadership training, which merely focuses on a specific set of skills (e.g., goal setting or intellectual stimulation). Authentic leadership cannot be directly taught with methods or ways to behave because imitating those would be inauthentic. To enhance authenticity, it has to be a holistic approach that accounts for the whole person: individual character, values, and preferences <ref name="Becoming"> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>. <br />
<br />
<br />
=== Trigger events ===<br />
<br />
An experience of either positive or negative quality can lead to the development of one’s authentic being. These are called trigger events and can take the form of sudden experiences such as a person close to you passing away, a promotion, reading a book that challenges your core beliefs, forming a relationship, or having an anxiety attack. Such events will “cut through” the perception of self and force one to look critically upon certain aspects of one’s core beliefs and values. This mechanism will naturally allow for personal growth and will increase authenticity <ref name=real> Gardner, W., Avolio, B., Luthans, F., May, D. and Walumbwa, F., 2005. “Can you see the real me?” A self-based model of authentic leader and follower development. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.343-372.</ref>.<br />
<br />
This approach of developing authenticity through trigger events has been conceptualized as a potential training “program” for leaders and managers to push them out of their comfort zone to change their behaviors. Proposed by xx, it consists of two phases, an exploration phase where participants recognize their ways of acting inauthentically and trying out new ways of behaving. The second phase is an integration phase where participants recognize the benefit of change through the successful behaviors in their life. <br />
This approach is still on a conceptual basis and it would require many resources to actually make such a program <ref> Baron, L. and Parent, É., 2014. Developing Authentic Leadership Within a Training Context. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 22(1), pp.37-53.</ref>. <br />
<br />
<br />
=== Mindfulness ===<br />
<br />
Mindfulness seems to be the best way of increasing one’s authenticity. Mindfulness is simply the practise of being self-aware, open and non-judgemental. Enhancing self-awareness with mindfulness one can more easily discover what is true and false within oneselves <ref name="Becoming"> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>.<br />
Mindfulness training has shown to increase authenticity and well-being. The study found that mindfulness leads to value-based authentic actions, and that the authentic actions themselves leads to well-being <ref>Christie, A., Atkins, P. and Donald, J., 2016. The Meaning and Doing of Mindfulness: The Role of Values in the Link Between Mindfulness and Well-Being. Mindfulness, 8(2), pp.368-378. </ref>. <br />
Mindfulness practices were also shown to enhance authentic leadership in a very comprehensive study of over 1000 leaders. This study showed that leaders with high levels of trait mindfulness were more likely to show authentic leadership behaviors, as perceived by both themselves and their followers. They also found that low-dose mindfulness interventions enhanced leaders authentic behaviors (perceived by themselves and followers). In the study they had leaders do 30 days of app-based meditation, which directly impacted their behavior <ref name="Becoming"> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= Limitations =<br />
<br />
Perhaps the reason why authenticity hasn’t had the greatest impact so far is that it is not a quick fix method that can be implemented. It is not a leadership style that can be learnt, and it might (properly) be a difficult process to accept that certain beliefs are false for instance about one's job or partner. It has a disruptive power that is both its strength and weakness. <br />
<br />
Authentic Leadership can be seen as a very idealized leadership theory, and it is easy to blame other leadership styles for being inauthentic. However, for project or organizational success it might be beneficial to display emotions that are not heartfelt. Gardner <ref name="emo"> Gardner, W., Fischer, D. and Hunt, J., 2009. Emotional labor and leadership: A threat to authenticity?. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(3), pp.466-482. </ref> comes with an example that if a leader announces employee layoffs it would be expected to express empathy and concern for the affected employees, and would most likely be met with anger and resentment from employees if the leader failed to display such emotions. If such emotions are not heartfelt, however, expressing them would be inauthentic. If the employee detects a lack of sincerity the leader may be viewed as disingenuous, thereby undermining his or her credibility with followers. This is the sort of challenge that authentic leaders face in a leadership role, where one might violate one’s true feelings. This example suggests that being completely authentic could have a negative effect on followers and organizations. Here, emotional intelligence might be more appropriate to apply instead.<br />
<br />
Authentic Leadership has been questioned for having fundamental flaws in its "shaky philosophical and theoretical foundations, tautological reasoning, weak empirical studies, nonsensical measurement tools, unsupported knowledge claims, and a generally simplistic and out of date view of corporate life." <ref> Alvesson, M. and Einola, K., 2019. Warning for excessive positivity: Authentic leadership and other traps in leadership studies. The Leadership Quarterly, 30(4), pp.383-395. </ref><br />
<br />
The question also remains if Authentic Leadership applies for project management. A study <ref name= "lev"> Levy, L., 2020. The Relationship Between Authentic Leadership in Project Managers and Project Success. Walden University, [online] Available at: <https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=9671&context=dissertations> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. </ref> didn’t find a significant correlation between authenticity of project managers and project success. This might be because project managers don’t have as much influence as positional leaders, or because project success is influenced very little by the leadership qualities of project managers.<br />
If project success is the only parameter you are interested in, then improving one's authenticity may be a lot of work for a small change. However, further studies should investigate whether authentic project managers positively influence team members in psychological areas such as well-being, felt authenticity, and job satisfaction. These enhanced factors may help the organization in future projects.<br />
<br />
The practise of mindfulness is a great entry to discovering your authentic self. However, critics have accused mindfulness of decontextualising mindfulness from its Buddhist roots, which cuts out the ethics and morals. Instead, it is solely used for practical reasons to reduce stress but without any introspection <ref>Purser, R., & Loy, D. (2013). Beyond McMindfulness. Huffington post, p. 13. Retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/ron-purser/ beyond-mcmindfulness_b_3519289.html. </ref>. Nonetheless, the research shows great results from mindfulness without taking the Buddist tradition into account. <br />
<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
<br />
<references/></div>Jacobammitsoehttp://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Authenticity&diff=101820Authenticity2021-03-01T13:32:02Z<p>Jacobammitsoe: </p>
<hr />
<div>Authenticity may seem as a trivial topic in project management since it doesn’t directly improve projects. Yet, project managers who behave according to their core vlaues will inspire their team members to perform better with more satisfaction and improve the overall organization. This article takes its starting point in authenticity and looks at how personal introspection leads to better leadership and more truthful project management. The focus is very much on Authentic Leadership which has proved to enhance followers well-being, work engagement and job satisfaction. However, Authentic Leadership is merely a description of an authentic person in a position of authority behaving authentically. <br />
<br />
One can not just be an authentic project manager, you must start by being an authentic person in everything you do. Being an authentic person comes first and then the benefits of authenticity will shine through all aspects of your life from project management to fatherhood. This article is not meant as a 3 step tutorial to being authentic, because you cannot become authentic by intellectual understanding only. The hope is to challenge some of the existing views of success and leadership with modern research in this lesser known academic field of authenticity and especially Authentic Leadership Theory.<br />
<br />
We find that many of the “hot topics" in project management such as and “Emotional Intelligence” as well as different “leadership styles” from an authenticity point of view, are just consequences of authentic behavior. Although development of authenticity is not straight forward, research has found mindfulness to be very effective.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= What is authenticity? =<br />
Many philosophers and sociologists have attempted to define authenticity since it was first brought up in ancient Greece. The Greeks wrote: “to thine own self be true” <ref> Harter, S. (2002). Authenticity. In C. R. Snyder, & S. Lopez (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology (pp. 382 – 394). Oxford, UK7 Oxford University Press. </ref><br />
, which is a quite precise definition of authenticity - to be true to your own self. We will not go into all the facets and philosophical views of authenticity - which wouldn’t bring us closer to our authentic self - and go with the two main aspects which defines authenticity that the literature generally agrees on: <br />
<br />
* Knowing one’s true self; owning one’s personal experiences, be they thoughts, emotions, needs, wants, preferences, or beliefs.<br />
* Acting in accord with one’s true self; expressing oneself in ways that are consistent with one’s understanding of self.<br />
<br />
Authentic individuals can be said to be “in tune” with their basic nature and clearly and accurately see themselves and their lives. They are self-aware and unencumbered by others’ expectations and opinions for them, and therefore they can make more sound personal choices based on their own true values <ref name="root"> Avolio, B. and Gardner, W., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.315-338. </ref>. Authentic individuals will naturally have high self-esteem, what is referred to as “optimal self-esteem”. Optimal self-esteem involves favorable feelings of self-worth that arise naturally from successfully dealing with life challenges; the operation of one’s core, true, authentic self as a source of input to behavioral choices; and relationships in which one is valued for who one is and not for what one achieves <ref name="kern"> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
<br />
“Measure success based on your inner scorecard. If you base success and/or your actions on an outer scorecard, that is, what others think, your life will be hollow” (Warren Buffett, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, September 30, 2005).<br />
<br />
Warren Buffetts point may be the key point of authenticity in regards to one’s professional career. The achievements or success will not in itself have any value for an authentic person, because the authentic person solely follows his/her core beliefs. “Success” as Warren Buffett points out should instead be measured in the extent one follows one’s core values in life. Failures will also not be seen as a personal failure, rather it can be used as a source of information to guide their future behavior <ref name="kern"> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
<br />
The measurement of how authentic a person is, is typically done through a questionnaire called, Authentic Leadership Questionnaire (ALQ). <br />
<br />
<br />
==Four components of authenticity==<br />
The most accepted definition of authenticity is the four components of authenticity proposed by Walumbwa et al. (2008) <ref name="w"> Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure†. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89–126. </ref>. The components have a certain “direction”, the first component must be learnt before the next component can be authentic and so forth. The descriptions of the four components below is based on the work of Kernis and Goldman (2005) <ref> Kernis, M. H., & Goldman, B. M. (2005). From Thought and Experience to Behavior and Interpersonal Relationships: A Multicomponent Conceptualization of Authenticity. In A. Tesser, J. V. Wood, & D. A. Stapel (Eds.), On building, defending and regulating the self: A psychological perspective (p. 31–52). Psychology Press. </ref> and Walumbwa et al. (2008) <ref name="w"> Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure†. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89–126. </ref>.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Self-Awareness ===<br />
The awareness of self refers to possessing, and being motivated to increase, one’s knowledge and trust in one’s motives, feelings, desires. It includes, for example, understanding one’s likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, goals and aspirations, dispositional characteristics, and emotional states.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Balanced Processing ===<br />
<br />
This component refers to being objective about all what is observed; one’s positive and negative aspects, emotions, experiences and information. Balanced processing involves not denying, distorting or exaggerating information to fit your personal needs. It can be understood by looking at how people with low or fragile high self-esteem select and interpret information. Such persons find it hard to acknowledge personal shortcomings, such as certain skills or personality traits that they don’t like. They will typically develop strong ego defense mechanisms to distort information about their shortcomings. Individuals with balanced processing will not have strong self-serving biases to gain personal success, and will not have strong defense mechanisms.<br />
<br />
=== Behaviour ===<br />
Authentic behaviour means “acting in accord with one’s values, preferences, and needs as opposed to acting merely to please others or to attain rewards or avoid punishments through acting falsely... Authenticity is not reflected in a compulsion to be one’s true self, but rather in the free and natural expression of core feelings, motives and inclinations.” <ref name="kern"> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
This can be seen as the behavioural output of Self-Awareness and Balanced Processing.<br />
<br />
Of course, there will be instances where it will not be appropriate to act on behalf of your core needs and values, because it may not fit the immediate environment. Therefore one must act against the true self, which will lead to a temporally internal conflict. However, unbiased processing and awareness can still be present in such an instance, which would allow one to reflect and learn from the situation. In contrast, if awareness and unbiased processing was not present at that instance, then may not be recognized as an act against one’s values and that would lead to blind obedience.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Relational transparency ===<br />
<br />
A person with high relation orientation will strive for truthfulness and openness in his/her close relationships. It’s about self-disclosure, wanting others to see the “real” you, and the development of mutual intimacy and trust. At the core, it’s about being genuine rather than fake in one’s relationships.<br />
<br />
<br />
=Authentic Leadership in Project Management=<br />
As PMBOK points out <ref> Project Management Institute, Inc.. (2017). Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) (6th Edition). Project Management Institute, Inc. (PMI). </ref>, project managers both need managing skills and leadership skills. Leadership is more focused on the relations with team members or stakeholders, to inspire and guide them. In short, management is about ''doing things right'' and leadership is about ''doing the right things''. <br />
PMBOK points to different leadership styles like eg. Transformational and Charismatic, which “project managers can adopt'' (PMBOK, p.65). However, as PRINCE 2 says a leadership style may work in one situation but be inappropriate in another, which is one of the reasons they will not cover leadership in project management <ref> AXELOS, AXELOS. Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2 2017 Edition, chapter 1.2, page 4, The Stationery Office Ltd, 2017. </ref>. <br />
The same scepticism for the “leadership styles” is found in Authentic Leadership. That is why Authentic Leadership should not be seen as a leadership style, but rather as a “root concept” that forms the basis of observed leadership styles such as above mentioned. Authentic Leadership has gained much scholarly attention in the last decade, perhaps because of the crisis of confidence in today's corporate and government<br />
leaders <ref>Gardner, W. L., Cogliser, C. C., Davis, K. M., & Dickens, M. P. (2011). Authentic leadership: A review of the literature and research agenda. The Leadership Quarterly, 22, 1120–1145. </ref>. We will go through what it is and how it differs from traditional leadership styles.<br />
<br />
<br />
‘if you’re a project manager, provide for quality and truth, and success will come on the back of that. If you just go for success on its own, it won’t work. What I <br />
would like project managers to be able to face the truth, stare it in the eye and then operate by it.’ - Camila Batmanghelidjh <ref> Madsen, S., 2021. Category: Authenticity. [online] Susanne Madsen Intl. Developing Project Leaders. Available at: <https://www.susannemadsen.co.uk/blog/category/authenticity?view=full> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. </ref><br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic Leadership Theory ==<br />
Authentic Leadership has had many definitions and discussions about authenticity and leadership (for an overview see Iszatt-White & Kempster, 2018 <ref> Iszatt-White, M., & Kempster, S. (2018). Authentic leadership: Getting back to the roots of the ‘root construct’? International Journal of Management Reviews, 0(0), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijmr. 12193. </ref>). Authentic Leadership draws insights from positive psychology and full-range leadership (FRL)/transformational leadership theory.<br />
Authentic leaders are, as the name suggests, authentic individuals, which means that they have high levels of the four components of authenticity. Authentic leaders are characterized as <ref name="Becoming"> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>:<br />
<br />
* they accept their strengths and weaknesses and are highly aware of themselves (1. self-awareness)<br />
* they openly show their emotions and their true self to their followers (2. relational transparency)<br />
* they take others’ perspectives and views into account (3. balanced processing); <br />
* they consistently behave according to their own moral standards and values, i.e., match words with actions (4. internalized moral perspective) <br />
<br />
Authentic leaders are in addition self-confident, optimistic, reliable, and trustworthy. They lead by example and help create a healthy and ethical work climate <ref name="banks">Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006. </ref> <ref>Hoch, J. E., Bommer, W. H., Dulebohn, J. H., & Wu, D. (2018). Do ethical, authentic, and servant leadership explain variance above and beyond transformational leadership? A meta-analysis. Journal of Management, 44(2), 501–529. https://doi.org/10.1177/ 0149206316665461. </ref>.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Authentic followers/team members ===<br />
<br />
Authentic leadership goes beyond the authenticity of the leader as a person to the relationship and development of the team he/she is leading. The relationships are called “authentic followership” and are characterized by <ref name="root"> Avolio, B. and Gardner, W., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.315-338. </ref> <ref name="real"> Gardner, W., Avolio, B., Luthans, F., May, D. and Walumbwa, F., 2005. “Can you see the real me?” A self-based model of authentic leader and follower development. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.343-372.</ref>:<br />
* Transparency, openness, trust<br />
* Guidance towards worthy objectives<br />
* Emphasis on follower development<br />
<br />
Authentic leaders “lead by example” with complete transparency between words and actions. The open and trustworthy relationship between leader and followers is believed to develop the values and beliefs of the followers over time, leading to “authentic followers”. By increasing their authenticity they will in turn be more transparent with the leader which will benefit the organization <ref name="root"> Avolio, B. and Gardner, W., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.315-338. </ref>. <br />
<br />
Empirical research has found that authentic leadership has a positive effect on followers well-being, increased work engagement, commitment, job satisfaction and behaviors like task performance, creativity <ref name="banks">Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006. </ref> <ref>Hoch, J. E., Bommer, W. H., Dulebohn, J. H., & Wu, D. (2018). Do ethical, authentic, and servant leadership explain variance above and beyond transformational leadership? A meta-analysis. Journal of Management, 44(2), 501–529. https://doi.org/10.1177/ 0149206316665461. </ref>. <br />
<br />
In project management context followers or most likely team members, but still in this case authentic leadership behaviors will foster more authentic team members <ref name="lev"> Levy, L., 2020. The Relationship Between Authentic Leadership in Project Managers and Project Success. Walden University, [online] Available at: <https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=9671&context=dissertations> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. </ref>. <br />
As projects often happen in an organizational context the improvement of the organization can have lasting effects on other projects <ref name="banks"> Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006.</ref>.<br />
<br />
[[File:FollowerDev.png|600px]]<br />
<br />
Figure based on the work of Gardner et al. (2005) <ref name="real"> Gardner, W., Avolio, B., Luthans, F., May, D. and Walumbwa, F., 2005. “Can you see the real me?” A self-based model of authentic leader and follower development. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.343-372.</ref><br />
<br />
== Authentic vs Charismatic ==<br />
<br />
=== Relation to Transformative leadership Theory ===<br />
<br />
Authentic Leadership has been accused of being redundant in leadership theory, because the traits are very similar to Transformational and ethical leadership <ref name="banks"> Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006.</ref>. We will look at the differences of Authentic Leadership to Transformational leadership. Transformational leadership is also considered as charismatic leadership as it has considerable emotional appeal and possesses the ability to inspire (Ergeneli et al., 2007). Transformational leadership behaviors are associated with four categories:<br />
<br />
* Idealized influence: when a leader performs as a role model and shares common <br />
visions, encourages and provides a strong sense of purpose.<br />
* Inspirational motivation: a leader expresses the importance of desired objectives of the organization and motivates.<br />
* Intellectual stimulation: when a leader challenges the normal ideas of followers.<br />
* Individualized consideration: when a leader spends more time teaching and coaching for better performance.<br />
<br />
A transformational leader may have a strong vision they communicate influentially, but that vision and charisma may not always come from an authentic place as they could be imposing their own needs or pleasures <ref>Ilies, R., Morgeson, F. P., & Nahrgang, J. D. (2005). Authentic leadership and eudaemonic well-being: Understanding leader–follower outcomes. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), 373–394. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.leaqua.2005.03.002. </ref>. This seems to correlate with Kernis’s description of fragile high self-esteem <ref name="kern"> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref> as he also mentions narcissists as having a type of fragile high self-esteem that may come from deep insecurities that they are not themselves aware of. This is where authenticity becomes relevant because an authentic leader will not be driven by an inflated ego but by his core values and high morality. Another distinction is that authentic leaders may or may not be charismatic but they will always foster positive development of those around them. <br />
<br />
[[File:TransAL.png|400px]]<br />
<br />
Figure based on the work of Walumbwa & Avolio (2008) <ref name="w"> Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure†. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89–126. </ref><br />
<br />
<br />
=== The (in)authenticity of Emotional Intelligence ===<br />
<br />
Studies have found that authentic individuals also possess high levels of Emotional Intelligence. Gardner et al. (2005)<ref name="emo"> Gardner, W., Fischer, D. and Hunt, J., 2009. Emotional labor and leadership: A threat to authenticity?. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(3), pp.466-482. </ref>, however, questions whether Emotional Intelligence always is authentic. It was shown that Emotional Intelligence was a significant predictor of leadership abilities <ref>Walter, F., & Bruch, H. (2007). Investigating the emotional basis of charismatic leadership: The role of leaders' positive mood and emotional intelligence. In C. E. J. Härtel, N. M. Ashkanasy & W. J. Zerbe (Eds.), Functionality, intentionality and morality (pp. 55–85). Amsterdam: Elsevier. </ref>. Interestingly, emotionally intelligent leaders were seen as charismatic leaders by their followers, regardless of their actual emotional state. Apparently, emotionally intelligent leaders are especially skilled at regulating their emotions to generate perceptions of charisma.<br />
<br />
In that regard the question of authenticity becomes relevant in the case of emotional intelligence, because it questions whether the charisma of an emotional intelligent leader is genuine or if it is acting. If a leader engages in, what is called, ''surface acting'' that is, manipulating others by deliberately changing the emotions displayed, then followers will see it as fake. ''Deep acting'', however, is the effort to change inner feelings to deceive themselves. This type of acting will be perceived as authentic by others, but interestingly the deep acting individual will have a higher felt authenticity than surface acting individuals <ref name="emo"> Gardner, W., Fischer, D. and Hunt, J., 2009. Emotional labor and leadership: A threat to authenticity?. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(3), pp.466-482. </ref>. Nonetheless, deep acting still violates inner feelings and therefore compromises authenticity, despite that the leader may not recognize this to be the case. It was shown in empirical studies that surface and deep acting were more emotionally exhausting than being genuine <ref>Grandey, A. A. (2003). When “the show must go on”: Surface acting and deep acting as determiants of emotional exhaustion and peer-rated service delivery. Academy of Management Journal, 46, 86−96. </ref>.<br />
<br />
= How to enhance authenticity =<br />
<br />
Atuhtenticity can only be enhanced if one somehow acknowlegdes his/her core values and beliefs. In context of becoming an authentic leader or project manager, then very little help is found in traditional leadership training, which merely focuses on a specific set of skills (e.g., goal setting or intellectual stimulation). Authentic leadership cannot be directly taught with methods or ways to behave because imitating those would be inauthentic. To enhance authenticity, it has to be a holistic approach that accounts for the whole person: individual character, values, and preferences <ref name="Becoming"> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>. <br />
<br />
<br />
=== Trigger events ===<br />
<br />
An experience of either positive or negative quality can lead to the development of one’s authentic being. These are called trigger events and can take the form of sudden experiences such as a person close to you passing away, a promotion, reading a book that challenges your core beliefs, forming a relationship, or having an anxiety attack. Such events will “cut through” the perception of self and force one to look critically upon certain aspects of one’s core beliefs and values. This mechanism will naturally allow for personal growth and will increase authenticity <ref name=real> Gardner, W., Avolio, B., Luthans, F., May, D. and Walumbwa, F., 2005. “Can you see the real me?” A self-based model of authentic leader and follower development. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.343-372.</ref>.<br />
<br />
This approach of developing authenticity through trigger events has been conceptualized as a potential training “program” for leaders and managers to push them out of their comfort zone to change their behaviors. Proposed by xx, it consists of two phases, an exploration phase where participants recognize their ways of acting inauthentically and trying out new ways of behaving. The second phase is an integration phase where participants recognize the benefit of change through the successful behaviors in their life. <br />
This approach is still on a conceptual basis and it would require many resources to actually make such a program <ref> Baron, L. and Parent, É., 2014. Developing Authentic Leadership Within a Training Context. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 22(1), pp.37-53.</ref>. <br />
<br />
<br />
=== Mindfulness ===<br />
<br />
Mindfulness seems to be the best way of increasing one’s authenticity. Mindfulness is simply the practise of being self-aware, open and non-judgemental. Enhancing self-awareness with mindfulness one can more easily discover what is true and false within oneselves <ref name="Becoming"> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>.<br />
Mindfulness training has shown to increase authenticity and well-being. The study found that mindfulness leads to value-based authentic actions, and that the authentic actions themselves leads to well-being <ref>Christie, A., Atkins, P. and Donald, J., 2016. The Meaning and Doing of Mindfulness: The Role of Values in the Link Between Mindfulness and Well-Being. Mindfulness, 8(2), pp.368-378. </ref>. <br />
Mindfulness practices were also shown to enhance authentic leadership in a very comprehensive study of over 1000 leaders. This study showed that leaders with high levels of trait mindfulness were more likely to show authentic leadership behaviors, as perceived by both themselves and their followers. They also found that low-dose mindfulness interventions enhanced leaders authentic behaviors (perceived by themselves and followers). In the study they had leaders do 30 days of app-based meditation, which directly impacted their behavior <ref name="Becoming"> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= Limitations =<br />
<br />
Perhaps the reason why authenticity hasn’t had the greatest impact so far is that it is not a quick fix method that can be implemented. It is not a leadership style that can be learnt, and it might (properly) be a difficult process to accept that certain beliefs are false for instance about one's job or partner. It has a disruptive power that is both its strength and weakness. <br />
<br />
Authentic Leadership can be seen as a very idealized leadership theory, and it is easy to blame other leadership styles for being inauthentic. However, for project or organizational success it might be beneficial to display emotions that are not heartfelt. Gardner <ref name="emo"> Gardner, W., Fischer, D. and Hunt, J., 2009. Emotional labor and leadership: A threat to authenticity?. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(3), pp.466-482. </ref> comes with an example that if a leader announces employee layoffs it would be expected to express empathy and concern for the affected employees, and would most likely be met with anger and resentment from employees if the leader failed to display such emotions. If such emotions are not heartfelt, however, expressing them would be inauthentic. If the employee detects a lack of sincerity the leader may be viewed as disingenuous, thereby undermining his or her credibility with followers. This is the sort of challenge that authentic leaders face in a leadership role, where one might violate one’s true feelings. This example suggests that being completely authentic could have a negative effect on followers and organizations. Here, emotional intelligence might be more appropriate to apply instead.<br />
<br />
Authentic Leadership has been questioned for having fundamental flaws in its "shaky philosophical and theoretical foundations, tautological reasoning, weak empirical studies, nonsensical measurement tools, unsupported knowledge claims, and a generally simplistic and out of date view of corporate life." <ref> Alvesson, M. and Einola, K., 2019. Warning for excessive positivity: Authentic leadership and other traps in leadership studies. The Leadership Quarterly, 30(4), pp.383-395. </ref><br />
<br />
The question also remains if Authentic Leadership applies for project management. A study <ref name= "lev"> Levy, L., 2020. The Relationship Between Authentic Leadership in Project Managers and Project Success. Walden University, [online] Available at: <https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=9671&context=dissertations> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. </ref> didn’t find a significant correlation between authenticity of project managers and project success. This might be because project managers don’t have as much influence as positional leaders, or because project success is influenced very little by the leadership qualities of project managers.<br />
If project success is the only parameter you are interested in, then improving one's authenticity may be a lot of work for a small change. However, further studies should investigate whether authentic project managers positively influence team members in psychological areas such as well-being, felt authenticity, and job satisfaction. These enhanced factors may help the organization in future projects.<br />
<br />
The practise of mindfulness is a great entry to discovering your authentic self. However, critics have accused mindfulness of decontextualising mindfulness from its Buddhist roots, which cuts out the ethics and morals. Instead, it is solely used for practical reasons to reduce stress but without any introspection <ref>Purser, R., & Loy, D. (2013). Beyond McMindfulness. Huffington post, p. 13. Retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/ron-purser/ beyond-mcmindfulness_b_3519289.html. </ref>. Nonetheless, the research shows great results from mindfulness without taking the Buddist tradition into account. <br />
<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
<br />
<references/></div>Jacobammitsoehttp://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Authenticity&diff=101819Authenticity2021-03-01T13:31:11Z<p>Jacobammitsoe: </p>
<hr />
<div>Authenticity may seem as a trivial topic in project management since it doesn’t directly improve projects. Yet, project managers who behave according to their core vlaues will inspire their team members to perform better with more satisfaction and improve the overall organization. This article takes its starting point in authenticity and looks at how personal introspection leads to better leadership and more truthful project management. The focus is very much on Authentic Leadership which has proved to enhance followers well-being, work engagement and job satisfaction. However, Authentic Leadership is merely a description of an authentic person in a position of authority behaving authentically. <br />
<br />
One can not just be an authentic project manager, you must start by being an authentic person in everything you do. Being an authentic person comes first and then the benefits of authenticity will shine through all aspects of your life from project management to fatherhood. This article is not meant as a 3 step tutorial to being authentic, because you cannot become authentic by intellectual understanding only. The hope is to challenge some of the existing views of success and leadership with modern research in this lesser known academic field of authenticity and especially Authentic Leadership Theory.<br />
<br />
We find that many of the “hot topics" in project management such as and “Emotional Intelligence” as well as different “leadership styles” from an authenticity point of view, are just consequences of authentic behavior. Although development of authenticity is not straight forward, research has found mindfulness to be very effective.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= What is authenticity? =<br />
Many philosophers and sociologists have attempted to define authenticity since it was first brought up in ancient Greece. The Greeks wrote: “to thine own self be true” <ref> Harter, S. (2002). Authenticity. In C. R. Snyder, & S. Lopez (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology (pp. 382 – 394). Oxford, UK7 Oxford University Press. </ref><br />
, which is a quite precise definition of authenticity - to be true to your own self. We will not go into all the facets and philosophical views of authenticity - which wouldn’t bring us closer to our authentic self - and go with the two main aspects which defines authenticity that the literature generally agrees on: <br />
<br />
* Knowing one’s true self; owning one’s personal experiences, be they thoughts, emotions, needs, wants, preferences, or beliefs.<br />
* Acting in accord with one’s true self; expressing oneself in ways that are consistent with one’s understanding of self.<br />
<br />
Authentic individuals can be said to be “in tune” with their basic nature and clearly and accurately see themselves and their lives. They are self-aware and unencumbered by others’ expectations and opinions for them, and therefore they can make more sound personal choices based on their own true values <ref name="root"> Avolio, B. and Gardner, W., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.315-338. </ref>. Authentic individuals will naturally have high self-esteem, what is referred to as “optimal self-esteem”. Optimal self-esteem involves favorable feelings of self-worth that arise naturally from successfully dealing with life challenges; the operation of one’s core, true, authentic self as a source of input to behavioral choices; and relationships in which one is valued for who one is and not for what one achieves <ref name="kern"> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
<br />
“Measure success based on your inner scorecard. If you base success and/or your actions on an outer scorecard, that is, what others think, your life will be hollow” (Warren Buffett, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, September 30, 2005).<br />
<br />
Warren Buffetts point may be the key point of authenticity in regards to one’s professional career. The achievements or success will not in itself have any value for an authentic person, because the authentic person solely follows his/her core beliefs. “Success” as Warren Buffett points out should instead be measured in the extent one follows one’s core values in life. Failures will also not be seen as a personal failure, rather it can be used as a source of information to guide their future behavior <ref name="kern"> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
<br />
The measurement of how authentic a person is, is typically done through a questionnaire called, Authentic Leadership Questionnaire (ALQ). <br />
<br />
<br />
==Four components of authenticity==<br />
The most accepted definition of authenticity is the four components of authenticity proposed by Walumbwa et al. (2008) <ref name="w"> Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure†. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89–126. </ref>. The components have a certain “direction”, the first component must be learnt before the next component can be authentic and so forth. The descriptions of the four components below is based on the work of Kernis and Goldman (2005) <ref> Kernis, M. H., & Goldman, B. M. (2005). From Thought and Experience to Behavior and Interpersonal Relationships: A Multicomponent Conceptualization of Authenticity. In A. Tesser, J. V. Wood, & D. A. Stapel (Eds.), On building, defending and regulating the self: A psychological perspective (p. 31–52). Psychology Press. </ref> and Walumbwa et al. (2008) <ref name="w"> Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure†. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89–126. </ref>.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Self-Awareness ===<br />
The awareness of self refers to possessing, and being motivated to increase, one’s knowledge and trust in one’s motives, feelings, desires. It includes, for example, understanding one’s likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, goals and aspirations, dispositional characteristics, and emotional states.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Balanced Processing ===<br />
<br />
This component refers to being objective about all what is observed; one’s positive and negative aspects, emotions, experiences and information. Balanced processing involves not denying, distorting or exaggerating information to fit your personal needs. It can be understood by looking at how people with low or fragile high self-esteem select and interpret information. Such persons find it hard to acknowledge personal shortcomings, such as certain skills or personality traits that they don’t like. They will typically develop strong ego defense mechanisms to distort information about their shortcomings. Individuals with balanced processing will not have strong self-serving biases to gain personal success, and will not have strong defense mechanisms.<br />
<br />
=== Behaviour ===<br />
Authentic behaviour means “acting in accord with one’s values, preferences, and needs as opposed to acting merely to please others or to attain rewards or avoid punishments through acting falsely... Authenticity is not reflected in a compulsion to be one’s true self, but rather in the free and natural expression of core feelings, motives and inclinations.” <ref name="kern"> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
This can be seen as the behavioural output of Self-Awareness and Balanced Processing.<br />
<br />
Of course, there will be instances where it will not be appropriate to act on behalf of your core needs and values, because it may not fit the immediate environment. Therefore one must act against the true self, which will lead to a temporally internal conflict. However, unbiased processing and awareness can still be present in such an instance, which would allow one to reflect and learn from the situation. In contrast, if awareness and unbiased processing was not present at that instance, then may not be recognized as an act against one’s values and that would lead to blind obedience.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Relational transparency ===<br />
<br />
A person with high relation orientation will strive for truthfulness and openness in his/her close relationships. It’s about self-disclosure, wanting others to see the “real” you, and the development of mutual intimacy and trust. At the core, it’s about being genuine rather than fake in one’s relationships.<br />
<br />
<br />
=Authentic Leadership in Project Management=<br />
As PMBOK points out <ref> Project Management Institute, Inc.. (2017). Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) (6th Edition). Project Management Institute, Inc. (PMI). </ref>, project managers both need managing skills and leadership skills. Leadership is more focused on the relations with team members or stakeholders, to inspire and guide them. In short, management is about ''doing things right'' and leadership is about ''doing the right things''. <br />
PMBOK points to different leadership styles like eg. Transformational and Charismatic, which “project managers can adopt'' (PMBOK, p.65). However, as PRINCE 2 says a leadership style may work in one situation but be inappropriate in another, which is one of the reasons they will not cover leadership in project management <ref> AXELOS, AXELOS. Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2 2017 Edition, chapter 1.2, page 4, The Stationery Office Ltd, 2017. </ref>. <br />
The same scepticism for the “leadership styles” is found in Authentic Leadership. That is why Authentic Leadership should not be seen as a leadership style, but rather as a “root concept” that forms the basis of observed leadership styles such as above mentioned. Authentic Leadership has gained much scholarly attention in the last decade, perhaps because of the crisis of confidence in today's corporate and government<br />
leaders <ref>Gardner, W. L., Cogliser, C. C., Davis, K. M., & Dickens, M. P. (2011). Authentic leadership: A review of the literature and research agenda. The Leadership Quarterly, 22, 1120–1145. </ref>. We will go through what it is and how it differs from traditional leadership styles.<br />
<br />
<br />
‘if you’re a project manager, provide for quality and truth, and success will come on the back of that. If you just go for success on its own, it won’t work. What I <br />
would like project managers to be able to face the truth, stare it in the eye and then operate by it.’ - Camila Batmanghelidjh <ref> Madsen, S., 2021. Category: Authenticity. [online] Susanne Madsen Intl. Developing Project Leaders. Available at: <https://www.susannemadsen.co.uk/blog/category/authenticity?view=full> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. </ref><br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic Leadership Theory ==<br />
Authentic Leadership has had many definitions and discussions about authenticity and leadership (for an overview see Iszatt-White & Kempster, 2018 <ref> Iszatt-White, M., & Kempster, S. (2018). Authentic leadership: Getting back to the roots of the ‘root construct’? International Journal of Management Reviews, 0(0), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijmr. 12193. </ref>). Authentic Leadership draws insights from positive psychology and full-range leadership (FRL)/transformational leadership theory.<br />
Authentic leaders are, as the name suggests, authentic individuals, which means that they have high levels of the four components of authenticity. Authentic leaders are characterized as <ref name="Becoming"> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>:<br />
<br />
* they accept their strengths and weaknesses and are highly aware of themselves (1. self-awareness)<br />
* they openly show their emotions and their true self to their followers (2. relational transparency)<br />
* they take others’ perspectives and views into account (3. balanced processing); <br />
* they consistently behave according to their own moral standards and values, i.e., match words with actions (4. internalized moral perspective) <br />
<br />
Authentic leaders are in addition self-confident, optimistic, reliable, and trustworthy. They lead by example and help create a healthy and ethical work climate <ref name="banks">Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006. </ref> <ref>Hoch, J. E., Bommer, W. H., Dulebohn, J. H., & Wu, D. (2018). Do ethical, authentic, and servant leadership explain variance above and beyond transformational leadership? A meta-analysis. Journal of Management, 44(2), 501–529. https://doi.org/10.1177/ 0149206316665461. </ref>.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Authentic followers/team members ===<br />
<br />
Authentic leadership goes beyond the authenticity of the leader as a person to the relationship and development of the team he/she is leading. The relationships are called “authentic followership” and are characterized by <ref name="root"> Avolio, B. and Gardner, W., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.315-338. </ref> <ref name="real"> Gardner, W., Avolio, B., Luthans, F., May, D. and Walumbwa, F., 2005. “Can you see the real me?” A self-based model of authentic leader and follower development. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.343-372.</ref>:<br />
* Transparency, openness, trust<br />
* Guidance towards worthy objectives<br />
* Emphasis on follower development<br />
<br />
Authentic leaders “lead by example” with complete transparency between words and actions. The open and trustworthy relationship between leader and followers is believed to develop the values and beliefs of the followers over time, leading to “authentic followers”. By increasing their authenticity they will in turn be more transparent with the leader which will benefit the organization <ref name="root"> Avolio, B. and Gardner, W., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.315-338. </ref>. <br />
<br />
Empirical research has found that authentic leadership has a positive effect on followers well-being, increased work engagement, commitment, job satisfaction and behaviors like task performance, creativity <ref name="banks">Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006. </ref> <ref>Hoch, J. E., Bommer, W. H., Dulebohn, J. H., & Wu, D. (2018). Do ethical, authentic, and servant leadership explain variance above and beyond transformational leadership? A meta-analysis. Journal of Management, 44(2), 501–529. https://doi.org/10.1177/ 0149206316665461. </ref>. <br />
<br />
In project management context followers or most likely team members, but still in this case authentic leadership behaviors will foster more authentic team members <ref name="lev"> Levy, L., 2020. The Relationship Between Authentic Leadership in Project Managers and Project Success. Walden University, [online] Available at: <https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=9671&context=dissertations> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. </ref>. <br />
As projects often happen in an organizational context the improvement of the organization can have lasting effects on other projects <ref name="banks"> Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006.</ref>.<br />
<br />
[[File:FollowerDev.png|400px]]<br />
<br />
Figure based on the work of Gardner et al. (2005) <ref name="real"> Gardner, W., Avolio, B., Luthans, F., May, D. and Walumbwa, F., 2005. “Can you see the real me?” A self-based model of authentic leader and follower development. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.343-372.</ref><br />
<br />
== Authentic vs Charismatic ==<br />
<br />
=== Relation to Transformative leadership Theory ===<br />
<br />
Authentic Leadership has been accused of being redundant in leadership theory, because the traits are very similar to Transformational and ethical leadership <ref name="banks"> Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006.</ref>. We will look at the differences of Authentic Leadership to Transformational leadership. Transformational leadership is also considered as charismatic leadership as it has considerable emotional appeal and possesses the ability to inspire (Ergeneli et al., 2007). Transformational leadership behaviors are associated with four categories:<br />
<br />
* Idealized influence: when a leader performs as a role model and shares common <br />
visions, encourages and provides a strong sense of purpose.<br />
* Inspirational motivation: a leader expresses the importance of desired objectives of the organization and motivates.<br />
* Intellectual stimulation: when a leader challenges the normal ideas of followers.<br />
* Individualized consideration: when a leader spends more time teaching and coaching for better performance.<br />
<br />
A transformational leader may have a strong vision they communicate influentially, but that vision and charisma may not always come from an authentic place as they could be imposing their own needs or pleasures <ref>Ilies, R., Morgeson, F. P., & Nahrgang, J. D. (2005). Authentic leadership and eudaemonic well-being: Understanding leader–follower outcomes. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), 373–394. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.leaqua.2005.03.002. </ref>. This seems to correlate with Kernis’s description of fragile high self-esteem <ref name="kern"> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref> as he also mentions narcissists as having a type of fragile high self-esteem that may come from deep insecurities that they are not themselves aware of. This is where authenticity becomes relevant because an authentic leader will not be driven by an inflated ego but by his core values and high morality. Another distinction is that authentic leaders may or may not be charismatic but they will always foster positive development of those around them. <br />
<br />
[[File:TransAL.png|600px]]<br />
<br />
Figure based on the work of Walumbwa & Avolio (2008) <ref name="w"> Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure†. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89–126. </ref><br />
<br />
<br />
=== The (in)authenticity of Emotional Intelligence ===<br />
<br />
Studies have found that authentic individuals also possess high levels of Emotional Intelligence. Gardner et al. (2005)<ref name="emo"> Gardner, W., Fischer, D. and Hunt, J., 2009. Emotional labor and leadership: A threat to authenticity?. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(3), pp.466-482. </ref>, however, questions whether Emotional Intelligence always is authentic. It was shown that Emotional Intelligence was a significant predictor of leadership abilities <ref>Walter, F., & Bruch, H. (2007). Investigating the emotional basis of charismatic leadership: The role of leaders' positive mood and emotional intelligence. In C. E. J. Härtel, N. M. Ashkanasy & W. J. Zerbe (Eds.), Functionality, intentionality and morality (pp. 55–85). Amsterdam: Elsevier. </ref>. Interestingly, emotionally intelligent leaders were seen as charismatic leaders by their followers, regardless of their actual emotional state. Apparently, emotionally intelligent leaders are especially skilled at regulating their emotions to generate perceptions of charisma.<br />
<br />
In that regard the question of authenticity becomes relevant in the case of emotional intelligence, because it questions whether the charisma of an emotional intelligent leader is genuine or if it is acting. If a leader engages in, what is called, ''surface acting'' that is, manipulating others by deliberately changing the emotions displayed, then followers will see it as fake. ''Deep acting'', however, is the effort to change inner feelings to deceive themselves. This type of acting will be perceived as authentic by others, but interestingly the deep acting individual will have a higher felt authenticity than surface acting individuals <ref name="emo"> Gardner, W., Fischer, D. and Hunt, J., 2009. Emotional labor and leadership: A threat to authenticity?. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(3), pp.466-482. </ref>. Nonetheless, deep acting still violates inner feelings and therefore compromises authenticity, despite that the leader may not recognize this to be the case. It was shown in empirical studies that surface and deep acting were more emotionally exhausting than being genuine <ref>Grandey, A. A. (2003). When “the show must go on”: Surface acting and deep acting as determiants of emotional exhaustion and peer-rated service delivery. Academy of Management Journal, 46, 86−96. </ref>.<br />
<br />
= How to enhance authenticity =<br />
<br />
Atuhtenticity can only be enhanced if one somehow acknowlegdes his/her core values and beliefs. In context of becoming an authentic leader or project manager, then very little help is found in traditional leadership training, which merely focuses on a specific set of skills (e.g., goal setting or intellectual stimulation). Authentic leadership cannot be directly taught with methods or ways to behave because imitating those would be inauthentic. To enhance authenticity, it has to be a holistic approach that accounts for the whole person: individual character, values, and preferences <ref name="Becoming"> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>. <br />
<br />
<br />
=== Trigger events ===<br />
<br />
An experience of either positive or negative quality can lead to the development of one’s authentic being. These are called trigger events and can take the form of sudden experiences such as a person close to you passing away, a promotion, reading a book that challenges your core beliefs, forming a relationship, or having an anxiety attack. Such events will “cut through” the perception of self and force one to look critically upon certain aspects of one’s core beliefs and values. This mechanism will naturally allow for personal growth and will increase authenticity <ref name=real> Gardner, W., Avolio, B., Luthans, F., May, D. and Walumbwa, F., 2005. “Can you see the real me?” A self-based model of authentic leader and follower development. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.343-372.</ref>.<br />
<br />
This approach of developing authenticity through trigger events has been conceptualized as a potential training “program” for leaders and managers to push them out of their comfort zone to change their behaviors. Proposed by xx, it consists of two phases, an exploration phase where participants recognize their ways of acting inauthentically and trying out new ways of behaving. The second phase is an integration phase where participants recognize the benefit of change through the successful behaviors in their life. <br />
This approach is still on a conceptual basis and it would require many resources to actually make such a program <ref> Baron, L. and Parent, É., 2014. Developing Authentic Leadership Within a Training Context. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 22(1), pp.37-53.</ref>. <br />
<br />
<br />
=== Mindfulness ===<br />
<br />
Mindfulness seems to be the best way of increasing one’s authenticity. Mindfulness is simply the practise of being self-aware, open and non-judgemental. Enhancing self-awareness with mindfulness one can more easily discover what is true and false within oneselves <ref name="Becoming"> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>.<br />
Mindfulness training has shown to increase authenticity and well-being. The study found that mindfulness leads to value-based authentic actions, and that the authentic actions themselves leads to well-being <ref>Christie, A., Atkins, P. and Donald, J., 2016. The Meaning and Doing of Mindfulness: The Role of Values in the Link Between Mindfulness and Well-Being. Mindfulness, 8(2), pp.368-378. </ref>. <br />
Mindfulness practices were also shown to enhance authentic leadership in a very comprehensive study of over 1000 leaders. This study showed that leaders with high levels of trait mindfulness were more likely to show authentic leadership behaviors, as perceived by both themselves and their followers. They also found that low-dose mindfulness interventions enhanced leaders authentic behaviors (perceived by themselves and followers). In the study they had leaders do 30 days of app-based meditation, which directly impacted their behavior <ref name="Becoming"> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= Limitations =<br />
<br />
Perhaps the reason why authenticity hasn’t had the greatest impact so far is that it is not a quick fix method that can be implemented. It is not a leadership style that can be learnt, and it might (properly) be a difficult process to accept that certain beliefs are false for instance about one's job or partner. It has a disruptive power that is both its strength and weakness. <br />
<br />
Authentic Leadership can be seen as a very idealized leadership theory, and it is easy to blame other leadership styles for being inauthentic. However, for project or organizational success it might be beneficial to display emotions that are not heartfelt. Gardner <ref name="emo"> Gardner, W., Fischer, D. and Hunt, J., 2009. Emotional labor and leadership: A threat to authenticity?. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(3), pp.466-482. </ref> comes with an example that if a leader announces employee layoffs it would be expected to express empathy and concern for the affected employees, and would most likely be met with anger and resentment from employees if the leader failed to display such emotions. If such emotions are not heartfelt, however, expressing them would be inauthentic. If the employee detects a lack of sincerity the leader may be viewed as disingenuous, thereby undermining his or her credibility with followers. This is the sort of challenge that authentic leaders face in a leadership role, where one might violate one’s true feelings. This example suggests that being completely authentic could have a negative effect on followers and organizations. Here, emotional intelligence might be more appropriate to apply instead.<br />
<br />
Authentic Leadership has been questioned for having fundamental flaws in its "shaky philosophical and theoretical foundations, tautological reasoning, weak empirical studies, nonsensical measurement tools, unsupported knowledge claims, and a generally simplistic and out of date view of corporate life." <ref> Alvesson, M. and Einola, K., 2019. Warning for excessive positivity: Authentic leadership and other traps in leadership studies. The Leadership Quarterly, 30(4), pp.383-395. </ref><br />
<br />
The question also remains if Authentic Leadership applies for project management. A study <ref name= "lev"> Levy, L., 2020. The Relationship Between Authentic Leadership in Project Managers and Project Success. Walden University, [online] Available at: <https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=9671&context=dissertations> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. </ref> didn’t find a significant correlation between authenticity of project managers and project success. This might be because project managers don’t have as much influence as positional leaders, or because project success is influenced very little by the leadership qualities of project managers.<br />
If project success is the only parameter you are interested in, then improving one's authenticity may be a lot of work for a small change. However, further studies should investigate whether authentic project managers positively influence team members in psychological areas such as well-being, felt authenticity, and job satisfaction. These enhanced factors may help the organization in future projects.<br />
<br />
The practise of mindfulness is a great entry to discovering your authentic self. However, critics have accused mindfulness of decontextualising mindfulness from its Buddhist roots, which cuts out the ethics and morals. Instead, it is solely used for practical reasons to reduce stress but without any introspection <ref>Purser, R., & Loy, D. (2013). Beyond McMindfulness. Huffington post, p. 13. Retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/ron-purser/ beyond-mcmindfulness_b_3519289.html. </ref>. Nonetheless, the research shows great results from mindfulness without taking the Buddist tradition into account. <br />
<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
<br />
<references/></div>Jacobammitsoehttp://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Authenticity&diff=101818Authenticity2021-03-01T13:25:34Z<p>Jacobammitsoe: </p>
<hr />
<div>Authenticity may seem as a trivial topic in project management since it doesn’t directly improve projects. Yet, project managers who behave according to their core vlaues will inspire their team members to perform better with more satisfaction and improve the overall organization. This article takes its starting point in authenticity and looks at how personal introspection leads to better leadership and more truthful project management. The focus is very much on Authentic Leadership which has proved to enhance followers well-being, work engagement and job satisfaction. However, Authentic Leadership is merely a description of an authentic person in a position of authority behaving authentically. <br />
<br />
One can not just be an authentic project manager, you must start by being an authentic person in everything you do. Being an authentic person comes first and then the benefits of authenticity will shine through all aspects of your life from project management to fatherhood. This article is not meant as a 3 step tutorial to being authentic, because you cannot become authentic by intellectual understanding only. The hope is to challenge some of the existing views of success and leadership with modern research in this lesser known academic field of authenticity and especially Authentic Leadership Theory.<br />
<br />
We find that many of the “hot topics" in project management such as and “Emotional Intelligence” as well as different “leadership styles” from an authenticity point of view, are just consequences of authentic behavior. Although development of authenticity is not straight forward, research has found mindfulness to be very effective.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= What is authenticity? =<br />
Many philosophers and sociologists have attempted to define authenticity since it was first brought up in ancient Greece. The Greeks wrote: “to thine own self be true” <ref> Harter, S. (2002). Authenticity. In C. R. Snyder, & S. Lopez (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology (pp. 382 – 394). Oxford, UK7 Oxford University Press. </ref><br />
, which is a quite precise definition of authenticity - to be true to your own self. We will not go into all the facets and philosophical views of authenticity - which wouldn’t bring us closer to our authentic self - and go with the two main aspects which defines authenticity that the literature generally agrees on: <br />
<br />
* Knowing one’s true self; owning one’s personal experiences, be they thoughts, emotions, needs, wants, preferences, or beliefs.<br />
* Acting in accord with one’s true self; expressing oneself in ways that are consistent with one’s understanding of self.<br />
<br />
Authentic individuals can be said to be “in tune” with their basic nature and clearly and accurately see themselves and their lives. They are self-aware and unencumbered by others’ expectations and opinions for them, and therefore they can make more sound personal choices based on their own true values <ref name="root"> Avolio, B. and Gardner, W., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.315-338. </ref>. Authentic individuals will naturally have high self-esteem, what is referred to as “optimal self-esteem”. Optimal self-esteem involves favorable feelings of self-worth that arise naturally from successfully dealing with life challenges; the operation of one’s core, true, authentic self as a source of input to behavioral choices; and relationships in which one is valued for who one is and not for what one achieves <ref name="kern"> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
<br />
“Measure success based on your inner scorecard. If you base success and/or your actions on an outer scorecard, that is, what others think, your life will be hollow” (Warren Buffett, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, September 30, 2005).<br />
<br />
Warren Buffetts point may be the key point of authenticity in regards to one’s professional career. The achievements or success will not in itself have any value for an authentic person, because the authentic person solely follows his/her core beliefs. “Success” as Warren Buffett points out should instead be measured in the extent one follows one’s core values in life. Failures will also not be seen as a personal failure, rather it can be used as a source of information to guide their future behavior <ref name="kern"> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
<br />
The measurement of how authentic a person is, is typically done through a questionnaire called, Authentic Leadership Questionnaire (ALQ). <br />
<br />
<br />
==Four components of authenticity==<br />
The most accepted definition of authenticity is the four components of authenticity proposed by Walumbwa et al. (2008) <ref name="w"> Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure†. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89–126. </ref>. The components have a certain “direction”, the first component must be learnt before the next component can be authentic and so forth. The descriptions of the four components below is based on the work of Kernis and Goldman (2005) <ref> Kernis, M. H., & Goldman, B. M. (2005). From Thought and Experience to Behavior and Interpersonal Relationships: A Multicomponent Conceptualization of Authenticity. In A. Tesser, J. V. Wood, & D. A. Stapel (Eds.), On building, defending and regulating the self: A psychological perspective (p. 31–52). Psychology Press. </ref> and Walumbwa et al. (2008) <ref name="w"> Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure†. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89–126. </ref>.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Self-Awareness ===<br />
The awareness of self refers to possessing, and being motivated to increase, one’s knowledge and trust in one’s motives, feelings, desires. It includes, for example, understanding one’s likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, goals and aspirations, dispositional characteristics, and emotional states.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Balanced Processing ===<br />
<br />
This component refers to being objective about all what is observed; one’s positive and negative aspects, emotions, experiences and information. Balanced processing involves not denying, distorting or exaggerating information to fit your personal needs. It can be understood by looking at how people with low or fragile high self-esteem select and interpret information. Such persons find it hard to acknowledge personal shortcomings, such as certain skills or personality traits that they don’t like. They will typically develop strong ego defense mechanisms to distort information about their shortcomings. Individuals with balanced processing will not have strong self-serving biases to gain personal success, and will not have strong defense mechanisms.<br />
<br />
=== Behaviour ===<br />
Authentic behaviour means “acting in accord with one’s values, preferences, and needs as opposed to acting merely to please others or to attain rewards or avoid punishments through acting falsely... Authenticity is not reflected in a compulsion to be one’s true self, but rather in the free and natural expression of core feelings, motives and inclinations.” <ref name="kern"> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
This can be seen as the behavioural output of Self-Awareness and Balanced Processing.<br />
<br />
Of course, there will be instances where it will not be appropriate to act on behalf of your core needs and values, because it may not fit the immediate environment. Therefore one must act against the true self, which will lead to a temporally internal conflict. However, unbiased processing and awareness can still be present in such an instance, which would allow one to reflect and learn from the situation. In contrast, if awareness and unbiased processing was not present at that instance, then may not be recognized as an act against one’s values and that would lead to blind obedience.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Relational transparency ===<br />
<br />
A person with high relation orientation will strive for truthfulness and openness in his/her close relationships. It’s about self-disclosure, wanting others to see the “real” you, and the development of mutual intimacy and trust. At the core, it’s about being genuine rather than fake in one’s relationships.<br />
<br />
<br />
=Authentic Leadership in Project Management=<br />
As PMBOK points out <ref> Project Management Institute, Inc.. (2017). Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) (6th Edition). Project Management Institute, Inc. (PMI). </ref>, project managers both need managing skills and leadership skills. Leadership is more focused on the relations with team members or stakeholders, to inspire and guide them. In short, management is about ''doing things right'' and leadership is about ''doing the right things''. <br />
PMBOK points to different leadership styles like eg. Transformational and Charismatic, which “project managers can adopt'' (PMBOK, p.65). However, as PRINCE 2 says a leadership style may work in one situation but be inappropriate in another, which is one of the reasons they will not cover leadership in project management <ref> AXELOS, AXELOS. Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2 2017 Edition, chapter 1.2, page 4, The Stationery Office Ltd, 2017. </ref>. <br />
The same scepticism for the “leadership styles” is found in Authentic Leadership. That is why Authentic Leadership should not be seen as a leadership style, but rather as a “root concept” that forms the basis of observed leadership styles such as above mentioned. Authentic Leadership has gained much scholarly attention in the last decade, perhaps because of the crisis of confidence in today's corporate and government<br />
leaders <ref>Gardner, W. L., Cogliser, C. C., Davis, K. M., & Dickens, M. P. (2011). Authentic leadership: A review of the literature and research agenda. The Leadership Quarterly, 22, 1120–1145. </ref>. We will go through what it is and how it differs from traditional leadership styles.<br />
<br />
<br />
‘if you’re a project manager, provide for quality and truth, and success will come on the back of that. If you just go for success on its own, it won’t work. What I <br />
would like project managers to be able to face the truth, stare it in the eye and then operate by it.’ - Camila Batmanghelidjh <ref> Madsen, S., 2021. Category: Authenticity. [online] Susanne Madsen Intl. Developing Project Leaders. Available at: <https://www.susannemadsen.co.uk/blog/category/authenticity?view=full> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. </ref><br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic Leadership Theory ==<br />
Authentic Leadership has had many definitions and discussions about authenticity and leadership (for an overview see Iszatt-White & Kempster, 2018 <ref> Iszatt-White, M., & Kempster, S. (2018). Authentic leadership: Getting back to the roots of the ‘root construct’? International Journal of Management Reviews, 0(0), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijmr. 12193. </ref>). Authentic Leadership draws insights from positive psychology and full-range leadership (FRL)/transformational leadership theory.<br />
Authentic leaders are, as the name suggests, authentic individuals, which means that they have high levels of the four components of authenticity. Authentic leaders are characterized as <ref name="Becoming"> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>:<br />
<br />
* they accept their strengths and weaknesses and are highly aware of themselves (1. self-awareness)<br />
* they openly show their emotions and their true self to their followers (2. relational transparency)<br />
* they take others’ perspectives and views into account (3. balanced processing); <br />
* they consistently behave according to their own moral standards and values, i.e., match words with actions (4. internalized moral perspective) <br />
<br />
Authentic leaders are in addition self-confident, optimistic, reliable, and trustworthy. They lead by example and help create a healthy and ethical work climate <ref name="banks">Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006. </ref> <ref>Hoch, J. E., Bommer, W. H., Dulebohn, J. H., & Wu, D. (2018). Do ethical, authentic, and servant leadership explain variance above and beyond transformational leadership? A meta-analysis. Journal of Management, 44(2), 501–529. https://doi.org/10.1177/ 0149206316665461. </ref>.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Authentic followers/team members ===<br />
<br />
Authentic leadership goes beyond the authenticity of the leader as a person to the relationship and development of the team he/she is leading. The relationships are called “authentic followership” and are characterized by <ref name="root"> Avolio, B. and Gardner, W., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.315-338. </ref> <ref name="real"> Gardner, W., Avolio, B., Luthans, F., May, D. and Walumbwa, F., 2005. “Can you see the real me?” A self-based model of authentic leader and follower development. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.343-372.</ref>:<br />
* Transparency, openness, trust<br />
* Guidance towards worthy objectives<br />
* Emphasis on follower development<br />
<br />
Authentic leaders “lead by example” with complete transparency between words and actions. The open and trustworthy relationship between leader and followers is believed to develop the values and beliefs of the followers over time, leading to “authentic followers”. By increasing their authenticity they will in turn be more transparent with the leader which will benefit the organization <ref name="root"> Avolio, B. and Gardner, W., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.315-338. </ref>. <br />
<br />
Empirical research has found that authentic leadership has a positive effect on followers well-being, increased work engagement, commitment, job satisfaction and behaviors like task performance, creativity <ref name="banks">Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006. </ref> <ref>Hoch, J. E., Bommer, W. H., Dulebohn, J. H., & Wu, D. (2018). Do ethical, authentic, and servant leadership explain variance above and beyond transformational leadership? A meta-analysis. Journal of Management, 44(2), 501–529. https://doi.org/10.1177/ 0149206316665461. </ref>. <br />
<br />
In project management context followers or most likely team members, but still in this case authentic leadership behaviors will foster more authentic team members <ref name="lev"> Levy, L., 2020. The Relationship Between Authentic Leadership in Project Managers and Project Success. Walden University, [online] Available at: <https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=9671&context=dissertations> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. </ref>. <br />
As projects often happen in an organizational context the improvement of the organization can have lasting effects on other projects <ref name="banks"> Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006.</ref>.<br />
<br />
[[File:FollowerDev.png|400px]]<br />
<br />
== Authentic vs Charismatic ==<br />
<br />
=== Relation to Transformative leadership Theory ===<br />
<br />
Authentic Leadership has been accused of being redundant in leadership theory, because the traits are very similar to Transformational and ethical leadership <ref name="banks"> Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006.</ref>. We will look at the differences of Authentic Leadership to Transformational leadership. Transformational leadership is also considered as charismatic leadership as it has considerable emotional appeal and possesses the ability to inspire (Ergeneli et al., 2007). Transformational leadership behaviors are associated with four categories:<br />
<br />
* Idealized influence: when a leader performs as a role model and shares common <br />
visions, encourages and provides a strong sense of purpose.<br />
* Inspirational motivation: a leader expresses the importance of desired objectives of the organization and motivates.<br />
* Intellectual stimulation: when a leader challenges the normal ideas of followers.<br />
* Individualized consideration: when a leader spends more time teaching and coaching for better performance.<br />
<br />
A transformational leader may have a strong vision they communicate influentially, but that vision and charisma may not always come from an authentic place as they could be imposing their own needs or pleasures <ref>Ilies, R., Morgeson, F. P., & Nahrgang, J. D. (2005). Authentic leadership and eudaemonic well-being: Understanding leader–follower outcomes. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), 373–394. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.leaqua.2005.03.002. </ref>. This seems to correlate with Kernis’s description of fragile high self-esteem <ref name="kern"> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref> as he also mentions narcissists as having a type of fragile high self-esteem that may come from deep insecurities that they are not themselves aware of. This is where authenticity becomes relevant because an authentic leader will not be driven by an inflated ego but by his core values and high morality. Another distinction is that authentic leaders may or may not be charismatic but they will always foster positive development of those around them. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
=== The (in)authenticity of Emotional Intelligence ===<br />
<br />
Studies have found that authentic individuals also possess high levels of Emotional Intelligence. Gardner et al. (2005)<ref name="emo"> Gardner, W., Fischer, D. and Hunt, J., 2009. Emotional labor and leadership: A threat to authenticity?. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(3), pp.466-482. </ref>, however, questions whether Emotional Intelligence always is authentic. It was shown that Emotional Intelligence was a significant predictor of leadership abilities <ref>Walter, F., & Bruch, H. (2007). Investigating the emotional basis of charismatic leadership: The role of leaders' positive mood and emotional intelligence. In C. E. J. Härtel, N. M. Ashkanasy & W. J. Zerbe (Eds.), Functionality, intentionality and morality (pp. 55–85). Amsterdam: Elsevier. </ref>. Interestingly, emotionally intelligent leaders were seen as charismatic leaders by their followers, regardless of their actual emotional state. Apparently, emotionally intelligent leaders are especially skilled at regulating their emotions to generate perceptions of charisma.<br />
<br />
In that regard the question of authenticity becomes relevant in the case of emotional intelligence, because it questions whether the charisma of an emotional intelligent leader is genuine or if it is acting. If a leader engages in, what is called, ''surface acting'' that is, manipulating others by deliberately changing the emotions displayed, then followers will see it as fake. ''Deep acting'', however, is the effort to change inner feelings to deceive themselves. This type of acting will be perceived as authentic by others, but interestingly the deep acting individual will have a higher felt authenticity than surface acting individuals <ref name="emo"> Gardner, W., Fischer, D. and Hunt, J., 2009. Emotional labor and leadership: A threat to authenticity?. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(3), pp.466-482. </ref>. Nonetheless, deep acting still violates inner feelings and therefore compromises authenticity, despite that the leader may not recognize this to be the case. It was shown in empirical studies that surface and deep acting were more emotionally exhausting than being genuine <ref>Grandey, A. A. (2003). When “the show must go on”: Surface acting and deep acting as determiants of emotional exhaustion and peer-rated service delivery. Academy of Management Journal, 46, 86−96. </ref>.<br />
<br />
= How to enhance authenticity =<br />
<br />
Atuhtenticity can only be enhanced if one somehow acknowlegdes his/her core values and beliefs. In context of becoming an authentic leader or project manager, then very little help is found in traditional leadership training, which merely focuses on a specific set of skills (e.g., goal setting or intellectual stimulation). Authentic leadership cannot be directly taught with methods or ways to behave because imitating those would be inauthentic. To enhance authenticity, it has to be a holistic approach that accounts for the whole person: individual character, values, and preferences <ref name="Becoming"> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>. <br />
<br />
<br />
=== Trigger events ===<br />
<br />
An experience of either positive or negative quality can lead to the development of one’s authentic being. These are called trigger events and can take the form of sudden experiences such as a person close to you passing away, a promotion, reading a book that challenges your core beliefs, forming a relationship, or having an anxiety attack. Such events will “cut through” the perception of self and force one to look critically upon certain aspects of one’s core beliefs and values. This mechanism will naturally allow for personal growth and will increase authenticity <ref name=real> Gardner, W., Avolio, B., Luthans, F., May, D. and Walumbwa, F., 2005. “Can you see the real me?” A self-based model of authentic leader and follower development. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.343-372.</ref>.<br />
<br />
This approach of developing authenticity through trigger events has been conceptualized as a potential training “program” for leaders and managers to push them out of their comfort zone to change their behaviors. Proposed by xx, it consists of two phases, an exploration phase where participants recognize their ways of acting inauthentically and trying out new ways of behaving. The second phase is an integration phase where participants recognize the benefit of change through the successful behaviors in their life. <br />
This approach is still on a conceptual basis and it would require many resources to actually make such a program <ref> Baron, L. and Parent, É., 2014. Developing Authentic Leadership Within a Training Context. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 22(1), pp.37-53.</ref>. <br />
<br />
<br />
=== Mindfulness ===<br />
<br />
Mindfulness seems to be the best way of increasing one’s authenticity. Mindfulness is simply the practise of being self-aware, open and non-judgemental. Enhancing self-awareness with mindfulness one can more easily discover what is true and false within oneselves <ref name="Becoming"> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>.<br />
Mindfulness training has shown to increase authenticity and well-being. The study found that mindfulness leads to value-based authentic actions, and that the authentic actions themselves leads to well-being <ref>Christie, A., Atkins, P. and Donald, J., 2016. The Meaning and Doing of Mindfulness: The Role of Values in the Link Between Mindfulness and Well-Being. Mindfulness, 8(2), pp.368-378. </ref>. <br />
Mindfulness practices were also shown to enhance authentic leadership in a very comprehensive study of over 1000 leaders. This study showed that leaders with high levels of trait mindfulness were more likely to show authentic leadership behaviors, as perceived by both themselves and their followers. They also found that low-dose mindfulness interventions enhanced leaders authentic behaviors (perceived by themselves and followers). In the study they had leaders do 30 days of app-based meditation, which directly impacted their behavior <ref name="Becoming"> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= Limitations =<br />
<br />
Perhaps the reason why authenticity hasn’t had the greatest impact so far is that it is not a quick fix method that can be implemented. It is not a leadership style that can be learnt, and it might (properly) be a difficult process to accept that certain beliefs are false for instance about one's job or partner. It has a disruptive power that is both its strength and weakness. <br />
<br />
Authentic Leadership can be seen as a very idealized leadership theory, and it is easy to blame other leadership styles for being inauthentic. However, for project or organizational success it might be beneficial to display emotions that are not heartfelt. Gardner <ref name="emo"> Gardner, W., Fischer, D. and Hunt, J., 2009. Emotional labor and leadership: A threat to authenticity?. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(3), pp.466-482. </ref> comes with an example that if a leader announces employee layoffs it would be expected to express empathy and concern for the affected employees, and would most likely be met with anger and resentment from employees if the leader failed to display such emotions. If such emotions are not heartfelt, however, expressing them would be inauthentic. If the employee detects a lack of sincerity the leader may be viewed as disingenuous, thereby undermining his or her credibility with followers. This is the sort of challenge that authentic leaders face in a leadership role, where one might violate one’s true feelings. This example suggests that being completely authentic could have a negative effect on followers and organizations. Here, emotional intelligence might be more appropriate to apply instead.<br />
<br />
Authentic Leadership has been questioned for having fundamental flaws in its "shaky philosophical and theoretical foundations, tautological reasoning, weak empirical studies, nonsensical measurement tools, unsupported knowledge claims, and a generally simplistic and out of date view of corporate life." <ref> Alvesson, M. and Einola, K., 2019. Warning for excessive positivity: Authentic leadership and other traps in leadership studies. The Leadership Quarterly, 30(4), pp.383-395. </ref><br />
<br />
The question also remains if Authentic Leadership applies for project management. A study <ref name= "lev"> Levy, L., 2020. The Relationship Between Authentic Leadership in Project Managers and Project Success. Walden University, [online] Available at: <https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=9671&context=dissertations> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. </ref> didn’t find a significant correlation between authenticity of project managers and project success. This might be because project managers don’t have as much influence as positional leaders, or because project success is influenced very little by the leadership qualities of project managers.<br />
If project success is the only parameter you are interested in, then improving one's authenticity may be a lot of work for a small change. However, further studies should investigate whether authentic project managers positively influence team members in psychological areas such as well-being, felt authenticity, and job satisfaction. These enhanced factors may help the organization in future projects.<br />
<br />
The practise of mindfulness is a great entry to discovering your authentic self. However, critics have accused mindfulness of decontextualising mindfulness from its Buddhist roots, which cuts out the ethics and morals. Instead, it is solely used for practical reasons to reduce stress but without any introspection <ref>Purser, R., & Loy, D. (2013). Beyond McMindfulness. Huffington post, p. 13. Retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/ron-purser/ beyond-mcmindfulness_b_3519289.html. </ref>. Nonetheless, the research shows great results from mindfulness without taking the Buddist tradition into account. <br />
<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
<br />
<references/></div>Jacobammitsoehttp://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=File:FollowerDev.png&diff=101817File:FollowerDev.png2021-03-01T13:22:50Z<p>Jacobammitsoe: </p>
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<div></div>Jacobammitsoehttp://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=File:TransAL.png&diff=101816File:TransAL.png2021-03-01T13:22:27Z<p>Jacobammitsoe: </p>
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<div></div>Jacobammitsoehttp://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Authenticity&diff=101815Authenticity2021-03-01T13:15:11Z<p>Jacobammitsoe: </p>
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<div>Authenticity may seem as a trivial topic in project management since it doesn’t directly improve projects. Yet, project managers who behave according to their core vlaues will inspire their team members to perform better with more satisfaction and improve the overall organization. This article takes its starting point in authenticity and looks at how personal introspection leads to better leadership and more truthful project management. The focus is very much on Authentic Leadership which has proved to enhance followers well-being, work engagement and job satisfaction. However, Authentic Leadership is merely a description of an authentic person in a position of authority behaving authentically. <br />
<br />
One can not just be an authentic project manager, you must start by being an authentic person in everything you do. Being an authentic person comes first and then the benefits of authenticity will shine through all aspects of your life from project management to fatherhood. This article is not meant as a 3 step tutorial to being authentic, because you cannot become authentic by intellectual understanding only. The hope is to challenge some of the existing views of success and leadership with modern research in this lesser known academic field of authenticity and especially Authentic Leadership Theory.<br />
<br />
We find that many of the “hot topics" in project management such as and “Emotional Intelligence” as well as different “leadership styles” from an authenticity point of view, are just consequences of authentic behavior. Although development of authenticity is not straight forward, research has found mindfulness to be very effective.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= What is authenticity? =<br />
Many philosophers and sociologists have attempted to define authenticity since it was first brought up in ancient Greece. The Greeks wrote: “to thine own self be true” <ref> Harter, S. (2002). Authenticity. In C. R. Snyder, & S. Lopez (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology (pp. 382 – 394). Oxford, UK7 Oxford University Press. </ref><br />
, which is a quite precise definition of authenticity - to be true to your own self. We will not go into all the facets and philosophical views of authenticity - which wouldn’t bring us closer to our authentic self - and go with the two main aspects which defines authenticity that the literature generally agrees on: <br />
<br />
* Knowing one’s true self; owning one’s personal experiences, be they thoughts, emotions, needs, wants, preferences, or beliefs.<br />
* Acting in accord with one’s true self; expressing oneself in ways that are consistent with one’s understanding of self.<br />
<br />
Authentic individuals can be said to be “in tune” with their basic nature and clearly and accurately see themselves and their lives. They are self-aware and unencumbered by others’ expectations and opinions for them, and therefore they can make more sound personal choices based on their own true values <ref name="root"> Avolio, B. and Gardner, W., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.315-338. </ref>. Authentic individuals will naturally have high self-esteem, what is referred to as “optimal self-esteem”. Optimal self-esteem involves favorable feelings of self-worth that arise naturally from successfully dealing with life challenges; the operation of one’s core, true, authentic self as a source of input to behavioral choices; and relationships in which one is valued for who one is and not for what one achieves <ref name="kern"> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
<br />
“Measure success based on your inner scorecard. If you base success and/or your actions on an outer scorecard, that is, what others think, your life will be hollow” (Warren Buffett, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, September 30, 2005).<br />
<br />
Warren Buffetts point may be the key point of authenticity in regards to one’s professional career. The achievements or success will not in itself have any value for an authentic person, because the authentic person solely follows his/her core beliefs. “Success” as Warren Buffett points out should instead be measured in the extent one follows one’s core values in life. Failures will also not be seen as a personal failure, rather it can be used as a source of information to guide their future behavior <ref name="kern"> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
<br />
The measurement of how authentic a person is, is typically done through a questionnaire called, Authentic Leadership Questionnaire (ALQ). <br />
<br />
<br />
==Four components of authenticity==<br />
The most accepted definition of authenticity is the four components of authenticity proposed by Walumbwa et al. (2008) <ref name="w"> Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure†. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89–126. </ref>. The components have a certain “direction”, the first component must be learnt before the next component can be authentic and so forth. The descriptions of the four components below is based on the work of Kernis and Goldman (2005) <ref> Kernis, M. H., & Goldman, B. M. (2005). From Thought and Experience to Behavior and Interpersonal Relationships: A Multicomponent Conceptualization of Authenticity. In A. Tesser, J. V. Wood, & D. A. Stapel (Eds.), On building, defending and regulating the self: A psychological perspective (p. 31–52). Psychology Press. </ref> and Walumbwa et al. (2008) <ref name="w"> Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure†. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89–126. </ref>.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Self-Awareness ===<br />
The awareness of self refers to possessing, and being motivated to increase, one’s knowledge and trust in one’s motives, feelings, desires. It includes, for example, understanding one’s likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, goals and aspirations, dispositional characteristics, and emotional states.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Balanced Processing ===<br />
<br />
This component refers to being objective about all what is observed; one’s positive and negative aspects, emotions, experiences and information. Balanced processing involves not denying, distorting or exaggerating information to fit your personal needs. It can be understood by looking at how people with low or fragile high self-esteem select and interpret information. Such persons find it hard to acknowledge personal shortcomings, such as certain skills or personality traits that they don’t like. They will typically develop strong ego defense mechanisms to distort information about their shortcomings. Individuals with balanced processing will not have strong self-serving biases to gain personal success, and will not have strong defense mechanisms.<br />
<br />
=== Behaviour ===<br />
Authentic behaviour means “acting in accord with one’s values, preferences, and needs as opposed to acting merely to please others or to attain rewards or avoid punishments through acting falsely... Authenticity is not reflected in a compulsion to be one’s true self, but rather in the free and natural expression of core feelings, motives and inclinations.” <ref name="kern"> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
This can be seen as the behavioural output of Self-Awareness and Balanced Processing.<br />
<br />
Of course, there will be instances where it will not be appropriate to act on behalf of your core needs and values, because it may not fit the immediate environment. Therefore one must act against the true self, which will lead to a temporally internal conflict. However, unbiased processing and awareness can still be present in such an instance, which would allow one to reflect and learn from the situation. In contrast, if awareness and unbiased processing was not present at that instance, then may not be recognized as an act against one’s values and that would lead to blind obedience.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Relational transparency ===<br />
<br />
A person with high relation orientation will strive for truthfulness and openness in his/her close relationships. It’s about self-disclosure, wanting others to see the “real” you, and the development of mutual intimacy and trust. At the core, it’s about being genuine rather than fake in one’s relationships.<br />
<br />
<br />
=Authentic Leadership in Project Management=<br />
As PMBOK points out <ref> Project Management Institute, Inc.. (2017). Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) (6th Edition). Project Management Institute, Inc. (PMI). </ref>, project managers both need managing skills and leadership skills. Leadership is more focused on the relations with team members or stakeholders, to inspire and guide them. In short, management is about ''doing things right'' and leadership is about ''doing the right things''. <br />
PMBOK points to different leadership styles like eg. Transformational and Charismatic, which “project managers can adopt'' (PMBOK, p.65). However, as PRINCE 2 says a leadership style may work in one situation but be inappropriate in another, which is one of the reasons they will not cover leadership in project management <ref> AXELOS, AXELOS. Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2 2017 Edition, chapter 1.2, page 4, The Stationery Office Ltd, 2017. </ref>. <br />
The same scepticism for the “leadership styles” is found in Authentic Leadership. That is why Authentic Leadership should not be seen as a leadership style, but rather as a “root concept” that forms the basis of observed leadership styles such as above mentioned. Authentic Leadership has gained much scholarly attention in the last decade, perhaps because of the crisis of confidence in today's corporate and government<br />
leaders <ref>Gardner, W. L., Cogliser, C. C., Davis, K. M., & Dickens, M. P. (2011). Authentic leadership: A review of the literature and research agenda. The Leadership Quarterly, 22, 1120–1145. </ref>. We will go through what it is and how it differs from traditional leadership styles.<br />
<br />
<br />
‘if you’re a project manager, provide for quality and truth, and success will come on the back of that. If you just go for success on its own, it won’t work. What I <br />
would like project managers to be able to face the truth, stare it in the eye and then operate by it.’ - Camila Batmanghelidjh <ref> Madsen, S., 2021. Category: Authenticity. [online] Susanne Madsen Intl. Developing Project Leaders. Available at: <https://www.susannemadsen.co.uk/blog/category/authenticity?view=full> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. </ref><br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic Leadership Theory ==<br />
Authentic Leadership has had many definitions and discussions about authenticity and leadership (for an overview see Iszatt-White & Kempster, 2018 <ref> Iszatt-White, M., & Kempster, S. (2018). Authentic leadership: Getting back to the roots of the ‘root construct’? International Journal of Management Reviews, 0(0), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijmr. 12193. </ref>). Authentic Leadership draws insights from positive psychology and full-range leadership (FRL)/transformational leadership theory.<br />
Authentic leaders are, as the name suggests, authentic individuals, which means that they have high levels of the four components of authenticity. Authentic leaders are characterized as <ref name="Becoming"> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>:<br />
<br />
* they accept their strengths and weaknesses and are highly aware of themselves (1. self-awareness)<br />
* they openly show their emotions and their true self to their followers (2. relational transparency)<br />
* they take others’ perspectives and views into account (3. balanced processing); <br />
* they consistently behave according to their own moral standards and values, i.e., match words with actions (4. internalized moral perspective) <br />
<br />
Authentic leaders are in addition self-confident, optimistic, reliable, and trustworthy. They lead by example and help create a healthy and ethical work climate <ref name="banks">Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006. </ref> <ref>Hoch, J. E., Bommer, W. H., Dulebohn, J. H., & Wu, D. (2018). Do ethical, authentic, and servant leadership explain variance above and beyond transformational leadership? A meta-analysis. Journal of Management, 44(2), 501–529. https://doi.org/10.1177/ 0149206316665461. </ref>.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Authentic followers/team members ===<br />
<br />
Authentic leadership goes beyond the authenticity of the leader as a person to the relationship and development of the team he/she is leading. The relationships are called “authentic followership” and are characterized by <ref name="root"> Avolio, B. and Gardner, W., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.315-338. </ref> <ref name="real"> Gardner, W., Avolio, B., Luthans, F., May, D. and Walumbwa, F., 2005. “Can you see the real me?” A self-based model of authentic leader and follower development. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.343-372.</ref>:<br />
* Transparency, openness, trust<br />
* Guidance towards worthy objectives<br />
* Emphasis on follower development<br />
<br />
Authentic leaders “lead by example” with complete transparency between words and actions. The open and trustworthy relationship between leader and followers is believed to develop the values and beliefs of the followers over time, leading to “authentic followers”. By increasing their authenticity they will in turn be more transparent with the leader which will benefit the organization <ref name="root"> Avolio, B. and Gardner, W., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.315-338. </ref>. <br />
<br />
Empirical research has found that authentic leadership has a positive effect on followers well-being, increased work engagement, commitment, job satisfaction and behaviors like task performance, creativity <ref name="banks">Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006. </ref> <ref>Hoch, J. E., Bommer, W. H., Dulebohn, J. H., & Wu, D. (2018). Do ethical, authentic, and servant leadership explain variance above and beyond transformational leadership? A meta-analysis. Journal of Management, 44(2), 501–529. https://doi.org/10.1177/ 0149206316665461. </ref>. <br />
<br />
In project management context followers or most likely team members, but still in this case authentic leadership behaviors will foster more authentic team members <ref name="lev"> Levy, L., 2020. The Relationship Between Authentic Leadership in Project Managers and Project Success. Walden University, [online] Available at: <https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=9671&context=dissertations> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. </ref>. <br />
As projects often happen in an organizational context the improvement of the organization can have lasting effects on other projects <ref name="banks"> Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006.</ref>.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic vs Charismatic ==<br />
<br />
=== Relation to Transformative leadership Theory ===<br />
<br />
Authentic Leadership has been accused of being redundant in leadership theory, because the traits are very similar to Transformational and ethical leadership <ref name="banks"> Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006.</ref>. We will look at the differences of Authentic Leadership to Transformational leadership. Transformational leadership is also considered as charismatic leadership as it has considerable emotional appeal and possesses the ability to inspire (Ergeneli et al., 2007). Transformational leadership behaviors are associated with four categories:<br />
<br />
* Idealized influence: when a leader performs as a role model and shares common <br />
visions, encourages and provides a strong sense of purpose.<br />
* Inspirational motivation: a leader expresses the importance of desired objectives of the organization and motivates.<br />
* Intellectual stimulation: when a leader challenges the normal ideas of followers.<br />
* Individualized consideration: when a leader spends more time teaching and coaching for better performance.<br />
<br />
A transformational leader may have a strong vision they communicate influentially, but that vision and charisma may not always come from an authentic place as they could be imposing their own needs or pleasures <ref>Ilies, R., Morgeson, F. P., & Nahrgang, J. D. (2005). Authentic leadership and eudaemonic well-being: Understanding leader–follower outcomes. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), 373–394. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.leaqua.2005.03.002. </ref>. This seems to correlate with Kernis’s description of fragile high self-esteem <ref name="kern"> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref> as he also mentions narcissists as having a type of fragile high self-esteem that may come from deep insecurities that they are not themselves aware of. This is where authenticity becomes relevant because an authentic leader will not be driven by an inflated ego but by his core values and high morality. Another distinction is that authentic leaders may or may not be charismatic but they will always foster positive development of those around them. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
=== The (in)authenticity of Emotional Intelligence ===<br />
<br />
Studies have found that authentic individuals also possess high levels of Emotional Intelligence. Gardner et al. (2005)<ref name="emo"> Gardner, W., Fischer, D. and Hunt, J., 2009. Emotional labor and leadership: A threat to authenticity?. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(3), pp.466-482. </ref>, however, questions whether Emotional Intelligence always is authentic. It was shown that Emotional Intelligence was a significant predictor of leadership abilities <ref>Walter, F., & Bruch, H. (2007). Investigating the emotional basis of charismatic leadership: The role of leaders' positive mood and emotional intelligence. In C. E. J. Härtel, N. M. Ashkanasy & W. J. Zerbe (Eds.), Functionality, intentionality and morality (pp. 55–85). Amsterdam: Elsevier. </ref>. Interestingly, emotionally intelligent leaders were seen as charismatic leaders by their followers, regardless of their actual emotional state. Apparently, emotionally intelligent leaders are especially skilled at regulating their emotions to generate perceptions of charisma.<br />
<br />
In that regard the question of authenticity becomes relevant in the case of emotional intelligence, because it questions whether the charisma of an emotional intelligent leader is genuine or if it is acting. If a leader engages in, what is called, ''surface acting'' that is, manipulating others by deliberately changing the emotions displayed, then followers will see it as fake. ''Deep acting'', however, is the effort to change inner feelings to deceive themselves. This type of acting will be perceived as authentic by others, but interestingly the deep acting individual will have a higher felt authenticity than surface acting individuals <ref name="emo"> Gardner, W., Fischer, D. and Hunt, J., 2009. Emotional labor and leadership: A threat to authenticity?. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(3), pp.466-482. </ref>. Nonetheless, deep acting still violates inner feelings and therefore compromises authenticity, despite that the leader may not recognize this to be the case. It was shown in empirical studies that surface and deep acting were more emotionally exhausting than being genuine <ref>Grandey, A. A. (2003). When “the show must go on”: Surface acting and deep acting as determiants of emotional exhaustion and peer-rated service delivery. Academy of Management Journal, 46, 86−96. </ref>.<br />
<br />
= How to enhance authenticity =<br />
<br />
Atuhtenticity can only be enhanced if one somehow acknowlegdes his/her core values and beliefs. In context of becoming an authentic leader or project manager, then very little help is found in traditional leadership training, which merely focuses on a specific set of skills (e.g., goal setting or intellectual stimulation). Authentic leadership cannot be directly taught with methods or ways to behave because imitating those would be inauthentic. To enhance authenticity, it has to be a holistic approach that accounts for the whole person: individual character, values, and preferences <ref name="Becoming"> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>. <br />
<br />
<br />
=== Trigger events ===<br />
<br />
An experience of either positive or negative quality can lead to the development of one’s authentic being. These are called trigger events and can take the form of sudden experiences such as a person close to you passing away, a promotion, reading a book that challenges your core beliefs, forming a relationship, or having an anxiety attack. Such events will “cut through” the perception of self and force one to look critically upon certain aspects of one’s core beliefs and values. This mechanism will naturally allow for personal growth and will increase authenticity <ref name=real> Gardner, W., Avolio, B., Luthans, F., May, D. and Walumbwa, F., 2005. “Can you see the real me?” A self-based model of authentic leader and follower development. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.343-372.</ref>.<br />
<br />
This approach of developing authenticity through trigger events has been conceptualized as a potential training “program” for leaders and managers to push them out of their comfort zone to change their behaviors. Proposed by xx, it consists of two phases, an exploration phase where participants recognize their ways of acting inauthentically and trying out new ways of behaving. The second phase is an integration phase where participants recognize the benefit of change through the successful behaviors in their life. <br />
This approach is still on a conceptual basis and it would require many resources to actually make such a program <ref> Baron, L. and Parent, É., 2014. Developing Authentic Leadership Within a Training Context. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 22(1), pp.37-53.</ref>. <br />
<br />
<br />
=== Mindfulness ===<br />
<br />
Mindfulness seems to be the best way of increasing one’s authenticity. Mindfulness is simply the practise of being self-aware, open and non-judgemental. Enhancing self-awareness with mindfulness one can more easily discover what is true and false within oneselves <ref name="Becoming"> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>.<br />
Mindfulness training has shown to increase authenticity and well-being. The study found that mindfulness leads to value-based authentic actions, and that the authentic actions themselves leads to well-being <ref>Christie, A., Atkins, P. and Donald, J., 2016. The Meaning and Doing of Mindfulness: The Role of Values in the Link Between Mindfulness and Well-Being. Mindfulness, 8(2), pp.368-378. </ref>. <br />
Mindfulness practices were also shown to enhance authentic leadership in a very comprehensive study of over 1000 leaders. This study showed that leaders with high levels of trait mindfulness were more likely to show authentic leadership behaviors, as perceived by both themselves and their followers. They also found that low-dose mindfulness interventions enhanced leaders authentic behaviors (perceived by themselves and followers). In the study they had leaders do 30 days of app-based meditation, which directly impacted their behavior <ref name="Becoming"> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= Limitations =<br />
<br />
Perhaps the reason why authenticity hasn’t had the greatest impact so far is that it is not a quick fix method that can be implemented. It is not a leadership style that can be learnt, and it might (properly) be a difficult process to accept that certain beliefs are false for instance about one's job or partner. It has a disruptive power that is both its strength and weakness. <br />
<br />
Authentic Leadership can be seen as a very idealized leadership theory, and it is easy to blame other leadership styles for being inauthentic. However, for project or organizational success it might be beneficial to display emotions that are not heartfelt. Gardner <ref name="emo"> Gardner, W., Fischer, D. and Hunt, J., 2009. Emotional labor and leadership: A threat to authenticity?. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(3), pp.466-482. </ref> comes with an example that if a leader announces employee layoffs it would be expected to express empathy and concern for the affected employees, and would most likely be met with anger and resentment from employees if the leader failed to display such emotions. If such emotions are not heartfelt, however, expressing them would be inauthentic. If the employee detects a lack of sincerity the leader may be viewed as disingenuous, thereby undermining his or her credibility with followers. This is the sort of challenge that authentic leaders face in a leadership role, where one might violate one’s true feelings. This example suggests that being completely authentic could have a negative effect on followers and organizations. Here, emotional intelligence might be more appropriate to apply instead.<br />
<br />
Authentic Leadership has been questioned for having fundamental flaws in its "shaky philosophical and theoretical foundations, tautological reasoning, weak empirical studies, nonsensical measurement tools, unsupported knowledge claims, and a generally simplistic and out of date view of corporate life." <ref> Alvesson, M. and Einola, K., 2019. Warning for excessive positivity: Authentic leadership and other traps in leadership studies. The Leadership Quarterly, 30(4), pp.383-395. </ref><br />
<br />
The question also remains if Authentic Leadership applies for project management. A study <ref name= "lev"> Levy, L., 2020. The Relationship Between Authentic Leadership in Project Managers and Project Success. Walden University, [online] Available at: <https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=9671&context=dissertations> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. </ref> didn’t find a significant correlation between authenticity of project managers and project success. This might be because project managers don’t have as much influence as positional leaders, or because project success is influenced very little by the leadership qualities of project managers.<br />
If project success is the only parameter you are interested in, then improving one's authenticity may be a lot of work for a small change. However, further studies should investigate whether authentic project managers positively influence team members in psychological areas such as well-being, felt authenticity, and job satisfaction. These enhanced factors may help the organization in future projects.<br />
<br />
The practise of mindfulness is a great entry to discovering your authentic self. However, critics have accused mindfulness of decontextualising mindfulness from its Buddhist roots, which cuts out the ethics and morals. Instead, it is solely used for practical reasons to reduce stress but without any introspection <ref>Purser, R., & Loy, D. (2013). Beyond McMindfulness. Huffington post, p. 13. Retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/ron-purser/ beyond-mcmindfulness_b_3519289.html. </ref>. Nonetheless, the research shows great results from mindfulness without taking the Buddist tradition into account. <br />
<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
<br />
<references/></div>Jacobammitsoehttp://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Authenticity&diff=101813Authenticity2021-03-01T13:04:14Z<p>Jacobammitsoe: </p>
<hr />
<div>Authenticity may seem as a trivial topic in project management since it doesn’t directly improve projects. Yet, project managers who know their true self will inspire their team members to perform better with more satisfaction and improve the overall organization. This article takes its starting point in authenticity and looks at how personal introspection leads to better leadership and more truthful project management. The focus is very much on Authentic Leadership which has proved to enhance followers well-being, work engagement and job satisfaction. However, Authentic Leadership is merely a description of an authentic person in a position of authority behaving authentically. <br />
<br />
One can not just be an authentic project manager, you must start by being an authentic person in everything you do. Being an authentic person comes first and then the benefits of authenticity will shine through all aspects of your life from project management to fatherhood. This article is not meant as a 3 step tutorial to being authentic, because you cannot become authentic by intellectual understanding only. The hope is to challenge some of the existing views of success and leadership with modern research in this lesser known academic field of authenticity and especially Authentic Leadership Theory.<br />
<br />
We find that many of the “hot topics" in project management such as and “Emotional Intelligence” as well as different “leadership styles” from an authenticity point of view, are just consequences of authentic behavior. Although development of authenticity is not straight forward, research has found mindfulness to be very effective.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= What is authenticity? =<br />
Many philosophers and sociologists have attempted to define authenticity since it was first brought up in ancient Greece. The Greeks wrote: “to thine own self be true” <ref> Harter, S. (2002). Authenticity. In C. R. Snyder, & S. Lopez (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology (pp. 382 – 394). Oxford, UK7 Oxford University Press. </ref><br />
, which is a quite precise definition of authenticity - to be true to your own self. We will not go into all the facets and philosophical views of authenticity - which wouldn’t bring us closer to our authentic self - and go with the two main aspects which defines authenticity that the literature generally agrees on: <br />
<br />
* Knowing one’s true self; owning one’s personal experiences, be they thoughts, emotions, needs, wants, preferences, or beliefs.<br />
* Acting in accord with one’s true self; expressing oneself in ways that are consistent with one’s understanding of self.<br />
<br />
Authentic individuals can be said to be “in tune” with their basic nature and clearly and accurately see themselves and their lives. They are self-aware and unencumbered by others’ expectations and opinions for them, and therefore they can make more sound personal choices based on their own true values <ref name="root"> Avolio, B. and Gardner, W., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.315-338. </ref>. Authentic individuals will naturally have high self-esteem, what is referred to as “optimal self-esteem”. Optimal self-esteem involves favorable feelings of self-worth that arise naturally from successfully dealing with life challenges; the operation of one’s core, true, authentic self as a source of input to behavioral choices; and relationships in which one is valued for who one is and not for what one achieves <ref name="kern"> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
<br />
“Measure success based on your inner scorecard. If you base success and/or your actions on an outer scorecard, that is, what others think, your life will be hollow” (Warren Buffett, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, September 30, 2005).<br />
<br />
Warren Buffetts point may be the key point of authenticity in regards to one’s professional career. The achievements or success will not in itself have any value for an authentic person, because the authentic person solely follows his/her core beliefs. “Success” as Warren Buffett points out should instead be measured in the extent one follows one’s core values in life. Failures will also not be seen as a personal failure, rather it can be used as a source of information to guide their future behavior <ref name="kern"> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
<br />
The measurement of how authentic a person is, is typically done through a questionnaire called, Authentic Leadership Questionnaire (ALQ). <br />
<br />
<br />
==Four components of authenticity==<br />
The most accepted definition of authenticity is the four components of authenticity proposed by Walumbwa et al. (2008) <ref name="w"> Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure†. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89–126. </ref>. The components have a certain “direction”, the first component must be learnt before the next component can be authentic and so forth. The descriptions of the four components below is based on the work of Kernis and Goldman (2005) <ref> Kernis, M. H., & Goldman, B. M. (2005). From Thought and Experience to Behavior and Interpersonal Relationships: A Multicomponent Conceptualization of Authenticity. In A. Tesser, J. V. Wood, & D. A. Stapel (Eds.), On building, defending and regulating the self: A psychological perspective (p. 31–52). Psychology Press. </ref> and Walumbwa et al. (2008) <ref name="w"> Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure†. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89–126. </ref>.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Self-Awareness ===<br />
The awareness of self refers to possessing, and being motivated to increase, one’s knowledge and trust in one’s motives, feelings, desires. It includes, for example, understanding one’s likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, goals and aspirations, dispositional characteristics, and emotional states.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Balanced Processing ===<br />
<br />
This component refers to being objective about all what is observed; one’s positive and negative aspects, emotions, experiences and information. Balanced processing involves not denying, distorting or exaggerating information to fit your personal needs. It can be understood by looking at how people with low or fragile high self-esteem select and interpret information. Such persons find it hard to acknowledge personal shortcomings, such as certain skills or personality traits that they don’t like. They will typically develop strong ego defense mechanisms to distort information about their shortcomings. Individuals with balanced processing will not have strong self-serving biases to gain personal success, and will not have strong defense mechanisms.<br />
<br />
=== Behaviour ===<br />
Authentic behaviour means “acting in accord with one’s values, preferences, and needs as opposed to acting merely to please others or to attain rewards or avoid punishments through acting falsely... Authenticity is not reflected in a compulsion to be one’s true self, but rather in the free and natural expression of core feelings, motives and inclinations.” <ref name="kern"> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
This can be seen as the behavioural output of Self-Awareness and Balanced Processing.<br />
<br />
Of course, there will be instances where it will not be appropriate to act on behalf of your core needs and values, because it may not fit the immediate environment. Therefore one must act against the true self, which will lead to a temporally internal conflict. However, unbiased processing and awareness can still be present in such an instance, which would allow one to reflect and learn from the situation. In contrast, if awareness and unbiased processing was not present at that instance, then may not be recognized as an act against one’s values and that would lead to blind obedience.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Relational transparency ===<br />
<br />
A person with high relation orientation will strive for truthfulness and openness in his/her close relationships. It’s about self-disclosure, wanting others to see the “real” you, and the development of mutual intimacy and trust. At the core, it’s about being genuine rather than fake in one’s relationships.<br />
<br />
<br />
=Authentic Leadership in Project Management=<br />
As PMBOK points out <ref> Project Management Institute, Inc.. (2017). Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) (6th Edition). Project Management Institute, Inc. (PMI). </ref>, project managers both need managing skills and leadership skills. Leadership is more focused on the relations with team members or stakeholders, to inspire and guide them. In short, management is about ''doing things right'' and leadership is about ''doing the right things''. <br />
PMBOK points to different leadership styles like eg. Transformational and Charismatic, which “project managers can adopt'' (PMBOK, p.65). However, as PRINCE 2 says a leadership style may work in one situation but be inappropriate in another, which is one of the reasons they will not cover leadership in project management <ref> AXELOS, AXELOS. Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2 2017 Edition, chapter 1.2, page 4, The Stationery Office Ltd, 2017. </ref>. <br />
The same scepticism for the “leadership styles” is found in Authentic Leadership. That is why Authentic Leadership should not be seen as a leadership style, but rather as a “root concept” that forms the basis of observed leadership styles such as above mentioned. Authentic Leadership has gained much scholarly attention in the last decade, perhaps because of the crisis of confidence in today's corporate and government<br />
leaders <ref>Gardner, W. L., Cogliser, C. C., Davis, K. M., & Dickens, M. P. (2011). Authentic leadership: A review of the literature and research agenda. The Leadership Quarterly, 22, 1120–1145. </ref>. We will go through what it is and how it differs from traditional leadership styles.<br />
<br />
<br />
‘if you’re a project manager, provide for quality and truth, and success will come on the back of that. If you just go for success on its own, it won’t work. What I <br />
would like project managers to be able to face the truth, stare it in the eye and then operate by it.’ - Camila Batmanghelidjh <ref> Madsen, S., 2021. Category: Authenticity. [online] Susanne Madsen Intl. Developing Project Leaders. Available at: <https://www.susannemadsen.co.uk/blog/category/authenticity?view=full> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. </ref><br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic Leadership Theory ==<br />
Authentic Leadership has had many definitions and discussions about authenticity and leadership (for an overview see Iszatt-White & Kempster, 2018 <ref> Iszatt-White, M., & Kempster, S. (2018). Authentic leadership: Getting back to the roots of the ‘root construct’? International Journal of Management Reviews, 0(0), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijmr. 12193. </ref>). Authentic Leadership draws insights from positive psychology and full-range leadership (FRL)/transformational leadership theory.<br />
Authentic leaders are, as the name suggests, authentic individuals, which means that they have high levels of the four components of authenticity. Authentic leaders are characterized as <ref name="Becoming"> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>:<br />
<br />
* they accept their strengths and weaknesses and are highly aware of themselves (1. self-awareness)<br />
* they openly show their emotions and their true self to their followers (2. relational transparency)<br />
* they take others’ perspectives and views into account (3. balanced processing); <br />
* they consistently behave according to their own moral standards and values, i.e., match words with actions (4. internalized moral perspective) <br />
<br />
Authentic leaders are in addition self-confident, optimistic, reliable, and trustworthy. They lead by example and help create a healthy and ethical work climate <ref name="banks">Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006. </ref> <ref>Hoch, J. E., Bommer, W. H., Dulebohn, J. H., & Wu, D. (2018). Do ethical, authentic, and servant leadership explain variance above and beyond transformational leadership? A meta-analysis. Journal of Management, 44(2), 501–529. https://doi.org/10.1177/ 0149206316665461. </ref>.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Authentic followers/team members ===<br />
<br />
Authentic leadership goes beyond the authenticity of the leader as a person to the relationship and development of the team he/she is leading. The relationships are called “authentic followership” and are characterized by <ref name="root"> Avolio, B. and Gardner, W., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.315-338. </ref> <ref name="real"> Gardner, W., Avolio, B., Luthans, F., May, D. and Walumbwa, F., 2005. “Can you see the real me?” A self-based model of authentic leader and follower development. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.343-372.</ref>:<br />
* Transparency, openness, trust<br />
* Guidance towards worthy objectives<br />
* Emphasis on follower development<br />
<br />
Authentic leaders “lead by example” with complete transparency between words and actions. The open and trustworthy relationship between leader and followers is believed to develop the values and beliefs of the followers over time, leading to “authentic followers”. By increasing their authenticity they will in turn be more transparent with the leader which will benefit the organization <ref name="root"> Avolio, B. and Gardner, W., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.315-338. </ref>. <br />
<br />
Empirical research has found that authentic leadership has a positive effect on followers well-being, increased work engagement, commitment, job satisfaction and behaviors like task performance, creativity <ref name="banks">Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006. </ref> <ref>Hoch, J. E., Bommer, W. H., Dulebohn, J. H., & Wu, D. (2018). Do ethical, authentic, and servant leadership explain variance above and beyond transformational leadership? A meta-analysis. Journal of Management, 44(2), 501–529. https://doi.org/10.1177/ 0149206316665461. </ref>. <br />
<br />
In project management context followers or most likely team members, but still in this case authentic leadership behaviors will foster more authentic team members <ref name="lev"> Levy, L., 2020. The Relationship Between Authentic Leadership in Project Managers and Project Success. Walden University, [online] Available at: <https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=9671&context=dissertations> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. </ref>. <br />
As projects often happen in an organizational context the improvement of the organization can have lasting effects on other projects <ref name="banks"> Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006.</ref>.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic vs Charismatic ==<br />
<br />
=== Relation to Transformative leadership Theory ===<br />
<br />
Authentic Leadership has been accused of being redundant in leadership theory, because the traits are very similar to Transformational and ethical leadership <ref name="banks"> Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006.</ref>. We will look at the differences of Authentic Leadership to Transformational leadership. Transformational leadership is also considered as charismatic leadership as it has considerable emotional appeal and possesses the ability to inspire (Ergeneli et al., 2007). Transformational leadership behaviors are associated with four categories:<br />
<br />
* Idealized influence: when a leader performs as a role model and shares common <br />
visions, encourages and provides a strong sense of purpose.<br />
* Inspirational motivation: a leader expresses the importance of desired objectives of the organization and motivates.<br />
* Intellectual stimulation: when a leader challenges the normal ideas of followers.<br />
* Individualized consideration: when a leader spends more time teaching and coaching for better performance.<br />
<br />
A transformational leader may have a strong vision they communicate influentially, but that vision and charisma may not always come from an authentic place as they could be imposing their own needs or pleasures <ref>Ilies, R., Morgeson, F. P., & Nahrgang, J. D. (2005). Authentic leadership and eudaemonic well-being: Understanding leader–follower outcomes. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), 373–394. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.leaqua.2005.03.002. </ref>. This seems to correlate with Kernis’s description of fragile high self-esteem <ref name="kern"> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref> as he also mentions narcissists as having a type of fragile high self-esteem that may come from deep insecurities that they are not themselves aware of. This is where authenticity becomes relevant because an authentic leader will not be driven by an inflated ego but by his core values and high morality. Another distinction is that authentic leaders may or may not be charismatic but they will always foster positive development of those around them. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
=== The (in)authenticity of Emotional Intelligence ===<br />
<br />
Studies have found that authentic individuals also possess high levels of Emotional Intelligence. Gardner et al. (2005)<ref>Gardner, W., Fischer, D. and Hunt, J., 2009. Emotional labor and leadership: A threat to authenticity?. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(3), pp.466-482. </ref>, however, questions whether Emotional Intelligence always is authentic. It was shown that Emotional Intelligence was a significant predictor of leadership abilities <ref>Walter, F., & Bruch, H. (2007). Investigating the emotional basis of charismatic leadership: The role of leaders' positive mood and emotional intelligence. In C. E. J. Härtel, N. M. Ashkanasy & W. J. Zerbe (Eds.), Functionality, intentionality and morality (pp. 55–85). Amsterdam: Elsevier. </ref>. Interestingly, emotionally intelligent leaders were seen as charismatic leaders by their followers, regardless of their actual emotional state. Apparently, emotionally intelligent leaders are especially skilled at regulating their emotions to generate perceptions of charisma.<br />
<br />
In that regard the question of authenticity becomes relevant in the case of emotional intelligence, because it questions whether the charisma of an emotional intelligent leader is genuine or if it is acting. If a leader engages in, what is called, ''surface acting'' that is, manipulating others by deliberately changing the emotions displayed, then followers will see it as fake. ''Deep acting'', however, is the effort to change inner feelings to deceive themselves. This type of acting will be perceived as authentic by others, but interestingly the deep acting individual will have a higher felt authenticity than surface acting individuals<ref>Gardner, W., Fischer, D. and Hunt, J., 2009. Emotional labor and leadership: A threat to authenticity?. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(3), pp.466-482. </ref>. Nonetheless, deep acting still violates inner feelings and therefore compromises authenticity, despite that the leader may not recognize this to be the case. It was shown in empirical studies that surface and deep acting were more emotionally exhausting than being genuine <ref>Grandey, A. A. (2003). When “the show must go on”: Surface acting and deep acting as determiants of emotional exhaustion and peer-rated service delivery. Academy of Management Journal, 46, 86−96. </ref>.<br />
<br />
= How to enhance authenticity =<br />
<br />
Atuhtenticity can only be enhanced if one somehow acknowlegdes his/her core values and beliefs. In context of becoming an authentic leader or project manager, then very little help is found in traditional leadership training, which merely focuses on a specific set of skills (e.g., goal setting or intellectual stimulation). Authentic leadership cannot be directly taught with methods or ways to behave because imitating those would be inauthentic. To enhance authenticity, it has to be a holistic approach that accounts for the whole person: individual character, values, and preferences <ref name="Becoming"> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>. <br />
<br />
<br />
=== Trigger events ===<br />
<br />
An experience of either positive or negative quality can lead to the development of one’s authentic being. These are called trigger events and can take the form of sudden experiences such as a person close to you passing away, a promotion, reading a book that challenges your core beliefs, forming a relationship, or having an anxiety attack. Such events will “cut through” the perception of self and force one to look critically upon certain aspects of one’s core beliefs and values. This mechanism will naturally allow for personal growth and will increase authenticity <ref name=real> Gardner, W., Avolio, B., Luthans, F., May, D. and Walumbwa, F., 2005. “Can you see the real me?” A self-based model of authentic leader and follower development. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.343-372.</ref>.<br />
<br />
This approach of developing authenticity through trigger events has been conceptualized as a potential training “program” for leaders and managers to push them out of their comfort zone to change their behaviors. Proposed by xx, it consists of two phases, an exploration phase where participants recognize their ways of acting inauthentically and trying out new ways of behaving. The second phase is an integration phase where participants recognize the benefit of change through the successful behaviors in their life. <br />
This approach is still on a conceptual basis and it would require many resources to actually make such a program <ref> Baron, L. and Parent, É., 2014. Developing Authentic Leadership Within a Training Context. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 22(1), pp.37-53.</ref>. <br />
<br />
<br />
=== Mindfulness ===<br />
<br />
Mindfulness seems to be the best way of increasing one’s authenticity. Mindfulness is simply the practise of being self-aware, open and non-judgemental. Enhancing self-awareness with mindfulness one can more easily discover what is true and false within oneselves <ref name="Becoming"> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>.<br />
Mindfulness training has shown to increase authenticity and well-being. The study found that mindfulness leads to value-based authentic actions, and that the authentic actions themselves leads to well-being <ref>Christie, A., Atkins, P. and Donald, J., 2016. The Meaning and Doing of Mindfulness: The Role of Values in the Link Between Mindfulness and Well-Being. Mindfulness, 8(2), pp.368-378. </ref>. <br />
Mindfulness practices were also shown to enhance authentic leadership in a very comprehensive study of over 1000 leaders. This study showed that leaders with high levels of trait mindfulness were more likely to show authentic leadership behaviors, as perceived by both themselves and their followers. They also found that low-dose mindfulness interventions enhanced leaders authentic behaviors (perceived by themselves and followers). In the study they had leaders do 30 days of app-based meditation, which directly impacted their behavior <ref name="Becoming"> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= Limitations =<br />
<br />
Perhaps the reason why authenticity hasn’t had the greatest impact so far is that it is not a quick fix method that can be implemented. It is not a leadership style that can be learnt, and it might (properly) be a difficult process to accept that certain beliefs are false for instance about one's job or partner. It has a disruptive power that is both its strength and weakness. <br />
<br />
Authentic Leadership can be seen as a very idealized leadership theory, and it is easy to blame other leadership styles for being inauthentic. However, for project or organizational success it might be beneficial to display emotions that are not heartfelt. Gardner comes with an example that if a leader announces employee layoffs it would be expected to express empathy and concern for the affected employees, and would most likely be met with anger and resentment from employees if the leader failed to display such emotions. If such emotions are not heartfelt, however, expressing them would be inauthentic. If the employee detects a lack of sincerity the leader may be viewed as disingenuous, thereby undermining his or her credibility with followers. This is the sort of challenge that authentic leaders face in a leadership role, where one might violate one’s true feelings. This example suggests that being completely authentic could have a negative effect on followers and organizations. Here, emotional intelligence might be more appropriate to apply instead.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The question also remains if Authentic Leadership applies for project management. A study didn’t find a significant correlation between authenticity of project managers and project success. This might be because project managers don’t have as much influence as positional leaders, or because project success is influenced very little by the leadership qualities of project managers.<br />
If project success is the only parameter you are interested in, then improving one's authenticity may be a lot of work for a small change. However, further studies should investigate whether authentic project managers positively influence team members in psychological areas such as well-being, felt authenticity, and job satisfaction. These enhanced factors may help the organization in future projects.<br />
<br />
The practise of mindfulness is a great entry to discovering your authentic self. However, critics have accused mindfulness of decontextualising mindfulness from its Buddhist roots, which cuts out the ethics and morals. Instead, it is solely used for practical reasons to reduce stress but without any introspection (McMindfulness, highly recommend this article). Nonetheless, the research shows great results from mindfulness without taking the Buddist tradition into account. <br />
<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
<br />
<references/></div>Jacobammitsoehttp://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Authenticity&diff=101811Authenticity2021-03-01T12:59:59Z<p>Jacobammitsoe: </p>
<hr />
<div>Authenticity may seem as a trivial topic in project management since it doesn’t directly improve projects. Yet, project managers who know their true self will inspire their team members to perform better with more satisfaction and improve the overall organization. This article takes its starting point in authenticity and looks at how personal introspection leads to better leadership and more truthful project management. The focus is very much on Authentic Leadership which has proved to enhance followers well-being, work engagement and job satisfaction. However, Authentic Leadership is merely a description of an authentic person in a position of authority behaving authentically. <br />
<br />
One can not just be an authentic project manager, you must start by being an authentic person in everything you do. Being an authentic person comes first and then the benefits of authenticity will shine through all aspects of your life from project management to fatherhood. This article is not meant as a 3 step tutorial to being authentic, because you cannot become authentic by intellectual understanding only. The hope is to challenge some of the existing views of success and leadership with modern research in this lesser known academic field of authenticity and especially Authentic Leadership Theory.<br />
<br />
We find that many of the “hot topics" in project management such as and “Emotional Intelligence” as well as different “leadership styles” from an authenticity point of view, are just consequences of authentic behavior. Although development of authenticity is not straight forward, research has found mindfulness to be very effective.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= What is authenticity? =<br />
Many philosophers and sociologists have attempted to define authenticity since it was first brought up in ancient Greece. The Greeks wrote: “to thine own self be true” <ref> Harter, S. (2002). Authenticity. In C. R. Snyder, & S. Lopez (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology (pp. 382 – 394). Oxford, UK7 Oxford University Press. </ref><br />
, which is a quite precise definition of authenticity - to be true to your own self. We will not go into all the facets and philosophical views of authenticity - which wouldn’t bring us closer to our authentic self - and go with the two main aspects which defines authenticity that the literature generally agrees on: <br />
<br />
* Knowing one’s true self; owning one’s personal experiences, be they thoughts, emotions, needs, wants, preferences, or beliefs.<br />
* Acting in accord with one’s true self; expressing oneself in ways that are consistent with one’s understanding of self.<br />
<br />
Authentic individuals can be said to be “in tune” with their basic nature and clearly and accurately see themselves and their lives. They are self-aware and unencumbered by others’ expectations and opinions for them, and therefore they can make more sound personal choices based on their own true values <ref name="root"> Avolio, B. and Gardner, W., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.315-338. </ref>. Authentic individuals will naturally have high self-esteem, what is referred to as “optimal self-esteem”. Optimal self-esteem involves favorable feelings of self-worth that arise naturally from successfully dealing with life challenges; the operation of one’s core, true, authentic self as a source of input to behavioral choices; and relationships in which one is valued for who one is and not for what one achieves <ref name="kern"> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
<br />
“Measure success based on your inner scorecard. If you base success and/or your actions on an outer scorecard, that is, what others think, your life will be hollow” (Warren Buffett, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, September 30, 2005).<br />
<br />
Warren Buffetts point may be the key point of authenticity in regards to one’s professional career. The achievements or success will not in itself have any value for an authentic person, because the authentic person solely follows his/her core beliefs. “Success” as Warren Buffett points out should instead be measured in the extent one follows one’s core values in life. Failures will also not be seen as a personal failure, rather it can be used as a source of information to guide their future behavior <ref name="kern"> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
<br />
The measurement of how authentic a person is, is typically done through a questionnaire called, Authentic Leadership Questionnaire (ALQ). <br />
<br />
<br />
==Four components of authenticity==<br />
The most accepted definition of authenticity is the four components of authenticity proposed by Walumbwa et al. (2008) <ref name="w"> Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure†. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89–126. </ref>. The components have a certain “direction”, the first component must be learnt before the next component can be authentic and so forth. The descriptions of the four components below is based on the work of Kernis and Goldman (2005) <ref> Kernis, M. H., & Goldman, B. M. (2005). From Thought and Experience to Behavior and Interpersonal Relationships: A Multicomponent Conceptualization of Authenticity. In A. Tesser, J. V. Wood, & D. A. Stapel (Eds.), On building, defending and regulating the self: A psychological perspective (p. 31–52). Psychology Press. </ref> and Walumbwa et al. (2008) <ref name="w"> Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure†. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89–126. </ref>.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Self-Awareness ===<br />
The awareness of self refers to possessing, and being motivated to increase, one’s knowledge and trust in one’s motives, feelings, desires. It includes, for example, understanding one’s likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, goals and aspirations, dispositional characteristics, and emotional states.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Balanced Processing ===<br />
<br />
This component refers to being objective about all what is observed; one’s positive and negative aspects, emotions, experiences and information. Balanced processing involves not denying, distorting or exaggerating information to fit your personal needs. It can be understood by looking at how people with low or fragile high self-esteem select and interpret information. Such persons find it hard to acknowledge personal shortcomings, such as certain skills or personality traits that they don’t like. They will typically develop strong ego defense mechanisms to distort information about their shortcomings. Individuals with balanced processing will not have strong self-serving biases to gain personal success, and will not have strong defense mechanisms.<br />
<br />
=== Behaviour ===<br />
Authentic behaviour means “acting in accord with one’s values, preferences, and needs as opposed to acting merely to please others or to attain rewards or avoid punishments through acting falsely... Authenticity is not reflected in a compulsion to be one’s true self, but rather in the free and natural expression of core feelings, motives and inclinations.” <ref name="kern"> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
This can be seen as the behavioural output of Self-Awareness and Balanced Processing.<br />
<br />
Of course, there will be instances where it will not be appropriate to act on behalf of your core needs and values, because it may not fit the immediate environment. Therefore one must act against the true self, which will lead to a temporally internal conflict. However, unbiased processing and awareness can still be present in such an instance, which would allow one to reflect and learn from the situation. In contrast, if awareness and unbiased processing was not present at that instance, then may not be recognized as an act against one’s values and that would lead to blind obedience.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Relational transparency ===<br />
<br />
A person with high relation orientation will strive for truthfulness and openness in his/her close relationships. It’s about self-disclosure, wanting others to see the “real” you, and the development of mutual intimacy and trust. At the core, it’s about being genuine rather than fake in one’s relationships.<br />
<br />
<br />
=Authentic Leadership in Project Management=<br />
As PMBOK points out <ref> Project Management Institute, Inc.. (2017). Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) (6th Edition). Project Management Institute, Inc. (PMI). </ref>, project managers both need managing skills and leadership skills. Leadership is more focused on the relations with team members or stakeholders, to inspire and guide them. In short, management is about ''doing things right'' and leadership is about ''doing the right things''. <br />
PMBOK points to different leadership styles like eg. Transformational and Charismatic, which “project managers can adopt'' (PMBOK, p.65). However, as PRINCE 2 says a leadership style may work in one situation but be inappropriate in another, which is one of the reasons they will not cover leadership in project management <ref> AXELOS, AXELOS. Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2 2017 Edition, chapter 1.2, page 4, The Stationery Office Ltd, 2017. </ref>. <br />
The same scepticism for the “leadership styles” is found in Authentic Leadership. That is why Authentic Leadership should not be seen as a leadership style, but rather as a “root concept” that forms the basis of observed leadership styles such as above mentioned. Authentic Leadership has gained much scholarly attention in the last decade, perhaps because of the crisis of confidence in today's corporate and government<br />
leaders <ref>Gardner, W. L., Cogliser, C. C., Davis, K. M., & Dickens, M. P. (2011). Authentic leadership: A review of the literature and research agenda. The Leadership Quarterly, 22, 1120–1145. </ref>. We will go through what it is and how it differs from traditional leadership styles.<br />
<br />
<br />
‘if you’re a project manager, provide for quality and truth, and success will come on the back of that. If you just go for success on its own, it won’t work. What I <br />
would like project managers to be able to face the truth, stare it in the eye and then operate by it.’ - Camila Batmanghelidjh <ref> Madsen, S., 2021. Category: Authenticity. [online] Susanne Madsen Intl. Developing Project Leaders. Available at: <https://www.susannemadsen.co.uk/blog/category/authenticity?view=full> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. </ref><br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic Leadership Theory ==<br />
Authentic Leadership has had many definitions and discussions about authenticity and leadership (for an overview see Iszatt-White & Kempster, 2018 <ref> Iszatt-White, M., & Kempster, S. (2018). Authentic leadership: Getting back to the roots of the ‘root construct’? International Journal of Management Reviews, 0(0), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijmr. 12193. </ref>). Authentic Leadership draws insights from positive psychology and full-range leadership (FRL)/transformational leadership theory.<br />
Authentic leaders are, as the name suggests, authentic individuals, which means that they have high levels of the four components of authenticity. Authentic leaders are characterized as <ref name="Becoming"> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>:<br />
<br />
* they accept their strengths and weaknesses and are highly aware of themselves (1. self-awareness)<br />
* they openly show their emotions and their true self to their followers (2. relational transparency)<br />
* they take others’ perspectives and views into account (3. balanced processing); <br />
* they consistently behave according to their own moral standards and values, i.e., match words with actions (4. internalized moral perspective) <br />
<br />
Authentic leaders are in addition self-confident, optimistic, reliable, and trustworthy. They lead by example and help create a healthy and ethical work climate <ref name="banks">Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006. </ref> <ref>Hoch, J. E., Bommer, W. H., Dulebohn, J. H., & Wu, D. (2018). Do ethical, authentic, and servant leadership explain variance above and beyond transformational leadership? A meta-analysis. Journal of Management, 44(2), 501–529. https://doi.org/10.1177/ 0149206316665461. </ref>.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Authentic followers/team members ===<br />
<br />
Authentic leadership goes beyond the authenticity of the leader as a person to the relationship and development of the team he/she is leading. The relationships are called “authentic followership” and are characterized by <ref name="root"> Avolio, B. and Gardner, W., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.315-338. </ref> <ref name="real"> Gardner, W., Avolio, B., Luthans, F., May, D. and Walumbwa, F., 2005. “Can you see the real me?” A self-based model of authentic leader and follower development. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.343-372.</ref>:<br />
* Transparency, openness, trust<br />
* Guidance towards worthy objectives<br />
* Emphasis on follower development<br />
<br />
Authentic leaders “lead by example” with complete transparency between words and actions. The open and trustworthy relationship between leader and followers is believed to develop the values and beliefs of the followers over time, leading to “authentic followers”. By increasing their authenticity they will in turn be more transparent with the leader which will benefit the organization <ref name="root"> Avolio, B. and Gardner, W., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.315-338. </ref>. <br />
<br />
Empirical research has found that authentic leadership has a positive effect on followers well-being, increased work engagement, commitment, job satisfaction and behaviors like task performance, creativity <ref name="banks">Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006. </ref> <ref>Hoch, J. E., Bommer, W. H., Dulebohn, J. H., & Wu, D. (2018). Do ethical, authentic, and servant leadership explain variance above and beyond transformational leadership? A meta-analysis. Journal of Management, 44(2), 501–529. https://doi.org/10.1177/ 0149206316665461. </ref>. <br />
<br />
In project management context followers or most likely team members, but still in this case authentic leadership behaviors will foster more authentic team members <ref name="lev"> Levy, L., 2020. The Relationship Between Authentic Leadership in Project Managers and Project Success. Walden University, [online] Available at: <https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=9671&context=dissertations> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. </ref>. <br />
As projects often happen in an organizational context the improvement of the organization can have lasting effects on other projects <ref name="banks"> Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006.</ref>.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic vs Charismatic ==<br />
<br />
=== Relation to Transformative leadership Theory ===<br />
<br />
Authentic Leadership has been accused of being redundant in leadership theory, because the traits are very similar to Transformational and ethical leadership <ref name="banks"> Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006.</ref>. We will look at the differences of Authentic Leadership to Transformational leadership. Transformational leadership is also considered as charismatic leadership as it has considerable emotional appeal and possesses the ability to inspire (Ergeneli et al., 2007). Transformational leadership behaviors are associated with four categories:<br />
<br />
* Idealized influence: when a leader performs as a role model and shares common <br />
visions, encourages and provides a strong sense of purpose.<br />
* Inspirational motivation: a leader expresses the importance of desired objectives of the organization and motivates.<br />
* Intellectual stimulation: when a leader challenges the normal ideas of followers.<br />
* Individualized consideration: when a leader spends more time teaching and coaching for better performance.<br />
<br />
A transformational leader may have a strong vision they communicate influentially, but that vision and charisma may not always come from an authentic place as they could be imposing their own needs or pleasures <ref>Ilies, R., Morgeson, F. P., & Nahrgang, J. D. (2005). Authentic leadership and eudaemonic well-being: Understanding leader–follower outcomes. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), 373–394. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.leaqua.2005.03.002. </ref>. This seems to correlate with Kernis’s description of fragile high self-esteem <ref name="kern"> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref> as he also mentions narcissists as having a type of fragile high self-esteem that may come from deep insecurities that they are not themselves aware of. This is where authenticity becomes relevant because an authentic leader will not be driven by an inflated ego but by his core values and high morality. Another distinction is that authentic leaders may or may not be charismatic but they will always foster positive development of those around them. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
=== The (in)authenticity of Emotional Intelligence ===<br />
<br />
Studies have found that authentic individuals also possess high levels of Emotional Intelligence. Gardner et al. (2005)<ref>Gardner, W., Fischer, D. and Hunt, J., 2009. Emotional labor and leadership: A threat to authenticity?. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(3), pp.466-482. </ref>, however, questions whether Emotional Intelligence always is authentic. It was shown that Emotional Intelligence was a significant predictor of leadership abilities <ref>Walter, F., & Bruch, H. (2007). Investigating the emotional basis of charismatic leadership: The role of leaders' positive mood and emotional intelligence. In C. E. J. Härtel, N. M. Ashkanasy & W. J. Zerbe (Eds.), Functionality, intentionality and morality (pp. 55–85). Amsterdam: Elsevier. </ref>. Interestingly, emotionally intelligent leaders were seen as charismatic leaders by their followers, regardless of their actual emotional state. Apparently, emotionally intelligent leaders are especially skilled at regulating their emotions to generate perceptions of charisma.<br />
<br />
In that regard the question of authenticity becomes relevant in the case of emotional intelligence, because it questions whether the charisma of an emotional intelligent leader is genuine or if it is acting. If a leader engages in, what is called, ''surface acting'' that is, manipulating others by deliberately changing the emotions displayed, then followers will see it as fake. ''Deep acting'', however, is the effort to change inner feelings to deceive themselves. This type of acting will be perceived as authentic by others, but interestingly the deep acting individual will have a higher felt authenticity than surface acting individuals<ref>Gardner, W., Fischer, D. and Hunt, J., 2009. Emotional labor and leadership: A threat to authenticity?. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(3), pp.466-482. </ref>. Nonetheless, deep acting still violates inner feelings and therefore compromises authenticity, despite that the leader may not recognize this to be the case. It was shown in empirical studies that surface and deep acting were more emotionally exhausting than being genuine <ref>Grandey, A. A. (2003). When “the show must go on”: Surface acting and deep acting as determiants of emotional exhaustion and peer-rated service delivery. Academy of Management Journal, 46, 86−96. </ref>.<br />
<br />
= How to enhance authenticity =<br />
<br />
Atuhtenticity can only be enhanced if one somehow acknowlegdes his/her core values and beliefs. In context of becoming an authentic leader or project manager, then very little help is found in traditional leadership training, which merely focuses on a specific set of skills (e.g., goal setting or intellectual stimulation). Authentic leadership cannot be directly taught with methods or ways to behave because imitating those would be inauthentic. To enhance authenticity, it has to be a holistic approach that accounts for the whole person: individual character, values, and preferences <ref name="Becoming"> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>. <br />
<br />
<br />
=== Trigger events ===<br />
<br />
An experience of either positive or negative quality can lead to the development of one’s authentic being. These are called trigger events and can take the form of sudden experiences such as a person close to you passing away, a promotion, reading a book that challenges your core beliefs, forming a relationship, or having an anxiety attack. Such events will “cut through” the perception of self and force one to look critically upon certain aspects of one’s core beliefs and values. This mechanism will naturally allow for personal growth and will increase authenticity <ref name=real> Gardner, W., Avolio, B., Luthans, F., May, D. and Walumbwa, F., 2005. “Can you see the real me?” A self-based model of authentic leader and follower development. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.343-372.</ref>.<br />
<br />
This approach of developing authenticity through trigger events has been conceptualized as a potential training “program” for leaders and managers to push them out of their comfort zone to change their behaviors. Proposed by xx, it consists of two phases, an exploration phase where participants recognize their ways of acting inauthentically and trying out new ways of behaving. The second phase is an integration phase where participants recognize the benefit of change through the successful behaviors in their life. <br />
This approach is still on a conceptual basis and it would require many resources to actually make such a program <ref> Baron, L. and Parent, É., 2014. Developing Authentic Leadership Within a Training Context. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 22(1), pp.37-53.</ref>. <br />
<br />
<br />
=== Mindfulness ===<br />
<br />
Mindfulness seems to be the best way of increasing one’s authenticity. Mindfulness is simply the practise of being self-aware, open and non-judgemental. Enhancing self-awareness with mindfulness one can more easily discover what is true and false within oneselves <ref name="Becoming"> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>.<br />
Mindfulness training has shown to increase authenticity and well-being. The study found that mindfulness leads to value-based authentic actions, and that the authentic actions themselves leads to well-being <ref>Christie, A., Atkins, P. and Donald, J., 2016. The Meaning and Doing of Mindfulness: The Role of Values in the Link Between Mindfulness and Well-Being. Mindfulness, 8(2), pp.368-378. </ref>. <br />
Mindfulness practices were also shown to enhance authentic leadership in a very comprehensive study of over 1000 leaders. This study showed that leaders with high levels of trait mindfulness were more likely to show authentic leadership behaviors, as perceived by both themselves and their followers. They also found that low-dose mindfulness interventions enhanced leaders authentic behaviors (perceived by themselves and followers). In the study they had leaders do 30 days of app-based meditation, which directly impacted their behavior <ref name="Becoming"> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= Limitations =<br />
<br />
Perhaps the reason why authenticity hasn’t had the greatest impact so far is that it is not a quick fix method that can be implemented. It is not a leadership style that can be learnt, and it might (properly) be a difficult process to accept that certain beliefs are false for instance about one's job or partner. It has a disruptive power that is both its strength and weakness. <br />
<br />
Authentic Leadership can be seen as a very idealized leadership theory, and it is easy to blame other leadership styles for being inauthentic. However, for project or organizational success it might be beneficial to display emotions that are not heartfelt. Gardner, <ref>Gardner, W., Fischer, D. and Hunt, J., 2009. Emotional labor and leadership: A threat to authenticity?. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(3), pp.466-482. </ref> comes with an example that if a leader announces employee layoffs it would be expected to express empathy and concern for the affected employees, and would most likely be met with anger and resentment from employees if the leader failed to display such emotions. If such emotions are not heartfelt, however, expressing them would be inauthentic. If the audience detects a lack of sincerity on the part of the leader, he or she may be viewed as hypocritical and disingenuous, thereby undermining his or her credibility with followers. This is the sort of challenge that authentic leaders face in a leadership role, where one might violate one’s true feelings. As we discussed in authentic behavior one might violate authenticity</div>Jacobammitsoehttp://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Authenticity&diff=101810Authenticity2021-03-01T12:57:15Z<p>Jacobammitsoe: </p>
<hr />
<div>Authenticity may seem as a trivial topic in project management since it doesn’t directly improve projects. Yet, project managers who know their true self will inspire their team members to perform better with more satisfaction and improve the overall organization. This article takes its starting point in authenticity and looks at how personal introspection leads to better leadership and more truthful project management. The focus is very much on Authentic Leadership which has proved to enhance followers well-being, work engagement and job satisfaction. However, Authentic Leadership is merely a description of an authentic person in a position of authority behaving authentically. <br />
<br />
One can not just be an authentic project manager, you must start by being an authentic person in everything you do. Being an authentic person comes first and then the benefits of authenticity will shine through all aspects of your life from project management to fatherhood. This article is not meant as a 3 step tutorial to being authentic, because you cannot become authentic by intellectual understanding only. The hope is to challenge some of the existing views of success and leadership with modern research in this lesser known academic field of authenticity and especially Authentic Leadership Theory.<br />
<br />
We find that many of the “hot topics" in project management such as and “Emotional Intelligence” as well as different “leadership styles” from an authenticity point of view, are just consequences of authentic behavior. Although development of authenticity is not straight forward, research has found mindfulness to be very effective.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= What is authenticity? =<br />
Many philosophers and sociologists have attempted to define authenticity since it was first brought up in ancient Greece. The Greeks wrote: “to thine own self be true” <ref> Harter, S. (2002). Authenticity. In C. R. Snyder, & S. Lopez (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology (pp. 382 – 394). Oxford, UK7 Oxford University Press. </ref><br />
, which is a quite precise definition of authenticity - to be true to your own self. We will not go into all the facets and philosophical views of authenticity - which wouldn’t bring us closer to our authentic self - and go with the two main aspects which defines authenticity that the literature generally agrees on: <br />
<br />
* Knowing one’s true self; owning one’s personal experiences, be they thoughts, emotions, needs, wants, preferences, or beliefs.<br />
* Acting in accord with one’s true self; expressing oneself in ways that are consistent with one’s understanding of self.<br />
<br />
Authentic individuals can be said to be “in tune” with their basic nature and clearly and accurately see themselves and their lives. They are self-aware and unencumbered by others’ expectations and opinions for them, and therefore they can make more sound personal choices based on their own true values <ref name="root"> Avolio, B. and Gardner, W., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.315-338. </ref>. Authentic individuals will naturally have high self-esteem, what is referred to as “optimal self-esteem”. Optimal self-esteem involves favorable feelings of self-worth that arise naturally from successfully dealing with life challenges; the operation of one’s core, true, authentic self as a source of input to behavioral choices; and relationships in which one is valued for who one is and not for what one achieves <ref name="kern"> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
<br />
“Measure success based on your inner scorecard. If you base success and/or your actions on an outer scorecard, that is, what others think, your life will be hollow” (Warren Buffett, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, September 30, 2005).<br />
<br />
Warren Buffetts point may be the key point of authenticity in regards to one’s professional career. The achievements or success will not in itself have any value for an authentic person, because the authentic person solely follows his/her core beliefs. “Success” as Warren Buffett points out should instead be measured in the extent one follows one’s core values in life. Failures will also not be seen as a personal failure, rather it can be used as a source of information to guide their future behavior <ref name="kern"> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
<br />
The measurement of how authentic a person is, is typically done through a questionnaire called, Authentic Leadership Questionnaire (ALQ). <br />
<br />
<br />
==Four components of authenticity==<br />
The most accepted definition of authenticity is the four components of authenticity proposed by Walumbwa et al. (2008) <ref name="w"> Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure†. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89–126. </ref>. The components have a certain “direction”, the first component must be learnt before the next component can be authentic and so forth. The descriptions of the four components below is based on the work of Kernis and Goldman (2005) <ref> Kernis, M. H., & Goldman, B. M. (2005). From Thought and Experience to Behavior and Interpersonal Relationships: A Multicomponent Conceptualization of Authenticity. In A. Tesser, J. V. Wood, & D. A. Stapel (Eds.), On building, defending and regulating the self: A psychological perspective (p. 31–52). Psychology Press. </ref> and Walumbwa et al. (2008) <ref name="w"> Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure†. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89–126. </ref>.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Self-Awareness ===<br />
The awareness of self refers to possessing, and being motivated to increase, one’s knowledge and trust in one’s motives, feelings, desires. It includes, for example, understanding one’s likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, goals and aspirations, dispositional characteristics, and emotional states.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Balanced Processing ===<br />
<br />
This component refers to being objective about all what is observed; one’s positive and negative aspects, emotions, experiences and information. Balanced processing involves not denying, distorting or exaggerating information to fit your personal needs. It can be understood by looking at how people with low or fragile high self-esteem select and interpret information. Such persons find it hard to acknowledge personal shortcomings, such as certain skills or personality traits that they don’t like. They will typically develop strong ego defense mechanisms to distort information about their shortcomings. Individuals with balanced processing will not have strong self-serving biases to gain personal success, and will not have strong defense mechanisms.<br />
<br />
=== Behaviour ===<br />
Authentic behaviour means “acting in accord with one’s values, preferences, and needs as opposed to acting merely to please others or to attain rewards or avoid punishments through acting falsely... Authenticity is not reflected in a compulsion to be one’s true self, but rather in the free and natural expression of core feelings, motives and inclinations.” <ref name="kern"> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
This can be seen as the behavioural output of Self-Awareness and Balanced Processing.<br />
<br />
Of course, there will be instances where it will not be appropriate to act on behalf of your core needs and values, because it may not fit the immediate environment. Therefore one must act against the true self, which will lead to a temporally internal conflict. However, unbiased processing and awareness can still be present in such an instance, which would allow one to reflect and learn from the situation. In contrast, if awareness and unbiased processing was not present at that instance, then may not be recognized as an act against one’s values and that would lead to blind obedience.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Relational transparency ===<br />
<br />
A person with high relation orientation will strive for truthfulness and openness in his/her close relationships. It’s about self-disclosure, wanting others to see the “real” you, and the development of mutual intimacy and trust. At the core, it’s about being genuine rather than fake in one’s relationships.<br />
<br />
<br />
=Authentic Leadership in Project Management=<br />
As PMBOK points out <ref> Project Management Institute, Inc.. (2017). Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) (6th Edition). Project Management Institute, Inc. (PMI). </ref>, project managers both need managing skills and leadership skills. Leadership is more focused on the relations with team members or stakeholders, to inspire and guide them. In short, management is about ''doing things right'' and leadership is about ''doing the right things''. <br />
PMBOK points to different leadership styles like eg. Transformational and Charismatic, which “project managers can adopt'' (PMBOK, p.65). However, as PRINCE 2 says a leadership style may work in one situation but be inappropriate in another, which is one of the reasons they will not cover leadership in project management <ref> AXELOS, AXELOS. Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2 2017 Edition, chapter 1.2, page 4, The Stationery Office Ltd, 2017. </ref>. <br />
The same scepticism for the “leadership styles” is found in Authentic Leadership. That is why Authentic Leadership should not be seen as a leadership style, but rather as a “root concept” that forms the basis of observed leadership styles such as above mentioned. Authentic Leadership has gained much scholarly attention in the last decade, perhaps because of the crisis of confidence in today's corporate and government<br />
leaders <ref>Gardner, W. L., Cogliser, C. C., Davis, K. M., & Dickens, M. P. (2011). Authentic leadership: A review of the literature and research agenda. The Leadership Quarterly, 22, 1120–1145. </ref>. We will go through what it is and how it differs from traditional leadership styles.<br />
<br />
<br />
‘if you’re a project manager, provide for quality and truth, and success will come on the back of that. If you just go for success on its own, it won’t work. What I <br />
would like project managers to be able to face the truth, stare it in the eye and then operate by it.’ - Camila Batmanghelidjh <ref> Madsen, S., 2021. Category: Authenticity. [online] Susanne Madsen Intl. Developing Project Leaders. Available at: <https://www.susannemadsen.co.uk/blog/category/authenticity?view=full> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. </ref><br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic Leadership Theory ==<br />
Authentic Leadership has had many definitions and discussions about authenticity and leadership (for an overview see Iszatt-White & Kempster, 2018 <ref> Iszatt-White, M., & Kempster, S. (2018). Authentic leadership: Getting back to the roots of the ‘root construct’? International Journal of Management Reviews, 0(0), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijmr. 12193. </ref>). Authentic Leadership draws insights from positive psychology and full-range leadership (FRL)/transformational leadership theory.<br />
Authentic leaders are, as the name suggests, authentic individuals, which means that they have high levels of the four components of authenticity. Authentic leaders are characterized as <ref name="Becoming"> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>:<br />
<br />
* they accept their strengths and weaknesses and are highly aware of themselves (1. self-awareness)<br />
* they openly show their emotions and their true self to their followers (2. relational transparency)<br />
* they take others’ perspectives and views into account (3. balanced processing); <br />
* they consistently behave according to their own moral standards and values, i.e., match words with actions (4. internalized moral perspective) <br />
<br />
Authentic leaders are in addition self-confident, optimistic, reliable, and trustworthy. They lead by example and help create a healthy and ethical work climate <ref name="banks">Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006. </ref> <ref>Hoch, J. E., Bommer, W. H., Dulebohn, J. H., & Wu, D. (2018). Do ethical, authentic, and servant leadership explain variance above and beyond transformational leadership? A meta-analysis. Journal of Management, 44(2), 501–529. https://doi.org/10.1177/ 0149206316665461. </ref>.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Authentic followers/team members ===<br />
<br />
Authentic leadership goes beyond the authenticity of the leader as a person to the relationship and development of the team he/she is leading. The relationships are called “authentic followership” and are characterized by <ref name="root"> Avolio, B. and Gardner, W., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.315-338. </ref> <ref name="real"> Gardner, W., Avolio, B., Luthans, F., May, D. and Walumbwa, F., 2005. “Can you see the real me?” A self-based model of authentic leader and follower development. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.343-372.</ref>:<br />
* Transparency, openness, trust<br />
* Guidance towards worthy objectives<br />
* Emphasis on follower development<br />
<br />
Authentic leaders “lead by example” with complete transparency between words and actions. The open and trustworthy relationship between leader and followers is believed to develop the values and beliefs of the followers over time, leading to “authentic followers”. By increasing their authenticity they will in turn be more transparent with the leader which will benefit the organization <ref name="root"> Avolio, B. and Gardner, W., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.315-338. </ref>. <br />
<br />
Empirical research has found that authentic leadership has a positive effect on followers well-being, increased work engagement, commitment, job satisfaction and behaviors like task performance, creativity <ref name="banks">Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006. </ref> <ref>Hoch, J. E., Bommer, W. H., Dulebohn, J. H., & Wu, D. (2018). Do ethical, authentic, and servant leadership explain variance above and beyond transformational leadership? A meta-analysis. Journal of Management, 44(2), 501–529. https://doi.org/10.1177/ 0149206316665461. </ref>. <br />
<br />
In project management context followers or most likely team members, but still in this case authentic leadership behaviors will foster more authentic team members <ref> Levy, L., 2020. The Relationship Between Authentic Leadership in Project Managers and Project Success. Walden University, [online] Available at: <https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=9671&context=dissertations> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. </ref>. <br />
As projects often happen in an organizational context the improvement of the organization can have lasting effects on other projects <ref name="banks"> Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006.</ref>.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic vs Charismatic ==<br />
<br />
=== Relation to Transformative leadership Theory ===<br />
<br />
Authentic Leadership has been accused of being redundant in leadership theory, because the traits are very similar to Transformational and ethical leadership <ref name="banks"> Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006.</ref>. We will look at the differences of Authentic Leadership to Transformational leadership. Transformational leadership is also considered as charismatic leadership as it has considerable emotional appeal and possesses the ability to inspire (Ergeneli et al., 2007). Transformational leadership behaviors are associated with four categories:<br />
<br />
* Idealized influence: when a leader performs as a role model and shares common <br />
visions, encourages and provides a strong sense of purpose.<br />
* Inspirational motivation: a leader expresses the importance of desired objectives of the organization and motivates.<br />
* Intellectual stimulation: when a leader challenges the normal ideas of followers.<br />
* Individualized consideration: when a leader spends more time teaching and coaching for better performance.<br />
<br />
A transformational leader may have a strong vision they communicate influentially, but that vision and charisma may not always come from an authentic place as they could be imposing their own needs or pleasures <ref>Ilies, R., Morgeson, F. P., & Nahrgang, J. D. (2005). Authentic leadership and eudaemonic well-being: Understanding leader–follower outcomes. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), 373–394. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.leaqua.2005.03.002. </ref>. This seems to correlate with Kernis’s description of fragile high self-esteem <ref name="kern"> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref> as he also mentions narcissists as having a type of fragile high self-esteem that may come from deep insecurities that they are not themselves aware of. This is where authenticity becomes relevant because an authentic leader will not be driven by an inflated ego but by his core values and high morality. Another distinction is that authentic leaders may or may not be charismatic but they will always foster positive development of those around them. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
=== The (in)authenticity of Emotional Intelligence ===<br />
<br />
Studies have found that authentic individuals also possess high levels of Emotional Intelligence. Gardner et al. (2005)<ref>Gardner, W., Fischer, D. and Hunt, J., 2009. Emotional labor and leadership: A threat to authenticity?. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(3), pp.466-482. </ref>, however, questions whether Emotional Intelligence always is authentic. It was shown that Emotional Intelligence was a significant predictor of leadership abilities <ref>Walter, F., & Bruch, H. (2007). Investigating the emotional basis of charismatic leadership: The role of leaders' positive mood and emotional intelligence. In C. E. J. Härtel, N. M. Ashkanasy & W. J. Zerbe (Eds.), Functionality, intentionality and morality (pp. 55–85). Amsterdam: Elsevier. </ref>. Interestingly, emotionally intelligent leaders were seen as charismatic leaders by their followers, regardless of their actual emotional state. Apparently, emotionally intelligent leaders are especially skilled at regulating their emotions to generate perceptions of charisma.<br />
<br />
In that regard the question of authenticity becomes relevant in the case of emotional intelligence, because it questions whether the charisma of an emotional intelligent leader is genuine or if it is acting. If a leader engages in, what is called, ''surface acting'' that is, manipulating others by deliberately changing the emotions displayed, then followers will see it as fake. ''Deep acting'', however, is the effort to change inner feelings to deceive themselves. This type of acting will be perceived as authentic by others, but interestingly the deep acting individual will have a higher felt authenticity than surface acting individuals<ref>Gardner, W., Fischer, D. and Hunt, J., 2009. Emotional labor and leadership: A threat to authenticity?. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(3), pp.466-482. </ref>. Nonetheless, deep acting still violates inner feelings and therefore compromises authenticity, despite that the leader may not recognize this to be the case. It was shown in empirical studies that surface and deep acting were more emotionally exhausting than being genuine <ref>Grandey, A. A. (2003). When “the show must go on”: Surface acting and deep acting as determiants of emotional exhaustion and peer-rated service delivery. Academy of Management Journal, 46, 86−96. </ref>.<br />
<br />
= How to enhance authenticity =<br />
<br />
Atuhtenticity can only be enhanced if one somehow acknowlegdes his/her core values and beliefs. In context of becoming an authentic leader or project manager, then very little help is found in traditional leadership training, which merely focuses on a specific set of skills (e.g., goal setting or intellectual stimulation). Authentic leadership cannot be directly taught with methods or ways to behave because imitating those would be inauthentic. To enhance authenticity, it has to be a holistic approach that accounts for the whole person: individual character, values, and preferences <ref name="Becoming"> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>. <br />
<br />
<br />
=== Trigger events ===<br />
<br />
An experience of either positive or negative quality can lead to the development of one’s authentic being. These are called trigger events and can take the form of sudden experiences such as a person close to you passing away, a promotion, reading a book that challenges your core beliefs, forming a relationship, or having an anxiety attack. Such events will “cut through” the perception of self and force one to look critically upon certain aspects of one’s core beliefs and values. This mechanism will naturally allow for personal growth and will increase authenticity <ref name=real> Gardner, W., Avolio, B., Luthans, F., May, D. and Walumbwa, F., 2005. “Can you see the real me?” A self-based model of authentic leader and follower development. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.343-372.</ref>.<br />
<br />
This approach of developing authenticity through trigger events has been conceptualized as a potential training “program” for leaders and managers to push them out of their comfort zone to change their behaviors. Proposed by xx, it consists of two phases, an exploration phase where participants recognize their ways of acting inauthentically and trying out new ways of behaving. The second phase is an integration phase where participants recognize the benefit of change through the successful behaviors in their life. <br />
This approach is still on a conceptual basis and it would require many resources to actually make such a program <ref> Baron, L. and Parent, É., 2014. Developing Authentic Leadership Within a Training Context. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 22(1), pp.37-53.</ref>. <br />
<br />
<br />
=== Mindfulness ===<br />
<br />
Mindfulness seems to be the best way of increasing one’s authenticity. Mindfulness is simply the practise of being self-aware, open and non-judgemental. Enhancing self-awareness with mindfulness one can more easily discover what is true and false within oneselves <ref name="Becoming"> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>.<br />
Mindfulness training has shown to increase authenticity and well-being. The study found that mindfulness leads to value-based authentic actions, and that the authentic actions themselves leads to well-being <ref>Christie, A., Atkins, P. and Donald, J., 2016. The Meaning and Doing of Mindfulness: The Role of Values in the Link Between Mindfulness and Well-Being. Mindfulness, 8(2), pp.368-378. </ref>. <br />
Mindfulness practices were also shown to enhance authentic leadership in a very comprehensive study of over 1000 leaders. This study showed that leaders with high levels of trait mindfulness were more likely to show authentic leadership behaviors, as perceived by both themselves and their followers. They also found that low-dose mindfulness interventions enhanced leaders authentic behaviors (perceived by themselves and followers). In the study they had leaders do 30 days of app-based meditation, which directly impacted their behavior <ref name="Becoming"> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= Limitations =<br />
<br />
Perhaps the reason why authenticity hasn’t had the greatest impact so far is that it is not a quick fix method that can be implemented. It is not a leadership style that can be learnt, and it might (properly) be a difficult process to accept that certain beliefs are false for instance about one's job or partner. It has a disruptive power that is both its strength and weakness. <br />
<br />
Authentic Leadership can be seen as a very idealized leadership theory, and it is easy to blame other leadership styles for being inauthentic. However, for project or organizational success it might be beneficial to display emotions that are not heartfelt. Gardner, <ref>Gardner, W., Fischer, D. and Hunt, J., 2009. Emotional labor and leadership: A threat to authenticity?. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(3), pp.466-482. </ref> comes with an example that if a leader announces employee layoffs it would be expected to express empathy and concern for the affected employees, and would most likely be met with anger and resentment from employees if the leader failed to display such emotions. If such emotions are not heartfelt, however, expressing them would be inauthentic. If the audience detects a lack of sincerity on the part of the leader, he or she may be viewed as hypocritical and disingenuous, thereby undermining his or her credibility with followers. This is the sort of challenge that authentic leaders face in a leadership role, where one might violate one’s true feelings. As we discussed in authentic behavior one might violate authenticity in the behavioral component of authenticity but still has balanced processing and self-awareness present. <br />
<br />
<br />
The question also remains if Authentic Leadership applies for project management. A study <ref> Levy, L., 2020. The Relationship Between Authentic Leadership in Project Managers and Project Success. Walden University, [online] Available at: <https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=9671&context=dissertations> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. </ref> didn’t find a significant correlation between authenticity of project managers and project success. This might be because project managers don’t have as much influence as positional leaders, or because project success is influenced very little by the leadership qualities of project managers.<br />
If project success is the only parameter you are interested in, then improving one's authenticity may be a lot of work for a small change. However, further studies should investigate whether authentic project managers positively influence team members in psychological areas such as well-being, felt authenticity, and job satisfaction. These enhanced factors may help the organization in future projects.<br />
<br />
The practise of mindfulness is a great entry to discovering your authentic self. However, critics have accused mindfulness of decontextualising mindfulness from its Buddhist roots, which cuts out the ethics and morals. Instead, it is solely used practically for reducing stress but without any introspection <ref>Purser, R., & Loy, D. (2013). Beyond McMindfulness. Huffington post, p. 13. Retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/ron-purser/ beyond-mcmindfulness_b_3519289.html. </ref>. So far, however, the research shows great results from mindfulness without taking the Buddist tradition into account.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
<br />
<references /></div>Jacobammitsoehttp://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Authenticity&diff=101809Authenticity2021-03-01T12:50:11Z<p>Jacobammitsoe: </p>
<hr />
<div>Authenticity may seem as a trivial topic in project management since it doesn’t directly improve projects. Yet, project managers who know their true self will inspire their team members to perform better with more satisfaction and improve the overall organization. This article takes its starting point in authenticity and looks at how personal introspection leads to better leadership and more truthful project management. The focus is very much on Authentic Leadership which has proved to enhance followers well-being, work engagement and job satisfaction. However, Authentic Leadership is merely a description of an authentic person in a position of authority behaving authentically. <br />
<br />
One can not just be an authentic project manager, you must start by being an authentic person in everything you do. Being an authentic person comes first and then the benefits of authenticity will shine through all aspects of your life from project management to fatherhood. This article is not meant as a 3 step tutorial to being authentic, because you cannot become authentic by intellectual understanding only. The hope is to challenge some of the existing views of success and leadership with modern research in this lesser known academic field of authenticity and especially Authentic Leadership Theory.<br />
<br />
We find that many of the “hot topics" in project management such as and “Emotional Intelligence” as well as different “leadership styles” from an authenticity point of view, are just consequences of authentic behavior. Although development of authenticity is not straight forward, research has found mindfulness to be very effective.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= What is authenticity? =<br />
Many philosophers and sociologists have attempted to define authenticity since it was first brought up in ancient Greece. The Greeks wrote: “to thine own self be true” <ref> Harter, S. (2002). Authenticity. In C. R. Snyder, & S. Lopez (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology (pp. 382 – 394). Oxford, UK7 Oxford University Press. </ref><br />
, which is a quite precise definition of authenticity - to be true to your own self. We will not go into all the facets and philosophical views of authenticity - which wouldn’t bring us closer to our authentic self - and go with the two main aspects which defines authenticity that the literature generally agrees on: <br />
<br />
* Knowing one’s true self; owning one’s personal experiences, be they thoughts, emotions, needs, wants, preferences, or beliefs.<br />
* Acting in accord with one’s true self; expressing oneself in ways that are consistent with one’s understanding of self.<br />
<br />
Authentic individuals can be said to be “in tune” with their basic nature and clearly and accurately see themselves and their lives. They are self-aware and unencumbered by others’ expectations and opinions for them, and therefore they can make more sound personal choices based on their own true values <ref> Avolio, B. and Gardner, W., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.315-338. </ref>. Authentic individuals will naturally have high self-esteem, what is referred to as “optimal self-esteem”. Optimal self-esteem involves favorable feelings of self-worth that arise naturally from successfully dealing with life challenges; the operation of one’s core, true, authentic self as a source of input to behavioral choices; and relationships in which one is valued for who one is and not for what one achieves <ref> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
<br />
“Measure success based on your inner scorecard. If you base success and/or your actions on an outer scorecard, that is, what others think, your life will be hollow” (Warren Buffett, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, September 30, 2005).<br />
<br />
Warren Buffetts point may be the key point of authenticity in regards to one’s professional career. The achievements or success will not in itself have any value for an authentic person, because the authentic person solely follows his/her core beliefs. “Success” as Warren Buffett points out should instead be measured in the extent one follows one’s core values in life. Failures will also not be seen as a personal failure, rather it can be used as a source of information to guide their future behavior <ref> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
<br />
The measurement of how authentic a person is, is typically done through a questionnaire called, Authentic Leadership Questionnaire (ALQ). <br />
<br />
<br />
==Four components of authenticity==<br />
The most accepted definition of authenticity is the four components of authenticity proposed by Walumbwa et al. (2008) <ref> Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure†. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89–126. </ref>. The components have a certain “direction”, the first component must be learnt before the next component can be authentic and so forth. The descriptions of the four components below is based on the work of Kernis and Goldman (2005) <ref> Kernis, M. H., & Goldman, B. M. (2005). From Thought and Experience to Behavior and Interpersonal Relationships: A Multicomponent Conceptualization of Authenticity. In A. Tesser, J. V. Wood, & D. A. Stapel (Eds.), On building, defending and regulating the self: A psychological perspective (p. 31–52). Psychology Press. </ref> and Walumbwa et al. (2008) <ref> Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure†. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89–126. </ref>.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Self-Awareness ===<br />
The awareness of self refers to possessing, and being motivated to increase, one’s knowledge and trust in one’s motives, feelings, desires. It includes, for example, understanding one’s likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, goals and aspirations, dispositional characteristics, and emotional states.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Balanced Processing ===<br />
<br />
This component refers to being objective about all what is observed; one’s positive and negative aspects, emotions, experiences and information. Balanced processing involves not denying, distorting or exaggerating information to fit your personal needs. It can be understood by looking at how people with low or fragile high self-esteem select and interpret information. Such persons find it hard to acknowledge personal shortcomings, such as certain skills or personality traits that they don’t like. They will typically develop strong ego defense mechanisms to distort information about their shortcomings. Individuals with balanced processing will not have strong self-serving biases to gain personal success, and will not have strong defense mechanisms.<br />
<br />
=== Behaviour ===<br />
Authentic behaviour means “acting in accord with one’s values, preferences, and needs as opposed to acting merely to please others or to attain rewards or avoid punishments through acting falsely... Authenticity is not reflected in a compulsion to be one’s true self, but rather in the free and natural expression of core feelings, motives and inclinations.” <ref> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
This can be seen as the behavioural output of Self-Awareness and Balanced Processing.<br />
<br />
Of course, there will be instances where it will not be appropriate to act on behalf of your core needs and values, because it may not fit the immediate environment. Therefore one must act against the true self, which will lead to a temporally internal conflict. However, unbiased processing and awareness can still be present in such an instance, which would allow one to reflect and learn from the situation. In contrast, if awareness and unbiased processing was not present at that instance, then may not be recognized as an act against one’s values and that would lead to blind obedience.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Relational transparency ===<br />
<br />
A person with high relation orientation will strive for truthfulness and openness in his/her close relationships. It’s about self-disclosure, wanting others to see the “real” you, and the development of mutual intimacy and trust. At the core, it’s about being genuine rather than fake in one’s relationships.<br />
<br />
<br />
=Authentic Leadership in Project Management=<br />
As PMBOK points out <ref> Project Management Institute, Inc.. (2017). Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) (6th Edition). Project Management Institute, Inc. (PMI). </ref>, project managers both need managing skills and leadership skills. Leadership is more focused on the relations with team members or stakeholders, to inspire and guide them. In short, management is about ''doing things right'' and leadership is about ''doing the right things''. <br />
PMBOK points to different leadership styles like eg. Transformational and Charismatic, which “project managers can adopt'' (PMBOK, p.65). However, as PRINCE 2 says a leadership style may work in one situation but be inappropriate in another, which is one of the reasons they will not cover leadership in project management <ref> AXELOS, AXELOS. Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2 2017 Edition, chapter 1.2, page 4, The Stationery Office Ltd, 2017. </ref>. <br />
The same scepticism for the “leadership styles” is found in Authentic Leadership. That is why Authentic Leadership should not be seen as a leadership style, but rather as a “root concept” that forms the basis of observed leadership styles such as above mentioned. Authentic Leadership has gained much scholarly attention in the last decade, perhaps because of the crisis of confidence in today's corporate and government<br />
leaders <ref>Gardner, W. L., Cogliser, C. C., Davis, K. M., & Dickens, M. P. (2011). Authentic leadership: A review of the literature and research agenda. The Leadership Quarterly, 22, 1120–1145. </ref>. We will go through what it is and how it differs from traditional leadership styles.<br />
<br />
<br />
‘if you’re a project manager, provide for quality and truth, and success will come on the back of that. If you just go for success on its own, it won’t work. What I <br />
would like project managers to be able to face the truth, stare it in the eye and then operate by it.’ - Camila Batmanghelidjh <ref> Madsen, S., 2021. Category: Authenticity. [online] Susanne Madsen Intl. Developing Project Leaders. Available at: <https://www.susannemadsen.co.uk/blog/category/authenticity?view=full> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. </ref><br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic Leadership Theory ==<br />
Authentic Leadership has had many definitions and discussions about authenticity and leadership (for an overview see Iszatt-White & Kempster, 2018 <ref> Iszatt-White, M., & Kempster, S. (2018). Authentic leadership: Getting back to the roots of the ‘root construct’? International Journal of Management Reviews, 0(0), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijmr. 12193. </ref>). Authentic Leadership draws insights from positive psychology and full-range leadership (FRL)/transformational leadership theory.<br />
Authentic leaders are, as the name suggests, authentic individuals, which means that they have high levels of the four components of authenticity. Authentic leaders are characterized as <ref name="Becoming"> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>:<br />
<br />
* they accept their strengths and weaknesses and are highly aware of themselves (1. self-awareness)<br />
* they openly show their emotions and their true self to their followers (2. relational transparency)<br />
* they take others’ perspectives and views into account (3. balanced processing); <br />
* they consistently behave according to their own moral standards and values, i.e., match words with actions (4. internalized moral perspective) <br />
<br />
Authentic leaders are in addition self-confident, optimistic, reliable, and trustworthy. They lead by example and help create a healthy and ethical work climate <ref>Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006. </ref> <ref>Hoch, J. E., Bommer, W. H., Dulebohn, J. H., & Wu, D. (2018). Do ethical, authentic, and servant leadership explain variance above and beyond transformational leadership? A meta-analysis. Journal of Management, 44(2), 501–529. https://doi.org/10.1177/ 0149206316665461. </ref>.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Authentic followers/team members ===<br />
<br />
Authentic leadership goes beyond the authenticity of the leader as a person to the relationship and development of the team he/she is leading. The relationships are called “authentic followership” and are characterized by <ref>Avolio, B. and Gardner, W., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.315-338. </ref> <ref> Gardner, W., Avolio, B., Luthans, F., May, D. and Walumbwa, F., 2005. “Can you see the real me?” A self-based model of authentic leader and follower development. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.343-372.</ref>:<br />
* Transparency, openness, trust<br />
* Guidance towards worthy objectives<br />
* Emphasis on follower development<br />
<br />
Authentic leaders “lead by example” with complete transparency between words and actions. The open and trustworthy relationship between leader and followers is believed to develop the values and beliefs of the followers over time, leading to “authentic followers”. By increasing their authenticity they will in turn be more transparent with the leader which will benefit the organization <ref>Avolio, B. and Gardner, W., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.315-338. </ref>. <br />
<br />
Empirical research has found that authentic leadership has a positive effect on followers well-being, increased work engagement, commitment, job satisfaction and behaviors like task performance, creativity <ref>Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006. </ref> <ref>Hoch, J. E., Bommer, W. H., Dulebohn, J. H., & Wu, D. (2018). Do ethical, authentic, and servant leadership explain variance above and beyond transformational leadership? A meta-analysis. Journal of Management, 44(2), 501–529. https://doi.org/10.1177/ 0149206316665461. </ref>. <br />
<br />
In project management context followers or most likely team members, but still in this case authentic leadership behaviors will foster more authentic team members <ref> Levy, L., 2020. The Relationship Between Authentic Leadership in Project Managers and Project Success. Walden University, [online] Available at: <https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=9671&context=dissertations> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. </ref>. <br />
As projects often happen in an organizational context the improvement of the organization can have lasting effects on other projects <ref> Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006.</ref>.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic vs Charismatic ==<br />
<br />
=== Relation to Transformative leadership Theory ===<br />
<br />
Authentic Leadership has been accused of being redundant in leadership theory, because the traits are very similar to Transformational and ethical leadership <ref> Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006.</ref>. We will look at the differences of Authentic Leadership to Transformational leadership. Transformational leadership is also considered as charismatic leadership as it has considerable emotional appeal and possesses the ability to inspire (Ergeneli et al., 2007). Transformational leadership behaviors are associated with four categories:<br />
<br />
* Idealized influence: when a leader performs as a role model and shares common <br />
visions, encourages and provides a strong sense of purpose.<br />
* Inspirational motivation: a leader expresses the importance of desired objectives of the organization and motivates.<br />
* Intellectual stimulation: when a leader challenges the normal ideas of followers.<br />
* Individualized consideration: when a leader spends more time teaching and coaching for better performance.<br />
<br />
A transformational leader may have a strong vision they communicate influentially, but that vision and charisma may not always come from an authentic place as they could be imposing their own needs or pleasures <ref>Ilies, R., Morgeson, F. P., & Nahrgang, J. D. (2005). Authentic leadership and eudaemonic well-being: Understanding leader–follower outcomes. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), 373–394. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.leaqua.2005.03.002. </ref>. This seems to correlate with Kernis’s description of fragile high self-esteem <ref> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref> as he also mentions narcissists as having a type of fragile high self-esteem that may come from deep insecurities that they are not themselves aware of. This is where authenticity becomes relevant because an authentic leader will not be driven by an inflated ego but by his core values and high morality. Another distinction is that authentic leaders may or may not be charismatic but they will always foster positive development of those around them. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
=== The (in)authenticity of Emotional Intelligence ===<br />
<br />
Studies have found that authentic individuals also possess high levels of Emotional Intelligence. Gardner et al. (2005)<ref>Gardner, W., Fischer, D. and Hunt, J., 2009. Emotional labor and leadership: A threat to authenticity?. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(3), pp.466-482. </ref>, however, questions whether Emotional Intelligence always is authentic. It was shown that Emotional Intelligence was a significant predictor of leadership abilities <ref>Walter, F., & Bruch, H. (2007). Investigating the emotional basis of charismatic leadership: The role of leaders' positive mood and emotional intelligence. In C. E. J. Härtel, N. M. Ashkanasy & W. J. Zerbe (Eds.), Functionality, intentionality and morality (pp. 55–85). Amsterdam: Elsevier. </ref>. Interestingly, emotionally intelligent leaders were seen as charismatic leaders by their followers, regardless of their actual emotional state. Apparently, emotionally intelligent leaders are especially skilled at regulating their emotions to generate perceptions of charisma.<br />
<br />
In that regard the question of authenticity becomes relevant in the case of emotional intelligence, because it questions whether the charisma of an emotional intelligent leader is genuine or if it is acting. If a leader engages in, what is called, ''surface acting'' that is, manipulating others by deliberately changing the emotions displayed, then followers will see it as fake. ''Deep acting'', however, is the effort to change inner feelings to deceive themselves. This type of acting will be perceived as authentic by others, but interestingly the deep acting individual will have a higher felt authenticity than surface acting individuals<ref>Gardner, W., Fischer, D. and Hunt, J., 2009. Emotional labor and leadership: A threat to authenticity?. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(3), pp.466-482. </ref>. Nonetheless, deep acting still violates inner feelings and therefore compromises authenticity, despite that the leader may not recognize this to be the case. It was shown in empirical studies that surface and deep acting were more emotionally exhausting than being genuine <ref>Grandey, A. A. (2003). When “the show must go on”: Surface acting and deep acting as determiants of emotional exhaustion and peer-rated service delivery. Academy of Management Journal, 46, 86−96. </ref>.<br />
<br />
= How to enhance authenticity =<br />
<br />
Atuhtenticity can only be enhanced if one somehow acknowlegdes his/her core values and beliefs. In context of becoming an authentic leader or project manager, then very little help is found in traditional leadership training, which merely focuses on a specific set of skills (e.g., goal setting or intellectual stimulation). Authentic leadership cannot be directly taught with methods or ways to behave because imitating those would be inauthentic. To enhance authenticity, it has to be a holistic approach that accounts for the whole person: individual character, values, and preferences <ref name="Becoming"> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>. <br />
<br />
<br />
=== Trigger events ===<br />
<br />
An experience of either positive or negative quality can lead to the development of one’s authentic being. These are called trigger events and can take the form of sudden experiences such as a person close to you passing away, a promotion, reading a book that challenges your core beliefs, forming a relationship, or having an anxiety attack. Such events will “cut through” the perception of self and force one to look critically upon certain aspects of one’s core beliefs and values. This mechanism will naturally allow for personal growth and will increase authenticity <ref> Gardner, W., Avolio, B., Luthans, F., May, D. and Walumbwa, F., 2005. “Can you see the real me?” A self-based model of authentic leader and follower development. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.343-372.</ref>.<br />
<br />
This approach of developing authenticity through trigger events has been conceptualized as a potential training “program” for leaders and managers to push them out of their comfort zone to change their behaviors. Proposed by xx, it consists of two phases, an exploration phase where participants recognize their ways of acting inauthentically and trying out new ways of behaving. The second phase is an integration phase where participants recognize the benefit of change through the successful behaviors in their life. <br />
This approach is still on a conceptual basis and it would require many resources to actually make such a program <ref> Baron, L. and Parent, É., 2014. Developing Authentic Leadership Within a Training Context. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 22(1), pp.37-53.</ref>. <br />
<br />
<br />
=== Mindfulness ===<br />
<br />
Mindfulness seems to be the best way of increasing one’s authenticity. Mindfulness is simply the practise of being self-aware, open and non-judgemental. Enhancing self-awareness with mindfulness one can more easily discover what is true and false within oneselves <ref name="Becoming"> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>.<br />
Mindfulness training has shown to increase authenticity and well-being. The study found that mindfulness leads to value-based authentic actions, and that the authentic actions themselves leads to well-being <ref>Christie, A., Atkins, P. and Donald, J., 2016. The Meaning and Doing of Mindfulness: The Role of Values in the Link Between Mindfulness and Well-Being. Mindfulness, 8(2), pp.368-378. </ref>. <br />
Mindfulness practices were also shown to enhance authentic leadership in a very comprehensive study of over 1000 leaders. This study showed that leaders with high levels of trait mindfulness were more likely to show authentic leadership behaviors, as perceived by both themselves and their followers. They also found that low-dose mindfulness interventions enhanced leaders authentic behaviors (perceived by themselves and followers). In the study they had leaders do 30 days of app-based meditation, which directly impacted their behavior <ref name="Becoming"> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= Limitations =<br />
<br />
Perhaps the reason why authenticity hasn’t had the greatest impact so far is that it is not a quick fix method that can be implemented. It is not a leadership style that can be learnt, and it might (properly) be a difficult process to accept that certain beliefs are false for instance about one's job or partner. It has a disruptive power that is both its strength and weakness. <br />
<br />
Authentic Leadership can be seen as a very idealized leadership theory, and it is easy to blame other leadership styles for being inauthentic. However, for project or organizational success it might be beneficial to display emotions that are not heartfelt. Gardner, <ref>Gardner, W., Fischer, D. and Hunt, J., 2009. Emotional labor and leadership: A threat to authenticity?. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(3), pp.466-482. </ref> comes with an example that if a leader announces employee layoffs it would be expected to express empathy and concern for the affected employees, and would most likely be met with anger and resentment from employees if the leader failed to display such emotions. If such emotions are not heartfelt, however, expressing them would be inauthentic. If the audience detects a lack of sincerity on the part of the leader, he or she may be viewed as hypocritical and disingenuous, thereby undermining his or her credibility with followers. This is the sort of challenge that authentic leaders face in a leadership role, where one might violate one’s true feelings. As we discussed in authentic behavior one might violate authenticity in the behavioral component of authenticity but still has balanced processing and self-awareness present. <br />
<br />
<br />
The question also remains if Authentic Leadership applies for project management. A study <ref> Levy, L., 2020. The Relationship Between Authentic Leadership in Project Managers and Project Success. Walden University, [online] Available at: <https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=9671&context=dissertations> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. </ref> didn’t find a significant correlation between authenticity of project managers and project success. This might be because project managers don’t have as much influence as positional leaders, or because project success is influenced very little by the leadership qualities of project managers.<br />
If project success is the only parameter you are interested in, then improving one's authenticity may be a lot of work for a small change. However, further studies should investigate whether authentic project managers positively influence team members in psychological areas such as well-being, felt authenticity, and job satisfaction. These enhanced factors may help the organization in future projects.<br />
<br />
The practise of mindfulness is a great entry to discovering your authentic self. However, critics have accused mindfulness of decontextualising mindfulness from its Buddhist roots, which cuts out the ethics and morals. Instead, it is solely used practically for reducing stress but without any introspection <ref>Purser, R., & Loy, D. (2013). Beyond McMindfulness. Huffington post, p. 13. Retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/ron-purser/ beyond-mcmindfulness_b_3519289.html. </ref>. So far, however, the research shows great results from mindfulness without taking the Buddist tradition into account.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
<br />
<references /></div>Jacobammitsoehttp://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Authenticity&diff=101808Authenticity2021-03-01T12:48:22Z<p>Jacobammitsoe: </p>
<hr />
<div>Authenticity may seem as a trivial topic in project management since it doesn’t directly improve projects. Yet, project managers who know their true self will inspire their team members to perform better with more satisfaction and improve the overall organization. This article takes its starting point in authenticity and looks at how personal introspection leads to better leadership and more truthful project management. The focus is very much on Authentic Leadership which has proved to enhance followers well-being, work engagement and job satisfaction. However, Authentic Leadership is merely a description of an authentic person in a position of authority behaving authentically. <br />
<br />
One can not just be an authentic project manager, you must start by being an authentic person in everything you do. Being an authentic person comes first and then the benefits of authenticity will shine through all aspects of your life from project management to fatherhood. This article is not meant as a 3 step tutorial to being authentic, because you cannot become authentic by intellectual understanding only. The hope is to challenge some of the existing views of success and leadership with modern research in this lesser known academic field of authenticity and especially Authentic Leadership Theory.<br />
<br />
We find that many of the “hot topics" in project management such as and “Emotional Intelligence” as well as different “leadership styles” from an authenticity point of view, are just consequences of authentic behavior. Although development of authenticity is not straight forward, research has found mindfulness to be very effective.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= What is authenticity? =<br />
Many philosophers and sociologists have attempted to define authenticity since it was first brought up in ancient Greece. The Greeks wrote: “to thine own self be true” <ref> Harter, S. (2002). Authenticity. In C. R. Snyder, & S. Lopez (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology (pp. 382 – 394). Oxford, UK7 Oxford University Press. </ref><br />
, which is a quite precise definition of authenticity - to be true to your own self. We will not go into all the facets and philosophical views of authenticity - which wouldn’t bring us closer to our authentic self - and go with the two main aspects which defines authenticity that the literature generally agrees on: <br />
<br />
* Knowing one’s true self; owning one’s personal experiences, be they thoughts, emotions, needs, wants, preferences, or beliefs.<br />
* Acting in accord with one’s true self; expressing oneself in ways that are consistent with one’s understanding of self.<br />
<br />
Authentic individuals can be said to be “in tune” with their basic nature and clearly and accurately see themselves and their lives. They are self-aware and unencumbered by others’ expectations and opinions for them, and therefore they can make more sound personal choices based on their own true values <ref> Avolio, B. and Gardner, W., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.315-338. </ref>. Authentic individuals will naturally have high self-esteem, what is referred to as “optimal self-esteem”. Optimal self-esteem involves favorable feelings of self-worth that arise naturally from successfully dealing with life challenges; the operation of one’s core, true, authentic self as a source of input to behavioral choices; and relationships in which one is valued for who one is and not for what one achieves <ref> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
<br />
“Measure success based on your inner scorecard. If you base success and/or your actions on an outer scorecard, that is, what others think, your life will be hollow” (Warren Buffett, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, September 30, 2005).<br />
<br />
Warren Buffetts point may be the key point of authenticity in regards to one’s professional career. The achievements or success will not in itself have any value for an authentic person, because the authentic person solely follows his/her core beliefs. “Success” as Warren Buffett points out should instead be measured in the extent one follows one’s core values in life. Failures will also not be seen as a personal failure, rather it can be used as a source of information to guide their future behavior <ref> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
<br />
The measurement of how authentic a person is, is typically done through a questionnaire called, Authentic Leadership Questionnaire (ALQ). <br />
<br />
<br />
==Four components of authenticity==<br />
The most accepted definition of authenticity is the four components of authenticity proposed by Walumbwa et al. (2008) <ref> Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure†. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89–126. </ref>. The components have a certain “direction”, the first component must be learnt before the next component can be authentic and so forth. The descriptions of the four components below is based on the work of Kernis and Goldman (2005) <ref> Kernis, M. H., & Goldman, B. M. (2005). From Thought and Experience to Behavior and Interpersonal Relationships: A Multicomponent Conceptualization of Authenticity. In A. Tesser, J. V. Wood, & D. A. Stapel (Eds.), On building, defending and regulating the self: A psychological perspective (p. 31–52). Psychology Press. </ref> and Walumbwa et al. (2008) <ref> Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure†. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89–126. </ref>.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Self-Awareness ===<br />
The awareness of self refers to possessing, and being motivated to increase, one’s knowledge and trust in one’s motives, feelings, desires. It includes, for example, understanding one’s likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, goals and aspirations, dispositional characteristics, and emotional states.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Balanced Processing ===<br />
<br />
This component refers to being objective about all what is observed; one’s positive and negative aspects, emotions, experiences and information. Balanced processing involves not denying, distorting or exaggerating information to fit your personal needs. It can be understood by looking at how people with low or fragile high self-esteem select and interpret information. Such persons find it hard to acknowledge personal shortcomings, such as certain skills or personality traits that they don’t like. They will typically develop strong ego defense mechanisms to distort information about their shortcomings. Individuals with balanced processing will not have strong self-serving biases to gain personal success, and will not have strong defense mechanisms.<br />
<br />
=== Behaviour ===<br />
Authentic behaviour means “acting in accord with one’s values, preferences, and needs as opposed to acting merely to please others or to attain rewards or avoid punishments through acting falsely... Authenticity is not reflected in a compulsion to be one’s true self, but rather in the free and natural expression of core feelings, motives and inclinations.” <ref> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
This can be seen as the behavioural output of Self-Awareness and Balanced Processing.<br />
<br />
Of course, there will be instances where it will not be appropriate to act on behalf of your core needs and values, because it may not fit the immediate environment. Therefore one must act against the true self, which will lead to a temporally internal conflict. However, unbiased processing and awareness can still be present in such an instance, which would allow one to reflect and learn from the situation. In contrast, if awareness and unbiased processing was not present at that instance, then may not be recognized as an act against one’s values and that would lead to blind obedience.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Relational transparency ===<br />
<br />
A person with high relation orientation will strive for truthfulness and openness in his/her close relationships. It’s about self-disclosure, wanting others to see the “real” you, and the development of mutual intimacy and trust. At the core, it’s about being genuine rather than fake in one’s relationships.<br />
<br />
<br />
=Authentic Leadership in Project Management=<br />
As PMBOK points out <ref> Project Management Institute, Inc.. (2017). Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) (6th Edition). Project Management Institute, Inc. (PMI). </ref>, project managers both need managing skills and leadership skills. Leadership is more focused on the relations with team members or stakeholders, to inspire and guide them. In short, management is about ''doing things right'' and leadership is about ''doing the right things''. <br />
PMBOK points to different leadership styles like eg. Transformational and Charismatic, which “project managers can adopt'' (PMBOK, p.65). However, as PRINCE 2 says a leadership style may work in one situation but be inappropriate in another, which is one of the reasons they will not cover leadership in project management <ref> AXELOS, AXELOS. Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2 2017 Edition, chapter 1.2, page 4, The Stationery Office Ltd, 2017. </ref>. <br />
The same scepticism for the “leadership styles” is found in Authentic Leadership. That is why Authentic Leadership should not be seen as a leadership style, but rather as a “root concept” that forms the basis of observed leadership styles such as above mentioned. Authentic Leadership has gained much scholarly attention in the last decade, perhaps because of the crisis of confidence in today's corporate and government<br />
leaders <ref>Gardner, W. L., Cogliser, C. C., Davis, K. M., & Dickens, M. P. (2011). Authentic leadership: A review of the literature and research agenda. The Leadership Quarterly, 22, 1120–1145. </ref>. We will go through what it is and how it differs from traditional leadership styles.<br />
<br />
<br />
‘if you’re a project manager, provide for quality and truth, and success will come on the back of that. If you just go for success on its own, it won’t work. What I <br />
would like project managers to be able to face the truth, stare it in the eye and then operate by it.’ - Camila Batmanghelidjh <ref> Madsen, S., 2021. Category: Authenticity. [online] Susanne Madsen Intl. Developing Project Leaders. Available at: <https://www.susannemadsen.co.uk/blog/category/authenticity?view=full> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. </ref><br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic Leadership Theory ==<br />
Authentic Leadership has had many definitions and discussions about authenticity and leadership (for an overview see Iszatt-White & Kempster, 2018 <ref> Iszatt-White, M., & Kempster, S. (2018). Authentic leadership: Getting back to the roots of the ‘root construct’? International Journal of Management Reviews, 0(0), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijmr. 12193. </ref>). Authentic Leadership draws insights from positive psychology and full-range leadership (FRL)/transformational leadership theory.<br />
Authentic leaders are, as the name suggests, authentic individuals, which means that they have high levels of the four components of authenticity. Authentic leaders are characterized as <ref name="Becoming"> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>:<br />
<br />
* they accept their strengths and weaknesses and are highly aware of themselves (1. self-awareness)<br />
* they openly show their emotions and their true self to their followers (2. relational transparency)<br />
* they take others’ perspectives and views into account (3. balanced processing); <br />
* they consistently behave according to their own moral standards and values, i.e., match words with actions (4. internalized moral perspective) <br />
<br />
Authentic leaders are in addition self-confident, optimistic, reliable, and trustworthy. They lead by example and help create a healthy and ethical work climate <ref>Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006. </ref> <ref>Hoch, J. E., Bommer, W. H., Dulebohn, J. H., & Wu, D. (2018). Do ethical, authentic, and servant leadership explain variance above and beyond transformational leadership? A meta-analysis. Journal of Management, 44(2), 501–529. https://doi.org/10.1177/ 0149206316665461. </ref>.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Authentic followers/team members ===<br />
<br />
Authentic leadership goes beyond the authenticity of the leader as a person to the relationship and development of the team he/she is leading. The relationships are called “authentic followership” and are characterized by <ref>Avolio, B. and Gardner, W., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.315-338. </ref> <ref> Gardner, W., Avolio, B., Luthans, F., May, D. and Walumbwa, F., 2005. “Can you see the real me?” A self-based model of authentic leader and follower development. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.343-372.</ref>:<br />
* Transparency, openness, trust<br />
* Guidance towards worthy objectives<br />
* Emphasis on follower development<br />
<br />
Authentic leaders “lead by example” with complete transparency between words and actions. The open and trustworthy relationship between leader and followers is believed to develop the values and beliefs of the followers over time, leading to “authentic followers”. By increasing their authenticity they will in turn be more transparent with the leader which will benefit the organization <ref>Avolio, B. and Gardner, W., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.315-338. </ref>. <br />
<br />
Empirical research has found that authentic leadership has a positive effect on followers well-being, increased work engagement, commitment, job satisfaction and behaviors like task performance, creativity <ref>Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006. </ref> <ref>Hoch, J. E., Bommer, W. H., Dulebohn, J. H., & Wu, D. (2018). Do ethical, authentic, and servant leadership explain variance above and beyond transformational leadership? A meta-analysis. Journal of Management, 44(2), 501–529. https://doi.org/10.1177/ 0149206316665461. </ref>. <br />
<br />
In project management context followers or most likely team members, but still in this case authentic leadership behaviors will foster more authentic team members <ref> Levy, L., 2020. The Relationship Between Authentic Leadership in Project Managers and Project Success. Walden University, [online] Available at: <https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=9671&context=dissertations> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. </ref>. <br />
As projects often happen in an organizational context the improvement of the organization can have lasting effects on other projects <ref> Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006.</ref>.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic vs Charismatic ==<br />
<br />
=== Relation to Transformative leadership Theory ===<br />
<br />
Authentic Leadership has been accused of being redundant in leadership theory, because the traits are very similar to Transformational and ethical leadership <ref> Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006.</ref>. We will look at the differences of Authentic Leadership to Transformational leadership. Transformational leadership is also considered as charismatic leadership as it has considerable emotional appeal and possesses the ability to inspire (Ergeneli et al., 2007). Transformational leadership behaviors are associated with four categories:<br />
<br />
* Idealized influence: when a leader performs as a role model and shares common <br />
visions, encourages and provides a strong sense of purpose.<br />
* Inspirational motivation: a leader expresses the importance of desired objectives of the organization and motivates.<br />
* Intellectual stimulation: when a leader challenges the normal ideas of followers.<br />
* Individualized consideration: when a leader spends more time teaching and coaching for better performance.<br />
<br />
A transformational leader may have a strong vision they communicate influentially, but that vision and charisma may not always come from an authentic place as they could be imposing their own needs or pleasures <ref>Ilies, R., Morgeson, F. P., & Nahrgang, J. D. (2005). Authentic leadership and eudaemonic well-being: Understanding leader–follower outcomes. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), 373–394. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.leaqua.2005.03.002. </ref>. This seems to correlate with Kernis’s description of fragile high self-esteem <ref> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref> as he also mentions narcissists as having a type of fragile high self-esteem that may come from deep insecurities that they are not themselves aware of. This is where authenticity becomes relevant because an authentic leader will not be driven by an inflated ego but by his core values and high morality. Another distinction is that authentic leaders may or may not be charismatic but they will always foster positive development of those around them. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
=== The (in)authenticity of Emotional Intelligence ===<br />
<br />
Studies have found that authentic individuals also possess high levels of Emotional Intelligence. Gardner et al. (2005)<ref>Gardner, W., Fischer, D. and Hunt, J., 2009. Emotional labor and leadership: A threat to authenticity?. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(3), pp.466-482. </ref>, however, questions whether Emotional Intelligence always is authentic. It was shown that Emotional Intelligence was a significant predictor of leadership abilities <ref>Walter, F., & Bruch, H. (2007). Investigating the emotional basis of charismatic leadership: The role of leaders' positive mood and emotional intelligence. In C. E. J. Härtel, N. M. Ashkanasy & W. J. Zerbe (Eds.), Functionality, intentionality and morality (pp. 55–85). Amsterdam: Elsevier. </ref>. Interestingly, emotionally intelligent leaders were seen as charismatic leaders by their followers, regardless of their actual emotional state. Apparently, emotionally intelligent leaders are especially skilled at regulating their emotions to generate perceptions of charisma.<br />
<br />
In that regard the question of authenticity becomes relevant in the case of emotional intelligence, because it questions whether the charisma of an emotional intelligent leader is genuine or if it is acting. If a leader engages in, what is called, ''surface acting'' that is, manipulating others by deliberately changing the emotions displayed, then followers will see it as fake. ''Deep acting'', however, is the effort to change inner feelings to deceive themselves. This type of acting will be perceived as authentic by others, but interestingly the deep acting individual will have a higher felt authenticity than surface acting individuals<ref>Gardner, W., Fischer, D. and Hunt, J., 2009. Emotional labor and leadership: A threat to authenticity?. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(3), pp.466-482. </ref>. Nonetheless, deep acting still violates inner feelings and therefore compromises authenticity, despite that the leader may not recognize this to be the case. It was shown in empirical studies that surface and deep acting were more emotionally exhausting than being genuine <ref>Grandey, A. A. (2003). When “the show must go on”: Surface acting and deep acting as determiants of emotional exhaustion and peer-rated service delivery. Academy of Management Journal, 46, 86−96. </ref>.<br />
<br />
= How to enhance authenticity =<br />
<br />
Atuhtenticity can only be enhanced if one somehow acknowlegdes his/her core values and beliefs. In context of becoming an authentic leader or project manager, then very little help is found in traditional leadership training, which merely focuses on a specific set of skills (e.g., goal setting or intellectual stimulation). Authentic leadership cannot be directly taught with methods or ways to behave because imitating those would be inauthentic. To enhance authenticity, it has to be a holistic approach that accounts for the whole person: individual character, values, and preferences <ref name="Becoming"> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>. <br />
<br />
<br />
=== Trigger events ===<br />
<br />
An experience of either positive or negative quality can lead to the development of one’s authentic being. These are called trigger events and can take the form of sudden experiences such as a person close to you passing away, a promotion, reading a book that challenges your core beliefs, forming a relationship, or having an anxiety attack. Such events will “cut through” the perception of self and force one to look critically upon certain aspects of one’s core beliefs and values. This mechanism will naturally allow for personal growth and will increase authenticity <ref> Gardner, W., Avolio, B., Luthans, F., May, D. and Walumbwa, F., 2005. “Can you see the real me?” A self-based model of authentic leader and follower development. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.343-372.</ref>.<br />
<br />
This approach of developing authenticity through trigger events has been conceptualized as a potential training “program” for leaders and managers to push them out of their comfort zone to change their behaviors. Proposed by xx, it consists of two phases, an exploration phase where participants recognize their ways of acting inauthentically and trying out new ways of behaving. The second phase is an integration phase where participants recognize the benefit of change through the successful behaviors in their life. <br />
This approach is still on a conceptual basis and it would require many resources to actually make such a program <ref> Baron, L. and Parent, É., 2014. Developing Authentic Leadership Within a Training Context. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 22(1), pp.37-53.</ref>. <br />
<br />
<br />
=== Mindfulness ===<br />
<br />
Mindfulness seems to be the best way of increasing one’s authenticity. Mindfulness is simply the practise of being self-aware, open and non-judgemental. Enhancing self-awareness with mindfulness one can more easily discover what is true and false within oneselves <ref> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>.<br />
Mindfulness training has shown to increase authenticity and well-being. The study found that mindfulness leads to value-based authentic actions, and that the authentic actions themselves leads to well-being <ref>Christie, A., Atkins, P. and Donald, J., 2016. The Meaning and Doing of Mindfulness: The Role of Values in the Link Between Mindfulness and Well-Being. Mindfulness, 8(2), pp.368-378. </ref>. <br />
Mindfulness practices were also shown to enhance authentic leadership in a very comprehensive study of over 1000 leaders. This study showed that leaders with high levels of trait mindfulness were more likely to show authentic leadership behaviors, as perceived by both themselves and their followers. They also found that low-dose mindfulness interventions enhanced leaders authentic behaviors (perceived by themselves and followers). In the study they had leaders do 30 days of app-based meditation, which directly impacted their behavior <ref> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= Limitations =<br />
<br />
Perhaps the reason why authenticity hasn’t had the greatest impact so far is that it is not a quick fix method that can be implemented. It is not a leadership style that can be learnt, and it might (properly) be a difficult process to accept that certain beliefs are false for instance about one's job or partner. It has a disruptive power that is both its strength and weakness. <br />
<br />
Authentic Leadership can be seen as a very idealized leadership theory, and it is easy to blame other leadership styles for being inauthentic. However, for project or organizational success it might be beneficial to display emotions that are not heartfelt. Gardner, <ref>Gardner, W., Fischer, D. and Hunt, J., 2009. Emotional labor and leadership: A threat to authenticity?. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(3), pp.466-482. </ref> comes with an example that if a leader announces employee layoffs it would be expected to express empathy and concern for the affected employees, and would most likely be met with anger and resentment from employees if the leader failed to display such emotions. If such emotions are not heartfelt, however, expressing them would be inauthentic. If the audience detects a lack of sincerity on the part of the leader, he or she may be viewed as hypocritical and disingenuous, thereby undermining his or her credibility with followers. This is the sort of challenge that authentic leaders face in a leadership role, where one might violate one’s true feelings. As we discussed in authentic behavior one might violate authenticity in the behavioral component of authenticity but still has balanced processing and self-awareness present. <br />
<br />
<br />
The question also remains if Authentic Leadership applies for project management. A study <ref> Levy, L., 2020. The Relationship Between Authentic Leadership in Project Managers and Project Success. Walden University, [online] Available at: <https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=9671&context=dissertations> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. </ref> didn’t find a significant correlation between authenticity of project managers and project success. This might be because project managers don’t have as much influence as positional leaders, or because project success is influenced very little by the leadership qualities of project managers.<br />
If project success is the only parameter you are interested in, then improving one's authenticity may be a lot of work for a small change. However, further studies should investigate whether authentic project managers positively influence team members in psychological areas such as well-being, felt authenticity, and job satisfaction. These enhanced factors may help the organization in future projects.<br />
<br />
The practise of mindfulness is a great entry to discovering your authentic self. However, critics have accused mindfulness of decontextualising mindfulness from its Buddhist roots, which cuts out the ethics and morals. Instead, it is solely used practically for reducing stress but without any introspection <ref>Purser, R., & Loy, D. (2013). Beyond McMindfulness. Huffington post, p. 13. Retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/ron-purser/ beyond-mcmindfulness_b_3519289.html. </ref>. So far, however, the research shows great results from mindfulness without taking the Buddist tradition into account.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
<br />
<references /></div>Jacobammitsoehttp://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Authenticity&diff=101807Authenticity2021-03-01T12:46:54Z<p>Jacobammitsoe: </p>
<hr />
<div>Authenticity may seem as a trivial topic in project management since it doesn’t directly improve projects. Yet, project managers who know their true self will inspire their team members to perform better with more satisfaction and improve the overall organization. This article takes its starting point in authenticity and looks at how personal introspection leads to better leadership and more truthful project management. The focus is very much on Authentic Leadership which has proved to enhance followers well-being, work engagement and job satisfaction. However, Authentic Leadership is merely a description of an authentic person in a position of authority behaving authentically. <br />
<br />
One can not just be an authentic project manager, you must start by being an authentic person in everything you do. Being an authentic person comes first and then the benefits of authenticity will shine through all aspects of your life from project management to fatherhood. This article is not meant as a 3 step tutorial to being authentic, because you cannot become authentic by intellectual understanding only. The hope is to challenge some of the existing views of success and leadership with modern research in this lesser known academic field of authenticity and especially Authentic Leadership Theory.<br />
<br />
We find that many of the “hot topics" in project management such as and “Emotional Intelligence” as well as different “leadership styles” from an authenticity point of view, are just consequences of authentic behavior. Although development of authenticity is not straight forward, research has found mindfulness to be very effective.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= What is authenticity? =<br />
Many philosophers and sociologists have attempted to define authenticity since it was first brought up in ancient Greece. The Greeks wrote: “to thine own self be true” <ref> Harter, S. (2002). Authenticity. In C. R. Snyder, & S. Lopez (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology (pp. 382 – 394). Oxford, UK7 Oxford University Press. </ref><br />
, which is a quite precise definition of authenticity - to be true to your own self. We will not go into all the facets and philosophical views of authenticity - which wouldn’t bring us closer to our authentic self - and go with the two main aspects which defines authenticity that the literature generally agrees on: <br />
<br />
* Knowing one’s true self; owning one’s personal experiences, be they thoughts, emotions, needs, wants, preferences, or beliefs.<br />
* Acting in accord with one’s true self; expressing oneself in ways that are consistent with one’s understanding of self.<br />
<br />
Authentic individuals can be said to be “in tune” with their basic nature and clearly and accurately see themselves and their lives. They are self-aware and unencumbered by others’ expectations and opinions for them, and therefore they can make more sound personal choices based on their own true values <ref> Avolio, B. and Gardner, W., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.315-338. </ref>. Authentic individuals will naturally have high self-esteem, what is referred to as “optimal self-esteem”. Optimal self-esteem involves favorable feelings of self-worth that arise naturally from successfully dealing with life challenges; the operation of one’s core, true, authentic self as a source of input to behavioral choices; and relationships in which one is valued for who one is and not for what one achieves <ref> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
<br />
“Measure success based on your inner scorecard. If you base success and/or your actions on an outer scorecard, that is, what others think, your life will be hollow” (Warren Buffett, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, September 30, 2005).<br />
<br />
Warren Buffetts point may be the key point of authenticity in regards to one’s professional career. The achievements or success will not in itself have any value for an authentic person, because the authentic person solely follows his/her core beliefs. “Success” as Warren Buffett points out should instead be measured in the extent one follows one’s core values in life. Failures will also not be seen as a personal failure, rather it can be used as a source of information to guide their future behavior <ref> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
<br />
The measurement of how authentic a person is, is typically done through a questionnaire called, Authentic Leadership Questionnaire (ALQ). <br />
<br />
<br />
==Four components of authenticity==<br />
The most accepted definition of authenticity is the four components of authenticity proposed by Walumbwa et al. (2008) <ref> Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure†. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89–126. </ref>. The components have a certain “direction”, the first component must be learnt before the next component can be authentic and so forth. The descriptions of the four components below is based on the work of Kernis and Goldman (2005) <ref> Kernis, M. H., & Goldman, B. M. (2005). From Thought and Experience to Behavior and Interpersonal Relationships: A Multicomponent Conceptualization of Authenticity. In A. Tesser, J. V. Wood, & D. A. Stapel (Eds.), On building, defending and regulating the self: A psychological perspective (p. 31–52). Psychology Press. </ref> and Walumbwa et al. (2008) <ref> Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure†. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89–126. </ref>.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Self-Awareness ===<br />
The awareness of self refers to possessing, and being motivated to increase, one’s knowledge and trust in one’s motives, feelings, desires. It includes, for example, understanding one’s likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, goals and aspirations, dispositional characteristics, and emotional states.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Balanced Processing ===<br />
<br />
This component refers to being objective about all what is observed; one’s positive and negative aspects, emotions, experiences and information. Balanced processing involves not denying, distorting or exaggerating information to fit your personal needs. It can be understood by looking at how people with low or fragile high self-esteem select and interpret information. Such persons find it hard to acknowledge personal shortcomings, such as certain skills or personality traits that they don’t like. They will typically develop strong ego defense mechanisms to distort information about their shortcomings. Individuals with balanced processing will not have strong self-serving biases to gain personal success, and will not have strong defense mechanisms.<br />
<br />
=== Behaviour ===<br />
Authentic behaviour means “acting in accord with one’s values, preferences, and needs as opposed to acting merely to please others or to attain rewards or avoid punishments through acting falsely... Authenticity is not reflected in a compulsion to be one’s true self, but rather in the free and natural expression of core feelings, motives and inclinations.” <ref> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
This can be seen as the behavioural output of Self-Awareness and Balanced Processing.<br />
<br />
Of course, there will be instances where it will not be appropriate to act on behalf of your core needs and values, because it may not fit the immediate environment. Therefore one must act against the true self, which will lead to a temporally internal conflict. However, unbiased processing and awareness can still be present in such an instance, which would allow one to reflect and learn from the situation. In contrast, if awareness and unbiased processing was not present at that instance, then may not be recognized as an act against one’s values and that would lead to blind obedience.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Relational transparency ===<br />
<br />
A person with high relation orientation will strive for truthfulness and openness in his/her close relationships. It’s about self-disclosure, wanting others to see the “real” you, and the development of mutual intimacy and trust. At the core, it’s about being genuine rather than fake in one’s relationships.<br />
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<br />
=Authentic Leadership in Project Management=<br />
As PMBOK points out <ref> Project Management Institute, Inc.. (2017). Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) (6th Edition). Project Management Institute, Inc. (PMI). </ref>, project managers both need managing skills and leadership skills. Leadership is more focused on the relations with team members or stakeholders, to inspire and guide them. In short, management is about ''doing things right'' and leadership is about ''doing the right things''. <br />
PMBOK points to different leadership styles like eg. Transformational and Charismatic, which “project managers can adopt'' (PMBOK, p.65). However, as PRINCE 2 says a leadership style may work in one situation but be inappropriate in another, which is one of the reasons they will not cover leadership in project management <ref> AXELOS, AXELOS. Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2 2017 Edition, chapter 1.2, page 4, The Stationery Office Ltd, 2017. </ref>. <br />
The same scepticism for the “leadership styles” is found in Authentic Leadership. That is why Authentic Leadership should not be seen as a leadership style, but rather as a “root concept” that forms the basis of observed leadership styles such as above mentioned. Authentic Leadership has gained much scholarly attention in the last decade, perhaps because of the crisis of confidence in today's corporate and government<br />
leaders <ref>Gardner, W. L., Cogliser, C. C., Davis, K. M., & Dickens, M. P. (2011). Authentic leadership: A review of the literature and research agenda. The Leadership Quarterly, 22, 1120–1145. </ref>. We will go through what it is and how it differs from traditional leadership styles.<br />
<br />
<br />
‘if you’re a project manager, provide for quality and truth, and success will come on the back of that. If you just go for success on its own, it won’t work. What I <br />
would like project managers to be able to face the truth, stare it in the eye and then operate by it.’ - Camila Batmanghelidjh <ref> Madsen, S., 2021. Category: Authenticity. [online] Susanne Madsen Intl. Developing Project Leaders. Available at: <https://www.susannemadsen.co.uk/blog/category/authenticity?view=full> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. </ref><br />
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<br />
== Authentic Leadership Theory ==<br />
Authentic Leadership has had many definitions and discussions about authenticity and leadership (for an overview see Iszatt-White & Kempster, 2018 <ref> Iszatt-White, M., & Kempster, S. (2018). Authentic leadership: Getting back to the roots of the ‘root construct’? International Journal of Management Reviews, 0(0), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijmr. 12193. </ref>). Authentic Leadership draws insights from positive psychology and full-range leadership (FRL)/transformational leadership theory.<br />
Authentic leaders are, as the name suggests, authentic individuals, which means that they have high levels of the four components of authenticity. Authentic leaders are characterized as <ref name="Becoming"> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>:<br />
<br />
* they accept their strengths and weaknesses and are highly aware of themselves (1. self-awareness)<br />
* they openly show their emotions and their true self to their followers (2. relational transparency)<br />
* they take others’ perspectives and views into account (3. balanced processing); <br />
* they consistently behave according to their own moral standards and values, i.e., match words with actions (4. internalized moral perspective) <br />
<br />
Authentic leaders are in addition self-confident, optimistic, reliable, and trustworthy. They lead by example and help create a healthy and ethical work climate <ref>Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006. </ref> <ref>Hoch, J. E., Bommer, W. H., Dulebohn, J. H., & Wu, D. (2018). Do ethical, authentic, and servant leadership explain variance above and beyond transformational leadership? A meta-analysis. Journal of Management, 44(2), 501–529. https://doi.org/10.1177/ 0149206316665461. </ref>.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Authentic followers/team members ===<br />
<br />
Authentic leadership goes beyond the authenticity of the leader as a person to the relationship and development of the team he/she is leading. The relationships are called “authentic followership” and are characterized by <ref>Avolio, B. and Gardner, W., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.315-338. </ref> <ref> Gardner, W., Avolio, B., Luthans, F., May, D. and Walumbwa, F., 2005. “Can you see the real me?” A self-based model of authentic leader and follower development. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.343-372.</ref>:<br />
* Transparency, openness, trust<br />
* Guidance towards worthy objectives<br />
* Emphasis on follower development<br />
<br />
Authentic leaders “lead by example” with complete transparency between words and actions. The open and trustworthy relationship between leader and followers is believed to develop the values and beliefs of the followers over time, leading to “authentic followers”. By increasing their authenticity they will in turn be more transparent with the leader which will benefit the organization <ref>Avolio, B. and Gardner, W., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.315-338. </ref>. <br />
<br />
Empirical research has found that authentic leadership has a positive effect on followers well-being, increased work engagement, commitment, job satisfaction and behaviors like task performance, creativity <ref>Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006. </ref> <ref>Hoch, J. E., Bommer, W. H., Dulebohn, J. H., & Wu, D. (2018). Do ethical, authentic, and servant leadership explain variance above and beyond transformational leadership? A meta-analysis. Journal of Management, 44(2), 501–529. https://doi.org/10.1177/ 0149206316665461. </ref>. <br />
<br />
In project management context followers or most likely team members, but still in this case authentic leadership behaviors will foster more authentic team members <ref> Levy, L., 2020. The Relationship Between Authentic Leadership in Project Managers and Project Success. Walden University, [online] Available at: <https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=9671&context=dissertations> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. </ref>. <br />
As projects often happen in an organizational context the improvement of the organization can have lasting effects on other projects <ref> Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006.</ref>.<br />
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<br />
== Authentic vs Charismatic ==<br />
<br />
=== Relation to Transformative leadership Theory ===<br />
<br />
Authentic Leadership has been accused of being redundant in leadership theory, because the traits are very similar to Transformational and ethical leadership <ref> Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006.</ref>. We will look at the differences of Authentic Leadership to Transformational leadership. Transformational leadership is also considered as charismatic leadership as it has considerable emotional appeal and possesses the ability to inspire (Ergeneli et al., 2007). Transformational leadership behaviors are associated with four categories:<br />
<br />
* Idealized influence: when a leader performs as a role model and shares common <br />
visions, encourages and provides a strong sense of purpose.<br />
* Inspirational motivation: a leader expresses the importance of desired objectives of the organization and motivates.<br />
* Intellectual stimulation: when a leader challenges the normal ideas of followers.<br />
* Individualized consideration: when a leader spends more time teaching and coaching for better performance.<br />
<br />
A transformational leader may have a strong vision they communicate influentially, but that vision and charisma may not always come from an authentic place as they could be imposing their own needs or pleasures <ref>Ilies, R., Morgeson, F. P., & Nahrgang, J. D. (2005). Authentic leadership and eudaemonic well-being: Understanding leader–follower outcomes. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), 373–394. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.leaqua.2005.03.002. </ref>. This seems to correlate with Kernis’s description of fragile high self-esteem <ref> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref> as he also mentions narcissists as having a type of fragile high self-esteem that may come from deep insecurities that they are not themselves aware of. This is where authenticity becomes relevant because an authentic leader will not be driven by an inflated ego but by his core values and high morality. Another distinction is that authentic leaders may or may not be charismatic but they will always foster positive development of those around them. <br />
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<br />
<br />
=== The (in)authenticity of Emotional Intelligence ===<br />
<br />
Studies have found that authentic individuals also possess high levels of Emotional Intelligence. Gardner et al. (2005)<ref>Gardner, W., Fischer, D. and Hunt, J., 2009. Emotional labor and leadership: A threat to authenticity?. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(3), pp.466-482. </ref>, however, questions whether Emotional Intelligence always is authentic. It was shown that Emotional Intelligence was a significant predictor of leadership abilities <ref>Walter, F., & Bruch, H. (2007). Investigating the emotional basis of charismatic leadership: The role of leaders' positive mood and emotional intelligence. In C. E. J. Härtel, N. M. Ashkanasy & W. J. Zerbe (Eds.), Functionality, intentionality and morality (pp. 55–85). Amsterdam: Elsevier. </ref>. Interestingly, emotionally intelligent leaders were seen as charismatic leaders by their followers, regardless of their actual emotional state. Apparently, emotionally intelligent leaders are especially skilled at regulating their emotions to generate perceptions of charisma.<br />
<br />
In that regard the question of authenticity becomes relevant in the case of emotional intelligence, because it questions whether the charisma of an emotional intelligent leader is genuine or if it is acting. If a leader engages in, what is called, ''surface acting'' that is, manipulating others by deliberately changing the emotions displayed, then followers will see it as fake. ''Deep acting'', however, is the effort to change inner feelings to deceive themselves. This type of acting will be perceived as authentic by others, but interestingly the deep acting individual will have a higher felt authenticity than surface acting individuals<ref>Gardner, W., Fischer, D. and Hunt, J., 2009. Emotional labor and leadership: A threat to authenticity?. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(3), pp.466-482. </ref>. Nonetheless, deep acting still violates inner feelings and therefore compromises authenticity, despite that the leader may not recognize this to be the case. It was shown in empirical studies that surface and deep acting were more emotionally exhausting than being genuine <ref>Grandey, A. A. (2003). When “the show must go on”: Surface acting and deep acting as determiants of emotional exhaustion and peer-rated service delivery. Academy of Management Journal, 46, 86−96. </ref>.<br />
<br />
= How to enhance authenticity =<br />
<br />
Atuhtenticity can only be enhanced if one somehow acknowlegdes his/her core values and beliefs. In context of becoming an authentic leader or project manager, then very little help is found in traditional leadership training, which merely focuses on a specific set of skills (e.g., goal setting or intellectual stimulation). Authentic leadership cannot be directly taught with methods or ways to behave because imitating those would be inauthentic. To enhance authenticity, it has to be a holistic approach that accounts for the whole person: individual character, values, and preferences <ref> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>. <br />
<br />
<br />
=== Trigger events ===<br />
<br />
An experience of either positive or negative quality can lead to the development of one’s authentic being. These are called trigger events and can take the form of sudden experiences such as a person close to you passing away, a promotion, reading a book that challenges your core beliefs, forming a relationship, or having an anxiety attack. Such events will “cut through” the perception of self and force one to look critically upon certain aspects of one’s core beliefs and values. This mechanism will naturally allow for personal growth and will increase authenticity <ref> Gardner, W., Avolio, B., Luthans, F., May, D. and Walumbwa, F., 2005. “Can you see the real me?” A self-based model of authentic leader and follower development. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.343-372.</ref>.<br />
<br />
This approach of developing authenticity through trigger events has been conceptualized as a potential training “program” for leaders and managers to push them out of their comfort zone to change their behaviors. Proposed by xx, it consists of two phases, an exploration phase where participants recognize their ways of acting inauthentically and trying out new ways of behaving. The second phase is an integration phase where participants recognize the benefit of change through the successful behaviors in their life. <br />
This approach is still on a conceptual basis and it would require many resources to actually make such a program <ref> Baron, L. and Parent, É., 2014. Developing Authentic Leadership Within a Training Context. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 22(1), pp.37-53.</ref>. <br />
<br />
<br />
=== Mindfulness ===<br />
<br />
Mindfulness seems to be the best way of increasing one’s authenticity. Mindfulness is simply the practise of being self-aware, open and non-judgemental. Enhancing self-awareness with mindfulness one can more easily discover what is true and false within oneselves <ref> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>.<br />
Mindfulness training has shown to increase authenticity and well-being. The study found that mindfulness leads to value-based authentic actions, and that the authentic actions themselves leads to well-being <ref>Christie, A., Atkins, P. and Donald, J., 2016. The Meaning and Doing of Mindfulness: The Role of Values in the Link Between Mindfulness and Well-Being. Mindfulness, 8(2), pp.368-378. </ref>. <br />
Mindfulness practices were also shown to enhance authentic leadership in a very comprehensive study of over 1000 leaders. This study showed that leaders with high levels of trait mindfulness were more likely to show authentic leadership behaviors, as perceived by both themselves and their followers. They also found that low-dose mindfulness interventions enhanced leaders authentic behaviors (perceived by themselves and followers). In the study they had leaders do 30 days of app-based meditation, which directly impacted their behavior <ref> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= Limitations =<br />
<br />
Perhaps the reason why authenticity hasn’t had the greatest impact so far is that it is not a quick fix method that can be implemented. It is not a leadership style that can be learnt, and it might (properly) be a difficult process to accept that certain beliefs are false for instance about one's job or partner. It has a disruptive power that is both its strength and weakness. <br />
<br />
Authentic Leadership can be seen as a very idealized leadership theory, and it is easy to blame other leadership styles for being inauthentic. However, for project or organizational success it might be beneficial to display emotions that are not heartfelt. Gardner, <ref>Gardner, W., Fischer, D. and Hunt, J., 2009. Emotional labor and leadership: A threat to authenticity?. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(3), pp.466-482. </ref> comes with an example that if a leader announces employee layoffs it would be expected to express empathy and concern for the affected employees, and would most likely be met with anger and resentment from employees if the leader failed to display such emotions. If such emotions are not heartfelt, however, expressing them would be inauthentic. If the audience detects a lack of sincerity on the part of the leader, he or she may be viewed as hypocritical and disingenuous, thereby undermining his or her credibility with followers. This is the sort of challenge that authentic leaders face in a leadership role, where one might violate one’s true feelings. As we discussed in authentic behavior one might violate authenticity in the behavioral component of authenticity but still has balanced processing and self-awareness present. <br />
<br />
<br />
The question also remains if Authentic Leadership applies for project management. A study <ref> Levy, L., 2020. The Relationship Between Authentic Leadership in Project Managers and Project Success. Walden University, [online] Available at: <https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=9671&context=dissertations> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. </ref> didn’t find a significant correlation between authenticity of project managers and project success. This might be because project managers don’t have as much influence as positional leaders, or because project success is influenced very little by the leadership qualities of project managers.<br />
If project success is the only parameter you are interested in, then improving one's authenticity may be a lot of work for a small change. However, further studies should investigate whether authentic project managers positively influence team members in psychological areas such as well-being, felt authenticity, and job satisfaction. These enhanced factors may help the organization in future projects.<br />
<br />
The practise of mindfulness is a great entry to discovering your authentic self. However, critics have accused mindfulness of decontextualising mindfulness from its Buddhist roots, which cuts out the ethics and morals. Instead, it is solely used practically for reducing stress but without any introspection <ref>Purser, R., & Loy, D. (2013). Beyond McMindfulness. Huffington post, p. 13. Retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/ron-purser/ beyond-mcmindfulness_b_3519289.html. </ref>. So far, however, the research shows great results from mindfulness without taking the Buddist tradition into account.<br />
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<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
<br />
<references /></div>Jacobammitsoehttp://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Authenticity&diff=101806Authenticity2021-03-01T12:12:44Z<p>Jacobammitsoe: </p>
<hr />
<div>Authenticity may seem as a trivial topic in project management since it doesn’t directly improve projects. Yet, project managers who know their true self will inspire their team members to perform better with more satisfaction and improve the overall organization. This article takes its starting point in authenticity and looks at how personal introspection leads to better leadership and more truthful project management. The focus is very much on Authentic Leadership which has proved to enhance followers well-being, work engagement and job satisfaction. However, Authentic Leadership is merely a description of an authentic person in a position of authority behaving authentically. <br />
<br />
One can not just be an authentic project manager, you must start by being an authentic person in everything you do. Being an authentic person comes first and then the benefits of authenticity will shine through all aspects of your life from project management to fatherhood. This article is not meant as a 3 step tutorial to being authentic, because you cannot become authentic by intellectual understanding only. The hope is to challenge some of the existing views of success and leadership with modern research in this lesser known academic field of authenticity and especially Authentic Leadership Theory.<br />
<br />
We find that many of the “hot topics" in project management such as and “Emotional Intelligence” as well as different “leadership styles” from an authenticity point of view, are just consequences of authentic behavior. Although development of authenticity is not straight forward, research has found mindfulness to be very effective.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= What is authenticity? =<br />
Many philosophers and sociologists have attempted to define authenticity since it was first brought up in ancient Greece. The Greeks wrote: “to thine own self be true” <ref> Harter, S. (2002). Authenticity. In C. R. Snyder, & S. Lopez (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology (pp. 382 – 394). Oxford, UK7 Oxford University Press. </ref><br />
, which is a quite precise definition of authenticity - to be true to your own self. We will not go into all the facets and philosophical views of authenticity - which wouldn’t bring us closer to our authentic self - and go with the two main aspects which defines authenticity that the literature generally agrees on: <br />
<br />
* Knowing one’s true self; owning one’s personal experiences, be they thoughts, emotions, needs, wants, preferences, or beliefs.<br />
* Acting in accord with one’s true self; expressing oneself in ways that are consistent with one’s understanding of self.<br />
<br />
Authentic individuals can be said to be “in tune” with their basic nature and clearly and accurately see themselves and their lives. They are self-aware and unencumbered by others’ expectations and opinions for them, and therefore they can make more sound personal choices based on their own true values <ref> Avolio, B. and Gardner, W., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.315-338. </ref>. Authentic individuals will naturally have high self-esteem, what is referred to as “optimal self-esteem”. Optimal self-esteem involves favorable feelings of self-worth that arise naturally from successfully dealing with life challenges; the operation of one’s core, true, authentic self as a source of input to behavioral choices; and relationships in which one is valued for who one is and not for what one achieves <ref> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
<br />
“Measure success based on your inner scorecard. If you base success and/or your actions on an outer scorecard, that is, what others think, your life will be hollow” (Warren Buffett, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, September 30, 2005).<br />
<br />
Warren Buffetts point may be the key point of authenticity in regards to one’s professional career. The achievements or success will not in itself have any value for an authentic person, because the authentic person solely follows his/her core beliefs. “Success” as Warren Buffett points out should instead be measured in the extent one follows one’s core values in life. Failures will also not be seen as a personal failure, rather it can be used as a source of information to guide their future behavior <ref> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
<br />
The measurement of how authentic a person is, is typically done through a questionnaire called, Authentic Leadership Questionnaire (ALQ). <br />
<br />
<br />
==Four components of authenticity==<br />
The most accepted definition of authenticity is the four components of authenticity proposed by Walumbwa et al. (2008) <ref> Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure†. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89–126. </ref>. The components have a certain “direction”, the first component must be learnt before the next component can be authentic and so forth. The descriptions of the four components below is based on the work of Kernis and Goldman (2005) <ref> Kernis, M. H., & Goldman, B. M. (2005). From Thought and Experience to Behavior and Interpersonal Relationships: A Multicomponent Conceptualization of Authenticity. In A. Tesser, J. V. Wood, & D. A. Stapel (Eds.), On building, defending and regulating the self: A psychological perspective (p. 31–52). Psychology Press. </ref> and Walumbwa et al. (2008) <ref> Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure†. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89–126. </ref>.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Self-Awareness ===<br />
The awareness of self refers to possessing, and being motivated to increase, one’s knowledge and trust in one’s motives, feelings, desires. It includes, for example, understanding one’s likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, goals and aspirations, dispositional characteristics, and emotional states.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Balanced Processing ===<br />
<br />
This component refers to being objective about all what is observed; one’s positive and negative aspects, emotions, experiences and information. Balanced processing involves not denying, distorting or exaggerating information to fit your personal needs. It can be understood by looking at how people with low or fragile high self-esteem select and interpret information. Such persons find it hard to acknowledge personal shortcomings, such as certain skills or personality traits that they don’t like. They will typically develop strong ego defense mechanisms to distort information about their shortcomings. Individuals with balanced processing will not have strong self-serving biases to gain personal success, and will not have strong defense mechanisms.<br />
<br />
=== Behaviour ===<br />
Authentic behaviour means “acting in accord with one’s values, preferences, and needs as opposed to acting merely to please others or to attain rewards or avoid punishments through acting falsely... Authenticity is not reflected in a compulsion to be one’s true self, but rather in the free and natural expression of core feelings, motives and inclinations.” <ref> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
This can be seen as the behavioural output of Self-Awareness and Balanced Processing.<br />
<br />
Of course, there will be instances where it will not be appropriate to act on behalf of your core needs and values, because it may not fit the immediate environment. Therefore one must act against the true self, which will lead to a temporally internal conflict. However, unbiased processing and awareness can still be present in such an instance, which would allow one to reflect and learn from the situation. In contrast, if awareness and unbiased processing was not present at that instance, then may not be recognized as an act against one’s values and that would lead to blind obedience.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Relational transparency ===<br />
<br />
A person with high relation orientation will strive for truthfulness and openness in his/her close relationships. It’s about self-disclosure, wanting others to see the “real” you, and the development of mutual intimacy and trust. At the core, it’s about being genuine rather than fake in one’s relationships.<br />
<br />
<br />
=Authentic Leadership in Project Management=<br />
As PMBOK points out <ref> Project Management Institute, Inc.. (2017). Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) (6th Edition). Project Management Institute, Inc. (PMI). </ref>, project managers both need managing skills and leadership skills. Leadership is more focused on the relations with team members or stakeholders, to inspire and guide them. In short, management is about ''doing things right'' and leadership is about ''doing the right things''. <br />
PMBOK points to different leadership styles like eg. Transformational and Charismatic, which “project managers can adopt'' (PMBOK, p.65). However, as PRINCE 2 says a leadership style may work in one situation but be inappropriate in another, which is one of the reasons they will not cover leadership in project management <ref> AXELOS, AXELOS. Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2 2017 Edition, chapter 1.2, page 4, The Stationery Office Ltd, 2017. </ref>. <br />
The same scepticism for the “leadership styles” is found in Authentic Leadership. That is why Authentic Leadership should not be seen as a leadership style, but rather as a “root concept” that forms the basis of observed leadership styles such as above mentioned. Authentic Leadership has gained much scholarly attention in the last decade, perhaps because of the crisis of confidence in today's corporate and government<br />
leaders <ref>Gardner, W. L., Cogliser, C. C., Davis, K. M., & Dickens, M. P. (2011). Authentic leadership: A review of the literature and research agenda. The Leadership Quarterly, 22, 1120–1145. </ref>. We will go through what it is and how it differs from traditional leadership styles <ref> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>.<br />
<br />
<br />
‘if you’re a project manager, provide for quality and truth, and success will come on the back of that. If you just go for success on its own, it won’t work. What I <br />
would like project managers to be able to face the truth, stare it in the eye and then operate by it.’ - Camila Batmanghelidjh <ref> Madsen, S., 2021. Category: Authenticity. [online] Susanne Madsen Intl. Developing Project Leaders. Available at: <https://www.susannemadsen.co.uk/blog/category/authenticity?view=full> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. </ref><br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic Leadership Theory ==<br />
Authentic Leadership has had many definitions and discussions about authenticity and leadership (for an overview see Iszatt-White & Kempster, 2018 <ref> Iszatt-White, M., & Kempster, S. (2018). Authentic leadership: Getting back to the roots of the ‘root construct’? International Journal of Management Reviews, 0(0), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijmr. 12193. </ref>). Authentic Leadership draws insights from positive psychology and full-range leadership (FRL)/transformational leadership theory.<br />
Authentic leaders are, as the name suggests, authentic individuals, which means that they have high levels of the four components of authenticity. Authentic leaders are characterized as<ref> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>:<br />
<br />
* they accept their strengths and weaknesses and are highly aware of themselves (1. self-awareness)<br />
* they openly show their emotions and their true self to their followers (2. relational transparency)<br />
* they take others’ perspectives and views into account (3. balanced processing); <br />
* they consistently behave according to their own moral standards and values, i.e., match words with actions (4. internalized moral perspective) <br />
<br />
Authentic leaders are in addition self-confident, optimistic, reliable, and trustworthy. They lead by example and help create a healthy and ethical work climate <ref>Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006. </ref> <ref>Hoch, J. E., Bommer, W. H., Dulebohn, J. H., & Wu, D. (2018). Do ethical, authentic, and servant leadership explain variance above and beyond transformational leadership? A meta-analysis. Journal of Management, 44(2), 501–529. https://doi.org/10.1177/ 0149206316665461. </ref>.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Authentic followers/team members ===<br />
<br />
Authentic leadership goes beyond the authenticity of the leader as a person to the relationship and development of the team he/she is leading. The relationships are called “authentic followership” and are characterized by <ref>Avolio, B. and Gardner, W., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.315-338. </ref> <ref> Gardner, W., Avolio, B., Luthans, F., May, D. and Walumbwa, F., 2005. “Can you see the real me?” A self-based model of authentic leader and follower development. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.343-372.</ref>:<br />
* Transparency, openness, trust<br />
* Guidance towards worthy objectives<br />
* Emphasis on follower development<br />
<br />
Authentic leaders “lead by example” with complete transparency between words and actions. The open and trustworthy relationship between leader and followers is believed to develop the values and beliefs of the followers over time, leading to “authentic followers”. By increasing their authenticity they will in turn be more transparent with the leader which will benefit the organization <ref>Avolio, B. and Gardner, W., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.315-338. </ref>. <br />
<br />
Empirical research has found that authentic leadership has a positive effect on followers well-being, increased work engagement, commitment, job satisfaction and behaviors like task performance, creativity <ref>Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006. </ref> <ref>Hoch, J. E., Bommer, W. H., Dulebohn, J. H., & Wu, D. (2018). Do ethical, authentic, and servant leadership explain variance above and beyond transformational leadership? A meta-analysis. Journal of Management, 44(2), 501–529. https://doi.org/10.1177/ 0149206316665461. </ref>. <br />
<br />
In project management context followers or most likely team members, but still in this case authentic leadership behaviors will foster more authentic team members <ref> Levy, L., 2020. The Relationship Between Authentic Leadership in Project Managers and Project Success. Walden University, [online] Available at: <https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=9671&context=dissertations> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. </ref>. <br />
As projects often happen in an organizational context the improvement of the organization can have lasting effects on other projects <ref> Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006.</ref>.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic vs Charismatic ==<br />
<br />
=== Relation to Transformative leadership Theory ===<br />
<br />
Authentic Leadership has been accused of being redundant in leadership theory, because the traits are very similar to Transformational and ethical leadership <ref> Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006.</ref>. We will look at the differences of Authentic Leadership to Transformational leadership. Transformational leadership is also considered as charismatic leadership as it has considerable emotional appeal and possesses the ability to inspire (Ergeneli et al., 2007). Transformational leadership behaviors are associated with four categories:<br />
<br />
* Idealized influence: when a leader performs as a role model and shares common <br />
visions, encourages and provides a strong sense of purpose.<br />
* Inspirational motivation: a leader expresses the importance of desired objectives of the organization and motivates.<br />
* Intellectual stimulation: when a leader challenges the normal ideas of followers.<br />
* Individualized consideration: when a leader spends more time teaching and coaching for better performance.<br />
<br />
A transformational leader may have a strong vision they communicate influentially, but that vision and charisma may not always come from an authentic place as they could be imposing their own needs or pleasures <ref>Ilies, R., Morgeson, F. P., & Nahrgang, J. D. (2005). Authentic leadership and eudaemonic well-being: Understanding leader–follower outcomes. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), 373–394. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.leaqua.2005.03.002. </ref>. This seems to correlate with Kernis’s description of fragile high self-esteem <ref> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref> as he also mentions narcissists as having a type of fragile high self-esteem that may come from deep insecurities that they are not themselves aware of. This is where authenticity becomes relevant because an authentic leader will not be driven by an inflated ego but by his core values and high morality. Another distinction is that authentic leaders may or may not be charismatic but they will always foster positive development of those around them. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
=== The (in)authenticity of Emotional Intelligence ===<br />
<br />
Studies have found that authentic individuals also possess high levels of Emotional Intelligence. Gardner et al. (2005)<ref>Gardner, W., Fischer, D. and Hunt, J., 2009. Emotional labor and leadership: A threat to authenticity?. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(3), pp.466-482. </ref>, however, questions whether Emotional Intelligence always is authentic. It was shown that Emotional Intelligence was a significant predictor of leadership abilities <ref>Walter, F., & Bruch, H. (2007). Investigating the emotional basis of charismatic leadership: The role of leaders' positive mood and emotional intelligence. In C. E. J. Härtel, N. M. Ashkanasy & W. J. Zerbe (Eds.), Functionality, intentionality and morality (pp. 55–85). Amsterdam: Elsevier. </ref>. Interestingly, emotionally intelligent leaders were seen as charismatic leaders by their followers, regardless of their actual emotional state. Apparently, emotionally intelligent leaders are especially skilled at regulating their emotions to generate perceptions of charisma.<br />
<br />
In that regard the question of authenticity becomes relevant in the case of emotional intelligence, because it questions whether the charisma of an emotional intelligent leader is genuine or if it is acting. If a leader engages in, what is called, ''surface acting'' that is, manipulating others by deliberately changing the emotions displayed, then followers will see it as fake. ''Deep acting'', however, is the effort to change inner feelings to deceive themselves. This type of acting will be perceived as authentic by others, but interestingly the deep acting individual will have a higher felt authenticity than surface acting individuals<ref>Gardner, W., Fischer, D. and Hunt, J., 2009. Emotional labor and leadership: A threat to authenticity?. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(3), pp.466-482. </ref>. Nonetheless, deep acting still violates inner feelings and therefore compromises authenticity, despite that the leader may not recognize this to be the case. It was shown in empirical studies that surface and deep acting were more emotionally exhausting than being genuine <ref>Grandey, A. A. (2003). When “the show must go on”: Surface acting and deep acting as determiants of emotional exhaustion and peer-rated service delivery. Academy of Management Journal, 46, 86−96. </ref>.<br />
<br />
= How to enhance authenticity =<br />
<br />
Atuhtenticity can only be enhanced if one somehow acknowlegdes his/her core values and beliefs. In context of becoming an authentic leader or project manager, then very little help is found in traditional leadership training, which merely focuses on a specific set of skills (e.g., goal setting or intellectual stimulation). Authentic leadership cannot be directly taught with methods or ways to behave because imitating those would be inauthentic. To enhance authenticity, it has to be a holistic approach that accounts for the whole person: individual character, values, and preferences <ref> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>. <br />
<br />
<br />
=== Trigger events ===<br />
<br />
An experience of either positive or negative quality can lead to the development of one’s authentic being. These are called trigger events and can take the form of sudden experiences such as a person close to you passing away, a promotion, reading a book that challenges your core beliefs, forming a relationship, or having an anxiety attack. Such events will “cut through” the perception of self and force one to look critically upon certain aspects of one’s core beliefs and values. This mechanism will naturally allow for personal growth and will increase authenticity <ref> Gardner, W., Avolio, B., Luthans, F., May, D. and Walumbwa, F., 2005. “Can you see the real me?” A self-based model of authentic leader and follower development. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.343-372.</ref>.<br />
<br />
This approach of developing authenticity through trigger events has been conceptualized as a potential training “program” for leaders and managers to push them out of their comfort zone to change their behaviors. Proposed by xx, it consists of two phases, an exploration phase where participants recognize their ways of acting inauthentically and trying out new ways of behaving. The second phase is an integration phase where participants recognize the benefit of change through the successful behaviors in their life. <br />
This approach is still on a conceptual basis and it would require many resources to actually make such a program <ref> Baron, L. and Parent, É., 2014. Developing Authentic Leadership Within a Training Context. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 22(1), pp.37-53.</ref>. <br />
<br />
<br />
=== Mindfulness ===<br />
<br />
Mindfulness seems to be the best way of increasing one’s authenticity. Mindfulness is simply the practise of being self-aware, open and non-judgemental. Enhancing self-awareness with mindfulness one can more easily discover what is true and false within oneselves <ref> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>.<br />
Mindfulness training has shown to increase authenticity and well-being. The study found that mindfulness leads to value-based authentic actions, and that the authentic actions themselves leads to well-being <ref>Christie, A., Atkins, P. and Donald, J., 2016. The Meaning and Doing of Mindfulness: The Role of Values in the Link Between Mindfulness and Well-Being. Mindfulness, 8(2), pp.368-378. </ref>. <br />
Mindfulness practices were also shown to enhance authentic leadership in a very comprehensive study of over 1000 leaders. This study showed that leaders with high levels of trait mindfulness were more likely to show authentic leadership behaviors, as perceived by both themselves and their followers. They also found that low-dose mindfulness interventions enhanced leaders authentic behaviors (perceived by themselves and followers). In the study they had leaders do 30 days of app-based meditation, which directly impacted their behavior <ref> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= Limitations =<br />
<br />
Perhaps the reason why authenticity hasn’t had the greatest impact so far is that it is not a quick fix method that can be implemented. It is not a leadership style that can be learnt, and it might (properly) be a difficult process to accept that certain beliefs are false for instance about one's job or partner. It has a disruptive power that is both its strength and weakness. <br />
<br />
Authentic Leadership can be seen as a very idealized leadership theory, and it is easy to blame other leadership styles for being inauthentic. However, for project or organizational success it might be beneficial to display emotions that are not heartfelt. Gardner, <ref>Gardner, W., Fischer, D. and Hunt, J., 2009. Emotional labor and leadership: A threat to authenticity?. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(3), pp.466-482. </ref> comes with an example that if a leader announces employee layoffs it would be expected to express empathy and concern for the affected employees, and would most likely be met with anger and resentment from employees if the leader failed to display such emotions. If such emotions are not heartfelt, however, expressing them would be inauthentic. If the audience detects a lack of sincerity on the part of the leader, he or she may be viewed as hypocritical and disingenuous, thereby undermining his or her credibility with followers. This is the sort of challenge that authentic leaders face in a leadership role, where one might violate one’s true feelings. As we discussed in authentic behavior one might violate authenticity in the behavioral component of authenticity but still has balanced processing and self-awareness present. <br />
<br />
<br />
The question also remains if Authentic Leadership applies for project management. A study <ref> Levy, L., 2020. The Relationship Between Authentic Leadership in Project Managers and Project Success. Walden University, [online] Available at: <https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=9671&context=dissertations> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. </ref> didn’t find a significant correlation between authenticity of project managers and project success. This might be because project managers don’t have as much influence as positional leaders, or because project success is influenced very little by the leadership qualities of project managers.<br />
If project success is the only parameter you are interested in, then improving one's authenticity may be a lot of work for a small change. However, further studies should investigate whether authentic project managers positively influence team members in psychological areas such as well-being, felt authenticity, and job satisfaction. These enhanced factors may help the organization in future projects.<br />
<br />
The practise of mindfulness is a great entry to discovering your authentic self. However, critics have accused mindfulness of decontextualising mindfulness from its Buddhist roots, which cuts out the ethics and morals. Instead, it is solely used practically for reducing stress but without any introspection <ref>Purser, R., & Loy, D. (2013). Beyond McMindfulness. Huffington post, p. 13. Retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/ron-purser/ beyond-mcmindfulness_b_3519289.html. </ref>. So far, however, the research shows great results from mindfulness without taking the Buddist tradition into account.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
<br />
<references /></div>Jacobammitsoehttp://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Authenticity&diff=101804Authenticity2021-03-01T11:42:39Z<p>Jacobammitsoe: </p>
<hr />
<div>Authenticity may seem as a trivial topic in project management since it doesn’t directly improve projects. Yet, project managers who know their true self will inspire their team members to perform better with more satisfaction and improve the overall organization. This article takes its starting point in authenticity and looks at how personal introspection leads to better leadership and more truthful project management. The focus is very much on Authentic Leadership which has proved to enhance followers well-being, work engagement and job satisfaction. However, Authentic Leadership is merely a description of an authentic person in a position of authority behaving authentically. <br />
<br />
One can not just be an authentic project manager, you must start by being an authentic person in everything you do. Being an authentic person comes first and then the benefits of authenticity will shine through all aspects of your life from project management to fatherhood. This article is not meant as a 3 step tutorial to being authentic, because you cannot become authentic by intellectual understanding only. The hope is to challenge some of the existing views of success and leadership with modern research in this lesser known academic field of authenticity and especially Authentic Leadership Theory.<br />
<br />
We find that many of the “hot topics" in project management such as and “Emotional Intelligence” as well as different “leadership styles” from an authenticity point of view, are just consequences of authentic behavior. Although development of authenticity is not straight forward, research has found mindfulness to be very effective.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= What is authenticity? =<br />
Many philosophers and sociologists have attempted to define authenticity since it was first brought up in ancient Greece. The Greeks wrote: “to thine own self be true” <ref> Harter, S. (2002). Authenticity. In C. R. Snyder, & S. Lopez (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology (pp. 382 – 394). Oxford, UK7 Oxford University Press. </ref><br />
, which is a quite precise definition of authenticity - to be true to your own self. We will not go into all the facets and philosophical views of authenticity - which wouldn’t bring us closer to our authentic self - and go with the two main aspects which defines authenticity that the literature generally agrees on: <br />
<br />
* Knowing one’s true self; owning one’s personal experiences, be they thoughts, emotions, needs, wants, preferences, or beliefs.<br />
* Acting in accord with one’s true self; expressing oneself in ways that are consistent with one’s understanding of self.<br />
<br />
Authentic individuals can be said to be “in tune” with their basic nature and clearly and accurately see themselves and their lives. They are self-aware and unencumbered by others’ expectations and opinions for them, and therefore they can make more sound personal choices based on their own true values <ref> Avolio, B. and Gardner, W., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.315-338. </ref>. Authentic individuals will naturally have high self-esteem, what is referred to as “optimal self-esteem”. Optimal self-esteem involves favorable feelings of self-worth that arise naturally from successfully dealing with life challenges; the operation of one’s core, true, authentic self as a source of input to behavioral choices; and relationships in which one is valued for who one is and not for what one achieves <ref> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
<br />
“Measure success based on your inner scorecard. If you base success and/or your actions on an outer scorecard, that is, what others think, your life will be hollow” (Warren Buffett, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, September 30, 2005).<br />
<br />
Warren Buffetts point may be the key point of authenticity in regards to one’s professional career. The achievements or success will not in itself have any value for an authentic person, because the authentic person solely follows his/her core beliefs. “Success” as Warren Buffett points out should instead be measured in the extent one follows one’s core values in life. Failures will also not be seen as a personal failure, rather it can be used as a source of information to guide their future behavior <ref> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
<br />
The measurement of how authentic a person is, is typically done through a questionnaire called, Authentic Leadership Questionnaire (ALQ). <br />
<br />
<br />
==Four components of authenticity==<br />
The most accepted definition of authenticity is the four components of authenticity proposed by Walumbwa et al. (2008) <ref> Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure†. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89–126. </ref>. The components have a certain “direction”, the first component must be learnt before the next component can be authentic and so forth. The descriptions of the four components below is based on the work of Kernis and Goldman (2005) <ref> Kernis, M. H., & Goldman, B. M. (2005). From Thought and Experience to Behavior and Interpersonal Relationships: A Multicomponent Conceptualization of Authenticity. In A. Tesser, J. V. Wood, & D. A. Stapel (Eds.), On building, defending and regulating the self: A psychological perspective (p. 31–52). Psychology Press. </ref> and Walumbwa et al. (2008) <ref> Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure†. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89–126. </ref>.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Self-Awareness ===<br />
The awareness of self refers to possessing, and being motivated to increase, one’s knowledge and trust in one’s motives, feelings, desires. It includes, for example, understanding one’s likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, goals and aspirations, dispositional characteristics, and emotional states.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Balanced Processing ===<br />
<br />
This component refers to being objective about all what is observed; one’s positive and negative aspects, emotions, experiences and information. Balanced processing involves not denying, distorting or exaggerating information to fit your personal needs. It can be understood by looking at how people with low or fragile high self-esteem select and interpret information. Such persons find it hard to acknowledge personal shortcomings, such as certain skills or personality traits that they don’t like. They will typically develop strong ego defense mechanisms to distort information about their shortcomings. Individuals with balanced processing will not have strong self-serving biases to gain personal success, and will not have strong defense mechanisms.<br />
<br />
=== Behaviour ===<br />
Authentic behaviour means “acting in accord with one’s values, preferences, and needs as opposed to acting merely to please others or to attain rewards or avoid punishments through acting falsely... Authenticity is not reflected in a compulsion to be one’s true self, but rather in the free and natural expression of core feelings, motives and inclinations.” <ref> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
This can be seen as the behavioural output of Self-Awareness and Balanced Processing.<br />
<br />
Of course, there will be instances where it will not be appropriate to act on behalf of your core needs and values, because it may not fit the immediate environment. Therefore one must act against the true self, which will lead to a temporally internal conflict. However, unbiased processing and awareness can still be present in such an instance, which would allow one to reflect and learn from the situation. In contrast, if awareness and unbiased processing was not present at that instance, then may not be recognized as an act against one’s values and that would lead to blind obedience.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Relational transparency ===<br />
<br />
A person with high relation orientation will strive for truthfulness and openness in his/her close relationships. It’s about self-disclosure, wanting others to see the “real” you, and the development of mutual intimacy and trust. At the core, it’s about being genuine rather than fake in one’s relationships.<br />
<br />
<br />
=Authentic Leadership in Project Management=<br />
As PMBOK points out <ref> Project Management Institute, Inc.. (2017). Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) (6th Edition). Project Management Institute, Inc. (PMI). </ref>, project managers both need managing skills and leadership skills. Leadership is more focused on the relations with team members or stakeholders, to inspire and guide them. In short, management is about ''doing things right'' and leadership is about ''doing the right things''. <br />
PMBOK points to different leadership styles like eg. Transformational and Charismatic, which “project managers can adopt'' (PMBOK, p.65). However, as PRINCE 2 says a leadership style may work in one situation but be inappropriate in another, which is one of the reasons they will not cover leadership in project management <ref> AXELOS, AXELOS. Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2 2017 Edition, chapter 1.2, page 4, The Stationery Office Ltd, 2017. </ref>. <br />
The same scepticism for the “leadership styles” is found in Authentic Leadership. That is why Authentic Leadership should not be seen as a leadership style, but rather as a “root concept” that forms the basis of observed leadership styles such as above mentioned. Authentic Leadership has gained much scholarly attention in the last decade, perhaps because of the crisis of confidence in today's corporate and government<br />
leaders <ref>Gardner, W. L., Cogliser, C. C., Davis, K. M., & Dickens, M. P. (2011). Authentic leadership: A review of the literature and research agenda. The Leadership Quarterly, 22, 1120–1145. </ref>. We will go through what it is and how it differs from traditional leadership styles <ref> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>.<br />
<br />
<br />
‘if you’re a project manager, provide for quality and truth, and success will come on the back of that. If you just go for success on its own, it won’t work. What I <br />
would like project managers to be able to face the truth, stare it in the eye and then operate by it.’ - Camila Batmanghelidjh <ref> Madsen, S., 2021. Category: Authenticity. [online] Susanne Madsen Intl. Developing Project Leaders. Available at: <https://www.susannemadsen.co.uk/blog/category/authenticity?view=full> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. </ref><br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic Leadership Theory ==<br />
Authentic Leadership has had many definitions and discussions about authenticity and leadership (for an overview see Iszatt-White & Kempster, 2018 <ref> Iszatt-White, M., & Kempster, S. (2018). Authentic leadership: Getting back to the roots of the ‘root construct’? International Journal of Management Reviews, 0(0), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijmr. 12193. </ref>). Authentic Leadership draws insights from positive psychology and full-range leadership (FRL)/transformational leadership theory.<br />
Authentic leaders are, as the name suggests, authentic individuals, which means that they have high levels of the four components of authenticity. Authentic leaders are characterized as<ref> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>:<br />
<br />
* they accept their strengths and weaknesses and are highly aware of themselves (1. self-awareness)<br />
* they openly show their emotions and their true self to their followers (2. relational transparency)<br />
* they take others’ perspectives and views into account (3. balanced processing); <br />
* they consistently behave according to their own moral standards and values, i.e., match words with actions (4. internalized moral perspective) <br />
<br />
Authentic leaders are in addition self-confident, optimistic, reliable, and trustworthy. They lead by example and help create a healthy and ethical work climate <ref>Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006. </ref> <ref>Hoch, J. E., Bommer, W. H., Dulebohn, J. H., & Wu, D. (2018). Do ethical, authentic, and servant leadership explain variance above and beyond transformational leadership? A meta-analysis. Journal of Management, 44(2), 501–529. https://doi.org/10.1177/ 0149206316665461. </ref>.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Authentic followers/team members ===<br />
<br />
Authentic leadership goes beyond the authenticity of the leader as a person to the relationship and development of the team he/she is leading. The relationships are called “authentic followership” and are characterized by <ref>Avolio, B. and Gardner, W., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.315-338. </ref> <ref> Gardner, W., Avolio, B., Luthans, F., May, D. and Walumbwa, F., 2005. “Can you see the real me?” A self-based model of authentic leader and follower development. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.343-372.</ref>:<br />
* Transparency, openness, trust<br />
* Guidance towards worthy objectives<br />
* Emphasis on follower development<br />
<br />
Authentic leaders “lead by example” with complete transparency between words and actions. The open and trustworthy relationship between leader and followers is believed to develop the values and beliefs of the followers over time, leading to “authentic followers”. By increasing their authenticity they will in turn be more transparent with the leader which will benefit the organization <ref>Avolio, B. and Gardner, W., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.315-338. </ref>. <br />
<br />
Empirical research has found that authentic leadership has a positive effect on followers well-being, increased work engagement, commitment, job satisfaction and behaviors like task performance, creativity <ref>Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006. </ref> <ref>Hoch, J. E., Bommer, W. H., Dulebohn, J. H., & Wu, D. (2018). Do ethical, authentic, and servant leadership explain variance above and beyond transformational leadership? A meta-analysis. Journal of Management, 44(2), 501–529. https://doi.org/10.1177/ 0149206316665461. </ref>. <br />
<br />
In project management context followers or most likely team members, but still in this case authentic leadership behaviors will foster more authentic team members <ref> Levy, L., 2020. The Relationship Between Authentic Leadership in Project Managers and Project Success. Walden University, [online] Available at: <https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=9671&context=dissertations> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. </ref>. <br />
As projects often happen in an organizational context the improvement of the organization can have lasting effects on other projects <ref> Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006.</ref>.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic vs Charismatic ==<br />
<br />
=== Relation to Transformative leadership Theory ===<br />
<br />
Authentic Leadership has been accused of being redundant in leadership theory, because the traits are very similar to Transformational and ethical leadership <ref> Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006.</ref>. We will look at the differences of Authentic Leadership to Transformational leadership. Transformational leadership is also considered as charismatic leadership as it has considerable emotional appeal and possesses the ability to inspire (Ergeneli et al., 2007). Transformational leadership behaviors are associated with four categories:<br />
<br />
* Idealized influence: when a leader performs as a role model and shares common <br />
visions, encourages and provides a strong sense of purpose.<br />
* Inspirational motivation: a leader expresses the importance of desired objectives of the organization and motivates.<br />
* Intellectual stimulation: when a leader challenges the normal ideas of followers.<br />
* Individualized consideration: when a leader spends more time teaching and coaching for better performance.<br />
<br />
A transformational leader may have a strong vision they communicate influentially, but that vision and charisma may not always come from an authentic place as they could be imposing their own needs or pleasures <ref>Ilies, R., Morgeson, F. P., & Nahrgang, J. D. (2005). Authentic leadership and eudaemonic well-being: Understanding leader–follower outcomes. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), 373–394. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.leaqua.2005.03.002. </ref>. This seems to correlate with Kernis’s description of fragile high self-esteem <ref> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref> as he also mentions narcissists as having a type of fragile high self-esteem that may come from deep insecurities that they are not themselves aware of. This is where authenticity becomes relevant because an authentic leader will not be driven by an inflated ego but by his core values and high morality. Another distinction is that authentic leaders may or may not be charismatic but they will always foster positive development of those around them. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
=== The (in)authenticity of Emotional Intelligence ===<br />
<br />
Studies have found that authentic individuals also possess high levels of Emotional Intelligence. Gardner et al. (2005)<ref>Gardner, W., Fischer, D. and Hunt, J., 2009. Emotional labor and leadership: A threat to authenticity?. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(3), pp.466-482. </ref>, however, questions whether Emotional Intelligence always is authentic. It was shown that Emotional Intelligence was a significant predictor of leadership abilities <ref>Walter, F., & Bruch, H. (2007). Investigating the emotional basis of charismatic leadership: The role of leaders' positive mood and emotional intelligence. In C. E. J. Härtel, N. M. Ashkanasy & W. J. Zerbe (Eds.), Functionality, intentionality and morality (pp. 55–85). Amsterdam: Elsevier. </ref>. Interestingly, emotionally intelligent leaders were seen as charismatic leaders by their followers, regardless of their actual emotional state. Apparently, emotionally intelligent leaders are especially skilled at regulating their emotions to generate perceptions of charisma.<br />
<br />
In that regard the question of authenticity becomes relevant in the case of emotional intelligence, because it questions whether the charisma of an emotional intelligent leader is genuine or if it is acting. If a leader engages in, what is called, ''surface acting'' that is, manipulating others by deliberately changing the emotions displayed, then followers will see it as fake. ''Deep acting'', however, is the effort to change inner feelings to deceive themselves. This type of acting will be perceived as authentic by others, but interestingly the deep acting individual will have a higher felt authenticity than surface acting individuals<ref>Gardner, W., Fischer, D. and Hunt, J., 2009. Emotional labor and leadership: A threat to authenticity?. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(3), pp.466-482. </ref>. Nonetheless, deep acting still violates inner feelings and therefore compromises authenticity, despite that the leader may not recognize this to be the case. It was shown in empirical studies that surface and deep acting were more emotionally exhausting than being genuine <ref>Grandey, A. A. (2003). When “the show must go on”: Surface acting and deep acting as determiants of emotional exhaustion and peer-rated service delivery. Academy of Management Journal, 46, 86−96. </ref>.<br />
<br />
= How to increase authenticity =<br />
<br />
Traditional leadership training focusing merely on a specific set of skills (e.g., goal setting or intellectual stimulation; Barling, Weber, & Kelloway, 1996; Dvir, Eden, Avolio, & Shamir, 2002) will fall short in this case. However, authentic leadership training cannot be taught with methods or ways to behave because imitating those would be inauthentic. Authentic leadership training requires a holistic approach that accounts for the whole person: one's individual character, values, and preferences (rewrite). <br />
<br />
Increasing authenticity is an introspective process which cannot would be misused if cannot be taught be <br />
We have covered what authenticity means and how it affects project management leadership. The question is now, how does one become authentic? The research <br />
<br />
=== Trigger events ===<br />
<br />
An experience of either positive or negative quality can lead to the development of one’s authentic being. These are called trigger events and can take the form of sudden experiences such as a person close to you passing away, a promotion, reading a book that challenges your core beliefs, forming a relationship, or having an anxiety attack. Such events will “cut through” the perception of self and force one to look critically upon certain aspects of one’s core beliefs and values. This mechanism will naturally allow for personal growth and will increase authenticity.<br />
<br />
This approach of developing authenticity through trigger events has been conceptualized as a potential training “program” for leaders and managers to push them out of their comfort zone to change their behaviors. Proposed by xx, it consists of two phases, an exploration phase where participants recognize their ways of acting inauthentically and trying out new ways of behaving. The second phase is an integration phase where participants recognize the benefit of change through the successful behaviors in their life. <br />
This approach is still on a conceptual basis and it would require many resources to actually make such a program. <br />
<br />
<br />
=== Mindfulness ===<br />
<br />
Mindfulness seems to be the best way of increasing one’s authenticity. Mindfulness is simply the practise of being self-aware and present without interpretation. Self-awareness is the first component of authenticity, also referred to as the “first stage”, which is the baseline of authenticity, without self-awareness one cannot be authentic in the other stages. Enhancing self-awareness with mindfulness one can more easily discover what is true and false within themselves.<br />
Mindfulness training has shown to increase authenticity and well-being. The study found that mindfulness leads to value-based authentic actions, and that the authentic actions themselves leads to well-being.<br />
Mindfulness practices were also shown to enhance authentic leadership in a very comprehensive study of over 1000 leaders. This study showed that leaders with high levels of trait mindfulness were more likely to show authentic leadership behaviors, as perceived by both themselves and their followers. They also found that low-dose mindfulness interventions enhanced leaders authentic behaviors (perceived by themselves and followers). In the study they had leaders do 30 days of app-based meditation, which directly impacted their behavior. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= Limitations =<br />
<br />
Perhaps the reason why authenticity hasn’t had the greatest impact so far is that it is not a quick fix method that can be implemented. It is not a leadership style that can be learnt, and it might (properly) be a difficult process to accept that certain beliefs are false or that your job or partner makes you unhappy and so forth. It has a disruptive power that is both its strength and weakness. <br />
<br />
Authentic Leadership can be seen as a very idealized approach, and it is easy to blame other leadership styles for being inauthentic. However, for project or organizational success it might be beneficial to display emotions that are not heartfelt. Gardner comes with an example that if a leader announces employee layoffs it would be expected to express empathy and concern for the affected employees, and would most likely be met with anger and resentment from employees if the leader failed to display such emotions. If such emotions are not heartfelt, however, expressing them would be inauthentic. If the audience detects a lack of sincerity on the part of the leader, he or she may be viewed as hypocritical and disingenuous, thereby undermining his or her credibility with followers. This is the sort of challenge that authentic leaders face in a leadership role, where one might violate one’s true feelings. As we discussed in authentic behavior one might violate authenticity in the behavioral component of authenticity but still has balanced processing and self-awareness present. <br />
<br />
<br />
The question also remains if Authentic Leadership applies for project management. A study didn’t find a significant correlation between authenticity of project managers and project success. This might be because project managers don’t have as much influence as positional leaders, or because project success is influenced very little by the leadership qualities of project managers.<br />
If project success is the only parameter you are interested in, then improving one's authenticity may be a lot of work for a small change. However, further studies should investigate whether authentic project managers positively influence team members in psychological areas such as well-being, felt authenticity, and job satisfaction. These enhanced factors may help the organization in future projects.<br />
<br />
The practise of mindfulness is a great entry to discovering your authentic self. However, critics have accused mindfulness of decontextualising mindfulness from its Buddhist roots, which cuts out the ethics and morals. Instead, it is solely used practically for reducing stress but without any introspection (McMindfulness, highly recommend this article). So far, however, the research shows great results from mindfulness without taking the Buddist tradition into account.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
<br />
<references /></div>Jacobammitsoehttp://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Authenticity&diff=101803Authenticity2021-03-01T11:10:26Z<p>Jacobammitsoe: </p>
<hr />
<div>Authenticity may seem as a trivial topic in project management since it doesn’t directly improve projects. Yet, project managers who know their true self will inspire their team members to perform better with more satisfaction and improve the overall organization. This article takes its starting point in authenticity and looks at how personal introspection leads to better leadership and more truthful project management. The focus is very much on Authentic Leadership which has proved to enhance followers well-being, work engagement and job satisfaction. However, Authentic Leadership is merely a description of an authentic person in a position of authority behaving authentically. <br />
<br />
One can not just be an authentic project manager, you must start by being an authentic person in everything you do. Being an authentic person comes first and then the benefits of authenticity will shine through all aspects of your life from project management to fatherhood. This article is not meant as a 3 step tutorial to being authentic, because you cannot become authentic by intellectual understanding only. The hope is to challenge some of the existing views of success and leadership with modern research in this lesser known academic field of authenticity and especially Authentic Leadership Theory.<br />
<br />
We find that many of the “hot topics" in project management such as and “Emotional Intelligence” as well as different “leadership styles” from an authenticity point of view, are just consequences of authentic behavior. Although development of authenticity is not straight forward, research has found mindfulness to be very effective.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= What is authenticity? =<br />
Many philosophers and sociologists have attempted to define authenticity since it was first brought up in ancient Greece. The Greeks wrote: “to thine own self be true” <ref> Harter, S. (2002). Authenticity. In C. R. Snyder, & S. Lopez (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology (pp. 382 – 394). Oxford, UK7 Oxford University Press. </ref><br />
, which is a quite precise definition of authenticity - to be true to your own self. We will not go into all the facets and philosophical views of authenticity - which wouldn’t bring us closer to our authentic self - and go with the two main aspects which defines authenticity that the literature generally agrees on: <br />
<br />
* Knowing one’s true self; owning one’s personal experiences, be they thoughts, emotions, needs, wants, preferences, or beliefs.<br />
* Acting in accord with one’s true self; expressing oneself in ways that are consistent with one’s understanding of self.<br />
<br />
Authentic individuals can be said to be “in tune” with their basic nature and clearly and accurately see themselves and their lives. They are self-aware and unencumbered by others’ expectations and opinions for them, and therefore they can make more sound personal choices based on their own true values <ref> Avolio, B. and Gardner, W., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.315-338. </ref>. Authentic individuals will naturally have high self-esteem, what is referred to as “optimal self-esteem”. Optimal self-esteem involves favorable feelings of self-worth that arise naturally from successfully dealing with life challenges; the operation of one’s core, true, authentic self as a source of input to behavioral choices; and relationships in which one is valued for who one is and not for what one achieves <ref> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
<br />
“Measure success based on your inner scorecard. If you base success and/or your actions on an outer scorecard, that is, what others think, your life will be hollow” (Warren Buffett, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, September 30, 2005).<br />
<br />
Warren Buffetts point may be the key point of authenticity in regards to one’s professional career. The achievements or success will not in itself have any value for an authentic person, because the authentic person solely follows his/her core beliefs. “Success” as Warren Buffett points out should instead be measured in the extent one follows one’s core values in life. Failures will also not be seen as a personal failure, rather it can be used as a source of information to guide their future behavior <ref> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
<br />
The measurement of how authentic a person is, is typically done through a questionnaire called, Authentic Leadership Questionnaire (ALQ). <br />
<br />
<br />
==Four components of authenticity==<br />
The most accepted definition of authenticity is the four components of authenticity proposed by Walumbwa et al. (2008) <ref> Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure†. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89–126. </ref>. The components have a certain “direction”, the first component must be learnt before the next component can be authentic and so forth. The descriptions of the four components below is based on the work of Kernis and Goldman (2005) <ref> Kernis, M. H., & Goldman, B. M. (2005). From Thought and Experience to Behavior and Interpersonal Relationships: A Multicomponent Conceptualization of Authenticity. In A. Tesser, J. V. Wood, & D. A. Stapel (Eds.), On building, defending and regulating the self: A psychological perspective (p. 31–52). Psychology Press. </ref> and Walumbwa et al. (2008) <ref> Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure†. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89–126. </ref>.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Self-Awareness ===<br />
The awareness of self refers to possessing, and being motivated to increase, one’s knowledge and trust in one’s motives, feelings, desires. It includes, for example, understanding one’s likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, goals and aspirations, dispositional characteristics, and emotional states.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Balanced Processing ===<br />
<br />
This component refers to being objective about all what is observed; one’s positive and negative aspects, emotions, experiences and information. Balanced processing involves not denying, distorting or exaggerating information to fit your personal needs. It can be understood by looking at how people with low or fragile high self-esteem select and interpret information. Such persons find it hard to acknowledge personal shortcomings, such as certain skills or personality traits that they don’t like. They will typically develop strong ego defense mechanisms to distort information about their shortcomings. Individuals with balanced processing will not have strong self-serving biases to gain personal success, and will not have strong defense mechanisms.<br />
<br />
=== Behaviour ===<br />
Authentic behaviour means “acting in accord with one’s values, preferences, and needs as opposed to acting merely to please others or to attain rewards or avoid punishments through acting falsely... Authenticity is not reflected in a compulsion to be one’s true self, but rather in the free and natural expression of core feelings, motives and inclinations.” <ref> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
This can be seen as the behavioural output of Self-Awareness and Balanced Processing.<br />
<br />
Of course, there will be instances where it will not be appropriate to act on behalf of your core needs and values, because it may not fit the immediate environment. Therefore one must act against the true self, which will lead to a temporally internal conflict. However, unbiased processing and awareness can still be present in such an instance, which would allow one to reflect and learn from the situation. In contrast, if awareness and unbiased processing was not present at that instance, then may not be recognized as an act against one’s values and that would lead to blind obedience.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Relational transparency ===<br />
<br />
A person with high relation orientation will strive for truthfulness and openness in his/her close relationships. It’s about self-disclosure, wanting others to see the “real” you, and the development of mutual intimacy and trust. At the core, it’s about being genuine rather than fake in one’s relationships.<br />
<br />
<br />
=Authentic Leadership in Project Management=<br />
As PMBOK points out <ref> Project Management Institute, Inc.. (2017). Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) (6th Edition). Project Management Institute, Inc. (PMI). </ref>, project managers both need managing skills and leadership skills. Leadership is more focused on the relations with team members or stakeholders, to inspire and guide them. In short, management is about ''doing things right'' and leadership is about ''doing the right things''. <br />
PMBOK points to different leadership styles like eg. Transformational and Charismatic, which “project managers can adopt'' (PMBOK, p.65). However, as PRINCE 2 says a leadership style may work in one situation but be inappropriate in another, which is one of the reasons they will not cover leadership in project management <ref> AXELOS, AXELOS. Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2 2017 Edition, chapter 1.2, page 4, The Stationery Office Ltd, 2017. </ref>. <br />
The same scepticism for the “leadership styles” is found in Authentic Leadership. That is why Authentic Leadership should not be seen as a leadership style, but rather as a “root concept” that forms the basis of observed leadership styles such as above mentioned. Authentic Leadership has gained much scholarly attention in the last decade, perhaps because of the crisis of confidence in today's corporate and government<br />
leaders <ref>Gardner, W. L., Cogliser, C. C., Davis, K. M., & Dickens, M. P. (2011). Authentic leadership: A review of the literature and research agenda. The Leadership Quarterly, 22, 1120–1145. </ref>. We will go through what it is and how it differs from traditional leadership styles <ref> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>.<br />
<br />
<br />
‘if you’re a project manager, provide for quality and truth, and success will come on the back of that. If you just go for success on its own, it won’t work. What I <br />
would like project managers to be able to face the truth, stare it in the eye and then operate by it.’ - Camila Batmanghelidjh <ref> Madsen, S., 2021. Category: Authenticity. [online] Susanne Madsen Intl. Developing Project Leaders. Available at: <https://www.susannemadsen.co.uk/blog/category/authenticity?view=full> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. </ref><br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic Leadership Theory ==<br />
Authentic Leadership has had many definitions and discussions about authenticity and leadership (for an overview see Iszatt-White & Kempster, 2018 <ref> Iszatt-White, M., & Kempster, S. (2018). Authentic leadership: Getting back to the roots of the ‘root construct’? International Journal of Management Reviews, 0(0), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijmr. 12193. </ref>). Authentic Leadership draws insights from positive psychology and full-range leadership (FRL)/transformational leadership theory.<br />
Authentic leaders are, as the name suggests, authentic individuals, which means that they have high levels of the four components of authenticity. Authentic leaders are characterized as<ref> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref>:<br />
<br />
* they accept their strengths and weaknesses and are highly aware of themselves (1. self-awareness)<br />
* they openly show their emotions and their true self to their followers (2. relational transparency)<br />
* they take others’ perspectives and views into account (3. balanced processing); <br />
* they consistently behave according to their own moral standards and values, i.e., match words with actions (4. internalized moral perspective) <br />
<br />
Authentic leaders are in addition self-confident, optimistic, reliable, and trustworthy. They lead by example and help create a healthy and ethical work climate <ref>Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006. </ref> <ref>Hoch, J. E., Bommer, W. H., Dulebohn, J. H., & Wu, D. (2018). Do ethical, authentic, and servant leadership explain variance above and beyond transformational leadership? A meta-analysis. Journal of Management, 44(2), 501–529. https://doi.org/10.1177/ 0149206316665461. </ref>.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Authentic followers/team members ===<br />
<br />
Authentic leadership goes beyond the authenticity of the leader as a person to the relationship and development of the team he/she is leading. The relationships are called “authentic followership” and are characterized by <ref>Avolio, B. and Gardner, W., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.315-338. </ref> <ref> Gardner, W., Avolio, B., Luthans, F., May, D. and Walumbwa, F., 2005. “Can you see the real me?” A self-based model of authentic leader and follower development. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.343-372.</ref>:<br />
* Transparency, openness, trust<br />
* Guidance towards worthy objectives<br />
* Emphasis on follower development<br />
<br />
Authentic leaders “lead by example” with complete transparency between words and actions. The open and trustworthy relationship between leader and followers is believed to develop the values and beliefs of the followers over time, leading to “authentic followers”. By increasing their authenticity they will in turn be more transparent with the leader which will benefit the organization <ref>Avolio, B. and Gardner, W., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.315-338. </ref>. <br />
<br />
Empirical research has found that authentic leadership has a positive effect on followers well-being, increased work engagement, commitment, job satisfaction and behaviors like task performance, creativity <ref>Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006. </ref> <ref>Hoch, J. E., Bommer, W. H., Dulebohn, J. H., & Wu, D. (2018). Do ethical, authentic, and servant leadership explain variance above and beyond transformational leadership? A meta-analysis. Journal of Management, 44(2), 501–529. https://doi.org/10.1177/ 0149206316665461. </ref>. <br />
<br />
In project management context followers or most likely team members, but still in this case authentic leadership behaviors will foster more authentic team members <ref> Levy, L., 2020. The Relationship Between Authentic Leadership in Project Managers and Project Success. Walden University, [online] Available at: <https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=9671&context=dissertations> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. </ref>. <br />
As projects often happen in an organizational context the improvement of the organization can have lasting effects on other projects <ref> Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2016). A meta-analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(4), 634–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.006.</ref>.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic vs Charismatic ==<br />
<br />
=== Relation to Transformative leadership Theory ===<br />
<br />
To understand where it comes from we will look at how it relates and differentiates to another leadership theory, Transformational leadership. A transformational leadership is also considered as charismatic leadership as it has considerable emotional appeal and possesses the ability to inspire (Ergeneli et al., 2007). Transformational leadership behaviors are associated with four categories:<br />
Idealized influence: when a leader performs as a role model and shares common <br />
visions, encourages and provides a strong sense of purpose.<br />
Inspirational motivation: a leader expresses the importance of desired objectives of the organization and motivates.<br />
Intellectual stimulation: when a leader challenges the normal ideas of followers.<br />
Individualized consideration: when a leader spends more time teaching and coaching for better performance.<br />
<br />
A transformational leader may have a strong vision they communicate influentially, but that vision and charisma may not always come from an authentic place as they could be imposing their own needs or pleasures (Ilies et al., 2005). This seems to correlate with Kernis’s description of fragile high self-esteem as he also mentions narcissists as having a type of fragile high self-esteem that may come from deep insecurities that they are not themselves aware of. This is where authenticity becomes relevant because an authentic leader will not be driven by an inflated ego but by his core values and high morality. Another distinction is that authentic leaders may or may not be charismatic but they will always foster positive development of those around them. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
=== The (in)authenticity of Emotional Intelligence ===<br />
<br />
Emotional intelligence has been shown in research to be an important ability in leadership. (Prati, Douglas, Ferris, Ammeter, & Buckley, 2003; Walter & Bruch, 2007; Wolff, Pescosolido, & Druskat, 2002). Walter & Bruch (2007), showed that emotional intelligence was a significant predictor of leadership abilities. Interestingly emotional intelligent leaders were seen as charismatic leaders by their followers, regardless of their actual emotional state. Apparently, emotionally intelligent leaders are especially skilled at regulating their emotions to generate perceptions of charisma.<br />
In that regard the question of authenticity becomes relevant in the case of emotional intelligence, because it questions whether the charisma of an emotional intelligent leader is genuine or if it is acting. If a leader engages in surface acting that is, manipulating others by deliberately changing the emotions displayed, then followers will see it as fake. Deep acting, however, is the effort to change inner feelings to deceive themselves. This type of acting will be perceived as authentic by others, but interestingly the deep acting individual will have a higher felt authenticity than surface acting individuals. Nonetheless, deep acting still violates inner feelings and therefore compromises authenticity, despite that the leader may not recognize this to be the case. It was shown in empirical studies that surface and deep acting were more emotionally exhausting than being genuine (Glomb & Tews, 2004; Grandey, 2003; Grandey et al., 2007; Johnson & Spector, 2007).<br />
<br />
= How to increase authenticity =<br />
<br />
Traditional leadership training focusing merely on a specific set of skills (e.g., goal setting or intellectual stimulation; Barling, Weber, & Kelloway, 1996; Dvir, Eden, Avolio, & Shamir, 2002) will fall short in this case. However, authentic leadership training cannot be taught with methods or ways to behave because imitating those would be inauthentic. Authentic leadership training requires a holistic approach that accounts for the whole person: one's individual character, values, and preferences (rewrite). <br />
<br />
Increasing authenticity is an introspective process which cannot would be misused if cannot be taught be <br />
We have covered what authenticity means and how it affects project management leadership. The question is now, how does one become authentic? The research <br />
<br />
=== Trigger events ===<br />
<br />
An experience of either positive or negative quality can lead to the development of one’s authentic being. These are called trigger events and can take the form of sudden experiences such as a person close to you passing away, a promotion, reading a book that challenges your core beliefs, forming a relationship, or having an anxiety attack. Such events will “cut through” the perception of self and force one to look critically upon certain aspects of one’s core beliefs and values. This mechanism will naturally allow for personal growth and will increase authenticity.<br />
<br />
This approach of developing authenticity through trigger events has been conceptualized as a potential training “program” for leaders and managers to push them out of their comfort zone to change their behaviors. Proposed by xx, it consists of two phases, an exploration phase where participants recognize their ways of acting inauthentically and trying out new ways of behaving. The second phase is an integration phase where participants recognize the benefit of change through the successful behaviors in their life. <br />
This approach is still on a conceptual basis and it would require many resources to actually make such a program. <br />
<br />
<br />
=== Mindfulness ===<br />
<br />
Mindfulness seems to be the best way of increasing one’s authenticity. Mindfulness is simply the practise of being self-aware and present without interpretation. Self-awareness is the first component of authenticity, also referred to as the “first stage”, which is the baseline of authenticity, without self-awareness one cannot be authentic in the other stages. Enhancing self-awareness with mindfulness one can more easily discover what is true and false within themselves.<br />
Mindfulness training has shown to increase authenticity and well-being. The study found that mindfulness leads to value-based authentic actions, and that the authentic actions themselves leads to well-being.<br />
Mindfulness practices were also shown to enhance authentic leadership in a very comprehensive study of over 1000 leaders. This study showed that leaders with high levels of trait mindfulness were more likely to show authentic leadership behaviors, as perceived by both themselves and their followers. They also found that low-dose mindfulness interventions enhanced leaders authentic behaviors (perceived by themselves and followers). In the study they had leaders do 30 days of app-based meditation, which directly impacted their behavior. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= Limitations =<br />
<br />
Perhaps the reason why authenticity hasn’t had the greatest impact so far is that it is not a quick fix method that can be implemented. It is not a leadership style that can be learnt, and it might (properly) be a difficult process to accept that certain beliefs are false or that your job or partner makes you unhappy and so forth. It has a disruptive power that is both its strength and weakness. <br />
<br />
Authentic Leadership can be seen as a very idealized approach, and it is easy to blame other leadership styles for being inauthentic. However, for project or organizational success it might be beneficial to display emotions that are not heartfelt. Gardner comes with an example that if a leader announces employee layoffs it would be expected to express empathy and concern for the affected employees, and would most likely be met with anger and resentment from employees if the leader failed to display such emotions. If such emotions are not heartfelt, however, expressing them would be inauthentic. If the audience detects a lack of sincerity on the part of the leader, he or she may be viewed as hypocritical and disingenuous, thereby undermining his or her credibility with followers. This is the sort of challenge that authentic leaders face in a leadership role, where one might violate one’s true feelings. As we discussed in authentic behavior one might violate authenticity in the behavioral component of authenticity but still has balanced processing and self-awareness present. <br />
<br />
<br />
The question also remains if Authentic Leadership applies for project management. A study didn’t find a significant correlation between authenticity of project managers and project success. This might be because project managers don’t have as much influence as positional leaders, or because project success is influenced very little by the leadership qualities of project managers.<br />
If project success is the only parameter you are interested in, then improving one's authenticity may be a lot of work for a small change. However, further studies should investigate whether authentic project managers positively influence team members in psychological areas such as well-being, felt authenticity, and job satisfaction. These enhanced factors may help the organization in future projects.<br />
<br />
The practise of mindfulness is a great entry to discovering your authentic self. However, critics have accused mindfulness of decontextualising mindfulness from its Buddhist roots, which cuts out the ethics and morals. Instead, it is solely used practically for reducing stress but without any introspection (McMindfulness, highly recommend this article). So far, however, the research shows great results from mindfulness without taking the Buddist tradition into account.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
<br />
<references /></div>Jacobammitsoehttp://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Authenticity&diff=101801Authenticity2021-03-01T10:25:51Z<p>Jacobammitsoe: </p>
<hr />
<div>Authenticity may seem as a trivial topic in project management since it doesn’t directly improve projects. Yet, project managers who know their true self will inspire their team members to perform better with more satisfaction and improve the overall organization. This article takes its starting point in authenticity and looks at how personal introspection leads to better leadership and more truthful project management. The focus is very much on Authentic Leadership which has proved to enhance followers well-being, work engagement and job satisfaction. However, Authentic Leadership is merely a description of an authentic person in a position of authority behaving authentically. <br />
<br />
One can not just be an authentic project manager, you must start by being an authentic person in everything you do. Being an authentic person comes first and then the benefits of authenticity will shine through all aspects of your life from project management to fatherhood. This article is not meant as a 3 step tutorial to being authentic, because you cannot become authentic by intellectual understanding only. The hope is to challenge some of the existing views of success and leadership with modern research in this lesser known academic field of authenticity and especially Authentic Leadership Theory.<br />
<br />
We find that many of the “hot topics" in project management such as and “Emotional Intelligence” as well as different “leadership styles” from an authenticity point of view, are just consequences of authentic behavior. Although development of authenticity is not straight forward, research has found mindfulness to be very effective.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= What is authenticity? =<br />
Many philosophers and sociologists have attempted to define authenticity since it was first brought up in ancient Greece. The Greeks wrote: “to thine own self be true” <ref> Harter, S. (2002). Authenticity. In C. R. Snyder, & S. Lopez (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology (pp. 382 – 394). Oxford, UK7 Oxford University Press. </ref><br />
, which is a quite precise definition of authenticity - to be true to your own self. We will not go into all the facets and philosophical views of authenticity - which wouldn’t bring us closer to our authentic self - and go with the two main aspects which defines authenticity that the literature generally agrees on: <br />
<br />
* Knowing one’s true self; owning one’s personal experiences, be they thoughts, emotions, needs, wants, preferences, or beliefs.<br />
* Acting in accord with one’s true self; expressing oneself in ways that are consistent with one’s understanding of self.<br />
<br />
Authentic individuals can be said to be “in tune” with their basic nature and clearly and accurately see themselves and their lives. They are self-aware and unencumbered by others’ expectations and opinions for them, and therefore they can make more sound personal choices based on their own true values <ref> Avolio, B. and Gardner, W., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.315-338. </ref>. Authentic individuals will naturally have high self-esteem, what is referred to as “optimal self-esteem”. Optimal self-esteem involves favorable feelings of self-worth that arise naturally from successfully dealing with life challenges; the operation of one’s core, true, authentic self as a source of input to behavioral choices; and relationships in which one is valued for who one is and not for what one achieves <ref> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
<br />
“Measure success based on your inner scorecard. If you base success and/or your actions on an outer scorecard, that is, what others think, your life will be hollow” (Warren Buffett, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, September 30, 2005).<br />
<br />
Warren Buffetts point may be the key point of authenticity in regards to one’s professional career. The achievements or success will not in itself have any value for an authentic person, because the authentic person solely follows his/her core beliefs. “Success” as Warren Buffett points out should instead be measured in the extent one follows one’s core values in life. Failures will also not be seen as a personal failure, rather it can be used as a source of information to guide their future behavior <ref> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
<br />
The measurement of how authentic a person is, is typically done through a questionnaire called, Authentic Leadership Questionnaire (ALQ). <br />
<br />
<br />
==Four components of authenticity==<br />
The most accepted definition of authenticity is the four components of authenticity proposed by Walumbwa et al. (2008) <ref> Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure†. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89–126. </ref>. The components have a certain “direction”, the first component must be learnt before the next component can be authentic and so forth. The descriptions of the four components below is based on the work of Kernis and Goldman (2005) <ref> Kernis, M. H., & Goldman, B. M. (2005). From Thought and Experience to Behavior and Interpersonal Relationships: A Multicomponent Conceptualization of Authenticity. In A. Tesser, J. V. Wood, & D. A. Stapel (Eds.), On building, defending and regulating the self: A psychological perspective (p. 31–52). Psychology Press. </ref> and Walumbwa et al. (2008) <ref> Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure†. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89–126. </ref>.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Self-Awareness ===<br />
The awareness of self refers to possessing, and being motivated to increase, one’s knowledge and trust in one’s motives, feelings, desires. It includes, for example, understanding one’s likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, goals and aspirations, dispositional characteristics, and emotional states.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Balanced Processing ===<br />
<br />
This component refers to being objective about all what is observed; one’s positive and negative aspects, emotions, experiences and information. Balanced processing involves not denying, distorting or exaggerating information to fit your personal needs. It can be understood by looking at how people with low or fragile high self-esteem select and interpret information. Such persons find it hard to acknowledge personal shortcomings, such as certain skills or personality traits that they don’t like. They will typically develop strong ego defense mechanisms to distort information about their shortcomings. Individuals with balanced processing will not have strong self-serving biases to gain personal success, and will not have strong defense mechanisms.<br />
<br />
=== Behaviour ===<br />
Authentic behaviour means “acting in accord with one’s values, preferences, and needs as opposed to acting merely to please others or to attain rewards or avoid punishments through acting falsely... Authenticity is not reflected in a compulsion to be one’s true self, but rather in the free and natural expression of core feelings, motives and inclinations.” <ref> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref> . <br />
This can be seen as the behavioural output of Self-Awareness and Balanced Processing.<br />
<br />
Of course, there will be instances where it will not be appropriate to act on behalf of your core needs and values, because it may not fit the immediate environment. Therefore one must act against the true self, which will lead to a temporally internal conflict. However, unbiased processing and awareness can still be present in such an instance, which would allow one to reflect and learn from the situation. In contrast, if awareness and unbiased processing was not present at that instance, then may not be recognized as an act against one’s values and that would lead to blind obedience.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Relational transparency ===<br />
<br />
A person with high relation orientation will strive for truthfulness and openness in his/her close relationships. It’s about self-disclosure, wanting others to see the “real” you, and the development of mutual intimacy and trust. At the core, it’s about being genuine rather than fake in one’s relationships.<br />
<br />
<br />
=Authentic Leadership in Project Management=<br />
As PMBOK points out <ref> Project Management Institute, Inc.. (2017). Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) (6th Edition). Project Management Institute, Inc. (PMI). </ref> , project managers both need managing skills and leadership skills. Leadership is more focused on the relations with team members or stakeholders, to inspire and guide them. In short, management is about doing things right and leadership is about doing the right things. <br />
PMBOK points to different leadership styles like eg. Transformational and Charismatic, which “project managers can adopt'' (PMBOK, p.65). However, as PRINCE 2 says a leadership style may work in one situation but be inappropriate in another, which is one of the reasons they will not cover leadership in project management <ref> AXELOS, AXELOS. Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2 2017 Edition, chapter 1.2, page 4, The Stationery Office Ltd, 2017. </ref> . <br />
The same scepticism for the “leadership styles” is found in Authentic Leadership. That is why Authentic Leadership should not be seen as a leadership style, but rather as a “root concept” that forms the basis of observed leadership styles such as above mentioned. We will go through what it is and how it differs from traditional leadership styles <ref> Nübold, A., Van Quaquebeke, N. and Hülsheger, U., 2019. Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(4), pp.469-488. </ref> .<br />
<br />
‘if you’re a project manager, provide for quality and truth, and success will come on the back of that. If you just go for success on its own, it won’t work. What I <br />
would like project managers to be able to face the truth, stare it in the eye and then operate by it.’ - Camila Batmanghelidjh<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic Leadership Theory ==<br />
Authentic Leadership has had many definitions and discussions about authenticity and leadership (for an overview see Iszatt-White & Kempster, 2018). Authentic Leadership draws insights from positive psychology and full-range leadership (FRL)/transformational leadership theory.<br />
Authentic leaders are, as the name suggests, authentic individuals, which means that they have high levels of the four components of authenticity. Authentic leaders are characterized as:<br />
they know their strengths and weaknesses and are highly aware of themselves (1. self-awareness); <br />
they openly show their emotions and their true self to their followers (2. relational transparency);<br />
they eagerly take others’ perspectives and views into account (3. balanced processing); <br />
and they consistently behave according to their own moral standards and values, i.e., they Bact as they say^ (4. internalized moral perspective)<br />
Authentic leaders are in addition self-confident, optimistic, reliable, and trustworthy. They lead by example and help create a healthy and ethical work climate.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Authentic followers/team members ===<br />
<br />
Authentic leadership goes beyond the authenticity of the leader as a person to the relationship and development of the team he/she is leading. The relationships are called “authentic followership” and are characterized by:<br />
Transparency, openness, trust<br />
Guidance towards worthy objectives<br />
Emphasis on follower development<br />
<br />
The open and trustworthy relationship between leader and followers is believed to develop the values and beliefs of the followers over time, leading to “authentic followers”. By increasing their authenticity they will in turn be more transparent with the leader which will benefit the organization. <br />
<br />
Empirical research has found that authentic leadership has a positive effect on followers well-being, increased work engagement, commitment, job satisfaction and behaviors like task performance, creativity (Banks et al., 2016; Hoch et al., 2018; Schuh et al., 2017). <br />
<br />
As Levy points out in project management context followers or most likely team members, but still in this case authentic leadership behaviors will foster more authentic team members. <br />
<br />
As projects often happen in an organizational context the improvement of the organization can have lasting effects on other projects.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic vs Charismatic ==<br />
<br />
=== Relation to Transformative leadership Theory ===<br />
<br />
To understand where it comes from we will look at how it relates and differentiates to another leadership theory, Transformational leadership. A transformational leadership is also considered as charismatic leadership as it has considerable emotional appeal and possesses the ability to inspire (Ergeneli et al., 2007). Transformational leadership behaviors are associated with four categories:<br />
Idealized influence: when a leader performs as a role model and shares common <br />
visions, encourages and provides a strong sense of purpose.<br />
Inspirational motivation: a leader expresses the importance of desired objectives of the organization and motivates.<br />
Intellectual stimulation: when a leader challenges the normal ideas of followers.<br />
Individualized consideration: when a leader spends more time teaching and coaching for better performance.<br />
<br />
A transformational leader may have a strong vision they communicate influentially, but that vision and charisma may not always come from an authentic place as they could be imposing their own needs or pleasures (Ilies et al., 2005). This seems to correlate with Kernis’s description of fragile high self-esteem as he also mentions narcissists as having a type of fragile high self-esteem that may come from deep insecurities that they are not themselves aware of. This is where authenticity becomes relevant because an authentic leader will not be driven by an inflated ego but by his core values and high morality. Another distinction is that authentic leaders may or may not be charismatic but they will always foster positive development of those around them. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
=== The (in)authenticity of Emotional Intelligence ===<br />
<br />
Emotional intelligence has been shown in research to be an important ability in leadership. (Prati, Douglas, Ferris, Ammeter, & Buckley, 2003; Walter & Bruch, 2007; Wolff, Pescosolido, & Druskat, 2002). Walter & Bruch (2007), showed that emotional intelligence was a significant predictor of leadership abilities. Interestingly emotional intelligent leaders were seen as charismatic leaders by their followers, regardless of their actual emotional state. Apparently, emotionally intelligent leaders are especially skilled at regulating their emotions to generate perceptions of charisma.<br />
In that regard the question of authenticity becomes relevant in the case of emotional intelligence, because it questions whether the charisma of an emotional intelligent leader is genuine or if it is acting. If a leader engages in surface acting that is, manipulating others by deliberately changing the emotions displayed, then followers will see it as fake. Deep acting, however, is the effort to change inner feelings to deceive themselves. This type of acting will be perceived as authentic by others, but interestingly the deep acting individual will have a higher felt authenticity than surface acting individuals. Nonetheless, deep acting still violates inner feelings and therefore compromises authenticity, despite that the leader may not recognize this to be the case. It was shown in empirical studies that surface and deep acting were more emotionally exhausting than being genuine (Glomb & Tews, 2004; Grandey, 2003; Grandey et al., 2007; Johnson & Spector, 2007).<br />
<br />
= How to increase authenticity =<br />
<br />
Traditional leadership training focusing merely on a specific set of skills (e.g., goal setting or intellectual stimulation; Barling, Weber, & Kelloway, 1996; Dvir, Eden, Avolio, & Shamir, 2002) will fall short in this case. However, authentic leadership training cannot be taught with methods or ways to behave because imitating those would be inauthentic. Authentic leadership training requires a holistic approach that accounts for the whole person: one's individual character, values, and preferences (rewrite). <br />
<br />
Increasing authenticity is an introspective process which cannot would be misused if cannot be taught be <br />
We have covered what authenticity means and how it affects project management leadership. The question is now, how does one become authentic? The research <br />
<br />
=== Trigger events ===<br />
<br />
An experience of either positive or negative quality can lead to the development of one’s authentic being. These are called trigger events and can take the form of sudden experiences such as a person close to you passing away, a promotion, reading a book that challenges your core beliefs, forming a relationship, or having an anxiety attack. Such events will “cut through” the perception of self and force one to look critically upon certain aspects of one’s core beliefs and values. This mechanism will naturally allow for personal growth and will increase authenticity.<br />
<br />
This approach of developing authenticity through trigger events has been conceptualized as a potential training “program” for leaders and managers to push them out of their comfort zone to change their behaviors. Proposed by xx, it consists of two phases, an exploration phase where participants recognize their ways of acting inauthentically and trying out new ways of behaving. The second phase is an integration phase where participants recognize the benefit of change through the successful behaviors in their life. <br />
This approach is still on a conceptual basis and it would require many resources to actually make such a program. <br />
<br />
<br />
=== Mindfulness ===<br />
<br />
Mindfulness seems to be the best way of increasing one’s authenticity. Mindfulness is simply the practise of being self-aware and present without interpretation. Self-awareness is the first component of authenticity, also referred to as the “first stage”, which is the baseline of authenticity, without self-awareness one cannot be authentic in the other stages. Enhancing self-awareness with mindfulness one can more easily discover what is true and false within themselves.<br />
Mindfulness training has shown to increase authenticity and well-being. The study found that mindfulness leads to value-based authentic actions, and that the authentic actions themselves leads to well-being.<br />
Mindfulness practices were also shown to enhance authentic leadership in a very comprehensive study of over 1000 leaders. This study showed that leaders with high levels of trait mindfulness were more likely to show authentic leadership behaviors, as perceived by both themselves and their followers. They also found that low-dose mindfulness interventions enhanced leaders authentic behaviors (perceived by themselves and followers). In the study they had leaders do 30 days of app-based meditation, which directly impacted their behavior. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= Limitations =<br />
<br />
Perhaps the reason why authenticity hasn’t had the greatest impact so far is that it is not a quick fix method that can be implemented. It is not a leadership style that can be learnt, and it might (properly) be a difficult process to accept that certain beliefs are false or that your job or partner makes you unhappy and so forth. It has a disruptive power that is both its strength and weakness. <br />
<br />
Authentic Leadership can be seen as a very idealized approach, and it is easy to blame other leadership styles for being inauthentic. However, for project or organizational success it might be beneficial to display emotions that are not heartfelt. Gardner comes with an example that if a leader announces employee layoffs it would be expected to express empathy and concern for the affected employees, and would most likely be met with anger and resentment from employees if the leader failed to display such emotions. If such emotions are not heartfelt, however, expressing them would be inauthentic. If the audience detects a lack of sincerity on the part of the leader, he or she may be viewed as hypocritical and disingenuous, thereby undermining his or her credibility with followers. This is the sort of challenge that authentic leaders face in a leadership role, where one might violate one’s true feelings. As we discussed in authentic behavior one might violate authenticity in the behavioral component of authenticity but still has balanced processing and self-awareness present. <br />
<br />
<br />
The question also remains if Authentic Leadership applies for project management. A study didn’t find a significant correlation between authenticity of project managers and project success. This might be because project managers don’t have as much influence as positional leaders, or because project success is influenced very little by the leadership qualities of project managers.<br />
If project success is the only parameter you are interested in, then improving one's authenticity may be a lot of work for a small change. However, further studies should investigate whether authentic project managers positively influence team members in psychological areas such as well-being, felt authenticity, and job satisfaction. These enhanced factors may help the organization in future projects.<br />
<br />
The practise of mindfulness is a great entry to discovering your authentic self. However, critics have accused mindfulness of decontextualising mindfulness from its Buddhist roots, which cuts out the ethics and morals. Instead, it is solely used practically for reducing stress but without any introspection (McMindfulness, highly recommend this article). So far, however, the research shows great results from mindfulness without taking the Buddist tradition into account.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
<br />
<references /></div>Jacobammitsoehttp://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Authenticity&diff=101798Authenticity2021-03-01T10:11:30Z<p>Jacobammitsoe: </p>
<hr />
<div>Authenticity may seem as a trivial topic in project management since it doesn’t directly improve projects. Yet, project managers who know their true self will inspire their team members to perform better with more satisfaction and improve the overall organization. This article takes its starting point in authenticity and looks at how personal introspection leads to better leadership and more truthful project management. The focus is very much on Authentic Leadership which has proved to enhance followers well-being, work engagement and job satisfaction. However, Authentic Leadership is merely a description of an authentic person in a position of authority behaving authentically. <br />
<br />
One can not just be an authentic project manager, you must start by being an authentic person in everything you do. Being an authentic person comes first and then the benefits of authenticity will shine through all aspects of your life from project management to fatherhood. This article is not meant as a 3 step tutorial to being authentic, because you cannot become authentic by intellectual understanding only. The hope is to challenge some of the existing views of success and leadership with modern research in this lesser known academic field of authenticity and especially Authentic Leadership Theory.<br />
<br />
We find that many of the “hot topics" in project management such as and “Emotional Intelligence” as well as different “leadership styles” from an authenticity point of view, are just consequences of authentic behavior. Although development of authenticity is not straight forward, research has found mindfulness to be very effective.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= What is authenticity? =<br />
Many philosophers and sociologists have attempted to define authenticity since it was first brought up in ancient Greece. The Greeks wrote: “to thine own self be true” <ref> Harter, S. (2002). Authenticity. In C. R. Snyder, & S. Lopez (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology (pp. 382 – 394). Oxford, UK7 Oxford University Press. </ref><br />
, which is a quite precise definition of authenticity - to be true to your own self. We will not go into all the facets and philosophical views of authenticity - which wouldn’t bring us closer to our authentic self - and go with the two main aspects which defines authenticity that the literature generally agrees on: <br />
<br />
* Knowing one’s true self; owning one’s personal experiences, be they thoughts, emotions, needs, wants, preferences, or beliefs.<br />
* Acting in accord with one’s true self; expressing oneself in ways that are consistent with one’s understanding of self.<br />
<br />
Authentic individuals can be said to be “in tune” with their basic nature and clearly and accurately see themselves and their lives. They are self-aware and unencumbered by others’ expectations and opinions for them, and therefore they can make more sound personal choices based on their own true values <ref> Avolio, B. and Gardner, W., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.315-338. </ref>. Authentic individuals will naturally have high self-esteem, what is referred to as “optimal self-esteem”. Optimal self-esteem involves favorable feelings of self-worth that arise naturally from successfully dealing with life challenges; the operation of one’s core, true, authentic self as a source of input to behavioral choices; and relationships in which one is valued for who one is and not for what one achieves <ref> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
<br />
“Measure success based on your inner scorecard. If you base success and/or your actions on an outer scorecard, that is, what others think, your life will be hollow” (Warren Buffett, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, September 30, 2005).<br />
<br />
Warren Buffetts point may be the key point of authenticity in regards to one’s professional career. The achievements or success will not in itself have any value for an authentic person, because the authentic person solely follows his/her core beliefs. “Success” as Warren Buffett points out should instead be measured in the extent one follows one’s core values in life. Failures will also not be seen as a personal failure, rather it can be used as a source of information to guide their future behavior <ref> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
<br />
The measurement of how authentic a person is, is typically done through a questionnaire called, Authentic Leadership Questionnaire (ALQ). <br />
<br />
<br />
==Four components of authenticity==<br />
The most accepted definition of authenticity is the four components of authenticity proposed by Walumbwa et al. (2008) <ref> Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure†. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89–126. </ref>. The components have a certain “direction”, the first component must be learnt before the next component can be authentic and so forth. The descriptions of the four components below is based on the work of Kernis and Goldman (2005) <ref> Kernis, M. H., & Goldman, B. M. (2005). From Thought and Experience to Behavior and Interpersonal Relationships: A Multicomponent Conceptualization of Authenticity. In A. Tesser, J. V. Wood, & D. A. Stapel (Eds.), On building, defending and regulating the self: A psychological perspective (p. 31–52). Psychology Press. </ref> and Walumbwa et al. (2008) <ref> Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure†. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89–126. </ref>.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Awareness ===<br />
The awareness of self refers to possessing, and being motivated to increase, one’s knowledge and trust in one’s motives, feelings, desires. It includes, for example, understanding one’s likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, goals and aspirations, dispositional characteristics, and emotional states.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Balanced Processing ===<br />
<br />
This component refers to being objective about all what is observed; one’s positive and negative aspects, emotions, experiences and information. Balanced processing involves not denying, distorting or exaggerating information to fit your personal needs. It can be understood by looking at how people with low or fragile high self-esteem select and interpret information. Such persons find it hard to acknowledge personal shortcomings, such as certain skills or personality traits that they don’t like. They will typically develop strong ego defense mechanisms to distort information about their shortcomings. Individuals with balanced processing will not have strong self-serving biases to gain personal success, and will not have strong defense mechanisms.<br />
<br />
=== Behaviour ===<br />
Authentic behaviour means “acting in accord with one’s values, preferences, and needs as opposed to acting merely to please others or to attain rewards or avoid punishments through acting falsely... Authenticity is not reflected in a compulsion to be one’s true self, but rather in the free and natural expression of core feelings, motives and inclinations.”(Kernis). <br />
This can be seen as the behavioural output of Awareness and Balanced Processing.<br />
<br />
Of course, there will be instances where it will not be appropriate to act on behalf of your core needs and values, because it may not fit the immediate environment. Therefore one must act against the true self, which will lead to a temporally internal conflict. However, unbiased processing and awareness can still be present in such an instance, which would allow one to reflect and learn from the situation. In contrast, if awareness and unbiased processing was not present at that instance, then may not be recognized as an act against one’s values and that would lead to blind obedience.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Relational transparency ===<br />
<br />
A person with high relation orientation will strive for truthfulness and openness in his/her close relationships. It’s about self-disclosure, wanting others to see the “real” you, and the development of mutual intimacy and trust. At the core, it’s about being genuine rather than fake in one’s relationships.<br />
<br />
<br />
=Authentic Leadership in Project Management=<br />
As PMBOK points out, project managers both need managing skills and leadership skills. Leadership is more focused on the relations with team members or stakeholders, to inspire and guide them. In short, management is about doing things right and leadership is about doing the right things. <br />
PMBOK points to different leadership styles like eg. Transformational and Charismatic, which “project managers can adopt'' (PMBOK, p.65). However, as PRINCE 2 says a leadership style may work in one situation but be inappropriate in another, which is one of the reasons they will not cover leadership in project management. <br />
The same scepticism for the “leadership styles” is found in Authentic Leadership. That is why Authentic Leadership should not be seen as a leadership style, but rather as a “root concept” that forms the basis of observed leadership styles such as above mentioned. We will go through what it is and how it differs from traditional leadership styles.<br />
<br />
‘if you’re a project manager, provide for quality and truth, and success will come on the back of that. If you just go for success on its own, it won’t work. What I <br />
would like project managers to be able to face the truth, stare it in the eye and then operate by it.’ - Camila Batmanghelidjh<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic Leadership Theory ==<br />
Authentic Leadership has had many definitions and discussions about authenticity and leadership (for an overview see Iszatt-White & Kempster, 2018). Authentic Leadership draws insights from positive psychology and full-range leadership (FRL)/transformational leadership theory.<br />
Authentic leaders are, as the name suggests, authentic individuals, which means that they have high levels of the four components of authenticity. Authentic leaders are characterized as:<br />
they know their strengths and weaknesses and are highly aware of themselves (1. self-awareness); <br />
they openly show their emotions and their true self to their followers (2. relational transparency);<br />
they eagerly take others’ perspectives and views into account (3. balanced processing); <br />
and they consistently behave according to their own moral standards and values, i.e., they Bact as they say^ (4. internalized moral perspective)<br />
Authentic leaders are in addition self-confident, optimistic, reliable, and trustworthy. They lead by example and help create a healthy and ethical work climate.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Authentic followers/team members ===<br />
<br />
Authentic leadership goes beyond the authenticity of the leader as a person to the relationship and development of the team he/she is leading. The relationships are called “authentic followership” and are characterized by:<br />
Transparency, openness, trust<br />
Guidance towards worthy objectives<br />
Emphasis on follower development<br />
<br />
The open and trustworthy relationship between leader and followers is believed to develop the values and beliefs of the followers over time, leading to “authentic followers”. By increasing their authenticity they will in turn be more transparent with the leader which will benefit the organization. <br />
<br />
Empirical research has found that authentic leadership has a positive effect on followers well-being, increased work engagement, commitment, job satisfaction and behaviors like task performance, creativity (Banks et al., 2016; Hoch et al., 2018; Schuh et al., 2017). <br />
<br />
As Levy points out in project management context followers or most likely team members, but still in this case authentic leadership behaviors will foster more authentic team members. <br />
<br />
As projects often happen in an organizational context the improvement of the organization can have lasting effects on other projects.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic vs Charismatic ==<br />
<br />
=== Relation to Transformative leadership Theory ===<br />
<br />
To understand where it comes from we will look at how it relates and differentiates to another leadership theory, Transformational leadership. A transformational leadership is also considered as charismatic leadership as it has considerable emotional appeal and possesses the ability to inspire (Ergeneli et al., 2007). Transformational leadership behaviors are associated with four categories:<br />
Idealized influence: when a leader performs as a role model and shares common <br />
visions, encourages and provides a strong sense of purpose.<br />
Inspirational motivation: a leader expresses the importance of desired objectives of the organization and motivates.<br />
Intellectual stimulation: when a leader challenges the normal ideas of followers.<br />
Individualized consideration: when a leader spends more time teaching and coaching for better performance.<br />
<br />
A transformational leader may have a strong vision they communicate influentially, but that vision and charisma may not always come from an authentic place as they could be imposing their own needs or pleasures (Ilies et al., 2005). This seems to correlate with Kernis’s description of fragile high self-esteem as he also mentions narcissists as having a type of fragile high self-esteem that may come from deep insecurities that they are not themselves aware of. This is where authenticity becomes relevant because an authentic leader will not be driven by an inflated ego but by his core values and high morality. Another distinction is that authentic leaders may or may not be charismatic but they will always foster positive development of those around them. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
=== The (in)authenticity of Emotional Intelligence ===<br />
<br />
Emotional intelligence has been shown in research to be an important ability in leadership. (Prati, Douglas, Ferris, Ammeter, & Buckley, 2003; Walter & Bruch, 2007; Wolff, Pescosolido, & Druskat, 2002). Walter & Bruch (2007), showed that emotional intelligence was a significant predictor of leadership abilities. Interestingly emotional intelligent leaders were seen as charismatic leaders by their followers, regardless of their actual emotional state. Apparently, emotionally intelligent leaders are especially skilled at regulating their emotions to generate perceptions of charisma.<br />
In that regard the question of authenticity becomes relevant in the case of emotional intelligence, because it questions whether the charisma of an emotional intelligent leader is genuine or if it is acting. If a leader engages in surface acting that is, manipulating others by deliberately changing the emotions displayed, then followers will see it as fake. Deep acting, however, is the effort to change inner feelings to deceive themselves. This type of acting will be perceived as authentic by others, but interestingly the deep acting individual will have a higher felt authenticity than surface acting individuals. Nonetheless, deep acting still violates inner feelings and therefore compromises authenticity, despite that the leader may not recognize this to be the case. It was shown in empirical studies that surface and deep acting were more emotionally exhausting than being genuine (Glomb & Tews, 2004; Grandey, 2003; Grandey et al., 2007; Johnson & Spector, 2007).<br />
<br />
= How to increase authenticity =<br />
<br />
Traditional leadership training focusing merely on a specific set of skills (e.g., goal setting or intellectual stimulation; Barling, Weber, & Kelloway, 1996; Dvir, Eden, Avolio, & Shamir, 2002) will fall short in this case. However, authentic leadership training cannot be taught with methods or ways to behave because imitating those would be inauthentic. Authentic leadership training requires a holistic approach that accounts for the whole person: one's individual character, values, and preferences (rewrite). <br />
<br />
Increasing authenticity is an introspective process which cannot would be misused if cannot be taught be <br />
We have covered what authenticity means and how it affects project management leadership. The question is now, how does one become authentic? The research <br />
<br />
=== Trigger events ===<br />
<br />
An experience of either positive or negative quality can lead to the development of one’s authentic being. These are called trigger events and can take the form of sudden experiences such as a person close to you passing away, a promotion, reading a book that challenges your core beliefs, forming a relationship, or having an anxiety attack. Such events will “cut through” the perception of self and force one to look critically upon certain aspects of one’s core beliefs and values. This mechanism will naturally allow for personal growth and will increase authenticity.<br />
<br />
This approach of developing authenticity through trigger events has been conceptualized as a potential training “program” for leaders and managers to push them out of their comfort zone to change their behaviors. Proposed by xx, it consists of two phases, an exploration phase where participants recognize their ways of acting inauthentically and trying out new ways of behaving. The second phase is an integration phase where participants recognize the benefit of change through the successful behaviors in their life. <br />
This approach is still on a conceptual basis and it would require many resources to actually make such a program. <br />
<br />
<br />
=== Mindfulness ===<br />
<br />
Mindfulness seems to be the best way of increasing one’s authenticity. Mindfulness is simply the practise of being self-aware and present without interpretation. Self-awareness is the first component of authenticity, also referred to as the “first stage”, which is the baseline of authenticity, without self-awareness one cannot be authentic in the other stages. Enhancing self-awareness with mindfulness one can more easily discover what is true and false within themselves.<br />
Mindfulness training has shown to increase authenticity and well-being. The study found that mindfulness leads to value-based authentic actions, and that the authentic actions themselves leads to well-being.<br />
Mindfulness practices were also shown to enhance authentic leadership in a very comprehensive study of over 1000 leaders. This study showed that leaders with high levels of trait mindfulness were more likely to show authentic leadership behaviors, as perceived by both themselves and their followers. They also found that low-dose mindfulness interventions enhanced leaders authentic behaviors (perceived by themselves and followers). In the study they had leaders do 30 days of app-based meditation, which directly impacted their behavior. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= Limitations =<br />
<br />
Perhaps the reason why authenticity hasn’t had the greatest impact so far is that it is not a quick fix method that can be implemented. It is not a leadership style that can be learnt, and it might (properly) be a difficult process to accept that certain beliefs are false or that your job or partner makes you unhappy and so forth. It has a disruptive power that is both its strength and weakness. <br />
<br />
Authentic Leadership can be seen as a very idealized approach, and it is easy to blame other leadership styles for being inauthentic. However, for project or organizational success it might be beneficial to display emotions that are not heartfelt. Gardner comes with an example that if a leader announces employee layoffs it would be expected to express empathy and concern for the affected employees, and would most likely be met with anger and resentment from employees if the leader failed to display such emotions. If such emotions are not heartfelt, however, expressing them would be inauthentic. If the audience detects a lack of sincerity on the part of the leader, he or she may be viewed as hypocritical and disingenuous, thereby undermining his or her credibility with followers. This is the sort of challenge that authentic leaders face in a leadership role, where one might violate one’s true feelings. As we discussed in authentic behavior one might violate authenticity in the behavioral component of authenticity but still has balanced processing and self-awareness present. <br />
<br />
<br />
The question also remains if Authentic Leadership applies for project management. A study didn’t find a significant correlation between authenticity of project managers and project success. This might be because project managers don’t have as much influence as positional leaders, or because project success is influenced very little by the leadership qualities of project managers.<br />
If project success is the only parameter you are interested in, then improving one's authenticity may be a lot of work for a small change. However, further studies should investigate whether authentic project managers positively influence team members in psychological areas such as well-being, felt authenticity, and job satisfaction. These enhanced factors may help the organization in future projects.<br />
<br />
The practise of mindfulness is a great entry to discovering your authentic self. However, critics have accused mindfulness of decontextualising mindfulness from its Buddhist roots, which cuts out the ethics and morals. Instead, it is solely used practically for reducing stress but without any introspection (McMindfulness, highly recommend this article). So far, however, the research shows great results from mindfulness without taking the Buddist tradition into account.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
<br />
<references /></div>Jacobammitsoehttp://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Authenticity&diff=101796Authenticity2021-03-01T10:09:17Z<p>Jacobammitsoe: </p>
<hr />
<div>Authenticity may seem as a trivial topic in project management since it doesn’t directly improve projects. Yet, project managers who know their true self will inspire their team members to perform better with more satisfaction and improve the overall organization. This article takes its starting point in authenticity and looks at how personal introspection leads to better leadership and more truthful project management. The focus is very much on Authentic Leadership which has proved to enhance followers well-being, work engagement and job satisfaction. However, Authentic Leadership is merely a description of an authentic person in a position of authority behaving authentically. <br />
<br />
One can not just be an authentic project manager, you must start by being an authentic person in everything you do. Being an authentic person comes first and then the benefits of authenticity will shine through all aspects of your life from project management to fatherhood. This article is not meant as a 3 step tutorial to being authentic, because you cannot become authentic by intellectual understanding only. The hope is to challenge some of the existing views of success and leadership with modern research in this lesser known academic field of authenticity and especially Authentic Leadership Theory.<br />
<br />
We find that many of the “hot topics" in project management such as and “Emotional Intelligence” as well as different “leadership styles” from an authenticity point of view, are just consequences of authentic behavior. Although development of authenticity is not straight forward, research has found mindfulness to be very effective.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= What is authenticity? =<br />
Many philosophers and sociologists have attempted to define authenticity since it was first brought up in ancient Greece. The Greeks wrote: “to thine own self be true” <ref> Harter, S. (2002). Authenticity. In C. R. Snyder, & S. Lopez (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology (pp. 382 – 394). Oxford, UK7 Oxford University Press. </ref><br />
, which is a quite precise definition of authenticity - to be true to your own self. We will not go into all the facets and philosophical views of authenticity - which wouldn’t bring us closer to our authentic self - and go with the two main aspects which defines authenticity that the literature generally agrees on: <br />
<br />
* Knowing one’s true self; owning one’s personal experiences, be they thoughts, emotions, needs, wants, preferences, or beliefs.<br />
* Acting in accord with one’s true self; expressing oneself in ways that are consistent with one’s understanding of self.<br />
<br />
Authentic individuals can be said to be “in tune” with their basic nature and clearly and accurately see themselves and their lives. They are self-aware and unencumbered by others’ expectations and opinions for them, and therefore they can make more sound personal choices based on their own true values <ref> Avolio, B. and Gardner, W., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp.315-338. </ref>. Authentic individuals will naturally have high self-esteem, what is referred to as “optimal self-esteem”. Optimal self-esteem involves favorable feelings of self-worth that arise naturally from successfully dealing with life challenges; the operation of one’s core, true, authentic self as a source of input to behavioral choices; and relationships in which one is valued for who one is and not for what one achieves <ref> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
<br />
“Measure success based on your inner scorecard. If you base success and/or your actions on an outer scorecard, that is, what others think, your life will be hollow” (Warren Buffett, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, September 30, 2005).<br />
<br />
Warren Buffetts point may be the key point of authenticity in regards to one’s professional career. The achievements or success will not in itself have any value for an authentic person, because the authentic person solely follows his/her core beliefs. “Success” as Warren Buffett points out should instead be measured in the extent one follows one’s core values in life. Failures will also not be seen as a personal failure, rather it can be used as a source of information to guide their future behavior <ref> Kernis, M., 2003. TARGET ARTICLE: Toward a Conceptualization of Optimal Self-Esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), pp.1-26.</ref>. <br />
<br />
The measurement of how authentic a person is, is typically done through a questionnaire called, Authentic Leadership Questionnaire (ALQ). <br />
<br />
<br />
==Four components of authenticity==<br />
The most accepted definition of authenticity is the four components of authenticity proposed by Walumbwa et al. (2008) <ref> Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure†. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89–126. </ref>. The components have a certain “direction”, the first component must be learnt before the next component can be authentic and so forth. The descriptions of the four components below is based on the work of Kernis and Goldman (2005) <ref> Kernis, M. H., & Goldman, B. M. (2005). From Thought and Experience to Behavior and Interpersonal Relationships: A Multicomponent Conceptualization of Authenticity. In A. Tesser, J. V. Wood, & D. A. Stapel (Eds.), On building, defending and regulating the self: A psychological perspective (p. 31–52). Psychology Press. </ref><br />
and Walumbwa et al. (2008) <ref> Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure†. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89–126. </ref>.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Awareness ===<br />
The awareness of self refers to possessing, and being motivated to increase, one’s knowledge and trust in one’s motives, feelings, desires. It includes, for example, understanding one’s likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, goals and aspirations, dispositional characteristics, and emotional states.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Balanced Processing ===<br />
<br />
This component refers to being objective about all what is observed; one’s positive and negative aspects, emotions, experiences and information. Balanced processing involves not denying, distorting or exaggerating information to fit your personal needs. It can be understood by looking at how people with low or fragile high self-esteem select and interpret information. Such persons find it hard to acknowledge personal shortcomings, such as certain skills or personality traits that they don’t like. They will typically develop strong ego defense mechanisms to distort information about their shortcomings. Individuals with balanced processing will not have strong self-serving biases to gain personal success, and will not have strong defense mechanisms.<br />
<br />
=== Behaviour ===<br />
Authentic behaviour means “acting in accord with one’s values, preferences, and needs as opposed to acting merely to please others or to attain rewards or avoid punishments through acting falsely... Authenticity is not reflected in a compulsion to be one’s true self, but rather in the free and natural expression of core feelings, motives and inclinations.”(Kernis). <br />
This can be seen as the behavioural output of Awareness and Balanced Processing.<br />
<br />
Of course, there will be instances where it will not be appropriate to act on behalf of your core needs and values, because it may not fit the immediate environment. Therefore one must act against the true self, which will lead to a temporally internal conflict. However, unbiased processing and awareness can still be present in such an instance, which would allow one to reflect and learn from the situation. In contrast, if awareness and unbiased processing was not present at that instance, then may not be recognized as an act against one’s values and that would lead to blind obedience.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Relational transparency ===<br />
<br />
A person with high relation orientation will strive for truthfulness and openness in his/her close relationships. It’s about self-disclosure, wanting others to see the “real” you, and the development of mutual intimacy and trust. At the core, it’s about being genuine rather than fake in one’s relationships.<br />
<br />
<br />
=Authentic Leadership in Project Management=<br />
As PMBOK points out, project managers both need managing skills and leadership skills. Leadership is more focused on the relations with team members or stakeholders, to inspire and guide them. In short, management is about doing things right and leadership is about doing the right things. <br />
PMBOK points to different leadership styles like eg. Transformational and Charismatic, which “project managers can adopt'' (PMBOK, p.65). However, as PRINCE 2 says a leadership style may work in one situation but be inappropriate in another, which is one of the reasons they will not cover leadership in project management. <br />
The same scepticism for the “leadership styles” is found in Authentic Leadership. That is why Authentic Leadership should not be seen as a leadership style, but rather as a “root concept” that forms the basis of observed leadership styles such as above mentioned. We will go through what it is and how it differs from traditional leadership styles.<br />
<br />
‘if you’re a project manager, provide for quality and truth, and success will come on the back of that. If you just go for success on its own, it won’t work. What I <br />
would like project managers to be able to face the truth, stare it in the eye and then operate by it.’ - Camila Batmanghelidjh<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic Leadership Theory ==<br />
Authentic Leadership has had many definitions and discussions about authenticity and leadership (for an overview see Iszatt-White & Kempster, 2018). Authentic Leadership draws insights from positive psychology and full-range leadership (FRL)/transformational leadership theory.<br />
Authentic leaders are, as the name suggests, authentic individuals, which means that they have high levels of the four components of authenticity. Authentic leaders are characterized as:<br />
they know their strengths and weaknesses and are highly aware of themselves (1. self-awareness); <br />
they openly show their emotions and their true self to their followers (2. relational transparency);<br />
they eagerly take others’ perspectives and views into account (3. balanced processing); <br />
and they consistently behave according to their own moral standards and values, i.e., they Bact as they say^ (4. internalized moral perspective)<br />
Authentic leaders are in addition self-confident, optimistic, reliable, and trustworthy. They lead by example and help create a healthy and ethical work climate.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Authentic followers/team members ===<br />
<br />
Authentic leadership goes beyond the authenticity of the leader as a person to the relationship and development of the team he/she is leading. The relationships are called “authentic followership” and are characterized by:<br />
Transparency, openness, trust<br />
Guidance towards worthy objectives<br />
Emphasis on follower development<br />
<br />
The open and trustworthy relationship between leader and followers is believed to develop the values and beliefs of the followers over time, leading to “authentic followers”. By increasing their authenticity they will in turn be more transparent with the leader which will benefit the organization. <br />
<br />
Empirical research has found that authentic leadership has a positive effect on followers well-being, increased work engagement, commitment, job satisfaction and behaviors like task performance, creativity (Banks et al., 2016; Hoch et al., 2018; Schuh et al., 2017). <br />
<br />
As Levy points out in project management context followers or most likely team members, but still in this case authentic leadership behaviors will foster more authentic team members. <br />
<br />
As projects often happen in an organizational context the improvement of the organization can have lasting effects on other projects.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic vs Charismatic ==<br />
<br />
=== Relation to Transformative leadership Theory ===<br />
<br />
To understand where it comes from we will look at how it relates and differentiates to another leadership theory, Transformational leadership. A transformational leadership is also considered as charismatic leadership as it has considerable emotional appeal and possesses the ability to inspire (Ergeneli et al., 2007). Transformational leadership behaviors are associated with four categories:<br />
Idealized influence: when a leader performs as a role model and shares common <br />
visions, encourages and provides a strong sense of purpose.<br />
Inspirational motivation: a leader expresses the importance of desired objectives of the organization and motivates.<br />
Intellectual stimulation: when a leader challenges the normal ideas of followers.<br />
Individualized consideration: when a leader spends more time teaching and coaching for better performance.<br />
<br />
A transformational leader may have a strong vision they communicate influentially, but that vision and charisma may not always come from an authentic place as they could be imposing their own needs or pleasures (Ilies et al., 2005). This seems to correlate with Kernis’s description of fragile high self-esteem as he also mentions narcissists as having a type of fragile high self-esteem that may come from deep insecurities that they are not themselves aware of. This is where authenticity becomes relevant because an authentic leader will not be driven by an inflated ego but by his core values and high morality. Another distinction is that authentic leaders may or may not be charismatic but they will always foster positive development of those around them. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
=== The (in)authenticity of Emotional Intelligence ===<br />
<br />
Emotional intelligence has been shown in research to be an important ability in leadership. (Prati, Douglas, Ferris, Ammeter, & Buckley, 2003; Walter & Bruch, 2007; Wolff, Pescosolido, & Druskat, 2002). Walter & Bruch (2007), showed that emotional intelligence was a significant predictor of leadership abilities. Interestingly emotional intelligent leaders were seen as charismatic leaders by their followers, regardless of their actual emotional state. Apparently, emotionally intelligent leaders are especially skilled at regulating their emotions to generate perceptions of charisma.<br />
In that regard the question of authenticity becomes relevant in the case of emotional intelligence, because it questions whether the charisma of an emotional intelligent leader is genuine or if it is acting. If a leader engages in surface acting that is, manipulating others by deliberately changing the emotions displayed, then followers will see it as fake. Deep acting, however, is the effort to change inner feelings to deceive themselves. This type of acting will be perceived as authentic by others, but interestingly the deep acting individual will have a higher felt authenticity than surface acting individuals. Nonetheless, deep acting still violates inner feelings and therefore compromises authenticity, despite that the leader may not recognize this to be the case. It was shown in empirical studies that surface and deep acting were more emotionally exhausting than being genuine (Glomb & Tews, 2004; Grandey, 2003; Grandey et al., 2007; Johnson & Spector, 2007).<br />
<br />
= How to increase authenticity =<br />
<br />
Traditional leadership training focusing merely on a specific set of skills (e.g., goal setting or intellectual stimulation; Barling, Weber, & Kelloway, 1996; Dvir, Eden, Avolio, & Shamir, 2002) will fall short in this case. However, authentic leadership training cannot be taught with methods or ways to behave because imitating those would be inauthentic. Authentic leadership training requires a holistic approach that accounts for the whole person: one's individual character, values, and preferences (rewrite). <br />
<br />
Increasing authenticity is an introspective process which cannot would be misused if cannot be taught be <br />
We have covered what authenticity means and how it affects project management leadership. The question is now, how does one become authentic? The research <br />
<br />
=== Trigger events ===<br />
<br />
An experience of either positive or negative quality can lead to the development of one’s authentic being. These are called trigger events and can take the form of sudden experiences such as a person close to you passing away, a promotion, reading a book that challenges your core beliefs, forming a relationship, or having an anxiety attack. Such events will “cut through” the perception of self and force one to look critically upon certain aspects of one’s core beliefs and values. This mechanism will naturally allow for personal growth and will increase authenticity.<br />
<br />
This approach of developing authenticity through trigger events has been conceptualized as a potential training “program” for leaders and managers to push them out of their comfort zone to change their behaviors. Proposed by xx, it consists of two phases, an exploration phase where participants recognize their ways of acting inauthentically and trying out new ways of behaving. The second phase is an integration phase where participants recognize the benefit of change through the successful behaviors in their life. <br />
This approach is still on a conceptual basis and it would require many resources to actually make such a program. <br />
<br />
<br />
=== Mindfulness ===<br />
<br />
Mindfulness seems to be the best way of increasing one’s authenticity. Mindfulness is simply the practise of being self-aware and present without interpretation. Self-awareness is the first component of authenticity, also referred to as the “first stage”, which is the baseline of authenticity, without self-awareness one cannot be authentic in the other stages. Enhancing self-awareness with mindfulness one can more easily discover what is true and false within themselves.<br />
Mindfulness training has shown to increase authenticity and well-being. The study found that mindfulness leads to value-based authentic actions, and that the authentic actions themselves leads to well-being.<br />
Mindfulness practices were also shown to enhance authentic leadership in a very comprehensive study of over 1000 leaders. This study showed that leaders with high levels of trait mindfulness were more likely to show authentic leadership behaviors, as perceived by both themselves and their followers. They also found that low-dose mindfulness interventions enhanced leaders authentic behaviors (perceived by themselves and followers). In the study they had leaders do 30 days of app-based meditation, which directly impacted their behavior. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= Limitations =<br />
<br />
Perhaps the reason why authenticity hasn’t had the greatest impact so far is that it is not a quick fix method that can be implemented. It is not a leadership style that can be learnt, and it might (properly) be a difficult process to accept that certain beliefs are false or that your job or partner makes you unhappy and so forth. It has a disruptive power that is both its strength and weakness. <br />
<br />
Authentic Leadership can be seen as a very idealized approach, and it is easy to blame other leadership styles for being inauthentic. However, for project or organizational success it might be beneficial to display emotions that are not heartfelt. Gardner comes with an example that if a leader announces employee layoffs it would be expected to express empathy and concern for the affected employees, and would most likely be met with anger and resentment from employees if the leader failed to display such emotions. If such emotions are not heartfelt, however, expressing them would be inauthentic. If the audience detects a lack of sincerity on the part of the leader, he or she may be viewed as hypocritical and disingenuous, thereby undermining his or her credibility with followers. This is the sort of challenge that authentic leaders face in a leadership role, where one might violate one’s true feelings. As we discussed in authentic behavior one might violate authenticity in the behavioral component of authenticity but still has balanced processing and self-awareness present. <br />
<br />
<br />
The question also remains if Authentic Leadership applies for project management. A study didn’t find a significant correlation between authenticity of project managers and project success. This might be because project managers don’t have as much influence as positional leaders, or because project success is influenced very little by the leadership qualities of project managers.<br />
If project success is the only parameter you are interested in, then improving one's authenticity may be a lot of work for a small change. However, further studies should investigate whether authentic project managers positively influence team members in psychological areas such as well-being, felt authenticity, and job satisfaction. These enhanced factors may help the organization in future projects.<br />
<br />
The practise of mindfulness is a great entry to discovering your authentic self. However, critics have accused mindfulness of decontextualising mindfulness from its Buddhist roots, which cuts out the ethics and morals. Instead, it is solely used practically for reducing stress but without any introspection (McMindfulness, highly recommend this article). So far, however, the research shows great results from mindfulness without taking the Buddist tradition into account.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
<br />
<references /></div>Jacobammitsoehttp://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Authenticity&diff=101793Authenticity2021-03-01T09:57:26Z<p>Jacobammitsoe: </p>
<hr />
<div>Authenticity may seem as a trivial topic in project management since it doesn’t directly improve projects. Yet, project managers who know their true self will inspire their team members to perform better with more satisfaction and improve the overall organization. This article takes its starting point in authenticity and looks at how personal introspection leads to better leadership and more truthful project management. The focus is very much on Authentic Leadership which has proved to enhance followers well-being, work engagement and job satisfaction. However, Authentic Leadership is merely a description of an authentic person in a position of authority behaving authentically. <br />
<br />
One can not just be an authentic project manager, you must start by being an authentic person in everything you do. Being an authentic person comes first and then the benefits of authenticity will shine through all aspects of your life from project management to fatherhood. This article is not meant as a 3 step tutorial to being authentic, because you cannot become authentic by intellectual understanding only. The hope is to challenge some of the existing views of success and leadership with modern research in this lesser known academic field of authenticity and especially Authentic Leadership Theory.<br />
<br />
We find that many of the “hot topics'' in project management such as and “Emotional Intelligence” as well as different “leadership styles” from an authenticity point of view, are just consequences of authentic behavior. Although development of authenticity is not straight forward, research has found mindfulness to be very effective.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= What is authenticity? =<br />
Many philosophers and sociologists have attempted to define authenticity since it was first brought up in ancient Greece. The Greeks wrote: “to thine own self be true” <ref> Harter, S. (2002). Authenticity. In C. R. Snyder, & S. Lopez (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology (pp. 382 – 394). Oxford, UK7 Oxford University Press. </ref><br />
, which is a quite precise definition of authenticity - to be true to your own self. We will not go into all the facets and philosophical views of authenticity - which wouldn’t bring us closer to our authentic self - and go with the two main aspects which defines authenticity that the literature generally agrees on: <br />
<br />
Knowing one’s true self; owning one’s personal experiences, be they thoughts, emotions, needs, wants, preferences, or beliefs.<br />
Acting in accord with one’s true self; expressing oneself in ways that are consistent with one’s understanding of self.<br />
<br />
Authentic individuals can be said to be “in tune” with their basic nature and clearly and accurately see themselves and their lives. They are self-aware and unencumbered by others’ expectations and opinions for them, and therefore they can make more sound personal choices based on their own true values (Bruce J. AvolioT, William L. Gardner 2005). Authentic individuals will naturally have high self-esteem, what is referred to as “optimal self-esteem” (Kernis). Optimal self-esteem involves favorable feelings of self-worth that arise naturally from successfully dealing with life challenges; the operation of one’s core, true, authentic self as a source of input to behavioral choices; and relationships in which one is valued for who one is and not for what one achieves. <br />
<br />
“Measure success based on your inner scorecard. If you base success and/or your actions on an outer scorecard, that is, what others think, your life will be hollow” (Warren Buffett, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, September 30, 2005).<br />
<br />
Warren Buffetts point may be the key point of authenticity in regards to one’s professional career. The achievements or success will not in itself have any value for an authentic person, because the authentic person solely follows his/her core beliefs. “Success” as Warren Buffett points out should instead be measured in the extent one follows one’s core values in life. Failures will also not be seen as a personal failure, rather it can be used as a source of information to guide their future behavior. <br />
<br />
The measurement of how authentic a person is, is typically done through a questionnaire called, Authentic Leadership Questionnaire (ALQ). <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==Four components of authenticity==<br />
As it was proposed by Kernis authenticity can be divided into four components. Each component can be seen as stages towards self-realisation with some stages being more difficult for some people as we will describe below.<br />
<br />
=== Awareness ===<br />
The awareness of self refers to possessing, and being motivated to increase, one’s knowledge and trust in one’s motives, feelings, desires. It includes, for example, understanding one’s likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, goals and aspirations, dispositional characteristics, and emotional states.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Balanced Processing ===<br />
<br />
This component refers to being objective about all what is observed; one’s positive and negative aspects, emotions, experiences and information. Balanced processing involves not denying, distorting or exaggerating information to fit your personal needs. It can be understood by looking at how people with low or fragile high self-esteem select and interpret information. Such persons find it hard to acknowledge personal shortcomings, such as certain skills or personality traits that they don’t like. They will typically develop strong ego defense mechanisms to distort information about their shortcomings. Individuals with balanced processing will not have strong self-serving biases to gain personal success, and will not have strong defense mechanisms.<br />
<br />
=== Behaviour ===<br />
Authentic behaviour means “acting in accord with one’s values, preferences, and needs as opposed to acting merely to please others or to attain rewards or avoid punishments through acting falsely... Authenticity is not reflected in a compulsion to be one’s true self, but rather in the free and natural expression of core feelings, motives and inclinations.”(Kernis). <br />
This can be seen as the behavioural output of Awareness and Balanced Processing.<br />
<br />
Of course, there will be instances where it will not be appropriate to act on behalf of your core needs and values, because it may not fit the immediate environment. Therefore one must act against the true self, which will lead to a temporally internal conflict. However, unbiased processing and awareness can still be present in such an instance, which would allow one to reflect and learn from the situation. In contrast, if awareness and unbiased processing was not present at that instance, then may not be recognized as an act against one’s values and that would lead to blind obedience.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Relational transparency ===<br />
<br />
A person with high relation orientation will strive for truthfulness and openness in his/her close relationships. It’s about self-disclosure, wanting others to see the “real” you, and the development of mutual intimacy and trust. At the core, it’s about being genuine rather than fake in one’s relationships.<br />
<br />
<br />
=Authentic Leadership in Project Management=<br />
As PMBOK points out, project managers both need managing skills and leadership skills. Leadership is more focused on the relations with team members or stakeholders, to inspire and guide them. In short, management is about doing things right and leadership is about doing the right things. <br />
PMBOK points to different leadership styles like eg. Transformational and Charismatic, which “project managers can adopt'' (PMBOK, p.65). However, as PRINCE 2 says a leadership style may work in one situation but be inappropriate in another, which is one of the reasons they will not cover leadership in project management. <br />
The same scepticism for the “leadership styles” is found in Authentic Leadership. That is why Authentic Leadership should not be seen as a leadership style, but rather as a “root concept” that forms the basis of observed leadership styles such as above mentioned. We will go through what it is and how it differs from traditional leadership styles.<br />
<br />
‘if you’re a project manager, provide for quality and truth, and success will come on the back of that. If you just go for success on its own, it won’t work. What I <br />
would like project managers to be able to face the truth, stare it in the eye and then operate by it.’ - Camila Batmanghelidjh<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic Leadership Theory ==<br />
Authentic Leadership has had many definitions and discussions about authenticity and leadership (for an overview see Iszatt-White & Kempster, 2018). Authentic Leadership draws insights from positive psychology and full-range leadership (FRL)/transformational leadership theory.<br />
Authentic leaders are, as the name suggests, authentic individuals, which means that they have high levels of the four components of authenticity. Authentic leaders are characterized as:<br />
they know their strengths and weaknesses and are highly aware of themselves (1. self-awareness); <br />
they openly show their emotions and their true self to their followers (2. relational transparency);<br />
they eagerly take others’ perspectives and views into account (3. balanced processing); <br />
and they consistently behave according to their own moral standards and values, i.e., they Bact as they say^ (4. internalized moral perspective)<br />
Authentic leaders are in addition self-confident, optimistic, reliable, and trustworthy. They lead by example and help create a healthy and ethical work climate.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Authentic followers/team members ===<br />
<br />
Authentic leadership goes beyond the authenticity of the leader as a person to the relationship and development of the team he/she is leading. The relationships are called “authentic followership” and are characterized by:<br />
Transparency, openness, trust<br />
Guidance towards worthy objectives<br />
Emphasis on follower development<br />
<br />
The open and trustworthy relationship between leader and followers is believed to develop the values and beliefs of the followers over time, leading to “authentic followers”. By increasing their authenticity they will in turn be more transparent with the leader which will benefit the organization. <br />
<br />
Empirical research has found that authentic leadership has a positive effect on followers well-being, increased work engagement, commitment, job satisfaction and behaviors like task performance, creativity (Banks et al., 2016; Hoch et al., 2018; Schuh et al., 2017). <br />
<br />
As Levy points out in project management context followers or most likely team members, but still in this case authentic leadership behaviors will foster more authentic team members. <br />
<br />
As projects often happen in an organizational context the improvement of the organization can have lasting effects on other projects.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic vs Charismatic ==<br />
<br />
=== Relation to Transformative leadership Theory ===<br />
<br />
To understand where it comes from we will look at how it relates and differentiates to another leadership theory, Transformational leadership. A transformational leadership is also considered as charismatic leadership as it has considerable emotional appeal and possesses the ability to inspire (Ergeneli et al., 2007). Transformational leadership behaviors are associated with four categories:<br />
Idealized influence: when a leader performs as a role model and shares common <br />
visions, encourages and provides a strong sense of purpose.<br />
Inspirational motivation: a leader expresses the importance of desired objectives of the organization and motivates.<br />
Intellectual stimulation: when a leader challenges the normal ideas of followers.<br />
Individualized consideration: when a leader spends more time teaching and coaching for better performance.<br />
<br />
A transformational leader may have a strong vision they communicate influentially, but that vision and charisma may not always come from an authentic place as they could be imposing their own needs or pleasures (Ilies et al., 2005). This seems to correlate with Kernis’s description of fragile high self-esteem as he also mentions narcissists as having a type of fragile high self-esteem that may come from deep insecurities that they are not themselves aware of. This is where authenticity becomes relevant because an authentic leader will not be driven by an inflated ego but by his core values and high morality. Another distinction is that authentic leaders may or may not be charismatic but they will always foster positive development of those around them. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
=== The (in)authenticity of Emotional Intelligence ===<br />
<br />
Emotional intelligence has been shown in research to be an important ability in leadership. (Prati, Douglas, Ferris, Ammeter, & Buckley, 2003; Walter & Bruch, 2007; Wolff, Pescosolido, & Druskat, 2002). Walter & Bruch (2007), showed that emotional intelligence was a significant predictor of leadership abilities. Interestingly emotional intelligent leaders were seen as charismatic leaders by their followers, regardless of their actual emotional state. Apparently, emotionally intelligent leaders are especially skilled at regulating their emotions to generate perceptions of charisma.<br />
In that regard the question of authenticity becomes relevant in the case of emotional intelligence, because it questions whether the charisma of an emotional intelligent leader is genuine or if it is acting. If a leader engages in surface acting that is, manipulating others by deliberately changing the emotions displayed, then followers will see it as fake. Deep acting, however, is the effort to change inner feelings to deceive themselves. This type of acting will be perceived as authentic by others, but interestingly the deep acting individual will have a higher felt authenticity than surface acting individuals. Nonetheless, deep acting still violates inner feelings and therefore compromises authenticity, despite that the leader may not recognize this to be the case. It was shown in empirical studies that surface and deep acting were more emotionally exhausting than being genuine (Glomb & Tews, 2004; Grandey, 2003; Grandey et al., 2007; Johnson & Spector, 2007).<br />
<br />
= How to increase authenticity =<br />
<br />
Traditional leadership training focusing merely on a specific set of skills (e.g., goal setting or intellectual stimulation; Barling, Weber, & Kelloway, 1996; Dvir, Eden, Avolio, & Shamir, 2002) will fall short in this case. However, authentic leadership training cannot be taught with methods or ways to behave because imitating those would be inauthentic. Authentic leadership training requires a holistic approach that accounts for the whole person: one's individual character, values, and preferences (rewrite). <br />
<br />
Increasing authenticity is an introspective process which cannot would be misused if cannot be taught be <br />
We have covered what authenticity means and how it affects project management leadership. The question is now, how does one become authentic? The research <br />
<br />
=== Trigger events ===<br />
<br />
An experience of either positive or negative quality can lead to the development of one’s authentic being. These are called trigger events and can take the form of sudden experiences such as a person close to you passing away, a promotion, reading a book that challenges your core beliefs, forming a relationship, or having an anxiety attack. Such events will “cut through” the perception of self and force one to look critically upon certain aspects of one’s core beliefs and values. This mechanism will naturally allow for personal growth and will increase authenticity.<br />
<br />
This approach of developing authenticity through trigger events has been conceptualized as a potential training “program” for leaders and managers to push them out of their comfort zone to change their behaviors. Proposed by xx, it consists of two phases, an exploration phase where participants recognize their ways of acting inauthentically and trying out new ways of behaving. The second phase is an integration phase where participants recognize the benefit of change through the successful behaviors in their life. <br />
This approach is still on a conceptual basis and it would require many resources to actually make such a program. <br />
<br />
<br />
=== Mindfulness ===<br />
<br />
Mindfulness seems to be the best way of increasing one’s authenticity. Mindfulness is simply the practise of being self-aware and present without interpretation. Self-awareness is the first component of authenticity, also referred to as the “first stage”, which is the baseline of authenticity, without self-awareness one cannot be authentic in the other stages. Enhancing self-awareness with mindfulness one can more easily discover what is true and false within themselves.<br />
Mindfulness training has shown to increase authenticity and well-being. The study found that mindfulness leads to value-based authentic actions, and that the authentic actions themselves leads to well-being.<br />
Mindfulness practices were also shown to enhance authentic leadership in a very comprehensive study of over 1000 leaders. This study showed that leaders with high levels of trait mindfulness were more likely to show authentic leadership behaviors, as perceived by both themselves and their followers. They also found that low-dose mindfulness interventions enhanced leaders authentic behaviors (perceived by themselves and followers). In the study they had leaders do 30 days of app-based meditation, which directly impacted their behavior. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= Limitations =<br />
<br />
Perhaps the reason why authenticity hasn’t had the greatest impact so far is that it is not a quick fix method that can be implemented. It is not a leadership style that can be learnt, and it might (properly) be a difficult process to accept that certain beliefs are false or that your job or partner makes you unhappy and so forth. It has a disruptive power that is both its strength and weakness. <br />
<br />
Authentic Leadership can be seen as a very idealized approach, and it is easy to blame other leadership styles for being inauthentic. However, for project or organizational success it might be beneficial to display emotions that are not heartfelt. Gardner comes with an example that if a leader announces employee layoffs it would be expected to express empathy and concern for the affected employees, and would most likely be met with anger and resentment from employees if the leader failed to display such emotions. If such emotions are not heartfelt, however, expressing them would be inauthentic. If the audience detects a lack of sincerity on the part of the leader, he or she may be viewed as hypocritical and disingenuous, thereby undermining his or her credibility with followers. This is the sort of challenge that authentic leaders face in a leadership role, where one might violate one’s true feelings. As we discussed in authentic behavior one might violate authenticity in the behavioral component of authenticity but still has balanced processing and self-awareness present. <br />
<br />
<br />
The question also remains if Authentic Leadership applies for project management. A study didn’t find a significant correlation between authenticity of project managers and project success. This might be because project managers don’t have as much influence as positional leaders, or because project success is influenced very little by the leadership qualities of project managers.<br />
If project success is the only parameter you are interested in, then improving one's authenticity may be a lot of work for a small change. However, further studies should investigate whether authentic project managers positively influence team members in psychological areas such as well-being, felt authenticity, and job satisfaction. These enhanced factors may help the organization in future projects.<br />
<br />
The practise of mindfulness is a great entry to discovering your authentic self. However, critics have accused mindfulness of decontextualising mindfulness from its Buddhist roots, which cuts out the ethics and morals. Instead, it is solely used practically for reducing stress but without any introspection (McMindfulness, highly recommend this article). So far, however, the research shows great results from mindfulness without taking the Buddist tradition into account.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
<br />
<references /></div>Jacobammitsoehttp://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Authenticity&diff=101650Authenticity2021-02-28T22:42:34Z<p>Jacobammitsoe: /* The inauthenticity of Emotional Intelligence */</p>
<hr />
<div>Authenticity may seem as a trivial topic in project management since it doesn’t directly improve projects. Yet, project managers who know their true self will inspire their team members to perform better with more satisfaction and improve the overall organization. This article takes its starting point in authenticity and looks at how personal introspection leads to better leadership and more truthful project management. The focus is very much on Authentic Leadership which has proved to enhance followers well-being, work engagement and job satisfaction. However, Authentic Leadership is merely a description of an authentic person in a position of authority behaving authentically. <br />
<br />
One can not just be an authentic project manager, you must start by being an authentic person in everything you do. Being an authentic person comes first and then the benefits of authenticity will shine through all aspects of your life from project management to fatherhood. This article is not meant as a 3 step tutorial to being authentic, because you cannot become authentic by intellectual understanding only. The hope is to challenge some of the existing views of success and leadership with modern research in this lesser known academic field of authenticity and especially Authentic Leadership Theory.<br />
<br />
We find that many of the “hot topics'' in project management such as and “Emotional Intelligence” as well as different “leadership styles” from an authenticity point of view, are just consequences of authentic behavior. Although development of authenticity is not straight forward, research has found mindfulness to be very effective.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= What is authenticity? =<br />
Many philosophers and sociologists have attempted to define authenticity since it was first brought up in ancient Greece. The Greeks wrote: “to thine own self be true” (ref xx), which is a quite precise definition of authenticity - to be true to your own self. We will not go into all the facets and philosophical views of authenticity - which wouldn’t bring us closer to our authentic self - and go with the two main aspects which defines authenticity that the literature generally agrees on: <br />
<br />
Knowing one’s true self; owning one’s personal experiences, be they thoughts, emotions, needs, wants, preferences, or beliefs.<br />
Acting in accord with one’s true self; expressing oneself in ways that are consistent with one’s understanding of self.<br />
<br />
Authentic individuals can be said to be “in tune” with their basic nature and clearly and accurately see themselves and their lives. They are self-aware and unencumbered by others’ expectations and opinions for them, and therefore they can make more sound personal choices based on their own true values (Bruce J. AvolioT, William L. Gardner 2005). Authentic individuals will naturally have high self-esteem, what is referred to as “optimal self-esteem” (Kernis). Optimal self-esteem involves favorable feelings of self-worth that arise naturally from successfully dealing with life challenges; the operation of one’s core, true, authentic self as a source of input to behavioral choices; and relationships in which one is valued for who one is and not for what one achieves. <br />
<br />
“Measure success based on your inner scorecard. If you base success and/or your actions on an outer scorecard, that is, what others think, your life will be hollow” (Warren Buffett, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, September 30, 2005).<br />
<br />
Warren Buffetts point may be the key point of authenticity in regards to one’s professional career. The achievements or success will not in itself have any value for an authentic person, because the authentic person solely follows his/her core beliefs. “Success” as Warren Buffett points out should instead be measured in the extent one follows one’s core values in life. Failures will also not be seen as a personal failure, rather it can be used as a source of information to guide their future behavior. <br />
<br />
The measurement of how authentic a person is, is typically done through a questionnaire called, Authentic Leadership Questionnaire (ALQ). <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==Four components of authenticity==<br />
As it was proposed by Kernis authenticity can be divided into four components. Each component can be seen as stages towards self-realisation with some stages being more difficult for some people as we will describe below.<br />
<br />
=== Awareness ===<br />
The awareness of self refers to possessing, and being motivated to increase, one’s knowledge and trust in one’s motives, feelings, desires. It includes, for example, understanding one’s likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, goals and aspirations, dispositional characteristics, and emotional states.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Balanced Processing ===<br />
<br />
This component refers to being objective about all what is observed; one’s positive and negative aspects, emotions, experiences and information. Balanced processing involves not denying, distorting or exaggerating information to fit your personal needs. It can be understood by looking at how people with low or fragile high self-esteem select and interpret information. Such persons find it hard to acknowledge personal shortcomings, such as certain skills or personality traits that they don’t like. They will typically develop strong ego defense mechanisms to distort information about their shortcomings. Individuals with balanced processing will not have strong self-serving biases to gain personal success, and will not have strong defense mechanisms.<br />
<br />
=== Behaviour ===<br />
Authentic behaviour means “acting in accord with one’s values, preferences, and needs as opposed to acting merely to please others or to attain rewards or avoid punishments through acting falsely... Authenticity is not reflected in a compulsion to be one’s true self, but rather in the free and natural expression of core feelings, motives and inclinations.”(Kernis). <br />
This can be seen as the behavioural output of Awareness and Balanced Processing.<br />
<br />
Of course, there will be instances where it will not be appropriate to act on behalf of your core needs and values, because it may not fit the immediate environment. Therefore one must act against the true self, which will lead to a temporally internal conflict. However, unbiased processing and awareness can still be present in such an instance, which would allow one to reflect and learn from the situation. In contrast, if awareness and unbiased processing was not present at that instance, then may not be recognized as an act against one’s values and that would lead to blind obedience.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Relational transparency ===<br />
<br />
A person with high relation orientation will strive for truthfulness and openness in his/her close relationships. It’s about self-disclosure, wanting others to see the “real” you, and the development of mutual intimacy and trust. At the core, it’s about being genuine rather than fake in one’s relationships.<br />
<br />
<br />
=Authentic Leadership in Project Management=<br />
As PMBOK points out, project managers both need managing skills and leadership skills. Leadership is more focused on the relations with team members or stakeholders, to inspire and guide them. In short, management is about doing things right and leadership is about doing the right things. <br />
PMBOK points to different leadership styles like eg. Transformational and Charismatic, which “project managers can adopt'' (PMBOK, p.65). However, as PRINCE 2 says a leadership style may work in one situation but be inappropriate in another, which is one of the reasons they will not cover leadership in project management. <br />
The same scepticism for the “leadership styles” is found in Authentic Leadership. That is why Authentic Leadership should not be seen as a leadership style, but rather as a “root concept” that forms the basis of observed leadership styles such as above mentioned. We will go through what it is and how it differs from traditional leadership styles.<br />
<br />
‘if you’re a project manager, provide for quality and truth, and success will come on the back of that. If you just go for success on its own, it won’t work. What I <br />
would like project managers to be able to face the truth, stare it in the eye and then operate by it.’ - Camila Batmanghelidjh<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic Leadership Theory ==<br />
Authentic Leadership has had many definitions and discussions about authenticity and leadership (for an overview see Iszatt-White & Kempster, 2018). Authentic Leadership draws insights from positive psychology and full-range leadership (FRL)/transformational leadership theory.<br />
Authentic leaders are, as the name suggests, authentic individuals, which means that they have high levels of the four components of authenticity. Authentic leaders are characterized as:<br />
they know their strengths and weaknesses and are highly aware of themselves (1. self-awareness); <br />
they openly show their emotions and their true self to their followers (2. relational transparency);<br />
they eagerly take others’ perspectives and views into account (3. balanced processing); <br />
and they consistently behave according to their own moral standards and values, i.e., they Bact as they say^ (4. internalized moral perspective)<br />
Authentic leaders are in addition self-confident, optimistic, reliable, and trustworthy. They lead by example and help create a healthy and ethical work climate.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Authentic followers/team members ===<br />
<br />
Authentic leadership goes beyond the authenticity of the leader as a person to the relationship and development of the team he/she is leading. The relationships are called “authentic followership” and are characterized by:<br />
Transparency, openness, trust<br />
Guidance towards worthy objectives<br />
Emphasis on follower development<br />
<br />
The open and trustworthy relationship between leader and followers is believed to develop the values and beliefs of the followers over time, leading to “authentic followers”. By increasing their authenticity they will in turn be more transparent with the leader which will benefit the organization. <br />
<br />
Empirical research has found that authentic leadership has a positive effect on followers well-being, increased work engagement, commitment, job satisfaction and behaviors like task performance, creativity (Banks et al., 2016; Hoch et al., 2018; Schuh et al., 2017). <br />
<br />
As Levy points out in project management context followers or most likely team members, but still in this case authentic leadership behaviors will foster more authentic team members. <br />
<br />
As projects often happen in an organizational context the improvement of the organization can have lasting effects on other projects.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic vs Charismatic ==<br />
<br />
=== Relation to Transformative leadership Theory ===<br />
<br />
To understand where it comes from we will look at how it relates and differentiates to another leadership theory, Transformational leadership. A transformational leadership is also considered as charismatic leadership as it has considerable emotional appeal and possesses the ability to inspire (Ergeneli et al., 2007). Transformational leadership behaviors are associated with four categories:<br />
Idealized influence: when a leader performs as a role model and shares common <br />
visions, encourages and provides a strong sense of purpose.<br />
Inspirational motivation: a leader expresses the importance of desired objectives of the organization and motivates.<br />
Intellectual stimulation: when a leader challenges the normal ideas of followers.<br />
Individualized consideration: when a leader spends more time teaching and coaching for better performance.<br />
<br />
A transformational leader may have a strong vision they communicate influentially, but that vision and charisma may not always come from an authentic place as they could be imposing their own needs or pleasures (Ilies et al., 2005). This seems to correlate with Kernis’s description of fragile high self-esteem as he also mentions narcissists as having a type of fragile high self-esteem that may come from deep insecurities that they are not themselves aware of. This is where authenticity becomes relevant because an authentic leader will not be driven by an inflated ego but by his core values and high morality. Another distinction is that authentic leaders may or may not be charismatic but they will always foster positive development of those around them. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
=== The (in)authenticity of Emotional Intelligence ===<br />
<br />
Emotional intelligence has been shown in research to be an important ability in leadership. (Prati, Douglas, Ferris, Ammeter, & Buckley, 2003; Walter & Bruch, 2007; Wolff, Pescosolido, & Druskat, 2002). Walter & Bruch (2007), showed that emotional intelligence was a significant predictor of leadership abilities. Interestingly emotional intelligent leaders were seen as charismatic leaders by their followers, regardless of their actual emotional state. Apparently, emotionally intelligent leaders are especially skilled at regulating their emotions to generate perceptions of charisma.<br />
In that regard the question of authenticity becomes relevant in the case of emotional intelligence, because it questions whether the charisma of an emotional intelligent leader is genuine or if it is acting. If a leader engages in surface acting that is, manipulating others by deliberately changing the emotions displayed, then followers will see it as fake. Deep acting, however, is the effort to change inner feelings to deceive themselves. This type of acting will be perceived as authentic by others, but interestingly the deep acting individual will have a higher felt authenticity than surface acting individuals. Nonetheless, deep acting still violates inner feelings and therefore compromises authenticity, despite that the leader may not recognize this to be the case. It was shown in empirical studies that surface and deep acting were more emotionally exhausting than being genuine (Glomb & Tews, 2004; Grandey, 2003; Grandey et al., 2007; Johnson & Spector, 2007).<br />
<br />
= How to increase authenticity =<br />
<br />
Traditional leadership training focusing merely on a specific set of skills (e.g., goal setting or intellectual stimulation; Barling, Weber, & Kelloway, 1996; Dvir, Eden, Avolio, & Shamir, 2002) will fall short in this case. However, authentic leadership training cannot be taught with methods or ways to behave because imitating those would be inauthentic. Authentic leadership training requires a holistic approach that accounts for the whole person: one's individual character, values, and preferences (rewrite). <br />
<br />
Increasing authenticity is an introspective process which cannot would be misused if cannot be taught be <br />
We have covered what authenticity means and how it affects project management leadership. The question is now, how does one become authentic? The research <br />
<br />
=== Trigger events ===<br />
<br />
An experience of either positive or negative quality can lead to the development of one’s authentic being. These are called trigger events and can take the form of sudden experiences such as a person close to you passing away, a promotion, reading a book that challenges your core beliefs, forming a relationship, or having an anxiety attack. Such events will “cut through” the perception of self and force one to look critically upon certain aspects of one’s core beliefs and values. This mechanism will naturally allow for personal growth and will increase authenticity.<br />
<br />
This approach of developing authenticity through trigger events has been conceptualized as a potential training “program” for leaders and managers to push them out of their comfort zone to change their behaviors. Proposed by xx, it consists of two phases, an exploration phase where participants recognize their ways of acting inauthentically and trying out new ways of behaving. The second phase is an integration phase where participants recognize the benefit of change through the successful behaviors in their life. <br />
This approach is still on a conceptual basis and it would require many resources to actually make such a program. <br />
<br />
<br />
=== Mindfulness ===<br />
<br />
Mindfulness seems to be the best way of increasing one’s authenticity. Mindfulness is simply the practise of being self-aware and present without interpretation. Self-awareness is the first component of authenticity, also referred to as the “first stage”, which is the baseline of authenticity, without self-awareness one cannot be authentic in the other stages. Enhancing self-awareness with mindfulness one can more easily discover what is true and false within themselves.<br />
Mindfulness training has shown to increase authenticity and well-being. The study found that mindfulness leads to value-based authentic actions, and that the authentic actions themselves leads to well-being.<br />
Mindfulness practices were also shown to enhance authentic leadership in a very comprehensive study of over 1000 leaders. This study showed that leaders with high levels of trait mindfulness were more likely to show authentic leadership behaviors, as perceived by both themselves and their followers. They also found that low-dose mindfulness interventions enhanced leaders authentic behaviors (perceived by themselves and followers). In the study they had leaders do 30 days of app-based meditation, which directly impacted their behavior. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= Limitations =<br />
<br />
Perhaps the reason why authenticity hasn’t had the greatest impact so far is that it is not a quick fix method that can be implemented. It is not a leadership style that can be learnt, and it might (properly) be a difficult process to accept that certain beliefs are false or that your job or partner makes you unhappy and so forth. It has a disruptive power that is both its strength and weakness. <br />
<br />
Authentic Leadership can be seen as a very idealized approach, and it is easy to blame other leadership styles for being inauthentic. However, for project or organizational success it might be beneficial to display emotions that are not heartfelt. Gardner comes with an example that if a leader announces employee layoffs it would be expected to express empathy and concern for the affected employees, and would most likely be met with anger and resentment from employees if the leader failed to display such emotions. If such emotions are not heartfelt, however, expressing them would be inauthentic. If the audience detects a lack of sincerity on the part of the leader, he or she may be viewed as hypocritical and disingenuous, thereby undermining his or her credibility with followers. This is the sort of challenge that authentic leaders face in a leadership role, where one might violate one’s true feelings. As we discussed in authentic behavior one might violate authenticity in the behavioral component of authenticity but still has balanced processing and self-awareness present. <br />
<br />
<br />
The question also remains if Authentic Leadership applies for project management. A study didn’t find a significant correlation between authenticity of project managers and project success. This might be because project managers don’t have as much influence as positional leaders, or because project success is influenced very little by the leadership qualities of project managers.<br />
If project success is the only parameter you are interested in, then improving one's authenticity may be a lot of work for a small change. However, further studies should investigate whether authentic project managers positively influence team members in psychological areas such as well-being, felt authenticity, and job satisfaction. These enhanced factors may help the organization in future projects.<br />
<br />
The practise of mindfulness is a great entry to discovering your authentic self. However, critics have accused mindfulness of decontextualising mindfulness from its Buddhist roots, which cuts out the ethics and morals. Instead, it is solely used practically for reducing stress but without any introspection (McMindfulness, highly recommend this article). So far, however, the research shows great results from mindfulness without taking the Buddist tradition into account.</div>Jacobammitsoehttp://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Authenticity&diff=101645Authenticity2021-02-28T22:41:16Z<p>Jacobammitsoe: </p>
<hr />
<div>Authenticity may seem as a trivial topic in project management since it doesn’t directly improve projects. Yet, project managers who know their true self will inspire their team members to perform better with more satisfaction and improve the overall organization. This article takes its starting point in authenticity and looks at how personal introspection leads to better leadership and more truthful project management. The focus is very much on Authentic Leadership which has proved to enhance followers well-being, work engagement and job satisfaction. However, Authentic Leadership is merely a description of an authentic person in a position of authority behaving authentically. <br />
<br />
One can not just be an authentic project manager, you must start by being an authentic person in everything you do. Being an authentic person comes first and then the benefits of authenticity will shine through all aspects of your life from project management to fatherhood. This article is not meant as a 3 step tutorial to being authentic, because you cannot become authentic by intellectual understanding only. The hope is to challenge some of the existing views of success and leadership with modern research in this lesser known academic field of authenticity and especially Authentic Leadership Theory.<br />
<br />
We find that many of the “hot topics'' in project management such as and “Emotional Intelligence” as well as different “leadership styles” from an authenticity point of view, are just consequences of authentic behavior. Although development of authenticity is not straight forward, research has found mindfulness to be very effective.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= What is authenticity? =<br />
Many philosophers and sociologists have attempted to define authenticity since it was first brought up in ancient Greece. The Greeks wrote: “to thine own self be true” (ref xx), which is a quite precise definition of authenticity - to be true to your own self. We will not go into all the facets and philosophical views of authenticity - which wouldn’t bring us closer to our authentic self - and go with the two main aspects which defines authenticity that the literature generally agrees on: <br />
<br />
Knowing one’s true self; owning one’s personal experiences, be they thoughts, emotions, needs, wants, preferences, or beliefs.<br />
Acting in accord with one’s true self; expressing oneself in ways that are consistent with one’s understanding of self.<br />
<br />
Authentic individuals can be said to be “in tune” with their basic nature and clearly and accurately see themselves and their lives. They are self-aware and unencumbered by others’ expectations and opinions for them, and therefore they can make more sound personal choices based on their own true values (Bruce J. AvolioT, William L. Gardner 2005). Authentic individuals will naturally have high self-esteem, what is referred to as “optimal self-esteem” (Kernis). Optimal self-esteem involves favorable feelings of self-worth that arise naturally from successfully dealing with life challenges; the operation of one’s core, true, authentic self as a source of input to behavioral choices; and relationships in which one is valued for who one is and not for what one achieves. <br />
<br />
“Measure success based on your inner scorecard. If you base success and/or your actions on an outer scorecard, that is, what others think, your life will be hollow” (Warren Buffett, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, September 30, 2005).<br />
<br />
Warren Buffetts point may be the key point of authenticity in regards to one’s professional career. The achievements or success will not in itself have any value for an authentic person, because the authentic person solely follows his/her core beliefs. “Success” as Warren Buffett points out should instead be measured in the extent one follows one’s core values in life. Failures will also not be seen as a personal failure, rather it can be used as a source of information to guide their future behavior. <br />
<br />
The measurement of how authentic a person is, is typically done through a questionnaire called, Authentic Leadership Questionnaire (ALQ). <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==Four components of authenticity==<br />
As it was proposed by Kernis authenticity can be divided into four components. Each component can be seen as stages towards self-realisation with some stages being more difficult for some people as we will describe below.<br />
<br />
=== Awareness ===<br />
The awareness of self refers to possessing, and being motivated to increase, one’s knowledge and trust in one’s motives, feelings, desires. It includes, for example, understanding one’s likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, goals and aspirations, dispositional characteristics, and emotional states.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Balanced Processing ===<br />
<br />
This component refers to being objective about all what is observed; one’s positive and negative aspects, emotions, experiences and information. Balanced processing involves not denying, distorting or exaggerating information to fit your personal needs. It can be understood by looking at how people with low or fragile high self-esteem select and interpret information. Such persons find it hard to acknowledge personal shortcomings, such as certain skills or personality traits that they don’t like. They will typically develop strong ego defense mechanisms to distort information about their shortcomings. Individuals with balanced processing will not have strong self-serving biases to gain personal success, and will not have strong defense mechanisms.<br />
<br />
=== Behaviour ===<br />
Authentic behaviour means “acting in accord with one’s values, preferences, and needs as opposed to acting merely to please others or to attain rewards or avoid punishments through acting falsely... Authenticity is not reflected in a compulsion to be one’s true self, but rather in the free and natural expression of core feelings, motives and inclinations.”(Kernis). <br />
This can be seen as the behavioural output of Awareness and Balanced Processing.<br />
<br />
Of course, there will be instances where it will not be appropriate to act on behalf of your core needs and values, because it may not fit the immediate environment. Therefore one must act against the true self, which will lead to a temporally internal conflict. However, unbiased processing and awareness can still be present in such an instance, which would allow one to reflect and learn from the situation. In contrast, if awareness and unbiased processing was not present at that instance, then may not be recognized as an act against one’s values and that would lead to blind obedience.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Relational transparency ===<br />
<br />
A person with high relation orientation will strive for truthfulness and openness in his/her close relationships. It’s about self-disclosure, wanting others to see the “real” you, and the development of mutual intimacy and trust. At the core, it’s about being genuine rather than fake in one’s relationships.<br />
<br />
<br />
=Authentic Leadership in Project Management=<br />
As PMBOK points out, project managers both need managing skills and leadership skills. Leadership is more focused on the relations with team members or stakeholders, to inspire and guide them. In short, management is about doing things right and leadership is about doing the right things. <br />
PMBOK points to different leadership styles like eg. Transformational and Charismatic, which “project managers can adopt'' (PMBOK, p.65). However, as PRINCE 2 says a leadership style may work in one situation but be inappropriate in another, which is one of the reasons they will not cover leadership in project management. <br />
The same scepticism for the “leadership styles” is found in Authentic Leadership. That is why Authentic Leadership should not be seen as a leadership style, but rather as a “root concept” that forms the basis of observed leadership styles such as above mentioned. We will go through what it is and how it differs from traditional leadership styles.<br />
<br />
‘if you’re a project manager, provide for quality and truth, and success will come on the back of that. If you just go for success on its own, it won’t work. What I <br />
would like project managers to be able to face the truth, stare it in the eye and then operate by it.’ - Camila Batmanghelidjh<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic Leadership Theory ==<br />
Authentic Leadership has had many definitions and discussions about authenticity and leadership (for an overview see Iszatt-White & Kempster, 2018). Authentic Leadership draws insights from positive psychology and full-range leadership (FRL)/transformational leadership theory.<br />
Authentic leaders are, as the name suggests, authentic individuals, which means that they have high levels of the four components of authenticity. Authentic leaders are characterized as:<br />
they know their strengths and weaknesses and are highly aware of themselves (1. self-awareness); <br />
they openly show their emotions and their true self to their followers (2. relational transparency);<br />
they eagerly take others’ perspectives and views into account (3. balanced processing); <br />
and they consistently behave according to their own moral standards and values, i.e., they Bact as they say^ (4. internalized moral perspective)<br />
Authentic leaders are in addition self-confident, optimistic, reliable, and trustworthy. They lead by example and help create a healthy and ethical work climate.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Authentic followers/team members ===<br />
<br />
Authentic leadership goes beyond the authenticity of the leader as a person to the relationship and development of the team he/she is leading. The relationships are called “authentic followership” and are characterized by:<br />
Transparency, openness, trust<br />
Guidance towards worthy objectives<br />
Emphasis on follower development<br />
<br />
The open and trustworthy relationship between leader and followers is believed to develop the values and beliefs of the followers over time, leading to “authentic followers”. By increasing their authenticity they will in turn be more transparent with the leader which will benefit the organization. <br />
<br />
Empirical research has found that authentic leadership has a positive effect on followers well-being, increased work engagement, commitment, job satisfaction and behaviors like task performance, creativity (Banks et al., 2016; Hoch et al., 2018; Schuh et al., 2017). <br />
<br />
As Levy points out in project management context followers or most likely team members, but still in this case authentic leadership behaviors will foster more authentic team members. <br />
<br />
As projects often happen in an organizational context the improvement of the organization can have lasting effects on other projects.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic vs Charismatic ==<br />
<br />
=== Relation to Transformative leadership Theory ===<br />
<br />
To understand where it comes from we will look at how it relates and differentiates to another leadership theory, Transformational leadership. A transformational leadership is also considered as charismatic leadership as it has considerable emotional appeal and possesses the ability to inspire (Ergeneli et al., 2007). Transformational leadership behaviors are associated with four categories:<br />
Idealized influence: when a leader performs as a role model and shares common <br />
visions, encourages and provides a strong sense of purpose.<br />
Inspirational motivation: a leader expresses the importance of desired objectives of the organization and motivates.<br />
Intellectual stimulation: when a leader challenges the normal ideas of followers.<br />
Individualized consideration: when a leader spends more time teaching and coaching for better performance.<br />
<br />
A transformational leader may have a strong vision they communicate influentially, but that vision and charisma may not always come from an authentic place as they could be imposing their own needs or pleasures (Ilies et al., 2005). This seems to correlate with Kernis’s description of fragile high self-esteem as he also mentions narcissists as having a type of fragile high self-esteem that may come from deep insecurities that they are not themselves aware of. This is where authenticity becomes relevant because an authentic leader will not be driven by an inflated ego but by his core values and high morality. Another distinction is that authentic leaders may or may not be charismatic but they will always foster positive development of those around them. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
=== The inauthenticity of Emotional Intelligence ===<br />
<br />
Emotional intelligence has been shown in research to be an important ability in leadership. (Prati, Douglas, Ferris, Ammeter, & Buckley, 2003; Walter & Bruch, 2007; Wolff, Pescosolido, & Druskat, 2002). Walter & Bruch (2007), showed that emotional intelligence was a significant predictor of leadership abilities. Interestingly emotional intelligent leaders were seen as charismatic leaders by their followers, regardless of their actual emotional state. Apparently, emotionally intelligent leaders are especially skilled at regulating their emotions to generate perceptions of charisma.<br />
In that regard the question of authenticity becomes relevant in the case of emotional intelligence, because it questions whether the charisma of an emotional intelligent leader is genuine or if it is acting. If a leader engages in surface acting that is, manipulating others by deliberately changing the emotions displayed, then followers will see it as fake. Deep acting, however, is the effort to change inner feelings to deceive themselves. This type of acting will be perceived as authentic by others, but interestingly the deep acting individual will have a higher felt authenticity than surface acting individuals. Nonetheless, deep acting still violates inner feelings and therefore compromises authenticity, despite that the leader may not recognize this to be the case. It was shown in empirical studies that surface and deep acting were more emotionally exhausting than being genuine (Glomb & Tews, 2004; Grandey, 2003; Grandey et al., 2007; Johnson & Spector, 2007).<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= How to increase authenticity =<br />
<br />
Traditional leadership training focusing merely on a specific set of skills (e.g., goal setting or intellectual stimulation; Barling, Weber, & Kelloway, 1996; Dvir, Eden, Avolio, & Shamir, 2002) will fall short in this case. However, authentic leadership training cannot be taught with methods or ways to behave because imitating those would be inauthentic. Authentic leadership training requires a holistic approach that accounts for the whole person: one's individual character, values, and preferences (rewrite). <br />
<br />
Increasing authenticity is an introspective process which cannot would be misused if cannot be taught be <br />
We have covered what authenticity means and how it affects project management leadership. The question is now, how does one become authentic? The research <br />
<br />
=== Trigger events ===<br />
<br />
An experience of either positive or negative quality can lead to the development of one’s authentic being. These are called trigger events and can take the form of sudden experiences such as a person close to you passing away, a promotion, reading a book that challenges your core beliefs, forming a relationship, or having an anxiety attack. Such events will “cut through” the perception of self and force one to look critically upon certain aspects of one’s core beliefs and values. This mechanism will naturally allow for personal growth and will increase authenticity.<br />
<br />
This approach of developing authenticity through trigger events has been conceptualized as a potential training “program” for leaders and managers to push them out of their comfort zone to change their behaviors. Proposed by xx, it consists of two phases, an exploration phase where participants recognize their ways of acting inauthentically and trying out new ways of behaving. The second phase is an integration phase where participants recognize the benefit of change through the successful behaviors in their life. <br />
This approach is still on a conceptual basis and it would require many resources to actually make such a program. <br />
<br />
<br />
=== Mindfulness ===<br />
<br />
Mindfulness seems to be the best way of increasing one’s authenticity. Mindfulness is simply the practise of being self-aware and present without interpretation. Self-awareness is the first component of authenticity, also referred to as the “first stage”, which is the baseline of authenticity, without self-awareness one cannot be authentic in the other stages. Enhancing self-awareness with mindfulness one can more easily discover what is true and false within themselves.<br />
Mindfulness training has shown to increase authenticity and well-being. The study found that mindfulness leads to value-based authentic actions, and that the authentic actions themselves leads to well-being.<br />
Mindfulness practices were also shown to enhance authentic leadership in a very comprehensive study of over 1000 leaders. This study showed that leaders with high levels of trait mindfulness were more likely to show authentic leadership behaviors, as perceived by both themselves and their followers. They also found that low-dose mindfulness interventions enhanced leaders authentic behaviors (perceived by themselves and followers). In the study they had leaders do 30 days of app-based meditation, which directly impacted their behavior. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= Limitations =<br />
<br />
Perhaps the reason why authenticity hasn’t had the greatest impact so far is that it is not a quick fix method that can be implemented. It is not a leadership style that can be learnt, and it might (properly) be a difficult process to accept that certain beliefs are false or that your job or partner makes you unhappy and so forth. It has a disruptive power that is both its strength and weakness. <br />
<br />
Authentic Leadership can be seen as a very idealized approach, and it is easy to blame other leadership styles for being inauthentic. However, for project or organizational success it might be beneficial to display emotions that are not heartfelt. Gardner comes with an example that if a leader announces employee layoffs it would be expected to express empathy and concern for the affected employees, and would most likely be met with anger and resentment from employees if the leader failed to display such emotions. If such emotions are not heartfelt, however, expressing them would be inauthentic. If the audience detects a lack of sincerity on the part of the leader, he or she may be viewed as hypocritical and disingenuous, thereby undermining his or her credibility with followers. This is the sort of challenge that authentic leaders face in a leadership role, where one might violate one’s true feelings. As we discussed in authentic behavior one might violate authenticity in the behavioral component of authenticity but still has balanced processing and self-awareness present. <br />
<br />
<br />
The question also remains if Authentic Leadership applies for project management. A study didn’t find a significant correlation between authenticity of project managers and project success. This might be because project managers don’t have as much influence as positional leaders, or because project success is influenced very little by the leadership qualities of project managers.<br />
If project success is the only parameter you are interested in, then improving one's authenticity may be a lot of work for a small change. However, further studies should investigate whether authentic project managers positively influence team members in psychological areas such as well-being, felt authenticity, and job satisfaction. These enhanced factors may help the organization in future projects.<br />
<br />
The practise of mindfulness is a great entry to discovering your authentic self. However, critics have accused mindfulness of decontextualising mindfulness from its Buddhist roots, which cuts out the ethics and morals. Instead, it is solely used practically for reducing stress but without any introspection (McMindfulness, highly recommend this article). So far, however, the research shows great results from mindfulness without taking the Buddist tradition into account.</div>Jacobammitsoehttp://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Authenticity&diff=98551Authenticity2021-02-28T14:22:27Z<p>Jacobammitsoe: </p>
<hr />
<div><br />
== Abstract ==<br />
The field of authenticity in project management is in its very beginning at this point (ref), with only a few empirical studies specific to project management. The field, however, builds on Authentic Leadership Theory which, although also a new field, has a solid empirical foundation. We will therefore, begin by understanding the basic principles of Authentic Leadership Theory and then relate it to Project Management. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= What is authenticity? =<br />
Many philosophers and sociologists have attempted to define authenticity since it was first brought up in ancient Greece. The Greeks wrote: “to thine own self be true” (ref xx), which is a quite precise definition of authenticity <br />
- to be true to your own self. We will not go into all the facets and philosophical views of authenticity <br />
- which wouldn’t bring us closer to our authentic self - and go with the two main aspects which defines authenticity that the literature generally agrees on: <br />
<br />
Knowing one’s true self; owning one’s personal experiences, be they thoughts, emotions, needs, wants, preferences, or beliefs.<br />
Acting in accord with one’s true self; expressing oneself in ways that are consistent with one’s understanding of self.<br />
<br />
Authenticity is very much linked to self-esteem, and Kernis sees authenticity and what he calls "optimal self-esteem" as the same. it has been proposed that an authentic person will have "optimal self-esteem" (Kernis).<br />
I believe<br />
that optimal self-esteem involves favorable feelings of<br />
self-worth that arise naturally from successfully dealing<br />
with life challenges; the operation of one’s core, true,<br />
authentic self as a source of input to behavioral choices;<br />
and relationships in which one is valued for who one is<br />
and not for what one achieves. <br />
As Eriksson points out, people are neither completely authentic nor completely inauthentic, it should be seen more as a spectrum of more or less authenticity. <br />
<br />
<br />
As it was proposed by Kernis authenticity can be divided into four components. Each component can be seen as stages towards self-realisation with some stages being more difficult for some people as we will describe below.<br />
<br />
==Four components of authenticity==<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Awareness ===<br />
The awareness of self refers to possessing, and being motivated to increase, one’s knowledge and trust in one’s motives, feelings, desires. It includes, for example, understanding one’s likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, goals and aspirations, dispositional characteristics, and emotional states.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Balanced Processing ===<br />
<br />
This component refers to being objective about all what is observed; one’s positive and negative aspects, emotions, experiences and information. Balanced processing involves not denying, distorting or exaggerating information to fit your personal needs. It can be understood by looking at how people with low or fragile high self-esteem select and interpret information. Such persons find it hard to acknowledge personal shortcomings, such as certain skills or personality traits that they don’t like. They will typically develop strong ego defense mechanisms to distort information about their shortcomings. Individuals with balanced processing will not have strong self-serving biases to gain personal success, and will not have strong defense mechanisms.<br />
<br />
=== Behaviour ===<br />
Authentic behaviour means “acting in accord with one’s values, preferences, and needs as opposed to acting merely to please others or to attain rewards or avoid punishments through acting falsely... Authenticity is not reflected in a compulsion to be one’s true self, but rather in the free and natural expression of core feelings, motives and inclinations.”(Kernis). <br />
This can be seen as the behavioural output of Awareness and Balanced Processing.<br />
<br />
Of course, there will be instances where it will not be appropriate to act on behalf of your core needs and values, because it may not fit the immediate environment. Therefore one must act against the true self, which will lead to a temporally internal conflict. However, unbiased processing and awareness can still be present in such an instance, which would allow one to reflect and learn from the situation. In contrast, if awareness and unbiased processing was not present at that instance, then may not be recognized as an act against one’s values and that would lead to blind obedience.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Relational transparency ===<br />
<br />
A person with high relation orientation will strive for truthfulness and openness in his/her close relationships. It’s about self-disclosure, wanting others to see the “real” you, and the development of mutual intimacy and trust. At the core, it’s about being genuine rather than fake in one’s relationships.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authenticity over achievements ==<br />
<br />
An important point here is that one should not be valued for one's achievements but rather for one's core values. This doesn't <br />
=Authenticity in Project Management=<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic Leadership Theory ==<br />
Authentic Leadership Theory is a new area of research firmly established in 2003 (Avolio, Gardner) that draws insights from positive psychology and full-range leadership (FRL)/transformational leadership theory. It is based on empirical evidence and seems to be the most complete leadership theory, because authenticity is the root of it.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Characteristics of authentic leaders ===<br />
<br />
First of all, an authentic leader must achieve authenticity (as defined above) through self-awareness, self-acceptance, and authentic actions and relationships (Gardner). Authentic leaders has been defined as “those who are deeply aware of how they think and behave and are perceived by others as being aware of their own and others’ values/moral perspectives, knowledge, and strengths; aware of the context in which they operate; and who are confident, hopeful, optimistic, resilient, and of high moral character” (Avolio, Luthans, and Walumbwa 2004, p. 4). <br />
<br />
<br />
Authentic leaders posit the following four distinct characteristics, proposed by Shamir and Eilam (2005):<br />
<br />
- Rather than faking their leadership, authentic leaders are true to themselves (rather than conforming to the expectations of others).<br />
- Authentic leaders are motivated by personal convictions, rather than to attain status, honors, or other personal benefits.<br />
- Authentic leaders are originals, not copies; that is, they lead from their own personal point of view.<br />
- The actions of authentic leaders are based on their personal values and convictions.<br />
<br />
=== Authentic followers/team members ===<br />
<br />
Authentic leadership goes beyond the authenticity of the leader as a person to the relationship and development of the team he/she is leading. The relationships are called “authentic followership” and are characterized by:<br />
- Transparency, openness, trust<br />
- Guidance towards worthy objectives<br />
- Emphasis on follower development<br />
<br />
== Authentic vs Charismatic ==<br />
<br />
=== Relation to Transformative leadership Theory ===<br />
<br />
To understand where it comes from we will look at how it relates and differentiates to another leadership theory, Transformational leadership. A transformational leadership is also considered as charismatic leadership as it has considerable emotional appeal and possesses the ability to inspire (Ergeneli et al., 2007). Transformational leadership behaviors are associated with four categories:<br />
Idealized influence: when a leader performs as a role model and shares common <br />
visions, encourages and provides a strong sense of purpose.<br />
Inspirational motivation: a leader expresses the importance of desired objectives of the organization and motivates.<br />
Intellectual stimulation: when a leader challenges the normal ideas of followers.<br />
Individualized consideration: when a leader spends more time teaching and coaching for better performance.<br />
<br />
A transformational leader may have a vision they communicate influentially, but that vision may not be always true, or the leaders may be imposing their own needs or pleasures (Ilies et al., 2005). This is where authenticity becomes relevant because an authentic leader will not be ego-driven, and has high morality. Another distinction is that authentic leaders may or may not be charismatic but they will always foster positive development of those around them. <br />
<br />
=== The inauthenticity of Emotional Intelligence ===<br />
<br />
Emotional intelligence has been shown in research to be an important ability in leadership. (Prati, Douglas, Ferris, Ammeter, & Buckley, 2003; Walter & Bruch, 2007; Wolff, Pescosolido, & Druskat, 2002). Walter & Bruch (2007), showed that emotional intelligence was a significant predictor of leadership abilities. Interestingly emotional intelligent leaders were seen as charismatic leaders by their followers, regardless of their actual emotional state. Apparently, emotionally intelligent leaders are especially skilled at regulating their emotions to generate perceptions of charisma.<br />
In that regard the question of authenticity becomes relevant in the case of emotional intelligence, because it questions whether the charisma of an emotional intelligent leader is genuine or if it is acting. If a leader engages in surface acting that is, manipulating others by deliberately changing the emotions displayed, then followers will see it as fake. Deep acting, however, is the effort to change inner feelings to deceive themselves. This type of acting will be perceived as authentic by others, but interestingly the deep acting individual will have a higher felt authenticity than surface acting individuals. Nonetheless, deep acting still violates inner feelings and therefore compromises authenticity, despite that the leader may not recognize this to be the case. It was shown in empirical studies that surface and deep acting were more emotionally exhausting than being genuine (Glomb & Tews, 2004; Grandey, 2003; Grandey et al., 2007; Johnson & Spector, 2007).<br />
<br />
Now, it is easy to blame charismatic leaders for being inauthentic, but for the project or organizational success it might be beneficial to display emotions that are not heartfelt. Gardner comes with an example that if a leader announces employee layoffs it would be expected to express empathy and concern for the affected employees, and would most likely be met with anger and resentment from employees if the leader failed to display such emotions. If such emotions are not heartfelt, however, expressing them would be inauthentic. If the audience detects a lack of sincerity on the part of the leader, he or she may be viewed as hypocritical and disingenuous, thereby undermining his or her credibility with followers. This is the sort of challenge that authentic leaders face in a leadership role, where one might violate one’s true feelings. As we discussed in authentic behavior one might violate authenticity in the behavioral component of authenticity but still has balanced processing and self-awareness present. <br />
<br />
<br />
= How to increase authenticity =<br />
<br />
Traditional leadership training focusing merely on a specific set of skills (e.g., goal setting or intellectual stimulation; Barling, Weber, & Kelloway, 1996; Dvir, Eden, Avolio, & Shamir, 2002) will fall short in this case. However, authentic leadership training cannot be taught with methods or ways to behave because imitating those would be inauthentic. Authentic leadership training requires a holistic approach that accounts for the whole person: one's individual character, values, and preferences (rewrite). <br />
<br />
Increasing authenticity is an introspective process which cannot would be misused if cannot be taught be <br />
We have covered what authenticity means and how it affects project management leadership. The question is now, how does one become authentic? The research <br />
<br />
=== Trigger events ===<br />
<br />
An experience of either positive or negative quality can lead to the development of one’s authentic being. These are called trigger events and can take the form of sudden experiences such as a person close to you passing away, a promotion, reading a book that challenges your core beliefs, forming a relationship, or having an anxiety attack. Such events will “cut through” the perception of self and force one to look critically upon certain aspects of one’s core beliefs and values. This mechanism will naturally allow for personal growth and will increase authenticity.<br />
<br />
This approach of developing authenticity through trigger events has been conceptualized as a potential training “program” for leaders and managers to push them out of their comfort zone to change their behaviors. Proposed by xx, it consists of two phases, an exploration phase where participants recognize their ways of acting inauthentically and trying out new ways of behaving. The second phase is an integration phase where participants recognize the benefit of change through the successful behaviors in their life. <br />
This approach is still on a conceptual basis and it would require many resources to actually make such a program. <br />
<br />
<br />
=== Mindfulness ===<br />
<br />
Mindfulness seems to be the best way of increasing one’s authenticity. Mindfulness is simply the practise of being self-aware and present without interpretation. Self-awareness is the first component of authenticity, also referred to as the “first stage”, which is the baseline of authenticity, without self-awareness one cannot be authentic in the other stages. Enhancing self-awareness with mindfulness one can more easily discover what is true and false within themselves.<br />
Mindfulness training has shown to increase authenticity and well-being. The study found that mindfulness leads to value-based authentic actions, and that the authentic actions themselves leads to well-being.<br />
Mindfulness practices were also shown to enhance authentic leadership in a very comprehensive study of over 1000 leaders. This study showed that leaders with high levels of trait mindfulness were more likely to show authentic leadership behaviors, as perceived by both themselves and their followers. They also found that low-dose mindfulness interventions enhanced leaders authentic behaviors (perceived by themselves and followers). In the study they had leaders do 30 days of app-based meditation, which directly impacted their behavior. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= Limitations =<br />
<br />
It's a new field of study so it is not clear how the impact of authenticity effects projects. If project success is the only parameter you are interested in, then improving one's authenticity may be a lot of work for a small change. However, the change towards authentic behaviour will impact every aspect of one's life to the better.</div>Jacobammitsoehttp://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Authenticity&diff=97753Authenticity2021-02-28T11:33:25Z<p>Jacobammitsoe: /* Is Emotional Intelligence authentic? */</p>
<hr />
<div><br />
== Abstract ==<br />
The field of authenticity in project management is in its very beginning at this point (ref), with only a few empirical studies specific to project management. The field, however, builds on Authentic Leadership Theory which, although also a new field, has a solid empirical foundation. We will therefore, begin by understanding the basic principles of Authentic Leadership Theory and then relate it to Project Management. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= What is authenticity? =<br />
Many philosophers and sociologists have attempted to define authenticity since it was first brought up in ancient Greece. The Greeks wrote: “to thine own self be true” (ref xx), which is a quite precise definition of authenticity <br />
- to be true to your own self. We will not go into all the facets and philosophical views of authenticity <br />
- which wouldn’t bring us closer to our authentic self - and go with the two main aspects which defines authenticity that the literature generally agrees on: <br />
<br />
Knowing one’s true self; owning one’s personal experiences, be they thoughts, emotions, needs, wants, preferences, or beliefs.<br />
Acting in accord with one’s true self; expressing oneself in ways that are consistent with one’s understanding of self.<br />
<br />
Authenticity is very much linked to self-esteem, and Kernis sees authenticity and what he calls "optimal self-esteem" as the same. it has been proposed that an authentic person will have "optimal self-esteem" (Kernis).<br />
I believe<br />
that optimal self-esteem involves favorable feelings of<br />
self-worth that arise naturally from successfully dealing<br />
with life challenges; the operation of one’s core, true,<br />
authentic self as a source of input to behavioral choices;<br />
and relationships in which one is valued for who one is<br />
and not for what one achieves. <br />
As Eriksson points out, people are neither completely authentic nor completely inauthentic, it should be seen more as a spectrum of more or less authenticity. <br />
<br />
<br />
As it was proposed by Kernis authenticity can be divided into four components. Each component can be seen as stages towards self-realisation with some stages being more difficult for some people as we will describe below.<br />
<br />
==Four components of authenticity==<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Awareness ===<br />
The awareness of self refers to possessing, and being motivated to increase, one’s knowledge and trust in one’s motives, feelings, desires. It includes, for example, understanding one’s likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, goals and aspirations, dispositional characteristics, and emotional states.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Balanced Processing ===<br />
<br />
This component refers to being objective about all what is observed; one’s positive and negative aspects, emotions, experiences and information. Balanced processing involves not denying, distorting or exaggerating information to fit your personal needs. It can be understood by looking at how people with low or fragile high self-esteem select and interpret information. Such persons find it hard to acknowledge personal shortcomings, such as certain skills or personality traits that they don’t like. They will typically develop strong ego defense mechanisms to distort information about their shortcomings. Individuals with balanced processing will not have strong self-serving biases to gain personal success, and will not have strong defense mechanisms.<br />
<br />
=== Behaviour ===<br />
Authentic behaviour means “acting in accord with one’s values, preferences, and needs as opposed to acting merely to please others or to attain rewards or avoid punishments through acting falsely... Authenticity is not reflected in a compulsion to be one’s true self, but rather in the free and natural expression of core feelings, motives and inclinations.”(Kernis). <br />
This can be seen as the behavioural output of Awareness and Balanced Processing.<br />
<br />
Of course, there will be instances where it will not be appropriate to act on behalf of your core needs and values, because it may not fit the immediate environment. Therefore one must act against the true self, which will lead to a temporally internal conflict. However, unbiased processing and awareness can still be present in such an instance, which would allow one to reflect and learn from the situation. In contrast, if awareness and unbiased processing was not present at that instance, then may not be recognized as an act against one’s values and that would lead to blind obedience.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Relational transparency ===<br />
<br />
A person with high relation orientation will strive for truthfulness and openness in his/her close relationships. It’s about self-disclosure, wanting others to see the “real” you, and the development of mutual intimacy and trust. At the core, it’s about being genuine rather than fake in one’s relationships.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authenticity over achievements ==<br />
<br />
An important point here is that one should not be valued for one's achievements but rather for one's core values. This doesn't <br />
=Authenticity in Project Management=<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic Leadership Theory ==<br />
Authentic Leadership Theory is a new area of research firmly established in 2003 (Avolio, Gardner) that draws insights from positive psychology and full-range leadership (FRL)/transformational leadership theory. It is based on empirical evidence and seems to be the most complete leadership theory, because authenticity is the root of it.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Characteristics of authentic leaders ===<br />
<br />
First of all, an authentic leader must achieve authenticity (as defined above) through self-awareness, self-acceptance, and authentic actions and relationships (Gardner). Authentic leaders has been defined as “those who are deeply aware of how they think and behave and are perceived by others as being aware of their own and others’ values/moral perspectives, knowledge, and strengths; aware of the context in which they operate; and who are confident, hopeful, optimistic, resilient, and of high moral character” (Avolio, Luthans, and Walumbwa 2004, p. 4). <br />
<br />
<br />
Authentic leaders posit the following four distinct characteristics, proposed by Shamir and Eilam (2005):<br />
<br />
- Rather than faking their leadership, authentic leaders are true to themselves (rather than conforming to the expectations of others).<br />
- Authentic leaders are motivated by personal convictions, rather than to attain status, honors, or other personal benefits.<br />
- Authentic leaders are originals, not copies; that is, they lead from their own personal point of view.<br />
- The actions of authentic leaders are based on their personal values and convictions.<br />
<br />
=== Authentic followers/team members ===<br />
<br />
Authentic leadership goes beyond the authenticity of the leader as a person to the relationship and development of the team he/she is leading. The relationships are called “authentic followership” and are characterized by:<br />
- Transparency, openness, trust<br />
- Guidance towards worthy objectives<br />
- Emphasis on follower development<br />
<br />
== Authentic vs Charismatic ==<br />
<br />
=== Relation to Transformative leadership Theory ===<br />
<br />
To understand where it comes from we will look at how it relates and differentiates to another leadership theory, Transformational leadership. A transformational leadership is also considered as charismatic leadership as it has considerable emotional appeal and possesses the ability to inspire (Ergeneli et al., 2007). Transformational leadership behaviors are associated with four categories:<br />
Idealized influence: when a leader performs as a role model and shares common <br />
visions, encourages and provides a strong sense of purpose.<br />
Inspirational motivation: a leader expresses the importance of desired objectives of the organization and motivates.<br />
Intellectual stimulation: when a leader challenges the normal ideas of followers.<br />
Individualized consideration: when a leader spends more time teaching and coaching for better performance.<br />
<br />
A transformational leader may have a vision they communicate influentially, but that vision may not be always true, or the leaders may be imposing their own needs or pleasures (Ilies et al., 2005). This is where authenticity becomes relevant because an authentic leader will not be ego-driven, and has high morality. Another distinction is that authentic leaders may or may not be charismatic but they will always foster positive development of those around them. <br />
<br />
=== The inauthenticity of Emotional Intelligence ===<br />
<br />
= How to increase authenticity =<br />
<br />
Will cover mindfulness as good practice as well as describing how trigger event can cause more authentic behaviour.<br />
<br />
=== Trigger events ===<br />
<br />
=== Mindfulness ===<br />
<br />
= Limitations =<br />
<br />
It's a new field of study so it is not clear how the impact of authenticity effects projects. If project success is the only parameter you are interested in, then improving one's authenticity may be a lot of work for a small change. However, the change towards authentic behaviour will impact every aspect of one's life to the better.</div>Jacobammitsoehttp://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Authenticity&diff=97752Authenticity2021-02-28T11:32:16Z<p>Jacobammitsoe: /* Authentic followers/team members */</p>
<hr />
<div><br />
== Abstract ==<br />
The field of authenticity in project management is in its very beginning at this point (ref), with only a few empirical studies specific to project management. The field, however, builds on Authentic Leadership Theory which, although also a new field, has a solid empirical foundation. We will therefore, begin by understanding the basic principles of Authentic Leadership Theory and then relate it to Project Management. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= What is authenticity? =<br />
Many philosophers and sociologists have attempted to define authenticity since it was first brought up in ancient Greece. The Greeks wrote: “to thine own self be true” (ref xx), which is a quite precise definition of authenticity <br />
- to be true to your own self. We will not go into all the facets and philosophical views of authenticity <br />
- which wouldn’t bring us closer to our authentic self - and go with the two main aspects which defines authenticity that the literature generally agrees on: <br />
<br />
Knowing one’s true self; owning one’s personal experiences, be they thoughts, emotions, needs, wants, preferences, or beliefs.<br />
Acting in accord with one’s true self; expressing oneself in ways that are consistent with one’s understanding of self.<br />
<br />
Authenticity is very much linked to self-esteem, and Kernis sees authenticity and what he calls "optimal self-esteem" as the same. it has been proposed that an authentic person will have "optimal self-esteem" (Kernis).<br />
I believe<br />
that optimal self-esteem involves favorable feelings of<br />
self-worth that arise naturally from successfully dealing<br />
with life challenges; the operation of one’s core, true,<br />
authentic self as a source of input to behavioral choices;<br />
and relationships in which one is valued for who one is<br />
and not for what one achieves. <br />
As Eriksson points out, people are neither completely authentic nor completely inauthentic, it should be seen more as a spectrum of more or less authenticity. <br />
<br />
<br />
As it was proposed by Kernis authenticity can be divided into four components. Each component can be seen as stages towards self-realisation with some stages being more difficult for some people as we will describe below.<br />
<br />
==Four components of authenticity==<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Awareness ===<br />
The awareness of self refers to possessing, and being motivated to increase, one’s knowledge and trust in one’s motives, feelings, desires. It includes, for example, understanding one’s likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, goals and aspirations, dispositional characteristics, and emotional states.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Balanced Processing ===<br />
<br />
This component refers to being objective about all what is observed; one’s positive and negative aspects, emotions, experiences and information. Balanced processing involves not denying, distorting or exaggerating information to fit your personal needs. It can be understood by looking at how people with low or fragile high self-esteem select and interpret information. Such persons find it hard to acknowledge personal shortcomings, such as certain skills or personality traits that they don’t like. They will typically develop strong ego defense mechanisms to distort information about their shortcomings. Individuals with balanced processing will not have strong self-serving biases to gain personal success, and will not have strong defense mechanisms.<br />
<br />
=== Behaviour ===<br />
Authentic behaviour means “acting in accord with one’s values, preferences, and needs as opposed to acting merely to please others or to attain rewards or avoid punishments through acting falsely... Authenticity is not reflected in a compulsion to be one’s true self, but rather in the free and natural expression of core feelings, motives and inclinations.”(Kernis). <br />
This can be seen as the behavioural output of Awareness and Balanced Processing.<br />
<br />
Of course, there will be instances where it will not be appropriate to act on behalf of your core needs and values, because it may not fit the immediate environment. Therefore one must act against the true self, which will lead to a temporally internal conflict. However, unbiased processing and awareness can still be present in such an instance, which would allow one to reflect and learn from the situation. In contrast, if awareness and unbiased processing was not present at that instance, then may not be recognized as an act against one’s values and that would lead to blind obedience.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Relational transparency ===<br />
<br />
A person with high relation orientation will strive for truthfulness and openness in his/her close relationships. It’s about self-disclosure, wanting others to see the “real” you, and the development of mutual intimacy and trust. At the core, it’s about being genuine rather than fake in one’s relationships.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authenticity over achievements ==<br />
<br />
An important point here is that one should not be valued for one's achievements but rather for one's core values. This doesn't <br />
=Authenticity in Project Management=<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic Leadership Theory ==<br />
Authentic Leadership Theory is a new area of research firmly established in 2003 (Avolio, Gardner) that draws insights from positive psychology and full-range leadership (FRL)/transformational leadership theory. It is based on empirical evidence and seems to be the most complete leadership theory, because authenticity is the root of it.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Characteristics of authentic leaders ===<br />
<br />
First of all, an authentic leader must achieve authenticity (as defined above) through self-awareness, self-acceptance, and authentic actions and relationships (Gardner). Authentic leaders has been defined as “those who are deeply aware of how they think and behave and are perceived by others as being aware of their own and others’ values/moral perspectives, knowledge, and strengths; aware of the context in which they operate; and who are confident, hopeful, optimistic, resilient, and of high moral character” (Avolio, Luthans, and Walumbwa 2004, p. 4). <br />
<br />
<br />
Authentic leaders posit the following four distinct characteristics, proposed by Shamir and Eilam (2005):<br />
<br />
- Rather than faking their leadership, authentic leaders are true to themselves (rather than conforming to the expectations of others).<br />
- Authentic leaders are motivated by personal convictions, rather than to attain status, honors, or other personal benefits.<br />
- Authentic leaders are originals, not copies; that is, they lead from their own personal point of view.<br />
- The actions of authentic leaders are based on their personal values and convictions.<br />
<br />
=== Authentic followers/team members ===<br />
<br />
Authentic leadership goes beyond the authenticity of the leader as a person to the relationship and development of the team he/she is leading. The relationships are called “authentic followership” and are characterized by:<br />
- Transparency, openness, trust<br />
- Guidance towards worthy objectives<br />
- Emphasis on follower development<br />
<br />
== Authentic vs Charismatic ==<br />
<br />
=== Relation to Transformative leadership Theory ===<br />
<br />
To understand where it comes from we will look at how it relates and differentiates to another leadership theory, Transformational leadership. A transformational leadership is also considered as charismatic leadership as it has considerable emotional appeal and possesses the ability to inspire (Ergeneli et al., 2007). Transformational leadership behaviors are associated with four categories:<br />
Idealized influence: when a leader performs as a role model and shares common <br />
visions, encourages and provides a strong sense of purpose.<br />
Inspirational motivation: a leader expresses the importance of desired objectives of the organization and motivates.<br />
Intellectual stimulation: when a leader challenges the normal ideas of followers.<br />
Individualized consideration: when a leader spends more time teaching and coaching for better performance.<br />
<br />
A transformational leader may have a vision they communicate influentially, but that vision may not be always true, or the leaders may be imposing their own needs or pleasures (Ilies et al., 2005). This is where authenticity becomes relevant because an authentic leader will not be ego-driven, and has high morality. Another distinction is that authentic leaders may or may not be charismatic but they will always foster positive development of those around them. <br />
<br />
=== Is Emotional Intelligence authentic? ===<br />
<br />
= How to increase authenticity =<br />
<br />
Will cover mindfulness as good practice as well as describing how trigger event can cause more authentic behaviour.<br />
<br />
=== Trigger events ===<br />
<br />
=== Mindfulness ===<br />
<br />
= Limitations =<br />
<br />
It's a new field of study so it is not clear how the impact of authenticity effects projects. If project success is the only parameter you are interested in, then improving one's authenticity may be a lot of work for a small change. However, the change towards authentic behaviour will impact every aspect of one's life to the better.</div>Jacobammitsoehttp://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Authenticity&diff=97744Authenticity2021-02-28T11:27:52Z<p>Jacobammitsoe: /* Authentic vs Charismatic */</p>
<hr />
<div><br />
== Abstract ==<br />
The field of authenticity in project management is in its very beginning at this point (ref), with only a few empirical studies specific to project management. The field, however, builds on Authentic Leadership Theory which, although also a new field, has a solid empirical foundation. We will therefore, begin by understanding the basic principles of Authentic Leadership Theory and then relate it to Project Management. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= What is authenticity? =<br />
Many philosophers and sociologists have attempted to define authenticity since it was first brought up in ancient Greece. The Greeks wrote: “to thine own self be true” (ref xx), which is a quite precise definition of authenticity <br />
- to be true to your own self. We will not go into all the facets and philosophical views of authenticity <br />
- which wouldn’t bring us closer to our authentic self - and go with the two main aspects which defines authenticity that the literature generally agrees on: <br />
<br />
Knowing one’s true self; owning one’s personal experiences, be they thoughts, emotions, needs, wants, preferences, or beliefs.<br />
Acting in accord with one’s true self; expressing oneself in ways that are consistent with one’s understanding of self.<br />
<br />
Authenticity is very much linked to self-esteem, and Kernis sees authenticity and what he calls "optimal self-esteem" as the same. it has been proposed that an authentic person will have "optimal self-esteem" (Kernis).<br />
I believe<br />
that optimal self-esteem involves favorable feelings of<br />
self-worth that arise naturally from successfully dealing<br />
with life challenges; the operation of one’s core, true,<br />
authentic self as a source of input to behavioral choices;<br />
and relationships in which one is valued for who one is<br />
and not for what one achieves. <br />
As Eriksson points out, people are neither completely authentic nor completely inauthentic, it should be seen more as a spectrum of more or less authenticity. <br />
<br />
<br />
As it was proposed by Kernis authenticity can be divided into four components. Each component can be seen as stages towards self-realisation with some stages being more difficult for some people as we will describe below.<br />
<br />
==Four components of authenticity==<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Awareness ===<br />
The awareness of self refers to possessing, and being motivated to increase, one’s knowledge and trust in one’s motives, feelings, desires. It includes, for example, understanding one’s likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, goals and aspirations, dispositional characteristics, and emotional states.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Balanced Processing ===<br />
<br />
This component refers to being objective about all what is observed; one’s positive and negative aspects, emotions, experiences and information. Balanced processing involves not denying, distorting or exaggerating information to fit your personal needs. It can be understood by looking at how people with low or fragile high self-esteem select and interpret information. Such persons find it hard to acknowledge personal shortcomings, such as certain skills or personality traits that they don’t like. They will typically develop strong ego defense mechanisms to distort information about their shortcomings. Individuals with balanced processing will not have strong self-serving biases to gain personal success, and will not have strong defense mechanisms.<br />
<br />
=== Behaviour ===<br />
Authentic behaviour means “acting in accord with one’s values, preferences, and needs as opposed to acting merely to please others or to attain rewards or avoid punishments through acting falsely... Authenticity is not reflected in a compulsion to be one’s true self, but rather in the free and natural expression of core feelings, motives and inclinations.”(Kernis). <br />
This can be seen as the behavioural output of Awareness and Balanced Processing.<br />
<br />
Of course, there will be instances where it will not be appropriate to act on behalf of your core needs and values, because it may not fit the immediate environment. Therefore one must act against the true self, which will lead to a temporally internal conflict. However, unbiased processing and awareness can still be present in such an instance, which would allow one to reflect and learn from the situation. In contrast, if awareness and unbiased processing was not present at that instance, then may not be recognized as an act against one’s values and that would lead to blind obedience.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Relational transparency ===<br />
<br />
A person with high relation orientation will strive for truthfulness and openness in his/her close relationships. It’s about self-disclosure, wanting others to see the “real” you, and the development of mutual intimacy and trust. At the core, it’s about being genuine rather than fake in one’s relationships.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authenticity over achievements ==<br />
<br />
An important point here is that one should not be valued for one's achievements but rather for one's core values. This doesn't <br />
=Authenticity in Project Management=<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic Leadership Theory ==<br />
Authentic Leadership Theory is a new area of research firmly established in 2003 (Avolio, Gardner) that draws insights from positive psychology and full-range leadership (FRL)/transformational leadership theory. It is based on empirical evidence and seems to be the most complete leadership theory, because authenticity is the root of it.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Characteristics of authentic leaders ===<br />
<br />
First of all, an authentic leader must achieve authenticity (as defined above) through self-awareness, self-acceptance, and authentic actions and relationships (Gardner). Authentic leaders has been defined as “those who are deeply aware of how they think and behave and are perceived by others as being aware of their own and others’ values/moral perspectives, knowledge, and strengths; aware of the context in which they operate; and who are confident, hopeful, optimistic, resilient, and of high moral character” (Avolio, Luthans, and Walumbwa 2004, p. 4). <br />
<br />
<br />
Authentic leaders posit the following four distinct characteristics, proposed by Shamir and Eilam (2005):<br />
<br />
- Rather than faking their leadership, authentic leaders are true to themselves (rather than conforming to the expectations of others).<br />
- Authentic leaders are motivated by personal convictions, rather than to attain status, honors, or other personal benefits.<br />
- Authentic leaders are originals, not copies; that is, they lead from their own personal point of view.<br />
- The actions of authentic leaders are based on their personal values and convictions.<br />
<br />
== Authentic followers/team members ==<br />
<br />
Authentic leadership goes beyond the authenticity of the leader as a person to the relationship and development of the team he/she is leading. The relationships are called “authentic followership” and are characterized by:<br />
- Transparency, openness, trust<br />
- Guidance towards worthy objectives<br />
- Emphasis on follower development<br />
<br />
== Authentic vs Charismatic ==<br />
<br />
=== Relation to Transformative leadership Theory ===<br />
<br />
To understand where it comes from we will look at how it relates and differentiates to another leadership theory, Transformational leadership. A transformational leadership is also considered as charismatic leadership as it has considerable emotional appeal and possesses the ability to inspire (Ergeneli et al., 2007). Transformational leadership behaviors are associated with four categories:<br />
Idealized influence: when a leader performs as a role model and shares common <br />
visions, encourages and provides a strong sense of purpose.<br />
Inspirational motivation: a leader expresses the importance of desired objectives of the organization and motivates.<br />
Intellectual stimulation: when a leader challenges the normal ideas of followers.<br />
Individualized consideration: when a leader spends more time teaching and coaching for better performance.<br />
<br />
A transformational leader may have a vision they communicate influentially, but that vision may not be always true, or the leaders may be imposing their own needs or pleasures (Ilies et al., 2005). This is where authenticity becomes relevant because an authentic leader will not be ego-driven, and has high morality. Another distinction is that authentic leaders may or may not be charismatic but they will always foster positive development of those around them. <br />
<br />
=== Is Emotional Intelligence authentic? ===<br />
<br />
= How to increase authenticity =<br />
<br />
Will cover mindfulness as good practice as well as describing how trigger event can cause more authentic behaviour.<br />
<br />
=== Trigger events ===<br />
<br />
=== Mindfulness ===<br />
<br />
= Limitations =<br />
<br />
It's a new field of study so it is not clear how the impact of authenticity effects projects. If project success is the only parameter you are interested in, then improving one's authenticity may be a lot of work for a small change. However, the change towards authentic behaviour will impact every aspect of one's life to the better.</div>Jacobammitsoehttp://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Authenticity&diff=97742Authenticity2021-02-28T11:26:10Z<p>Jacobammitsoe: /* Is Emotional Intelligence authentic? */</p>
<hr />
<div><br />
== Abstract ==<br />
The field of authenticity in project management is in its very beginning at this point (ref), with only a few empirical studies specific to project management. The field, however, builds on Authentic Leadership Theory which, although also a new field, has a solid empirical foundation. We will therefore, begin by understanding the basic principles of Authentic Leadership Theory and then relate it to Project Management. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= What is authenticity? =<br />
Many philosophers and sociologists have attempted to define authenticity since it was first brought up in ancient Greece. The Greeks wrote: “to thine own self be true” (ref xx), which is a quite precise definition of authenticity <br />
- to be true to your own self. We will not go into all the facets and philosophical views of authenticity <br />
- which wouldn’t bring us closer to our authentic self - and go with the two main aspects which defines authenticity that the literature generally agrees on: <br />
<br />
Knowing one’s true self; owning one’s personal experiences, be they thoughts, emotions, needs, wants, preferences, or beliefs.<br />
Acting in accord with one’s true self; expressing oneself in ways that are consistent with one’s understanding of self.<br />
<br />
Authenticity is very much linked to self-esteem, and Kernis sees authenticity and what he calls "optimal self-esteem" as the same. it has been proposed that an authentic person will have "optimal self-esteem" (Kernis).<br />
I believe<br />
that optimal self-esteem involves favorable feelings of<br />
self-worth that arise naturally from successfully dealing<br />
with life challenges; the operation of one’s core, true,<br />
authentic self as a source of input to behavioral choices;<br />
and relationships in which one is valued for who one is<br />
and not for what one achieves. <br />
As Eriksson points out, people are neither completely authentic nor completely inauthentic, it should be seen more as a spectrum of more or less authenticity. <br />
<br />
<br />
As it was proposed by Kernis authenticity can be divided into four components. Each component can be seen as stages towards self-realisation with some stages being more difficult for some people as we will describe below.<br />
<br />
==Four components of authenticity==<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Awareness ===<br />
The awareness of self refers to possessing, and being motivated to increase, one’s knowledge and trust in one’s motives, feelings, desires. It includes, for example, understanding one’s likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, goals and aspirations, dispositional characteristics, and emotional states.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Balanced Processing ===<br />
<br />
This component refers to being objective about all what is observed; one’s positive and negative aspects, emotions, experiences and information. Balanced processing involves not denying, distorting or exaggerating information to fit your personal needs. It can be understood by looking at how people with low or fragile high self-esteem select and interpret information. Such persons find it hard to acknowledge personal shortcomings, such as certain skills or personality traits that they don’t like. They will typically develop strong ego defense mechanisms to distort information about their shortcomings. Individuals with balanced processing will not have strong self-serving biases to gain personal success, and will not have strong defense mechanisms.<br />
<br />
=== Behaviour ===<br />
Authentic behaviour means “acting in accord with one’s values, preferences, and needs as opposed to acting merely to please others or to attain rewards or avoid punishments through acting falsely... Authenticity is not reflected in a compulsion to be one’s true self, but rather in the free and natural expression of core feelings, motives and inclinations.”(Kernis). <br />
This can be seen as the behavioural output of Awareness and Balanced Processing.<br />
<br />
Of course, there will be instances where it will not be appropriate to act on behalf of your core needs and values, because it may not fit the immediate environment. Therefore one must act against the true self, which will lead to a temporally internal conflict. However, unbiased processing and awareness can still be present in such an instance, which would allow one to reflect and learn from the situation. In contrast, if awareness and unbiased processing was not present at that instance, then may not be recognized as an act against one’s values and that would lead to blind obedience.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Relational transparency ===<br />
<br />
A person with high relation orientation will strive for truthfulness and openness in his/her close relationships. It’s about self-disclosure, wanting others to see the “real” you, and the development of mutual intimacy and trust. At the core, it’s about being genuine rather than fake in one’s relationships.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authenticity over achievements ==<br />
<br />
An important point here is that one should not be valued for one's achievements but rather for one's core values. This doesn't <br />
=Authenticity in Project Management=<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic Leadership Theory ==<br />
Authentic Leadership Theory is a new area of research firmly established in 2003 (Avolio, Gardner) that draws insights from positive psychology and full-range leadership (FRL)/transformational leadership theory. It is based on empirical evidence and seems to be the most complete leadership theory, because authenticity is the root of it.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Characteristics of authentic leaders ===<br />
<br />
First of all, an authentic leader must achieve authenticity (as defined above) through self-awareness, self-acceptance, and authentic actions and relationships (Gardner). Authentic leaders has been defined as “those who are deeply aware of how they think and behave and are perceived by others as being aware of their own and others’ values/moral perspectives, knowledge, and strengths; aware of the context in which they operate; and who are confident, hopeful, optimistic, resilient, and of high moral character” (Avolio, Luthans, and Walumbwa 2004, p. 4). <br />
<br />
<br />
Authentic leaders posit the following four distinct characteristics, proposed by Shamir and Eilam (2005):<br />
<br />
- Rather than faking their leadership, authentic leaders are true to themselves (rather than conforming to the expectations of others).<br />
- Authentic leaders are motivated by personal convictions, rather than to attain status, honors, or other personal benefits.<br />
- Authentic leaders are originals, not copies; that is, they lead from their own personal point of view.<br />
- The actions of authentic leaders are based on their personal values and convictions.<br />
<br />
== Authentic followers/team members ==<br />
<br />
Authentic leadership goes beyond the authenticity of the leader as a person to the relationship and development of the team he/she is leading. The relationships are called “authentic followership” and are characterized by:<br />
- Transparency, openness, trust<br />
- Guidance towards worthy objectives<br />
- Emphasis on follower development<br />
<br />
= Authentic vs Charismatic =<br />
<br />
=== Relation to Transformative leadership Theory ===<br />
<br />
To understand where it comes from we will look at how it relates and differentiates to another leadership theory, Transformational leadership. A transformational leadership is also considered as charismatic leadership as it has considerable emotional appeal and possesses the ability to inspire (Ergeneli et al., 2007). Transformational leadership behaviors are associated with four categories:<br />
Idealized influence: when a leader performs as a role model and shares common <br />
visions, encourages and provides a strong sense of purpose.<br />
Inspirational motivation: a leader expresses the importance of desired objectives of the organization and motivates.<br />
Intellectual stimulation: when a leader challenges the normal ideas of followers.<br />
Individualized consideration: when a leader spends more time teaching and coaching for better performance.<br />
<br />
A transformational leader may have a vision they communicate influentially, but that vision may not be always true, or the leaders may be imposing their own needs or pleasures (Ilies et al., 2005). This is where authenticity becomes relevant because an authentic leader will not be ego-driven, and has high morality. Another distinction is that authentic leaders may or may not be charismatic but they will always foster positive development of those around them. <br />
<br />
=== Is Emotional Intelligence authentic? ===<br />
<br />
= How to increase authenticity =<br />
<br />
Will cover mindfulness as good practice as well as describing how trigger event can cause more authentic behaviour.<br />
<br />
=== Trigger events ===<br />
<br />
=== Mindfulness ===<br />
<br />
= Limitations =<br />
<br />
It's a new field of study so it is not clear how the impact of authenticity effects projects. If project success is the only parameter you are interested in, then improving one's authenticity may be a lot of work for a small change. However, the change towards authentic behaviour will impact every aspect of one's life to the better.</div>Jacobammitsoehttp://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Authenticity&diff=97739Authenticity2021-02-28T11:25:12Z<p>Jacobammitsoe: </p>
<hr />
<div><br />
== Abstract ==<br />
The field of authenticity in project management is in its very beginning at this point (ref), with only a few empirical studies specific to project management. The field, however, builds on Authentic Leadership Theory which, although also a new field, has a solid empirical foundation. We will therefore, begin by understanding the basic principles of Authentic Leadership Theory and then relate it to Project Management. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= What is authenticity? =<br />
Many philosophers and sociologists have attempted to define authenticity since it was first brought up in ancient Greece. The Greeks wrote: “to thine own self be true” (ref xx), which is a quite precise definition of authenticity <br />
- to be true to your own self. We will not go into all the facets and philosophical views of authenticity <br />
- which wouldn’t bring us closer to our authentic self - and go with the two main aspects which defines authenticity that the literature generally agrees on: <br />
<br />
Knowing one’s true self; owning one’s personal experiences, be they thoughts, emotions, needs, wants, preferences, or beliefs.<br />
Acting in accord with one’s true self; expressing oneself in ways that are consistent with one’s understanding of self.<br />
<br />
Authenticity is very much linked to self-esteem, and Kernis sees authenticity and what he calls "optimal self-esteem" as the same. it has been proposed that an authentic person will have "optimal self-esteem" (Kernis).<br />
I believe<br />
that optimal self-esteem involves favorable feelings of<br />
self-worth that arise naturally from successfully dealing<br />
with life challenges; the operation of one’s core, true,<br />
authentic self as a source of input to behavioral choices;<br />
and relationships in which one is valued for who one is<br />
and not for what one achieves. <br />
As Eriksson points out, people are neither completely authentic nor completely inauthentic, it should be seen more as a spectrum of more or less authenticity. <br />
<br />
<br />
As it was proposed by Kernis authenticity can be divided into four components. Each component can be seen as stages towards self-realisation with some stages being more difficult for some people as we will describe below.<br />
<br />
==Four components of authenticity==<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Awareness ===<br />
The awareness of self refers to possessing, and being motivated to increase, one’s knowledge and trust in one’s motives, feelings, desires. It includes, for example, understanding one’s likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, goals and aspirations, dispositional characteristics, and emotional states.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Balanced Processing ===<br />
<br />
This component refers to being objective about all what is observed; one’s positive and negative aspects, emotions, experiences and information. Balanced processing involves not denying, distorting or exaggerating information to fit your personal needs. It can be understood by looking at how people with low or fragile high self-esteem select and interpret information. Such persons find it hard to acknowledge personal shortcomings, such as certain skills or personality traits that they don’t like. They will typically develop strong ego defense mechanisms to distort information about their shortcomings. Individuals with balanced processing will not have strong self-serving biases to gain personal success, and will not have strong defense mechanisms.<br />
<br />
=== Behaviour ===<br />
Authentic behaviour means “acting in accord with one’s values, preferences, and needs as opposed to acting merely to please others or to attain rewards or avoid punishments through acting falsely... Authenticity is not reflected in a compulsion to be one’s true self, but rather in the free and natural expression of core feelings, motives and inclinations.”(Kernis). <br />
This can be seen as the behavioural output of Awareness and Balanced Processing.<br />
<br />
Of course, there will be instances where it will not be appropriate to act on behalf of your core needs and values, because it may not fit the immediate environment. Therefore one must act against the true self, which will lead to a temporally internal conflict. However, unbiased processing and awareness can still be present in such an instance, which would allow one to reflect and learn from the situation. In contrast, if awareness and unbiased processing was not present at that instance, then may not be recognized as an act against one’s values and that would lead to blind obedience.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Relational transparency ===<br />
<br />
A person with high relation orientation will strive for truthfulness and openness in his/her close relationships. It’s about self-disclosure, wanting others to see the “real” you, and the development of mutual intimacy and trust. At the core, it’s about being genuine rather than fake in one’s relationships.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authenticity over achievements ==<br />
<br />
An important point here is that one should not be valued for one's achievements but rather for one's core values. This doesn't <br />
=Authenticity in Project Management=<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic Leadership Theory ==<br />
Authentic Leadership Theory is a new area of research firmly established in 2003 (Avolio, Gardner) that draws insights from positive psychology and full-range leadership (FRL)/transformational leadership theory. It is based on empirical evidence and seems to be the most complete leadership theory, because authenticity is the root of it.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Characteristics of authentic leaders ===<br />
<br />
First of all, an authentic leader must achieve authenticity (as defined above) through self-awareness, self-acceptance, and authentic actions and relationships (Gardner). Authentic leaders has been defined as “those who are deeply aware of how they think and behave and are perceived by others as being aware of their own and others’ values/moral perspectives, knowledge, and strengths; aware of the context in which they operate; and who are confident, hopeful, optimistic, resilient, and of high moral character” (Avolio, Luthans, and Walumbwa 2004, p. 4). <br />
<br />
<br />
Authentic leaders posit the following four distinct characteristics, proposed by Shamir and Eilam (2005):<br />
<br />
- Rather than faking their leadership, authentic leaders are true to themselves (rather than conforming to the expectations of others).<br />
- Authentic leaders are motivated by personal convictions, rather than to attain status, honors, or other personal benefits.<br />
- Authentic leaders are originals, not copies; that is, they lead from their own personal point of view.<br />
- The actions of authentic leaders are based on their personal values and convictions.<br />
<br />
== Authentic followers/team members ==<br />
<br />
Authentic leadership goes beyond the authenticity of the leader as a person to the relationship and development of the team he/she is leading. The relationships are called “authentic followership” and are characterized by:<br />
- Transparency, openness, trust<br />
- Guidance towards worthy objectives<br />
- Emphasis on follower development<br />
<br />
= Authentic vs Charismatic =<br />
<br />
=== Relation to Transformative leadership Theory ===<br />
<br />
To understand where it comes from we will look at how it relates and differentiates to another leadership theory, Transformational leadership. A transformational leadership is also considered as charismatic leadership as it has considerable emotional appeal and possesses the ability to inspire (Ergeneli et al., 2007). Transformational leadership behaviors are associated with four categories:<br />
Idealized influence: when a leader performs as a role model and shares common <br />
visions, encourages and provides a strong sense of purpose.<br />
Inspirational motivation: a leader expresses the importance of desired objectives of the organization and motivates.<br />
Intellectual stimulation: when a leader challenges the normal ideas of followers.<br />
Individualized consideration: when a leader spends more time teaching and coaching for better performance.<br />
<br />
A transformational leader may have a vision they communicate influentially, but that vision may not be always true, or the leaders may be imposing their own needs or pleasures (Ilies et al., 2005). This is where authenticity becomes relevant because an authentic leader will not be ego-driven, and has high morality. Another distinction is that authentic leaders may or may not be charismatic but they will always foster positive development of those around them. <br />
<br />
== Is Emotional Intelligence authentic? ==<br />
<br />
<br />
= How to increase authenticity =<br />
<br />
Will cover mindfulness as good practice as well as describing how trigger event can cause more authentic behaviour.<br />
<br />
=== Trigger events ===<br />
<br />
=== Mindfulness ===<br />
<br />
= Limitations =<br />
<br />
It's a new field of study so it is not clear how the impact of authenticity effects projects. If project success is the only parameter you are interested in, then improving one's authenticity may be a lot of work for a small change. However, the change towards authentic behaviour will impact every aspect of one's life to the better.</div>Jacobammitsoehttp://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Authenticity&diff=91346Authenticity2021-02-22T10:37:04Z<p>Jacobammitsoe: </p>
<hr />
<div><br />
== Abstract ==<br />
The field of authenticity in project management is in its very beginning at this point (ref), with only a few empirical studies specific to project management. The field, however, builds on Authentic Leadership Theory which, although also a new field, has a solid empirical foundation. We will therefore, begin by understanding the basic principles of Authentic Leadership Theory and then relate it to Project Management. <br />
<br />
<br />
== Why Authenticity in Project Management is important ==<br />
<br />
Authenticity may seem as a trivial topic in Project Management since it doesn’t directly have anything to do with the four perspectives, Purpose, People, Complexity, Uncertainty. And yet, all four perspectives will benefit greatly with an authentic project manager with high ethical standards and openness towards others. Authentic PM’s will inspire their team members to perform better with more satisfaction and improve the overall organization. Authenticity is, however, not limited to Project Management. One can not learn to just be an authentic project manager, you must start by being an authentic person in everything you do. Being an authentic person comes first and then the benefits of authenticity will shine through all aspects of your life from project management to fatherhood. This article is not meant as a 3 step tutorial to being authentic, because you cannot become authentic by intellectual understanding only. You have to face yourself and who you think you are and challenge that through introspection. That said, the article will help a true understanding of the topic in regards to project management both theoretically, empirically and point to practical ways of getting more authentic as a person and as a project manager. <br />
<br />
<br />
= What is authenticity? =<br />
Many philosophers and sociologists have attempted to define authenticity since it was first brought up in ancient Greece. The Greeks wrote: “to thine own self be true” (ref xx), which is a quite precise definition of authenticity <br />
- to be true to your own self. We will not go into all the facets and philosophical views of authenticity <br />
- which wouldn’t bring us closer to our authentic self - and go with the two main aspects which defines authenticity that the literature generally agrees on: <br />
<br />
Knowing one’s true self; owning one’s personal experiences, be they thoughts, emotions, needs, wants, preferences, or beliefs.<br />
Acting in accord with one’s true self; expressing oneself in ways that are consistent with one’s understanding of self.<br />
<br />
Authenticity is very much linked to self-esteem, and Kernis sees authenticity and what he calls "optimal self-esteem" as the same. it has been proposed that an authentic person will have "optimal self-esteem" (Kernis).<br />
I believe<br />
that optimal self-esteem involves favorable feelings of<br />
self-worth that arise naturally from successfully dealing<br />
with life challenges; the operation of one’s core, true,<br />
authentic self as a source of input to behavioral choices;<br />
and relationships in which one is valued for who one is<br />
and not for what one achieves. <br />
As Eriksson points out, people are neither completely authentic nor completely inauthentic, it should be seen more as a spectrum of more or less authenticity. <br />
<br />
<br />
As it was proposed by Kernis authenticity can be divided into four components. Each component can be seen as stages towards self-realisation with some stages being more difficult for some people as we will describe below.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Awareness ===<br />
The awareness of self refers to possessing, and being motivated to increase, one’s knowledge and trust in one’s motives, feelings, desires. It includes, for example, understanding one’s likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, goals and aspirations, dispositional characteristics, and emotional states.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Balanced Processing ===<br />
<br />
This component refers to being objective about all what is observed; one’s positive and negative aspects, emotions, experiences and information. Balanced processing involves not denying, distorting or exaggerating information to fit your personal needs. It can be understood by looking at how people with low or fragile high self-esteem select and interpret information. Such persons find it hard to acknowledge personal shortcomings, such as certain skills or personality traits that they don’t like. They will typically develop strong ego defense mechanisms to distort information about their shortcomings. Individuals with balanced processing will not have strong self-serving biases to gain personal success, and will not have strong defense mechanisms.<br />
<br />
=== Behaviour ===<br />
Authentic behaviour means “acting in accord with one’s values, preferences, and needs as opposed to acting merely to please others or to attain rewards or avoid punishments through acting falsely... Authenticity is not reflected in a compulsion to be one’s true self, but rather in the free and natural expression of core feelings, motives and inclinations.”(Kernis). <br />
This can be seen as the behavioural output of Awareness and Balanced Processing.<br />
<br />
Of course, there will be instances where it will not be appropriate to act on behalf of your core needs and values, because it may not fit the immediate environment. Therefore one must act against the true self, which will lead to a temporally internal conflict. However, unbiased processing and awareness can still be present in such an instance, which would allow one to reflect and learn from the situation. In contrast, if awareness and unbiased processing was not present at that instance, then may not be recognized as an act against one’s values and that would lead to blind obedience.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Relational transparency ===<br />
<br />
A person with high relation orientation will strive for truthfulness and openness in his/her close relationships. It’s about self-disclosure, wanting others to see the “real” you, and the development of mutual intimacy and trust. At the core, it’s about being genuine rather than fake in one’s relationships.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authenticity over achievements ==<br />
<br />
An important point here is that one should not be valued for one's achievements but rather for one's core values. This doesn't <br />
<br />
= Authentic Leadership Theory =<br />
Authentic Leadership Theory is a new area of research firmly established in 2003 (Avolio, Gardner) that draws insights from positive psychology and full-range leadership (FRL)/transformational leadership theory. It is based on empirical evidence and seems to be the most complete leadership theory, because authenticity is the root of it.<br />
<br />
== Characteristics of authentic leaders ==<br />
<br />
First of all, an authentic leader must achieve authenticity (as defined above) through self-awareness, self-acceptance, and authentic actions and relationships (Gardner). Authentic leaders has been defined as “those who are deeply aware of how they think and behave and are perceived by others as being aware of their own and others’ values/moral perspectives, knowledge, and strengths; aware of the context in which they operate; and who are confident, hopeful, optimistic, resilient, and of high moral character” (Avolio, Luthans, and Walumbwa 2004, p. 4). <br />
<br />
<br />
Authentic leaders posit the following four distinct characteristics, proposed by Shamir and Eilam (2005):<br />
<br />
- Rather than faking their leadership, authentic leaders are true to themselves (rather than conforming to the expectations of others).<br />
- Authentic leaders are motivated by personal convictions, rather than to attain status, honors, or other personal benefits.<br />
- Authentic leaders are originals, not copies; that is, they lead from their own personal point of view.<br />
- The actions of authentic leaders are based on their personal values and convictions.<br />
<br />
== How Authentic Leadership impact those around them ==<br />
<br />
Authentic leadership goes beyond the authenticity of the leader as a person to the relationship and development of the team he/she is leading. The relationships are called “authentic followership” and are characterized by:<br />
- Transparency, openness, trust<br />
- Guidance towards worthy objectives<br />
- Emphasis on follower development<br />
<br />
== Relation to other leadership theories ==<br />
<br />
To understand where it comes from we will look at how it relates and differentiates to another leadership theory, Transformational leadership. A transformational leadership is also considered as charismatic leadership as it has considerable emotional appeal and possesses the ability to inspire (Ergeneli et al., 2007). Transformational leadership behaviors are associated with four categories:<br />
Idealized influence: when a leader performs as a role model and shares common <br />
visions, encourages and provides a strong sense of purpose.<br />
Inspirational motivation: a leader expresses the importance of desired objectives of the organization and motivates.<br />
Intellectual stimulation: when a leader challenges the normal ideas of followers.<br />
Individualized consideration: when a leader spends more time teaching and coaching for better performance.<br />
<br />
A transformational leader may have a vision they communicate influentially, but that vision may not be always true, or the leaders may be imposing their own needs or pleasures (Ilies et al., 2005). This is where authenticity becomes relevant because an authentic leader will not be ego-driven, and has high morality. Another distinction is that authentic leaders may or may not be charismatic but they will always foster positive development of those around them. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= Authentic Project Management =<br />
<br />
Argue for why auhtentic leadership theory can apply in large regard to PM and an empirical study that didn't find correlation between authentic PM's and project success. Will also describe how it can benefit the whole organization, and culture being increasing the awareness in the organization.<br />
<br />
== How to increase authenticity ==<br />
<br />
Will cover mindfulness as good practice as well as describing how trigger event can cause more authentic behaviour.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Limitations ==<br />
<br />
It's a new field of study so it is not clear how the impact of authenticity effects projects. If project success is the only parameter you are interested in, then improving one's authenticity may be a lot of work for a small change. However, the change towards authentic behaviour will impact every aspect of one's life to the better.</div>Jacobammitsoehttp://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Authenticity&diff=91345Authenticity2021-02-22T10:06:03Z<p>Jacobammitsoe: /* Authentic Project Management */</p>
<hr />
<div><br />
== Abstract ==<br />
The field of authenticity in project management is in its very beginning at this point (ref), with only a few empirical studies specific to project management. The field, however, builds on Authentic Leadership Theory which, although also a new field, has a solid empirical foundation. We will therefore, begin by understanding the basic principles of Authentic Leadership Theory and then relate it to Project Management. <br />
<br />
<br />
== Why Authenticity in Project Management is important ==<br />
<br />
Authenticity may seem as a trivial topic in Project Management since it doesn’t directly have anything to do with the four perspectives, Purpose, People, Complexity, Uncertainty. And yet, all four perspectives will benefit greatly with an authentic project manager with high ethical standards and openness towards others. Authentic PM’s will inspire their team members to perform better with more satisfaction and improve the overall organization. Authenticity is, however, not limited to Project Management. One can not learn to just be an authentic project manager, you must start by being an authentic person in everything you do. Being an authentic person comes first and then the benefits of authenticity will shine through all aspects of your life from project management to fatherhood. This article is not meant as a 3 step tutorial to being authentic, because you cannot become authentic by intellectual understanding only. You have to face yourself and who you think you are and challenge that through introspection. That said, the article will help a true understanding of the topic in regards to project management both theoretically, empirically and point to practical ways of getting more authentic as a person and as a project manager. <br />
<br />
<br />
= What is authenticity? =<br />
Many philosophers and sociologists have attempted to define authenticity since it was first brought up in ancient Greece. The Greeks wrote: “to thine own self be true” (ref xx), which is a quite precise definition of authenticity <br />
- to be true to your own self. We will not go into all the facets and philosophical views of authenticity <br />
- which wouldn’t bring us closer to our authentic self - and go with the two main aspects which defines authenticity that the literature generally agrees on: <br />
<br />
Knowing one’s true self; owning one’s personal experiences, be they thoughts, emotions, needs, wants, preferences, or beliefs.<br />
Acting in accord with one’s true self; expressing oneself in ways that are consistent with one’s understanding of self.<br />
<br />
As Eriksson points out, people are neither completely authentic nor completely inauthentic, it should be seen more as a spectrum of more or less authenticity.<br />
<br />
<br />
As it was proposed by Kernis authenticity can be divided into four components. Each component has its own costs and benefits which will be described below.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Awareness ===<br />
The awareness of self refers to possessing, and being motivated to increase, one’s knowledge and trust in one’s motives, feelings, desires. It includes, for example, understanding one’s likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, goals and aspirations, dispositional characteristics, and emotional states.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Balanced Processing ===<br />
<br />
This component refers to being objective about all what is observed; one’s positive and negative aspects, emotions, experiences and information. Balanced processing involves not denying, distorting or exaggerating information to fit your personal needs. It can be understood by looking at how people with low or fragile high self-esteem select and interpret information. Such persons find it hard to acknowledge personal shortcomings, such as certain skills or personality traits that they don’t like. They will typically develop strong ego defense mechanisms to distort information about their shortcomings. Individuals with balanced processing will not have strong self-serving biases to gain personal success, and will not have strong defense mechanisms.<br />
<br />
=== Behaviour ===<br />
Authentic behaviour means “acting in accord with one’s values, preferences, and needs as opposed to acting merely to please others or to attain rewards or avoid punishments through acting falsely... Authenticity is not reflected in a compulsion to be one’s true self, but rather in the free and natural expression of core feelings, motives and inclinations.”(Kernis). <br />
This can be seen as the behavioural output of Awareness and Balanced Processing.<br />
<br />
Of course, there will be instances where it will not be appropriate to act on behalf of your core needs and values, because it may not fit the immediate environment. Therefore one must act against the true self, which will lead to a temporally internal conflict. However, unbiased processing and awareness can still be present in such an instance, which would allow one to reflect and learn from the situation. In contrast, if awareness and unbiased processing was not present at that instance, then may not be recognized as an act against one’s values and that would lead to blind obedience.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Relational transparency ===<br />
<br />
A person with high relation orientation will strive for truthfulness and openness in his/her close relationships. It’s about self-disclosure, wanting others to see the “real” you, and the development of mutual intimacy and trust. At the core, it’s about being genuine rather than fake in one’s relationships.<br />
<br />
= Authentic Leadership Theory =<br />
Authentic Leadership Theory is a new area of research firmly established in 2003 (Avolio, Gardner) that draws insights from positive psychology and full-range leadership (FRL)/transformational leadership theory. It is based on empirical evidence and seems to be the most complete leadership theory, because authenticity is the root of it.<br />
<br />
== Characteristics of authentic leaders ==<br />
<br />
First of all, an authentic leader must achieve authenticity (as defined above) through self-awareness, self-acceptance, and authentic actions and relationships (Gardner). Authentic leaders has been defined as “those who are deeply aware of how they think and behave and are perceived by others as being aware of their own and others’ values/moral perspectives, knowledge, and strengths; aware of the context in which they operate; and who are confident, hopeful, optimistic, resilient, and of high moral character” (Avolio, Luthans, and Walumbwa 2004, p. 4). <br />
<br />
<br />
Authentic leaders posit the following four distinct characteristics, proposed by Shamir and Eilam (2005):<br />
<br />
- Rather than faking their leadership, authentic leaders are true to themselves (rather than conforming to the expectations of others).<br />
- Authentic leaders are motivated by personal convictions, rather than to attain status, honors, or other personal benefits.<br />
- Authentic leaders are originals, not copies; that is, they lead from their own personal point of view.<br />
- The actions of authentic leaders are based on their personal values and convictions.<br />
<br />
== How Authentic Leadership impact those around them ==<br />
<br />
Authentic leadership goes beyond the authenticity of the leader as a person to the relationship and development of the team he/she is leading. The relationships are called “authentic followership” and are characterized by:<br />
- Transparency, openness, trust<br />
- Guidance towards worthy objectives<br />
- Emphasis on follower development<br />
<br />
== Relation to other leadership theories ==<br />
<br />
To understand where it comes from we will look at how it relates and differentiates to another leadership theory, Transformational leadership. A transformational leadership is also considered as charismatic leadership as it has considerable emotional appeal and possesses the ability to inspire (Ergeneli et al., 2007). Transformational leadership behaviors are associated with four categories:<br />
Idealized influence: when a leader performs as a role model and shares common <br />
visions, encourages and provides a strong sense of purpose.<br />
Inspirational motivation: a leader expresses the importance of desired objectives of the organization and motivates.<br />
Intellectual stimulation: when a leader challenges the normal ideas of followers.<br />
Individualized consideration: when a leader spends more time teaching and coaching for better performance.<br />
<br />
A transformational leader may have a vision they communicate influentially, but that vision may not be always true, or the leaders may be imposing their own needs or pleasures (Ilies et al., 2005). This is where authenticity becomes relevant because an authentic leader will not be ego-driven, and has high morality. Another distinction is that authentic leaders may or may not be charismatic but they will always foster positive development of those around them. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= Authentic Project Management =<br />
<br />
Argue for why auhtentic leadership theory can apply in large regard to PM and an empirical study that didn't find correlation between authentic PM's and project success. Will also describe how it can benefit the whole organization, and culture being increasing the awareness in the organization.<br />
<br />
== How to increase authenticity ==<br />
<br />
Will cover mindfulness as good practice as well as describing how trigger event can cause more authentic behaviour.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Limitations ==<br />
<br />
It's a new field of study so it is not clear how the impact of authenticity effects projects. If project success is the only parameter you are interested in, then improving one's authenticity may be a lot of work for a small change. However, the change towards authentic behaviour will impact every aspect of one's life to the better.</div>Jacobammitsoehttp://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Authenticity&diff=91344Authenticity2021-02-22T10:05:17Z<p>Jacobammitsoe: /* How Authentic Leadership impact those around them */</p>
<hr />
<div><br />
== Abstract ==<br />
The field of authenticity in project management is in its very beginning at this point (ref), with only a few empirical studies specific to project management. The field, however, builds on Authentic Leadership Theory which, although also a new field, has a solid empirical foundation. We will therefore, begin by understanding the basic principles of Authentic Leadership Theory and then relate it to Project Management. <br />
<br />
<br />
== Why Authenticity in Project Management is important ==<br />
<br />
Authenticity may seem as a trivial topic in Project Management since it doesn’t directly have anything to do with the four perspectives, Purpose, People, Complexity, Uncertainty. And yet, all four perspectives will benefit greatly with an authentic project manager with high ethical standards and openness towards others. Authentic PM’s will inspire their team members to perform better with more satisfaction and improve the overall organization. Authenticity is, however, not limited to Project Management. One can not learn to just be an authentic project manager, you must start by being an authentic person in everything you do. Being an authentic person comes first and then the benefits of authenticity will shine through all aspects of your life from project management to fatherhood. This article is not meant as a 3 step tutorial to being authentic, because you cannot become authentic by intellectual understanding only. You have to face yourself and who you think you are and challenge that through introspection. That said, the article will help a true understanding of the topic in regards to project management both theoretically, empirically and point to practical ways of getting more authentic as a person and as a project manager. <br />
<br />
<br />
= What is authenticity? =<br />
Many philosophers and sociologists have attempted to define authenticity since it was first brought up in ancient Greece. The Greeks wrote: “to thine own self be true” (ref xx), which is a quite precise definition of authenticity <br />
- to be true to your own self. We will not go into all the facets and philosophical views of authenticity <br />
- which wouldn’t bring us closer to our authentic self - and go with the two main aspects which defines authenticity that the literature generally agrees on: <br />
<br />
Knowing one’s true self; owning one’s personal experiences, be they thoughts, emotions, needs, wants, preferences, or beliefs.<br />
Acting in accord with one’s true self; expressing oneself in ways that are consistent with one’s understanding of self.<br />
<br />
As Eriksson points out, people are neither completely authentic nor completely inauthentic, it should be seen more as a spectrum of more or less authenticity.<br />
<br />
<br />
As it was proposed by Kernis authenticity can be divided into four components. Each component has its own costs and benefits which will be described below.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Awareness ===<br />
The awareness of self refers to possessing, and being motivated to increase, one’s knowledge and trust in one’s motives, feelings, desires. It includes, for example, understanding one’s likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, goals and aspirations, dispositional characteristics, and emotional states.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Balanced Processing ===<br />
<br />
This component refers to being objective about all what is observed; one’s positive and negative aspects, emotions, experiences and information. Balanced processing involves not denying, distorting or exaggerating information to fit your personal needs. It can be understood by looking at how people with low or fragile high self-esteem select and interpret information. Such persons find it hard to acknowledge personal shortcomings, such as certain skills or personality traits that they don’t like. They will typically develop strong ego defense mechanisms to distort information about their shortcomings. Individuals with balanced processing will not have strong self-serving biases to gain personal success, and will not have strong defense mechanisms.<br />
<br />
=== Behaviour ===<br />
Authentic behaviour means “acting in accord with one’s values, preferences, and needs as opposed to acting merely to please others or to attain rewards or avoid punishments through acting falsely... Authenticity is not reflected in a compulsion to be one’s true self, but rather in the free and natural expression of core feelings, motives and inclinations.”(Kernis). <br />
This can be seen as the behavioural output of Awareness and Balanced Processing.<br />
<br />
Of course, there will be instances where it will not be appropriate to act on behalf of your core needs and values, because it may not fit the immediate environment. Therefore one must act against the true self, which will lead to a temporally internal conflict. However, unbiased processing and awareness can still be present in such an instance, which would allow one to reflect and learn from the situation. In contrast, if awareness and unbiased processing was not present at that instance, then may not be recognized as an act against one’s values and that would lead to blind obedience.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Relational transparency ===<br />
<br />
A person with high relation orientation will strive for truthfulness and openness in his/her close relationships. It’s about self-disclosure, wanting others to see the “real” you, and the development of mutual intimacy and trust. At the core, it’s about being genuine rather than fake in one’s relationships.<br />
<br />
= Authentic Leadership Theory =<br />
Authentic Leadership Theory is a new area of research firmly established in 2003 (Avolio, Gardner) that draws insights from positive psychology and full-range leadership (FRL)/transformational leadership theory. It is based on empirical evidence and seems to be the most complete leadership theory, because authenticity is the root of it.<br />
<br />
== Characteristics of authentic leaders ==<br />
<br />
First of all, an authentic leader must achieve authenticity (as defined above) through self-awareness, self-acceptance, and authentic actions and relationships (Gardner). Authentic leaders has been defined as “those who are deeply aware of how they think and behave and are perceived by others as being aware of their own and others’ values/moral perspectives, knowledge, and strengths; aware of the context in which they operate; and who are confident, hopeful, optimistic, resilient, and of high moral character” (Avolio, Luthans, and Walumbwa 2004, p. 4). <br />
<br />
<br />
Authentic leaders posit the following four distinct characteristics, proposed by Shamir and Eilam (2005):<br />
<br />
- Rather than faking their leadership, authentic leaders are true to themselves (rather than conforming to the expectations of others).<br />
- Authentic leaders are motivated by personal convictions, rather than to attain status, honors, or other personal benefits.<br />
- Authentic leaders are originals, not copies; that is, they lead from their own personal point of view.<br />
- The actions of authentic leaders are based on their personal values and convictions.<br />
<br />
== How Authentic Leadership impact those around them ==<br />
<br />
Authentic leadership goes beyond the authenticity of the leader as a person to the relationship and development of the team he/she is leading. The relationships are called “authentic followership” and are characterized by:<br />
- Transparency, openness, trust<br />
- Guidance towards worthy objectives<br />
- Emphasis on follower development<br />
<br />
== Relation to other leadership theories ==<br />
<br />
To understand where it comes from we will look at how it relates and differentiates to another leadership theory, Transformational leadership. A transformational leadership is also considered as charismatic leadership as it has considerable emotional appeal and possesses the ability to inspire (Ergeneli et al., 2007). Transformational leadership behaviors are associated with four categories:<br />
Idealized influence: when a leader performs as a role model and shares common <br />
visions, encourages and provides a strong sense of purpose.<br />
Inspirational motivation: a leader expresses the importance of desired objectives of the organization and motivates.<br />
Intellectual stimulation: when a leader challenges the normal ideas of followers.<br />
Individualized consideration: when a leader spends more time teaching and coaching for better performance.<br />
<br />
A transformational leader may have a vision they communicate influentially, but that vision may not be always true, or the leaders may be imposing their own needs or pleasures (Ilies et al., 2005). This is where authenticity becomes relevant because an authentic leader will not be ego-driven, and has high morality. Another distinction is that authentic leaders may or may not be charismatic but they will always foster positive development of those around them. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic Project Management ==<br />
<br />
Argue for why auhtentic leadership theory can apply in large regard to PM and an empirical study that didn't find correlation between authentic PM's and project success. Will also describe how it can benefit the whole organization, and culture being increasing the awareness in the organization.<br />
<br />
== How to increase authenticity ==<br />
<br />
Will cover mindfulness as good practice as well as describing how trigger event can cause more authentic behaviour.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Limitations ==<br />
<br />
It's a new field of study so it is not clear how the impact of authenticity effects projects. If project success is the only parameter you are interested in, then improving one's authenticity may be a lot of work for a small change. However, the change towards authentic behaviour will impact every aspect of one's life to the better.</div>Jacobammitsoehttp://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Authenticity&diff=91343Authenticity2021-02-22T10:05:04Z<p>Jacobammitsoe: /* Characteristics of authentic leaders */</p>
<hr />
<div><br />
== Abstract ==<br />
The field of authenticity in project management is in its very beginning at this point (ref), with only a few empirical studies specific to project management. The field, however, builds on Authentic Leadership Theory which, although also a new field, has a solid empirical foundation. We will therefore, begin by understanding the basic principles of Authentic Leadership Theory and then relate it to Project Management. <br />
<br />
<br />
== Why Authenticity in Project Management is important ==<br />
<br />
Authenticity may seem as a trivial topic in Project Management since it doesn’t directly have anything to do with the four perspectives, Purpose, People, Complexity, Uncertainty. And yet, all four perspectives will benefit greatly with an authentic project manager with high ethical standards and openness towards others. Authentic PM’s will inspire their team members to perform better with more satisfaction and improve the overall organization. Authenticity is, however, not limited to Project Management. One can not learn to just be an authentic project manager, you must start by being an authentic person in everything you do. Being an authentic person comes first and then the benefits of authenticity will shine through all aspects of your life from project management to fatherhood. This article is not meant as a 3 step tutorial to being authentic, because you cannot become authentic by intellectual understanding only. You have to face yourself and who you think you are and challenge that through introspection. That said, the article will help a true understanding of the topic in regards to project management both theoretically, empirically and point to practical ways of getting more authentic as a person and as a project manager. <br />
<br />
<br />
= What is authenticity? =<br />
Many philosophers and sociologists have attempted to define authenticity since it was first brought up in ancient Greece. The Greeks wrote: “to thine own self be true” (ref xx), which is a quite precise definition of authenticity <br />
- to be true to your own self. We will not go into all the facets and philosophical views of authenticity <br />
- which wouldn’t bring us closer to our authentic self - and go with the two main aspects which defines authenticity that the literature generally agrees on: <br />
<br />
Knowing one’s true self; owning one’s personal experiences, be they thoughts, emotions, needs, wants, preferences, or beliefs.<br />
Acting in accord with one’s true self; expressing oneself in ways that are consistent with one’s understanding of self.<br />
<br />
As Eriksson points out, people are neither completely authentic nor completely inauthentic, it should be seen more as a spectrum of more or less authenticity.<br />
<br />
<br />
As it was proposed by Kernis authenticity can be divided into four components. Each component has its own costs and benefits which will be described below.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Awareness ===<br />
The awareness of self refers to possessing, and being motivated to increase, one’s knowledge and trust in one’s motives, feelings, desires. It includes, for example, understanding one’s likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, goals and aspirations, dispositional characteristics, and emotional states.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Balanced Processing ===<br />
<br />
This component refers to being objective about all what is observed; one’s positive and negative aspects, emotions, experiences and information. Balanced processing involves not denying, distorting or exaggerating information to fit your personal needs. It can be understood by looking at how people with low or fragile high self-esteem select and interpret information. Such persons find it hard to acknowledge personal shortcomings, such as certain skills or personality traits that they don’t like. They will typically develop strong ego defense mechanisms to distort information about their shortcomings. Individuals with balanced processing will not have strong self-serving biases to gain personal success, and will not have strong defense mechanisms.<br />
<br />
=== Behaviour ===<br />
Authentic behaviour means “acting in accord with one’s values, preferences, and needs as opposed to acting merely to please others or to attain rewards or avoid punishments through acting falsely... Authenticity is not reflected in a compulsion to be one’s true self, but rather in the free and natural expression of core feelings, motives and inclinations.”(Kernis). <br />
This can be seen as the behavioural output of Awareness and Balanced Processing.<br />
<br />
Of course, there will be instances where it will not be appropriate to act on behalf of your core needs and values, because it may not fit the immediate environment. Therefore one must act against the true self, which will lead to a temporally internal conflict. However, unbiased processing and awareness can still be present in such an instance, which would allow one to reflect and learn from the situation. In contrast, if awareness and unbiased processing was not present at that instance, then may not be recognized as an act against one’s values and that would lead to blind obedience.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Relational transparency ===<br />
<br />
A person with high relation orientation will strive for truthfulness and openness in his/her close relationships. It’s about self-disclosure, wanting others to see the “real” you, and the development of mutual intimacy and trust. At the core, it’s about being genuine rather than fake in one’s relationships.<br />
<br />
= Authentic Leadership Theory =<br />
Authentic Leadership Theory is a new area of research firmly established in 2003 (Avolio, Gardner) that draws insights from positive psychology and full-range leadership (FRL)/transformational leadership theory. It is based on empirical evidence and seems to be the most complete leadership theory, because authenticity is the root of it.<br />
<br />
== Characteristics of authentic leaders ==<br />
<br />
First of all, an authentic leader must achieve authenticity (as defined above) through self-awareness, self-acceptance, and authentic actions and relationships (Gardner). Authentic leaders has been defined as “those who are deeply aware of how they think and behave and are perceived by others as being aware of their own and others’ values/moral perspectives, knowledge, and strengths; aware of the context in which they operate; and who are confident, hopeful, optimistic, resilient, and of high moral character” (Avolio, Luthans, and Walumbwa 2004, p. 4). <br />
<br />
<br />
Authentic leaders posit the following four distinct characteristics, proposed by Shamir and Eilam (2005):<br />
<br />
- Rather than faking their leadership, authentic leaders are true to themselves (rather than conforming to the expectations of others).<br />
- Authentic leaders are motivated by personal convictions, rather than to attain status, honors, or other personal benefits.<br />
- Authentic leaders are originals, not copies; that is, they lead from their own personal point of view.<br />
- The actions of authentic leaders are based on their personal values and convictions.<br />
<br />
=== How Authentic Leadership impact those around them ===<br />
<br />
Authentic leadership goes beyond the authenticity of the leader as a person to the relationship and development of the team he/she is leading. The relationships are called “authentic followership” and are characterized by:<br />
- Transparency, openness, trust<br />
- Guidance towards worthy objectives<br />
- Emphasis on follower development<br />
<br />
== Relation to other leadership theories ==<br />
<br />
To understand where it comes from we will look at how it relates and differentiates to another leadership theory, Transformational leadership. A transformational leadership is also considered as charismatic leadership as it has considerable emotional appeal and possesses the ability to inspire (Ergeneli et al., 2007). Transformational leadership behaviors are associated with four categories:<br />
Idealized influence: when a leader performs as a role model and shares common <br />
visions, encourages and provides a strong sense of purpose.<br />
Inspirational motivation: a leader expresses the importance of desired objectives of the organization and motivates.<br />
Intellectual stimulation: when a leader challenges the normal ideas of followers.<br />
Individualized consideration: when a leader spends more time teaching and coaching for better performance.<br />
<br />
A transformational leader may have a vision they communicate influentially, but that vision may not be always true, or the leaders may be imposing their own needs or pleasures (Ilies et al., 2005). This is where authenticity becomes relevant because an authentic leader will not be ego-driven, and has high morality. Another distinction is that authentic leaders may or may not be charismatic but they will always foster positive development of those around them. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic Project Management ==<br />
<br />
Argue for why auhtentic leadership theory can apply in large regard to PM and an empirical study that didn't find correlation between authentic PM's and project success. Will also describe how it can benefit the whole organization, and culture being increasing the awareness in the organization.<br />
<br />
== How to increase authenticity ==<br />
<br />
Will cover mindfulness as good practice as well as describing how trigger event can cause more authentic behaviour.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Limitations ==<br />
<br />
It's a new field of study so it is not clear how the impact of authenticity effects projects. If project success is the only parameter you are interested in, then improving one's authenticity may be a lot of work for a small change. However, the change towards authentic behaviour will impact every aspect of one's life to the better.</div>Jacobammitsoehttp://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Authenticity&diff=91342Authenticity2021-02-22T10:01:40Z<p>Jacobammitsoe: /* Authentic Leadership Theory */</p>
<hr />
<div><br />
== Abstract ==<br />
The field of authenticity in project management is in its very beginning at this point (ref), with only a few empirical studies specific to project management. The field, however, builds on Authentic Leadership Theory which, although also a new field, has a solid empirical foundation. We will therefore, begin by understanding the basic principles of Authentic Leadership Theory and then relate it to Project Management. <br />
<br />
<br />
== Why Authenticity in Project Management is important ==<br />
<br />
Authenticity may seem as a trivial topic in Project Management since it doesn’t directly have anything to do with the four perspectives, Purpose, People, Complexity, Uncertainty. And yet, all four perspectives will benefit greatly with an authentic project manager with high ethical standards and openness towards others. Authentic PM’s will inspire their team members to perform better with more satisfaction and improve the overall organization. Authenticity is, however, not limited to Project Management. One can not learn to just be an authentic project manager, you must start by being an authentic person in everything you do. Being an authentic person comes first and then the benefits of authenticity will shine through all aspects of your life from project management to fatherhood. This article is not meant as a 3 step tutorial to being authentic, because you cannot become authentic by intellectual understanding only. You have to face yourself and who you think you are and challenge that through introspection. That said, the article will help a true understanding of the topic in regards to project management both theoretically, empirically and point to practical ways of getting more authentic as a person and as a project manager. <br />
<br />
<br />
= What is authenticity? =<br />
Many philosophers and sociologists have attempted to define authenticity since it was first brought up in ancient Greece. The Greeks wrote: “to thine own self be true” (ref xx), which is a quite precise definition of authenticity <br />
- to be true to your own self. We will not go into all the facets and philosophical views of authenticity <br />
- which wouldn’t bring us closer to our authentic self - and go with the two main aspects which defines authenticity that the literature generally agrees on: <br />
<br />
Knowing one’s true self; owning one’s personal experiences, be they thoughts, emotions, needs, wants, preferences, or beliefs.<br />
Acting in accord with one’s true self; expressing oneself in ways that are consistent with one’s understanding of self.<br />
<br />
As Eriksson points out, people are neither completely authentic nor completely inauthentic, it should be seen more as a spectrum of more or less authenticity.<br />
<br />
<br />
As it was proposed by Kernis authenticity can be divided into four components. Each component has its own costs and benefits which will be described below.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Awareness ===<br />
The awareness of self refers to possessing, and being motivated to increase, one’s knowledge and trust in one’s motives, feelings, desires. It includes, for example, understanding one’s likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, goals and aspirations, dispositional characteristics, and emotional states.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Balanced Processing ===<br />
<br />
This component refers to being objective about all what is observed; one’s positive and negative aspects, emotions, experiences and information. Balanced processing involves not denying, distorting or exaggerating information to fit your personal needs. It can be understood by looking at how people with low or fragile high self-esteem select and interpret information. Such persons find it hard to acknowledge personal shortcomings, such as certain skills or personality traits that they don’t like. They will typically develop strong ego defense mechanisms to distort information about their shortcomings. Individuals with balanced processing will not have strong self-serving biases to gain personal success, and will not have strong defense mechanisms.<br />
<br />
=== Behaviour ===<br />
Authentic behaviour means “acting in accord with one’s values, preferences, and needs as opposed to acting merely to please others or to attain rewards or avoid punishments through acting falsely... Authenticity is not reflected in a compulsion to be one’s true self, but rather in the free and natural expression of core feelings, motives and inclinations.”(Kernis). <br />
This can be seen as the behavioural output of Awareness and Balanced Processing.<br />
<br />
Of course, there will be instances where it will not be appropriate to act on behalf of your core needs and values, because it may not fit the immediate environment. Therefore one must act against the true self, which will lead to a temporally internal conflict. However, unbiased processing and awareness can still be present in such an instance, which would allow one to reflect and learn from the situation. In contrast, if awareness and unbiased processing was not present at that instance, then may not be recognized as an act against one’s values and that would lead to blind obedience.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Relational transparency ===<br />
<br />
A person with high relation orientation will strive for truthfulness and openness in his/her close relationships. It’s about self-disclosure, wanting others to see the “real” you, and the development of mutual intimacy and trust. At the core, it’s about being genuine rather than fake in one’s relationships.<br />
<br />
= Authentic Leadership Theory =<br />
Authentic Leadership Theory is a new area of research firmly established in 2003 (Avolio, Gardner) that draws insights from positive psychology and full-range leadership (FRL)/transformational leadership theory. It is based on empirical evidence and seems to be the most complete leadership theory, because authenticity is the root of it.<br />
<br />
=== Characteristics of authentic leaders ===<br />
<br />
First of all, an authentic leader must achieve authenticity (as defined above) through self-awareness, self-acceptance, and authentic actions and relationships (Gardner). Authentic leaders has been defined as “those who are deeply aware of how they think and behave and are perceived by others as being aware of their own and others’ values/moral perspectives, knowledge, and strengths; aware of the context in which they operate; and who are confident, hopeful, optimistic, resilient, and of high moral character” (Avolio, Luthans, and Walumbwa 2004, p. 4). <br />
<br />
<br />
Authentic leaders posit the following four distinct characteristics, proposed by Shamir and Eilam (2005):<br />
<br />
- Rather than faking their leadership, authentic leaders are true to themselves (rather than conforming to the expectations of others).<br />
- Authentic leaders are motivated by personal convictions, rather than to attain status, honors, or other personal benefits.<br />
- Authentic leaders are originals, not copies; that is, they lead from their own personal point of view.<br />
- The actions of authentic leaders are based on their personal values and convictions. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
=== How Authentic Leadership impact those around them ===<br />
<br />
Authentic leadership goes beyond the authenticity of the leader as a person to the relationship and development of the team he/she is leading. The relationships are called “authentic followership” and are characterized by:<br />
- Transparency, openness, trust<br />
- Guidance towards worthy objectives<br />
- Emphasis on follower development<br />
<br />
== Relation to other leadership theories ==<br />
<br />
To understand where it comes from we will look at how it relates and differentiates to another leadership theory, Transformational leadership. A transformational leadership is also considered as charismatic leadership as it has considerable emotional appeal and possesses the ability to inspire (Ergeneli et al., 2007). Transformational leadership behaviors are associated with four categories:<br />
Idealized influence: when a leader performs as a role model and shares common <br />
visions, encourages and provides a strong sense of purpose.<br />
Inspirational motivation: a leader expresses the importance of desired objectives of the organization and motivates.<br />
Intellectual stimulation: when a leader challenges the normal ideas of followers.<br />
Individualized consideration: when a leader spends more time teaching and coaching for better performance.<br />
<br />
A transformational leader may have a vision they communicate influentially, but that vision may not be always true, or the leaders may be imposing their own needs or pleasures (Ilies et al., 2005). This is where authenticity becomes relevant because an authentic leader will not be ego-driven, and has high morality. Another distinction is that authentic leaders may or may not be charismatic but they will always foster positive development of those around them. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic Project Management ==<br />
<br />
Argue for why auhtentic leadership theory can apply in large regard to PM and an empirical study that didn't find correlation between authentic PM's and project success. Will also describe how it can benefit the whole organization, and culture being increasing the awareness in the organization.<br />
<br />
== How to increase authenticity ==<br />
<br />
Will cover mindfulness as good practice as well as describing how trigger event can cause more authentic behaviour.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Limitations ==<br />
<br />
It's a new field of study so it is not clear how the impact of authenticity effects projects. If project success is the only parameter you are interested in, then improving one's authenticity may be a lot of work for a small change. However, the change towards authentic behaviour will impact every aspect of one's life to the better.</div>Jacobammitsoehttp://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Authenticity&diff=91341Authenticity2021-02-22T10:01:15Z<p>Jacobammitsoe: /* Four components of authenticity */</p>
<hr />
<div><br />
== Abstract ==<br />
The field of authenticity in project management is in its very beginning at this point (ref), with only a few empirical studies specific to project management. The field, however, builds on Authentic Leadership Theory which, although also a new field, has a solid empirical foundation. We will therefore, begin by understanding the basic principles of Authentic Leadership Theory and then relate it to Project Management. <br />
<br />
<br />
== Why Authenticity in Project Management is important ==<br />
<br />
Authenticity may seem as a trivial topic in Project Management since it doesn’t directly have anything to do with the four perspectives, Purpose, People, Complexity, Uncertainty. And yet, all four perspectives will benefit greatly with an authentic project manager with high ethical standards and openness towards others. Authentic PM’s will inspire their team members to perform better with more satisfaction and improve the overall organization. Authenticity is, however, not limited to Project Management. One can not learn to just be an authentic project manager, you must start by being an authentic person in everything you do. Being an authentic person comes first and then the benefits of authenticity will shine through all aspects of your life from project management to fatherhood. This article is not meant as a 3 step tutorial to being authentic, because you cannot become authentic by intellectual understanding only. You have to face yourself and who you think you are and challenge that through introspection. That said, the article will help a true understanding of the topic in regards to project management both theoretically, empirically and point to practical ways of getting more authentic as a person and as a project manager. <br />
<br />
<br />
= What is authenticity? =<br />
Many philosophers and sociologists have attempted to define authenticity since it was first brought up in ancient Greece. The Greeks wrote: “to thine own self be true” (ref xx), which is a quite precise definition of authenticity <br />
- to be true to your own self. We will not go into all the facets and philosophical views of authenticity <br />
- which wouldn’t bring us closer to our authentic self - and go with the two main aspects which defines authenticity that the literature generally agrees on: <br />
<br />
Knowing one’s true self; owning one’s personal experiences, be they thoughts, emotions, needs, wants, preferences, or beliefs.<br />
Acting in accord with one’s true self; expressing oneself in ways that are consistent with one’s understanding of self.<br />
<br />
As Eriksson points out, people are neither completely authentic nor completely inauthentic, it should be seen more as a spectrum of more or less authenticity.<br />
<br />
<br />
As it was proposed by Kernis authenticity can be divided into four components. Each component has its own costs and benefits which will be described below.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Awareness ===<br />
The awareness of self refers to possessing, and being motivated to increase, one’s knowledge and trust in one’s motives, feelings, desires. It includes, for example, understanding one’s likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, goals and aspirations, dispositional characteristics, and emotional states.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Balanced Processing ===<br />
<br />
This component refers to being objective about all what is observed; one’s positive and negative aspects, emotions, experiences and information. Balanced processing involves not denying, distorting or exaggerating information to fit your personal needs. It can be understood by looking at how people with low or fragile high self-esteem select and interpret information. Such persons find it hard to acknowledge personal shortcomings, such as certain skills or personality traits that they don’t like. They will typically develop strong ego defense mechanisms to distort information about their shortcomings. Individuals with balanced processing will not have strong self-serving biases to gain personal success, and will not have strong defense mechanisms.<br />
<br />
=== Behaviour ===<br />
Authentic behaviour means “acting in accord with one’s values, preferences, and needs as opposed to acting merely to please others or to attain rewards or avoid punishments through acting falsely... Authenticity is not reflected in a compulsion to be one’s true self, but rather in the free and natural expression of core feelings, motives and inclinations.”(Kernis). <br />
This can be seen as the behavioural output of Awareness and Balanced Processing.<br />
<br />
Of course, there will be instances where it will not be appropriate to act on behalf of your core needs and values, because it may not fit the immediate environment. Therefore one must act against the true self, which will lead to a temporally internal conflict. However, unbiased processing and awareness can still be present in such an instance, which would allow one to reflect and learn from the situation. In contrast, if awareness and unbiased processing was not present at that instance, then may not be recognized as an act against one’s values and that would lead to blind obedience.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Relational transparency ===<br />
<br />
A person with high relation orientation will strive for truthfulness and openness in his/her close relationships. It’s about self-disclosure, wanting others to see the “real” you, and the development of mutual intimacy and trust. At the core, it’s about being genuine rather than fake in one’s relationships.<br />
<br />
== Authentic Leadership Theory ==<br />
Authentic Leadership Theory is a new area of research firmly established in 2003 (Avolio, Gardner) that draws insights from positive psychology and full-range leadership (FRL)/transformational leadership theory. It is based on empirical evidence and seems to be the most complete leadership theory, because authenticity is the root of it.<br />
<br />
=== Characteristics of authentic leaders ===<br />
<br />
First of all, an authentic leader must achieve authenticity (as defined above) through self-awareness, self-acceptance, and authentic actions and relationships (Gardner). Authentic leaders has been defined as “those who are deeply aware of how they think and behave and are perceived by others as being aware of their own and others’ values/moral perspectives, knowledge, and strengths; aware of the context in which they operate; and who are confident, hopeful, optimistic, resilient, and of high moral character” (Avolio, Luthans, and Walumbwa 2004, p. 4). <br />
<br />
<br />
Authentic leaders posit the following four distinct characteristics, proposed by Shamir and Eilam (2005):<br />
<br />
- Rather than faking their leadership, authentic leaders are true to themselves (rather than conforming to the expectations of others).<br />
- Authentic leaders are motivated by personal convictions, rather than to attain status, honors, or other personal benefits.<br />
- Authentic leaders are originals, not copies; that is, they lead from their own personal point of view.<br />
- The actions of authentic leaders are based on their personal values and convictions. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
=== How Authentic Leadership impact those around them ===<br />
<br />
Authentic leadership goes beyond the authenticity of the leader as a person to the relationship and development of the team he/she is leading. The relationships are called “authentic followership” and are characterized by:<br />
- Transparency, openness, trust<br />
- Guidance towards worthy objectives<br />
- Emphasis on follower development<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Relation to other leadership theories ==<br />
<br />
To understand where it comes from we will look at how it relates and differentiates to another leadership theory, Transformational leadership. A transformational leadership is also considered as charismatic leadership as it has considerable emotional appeal and possesses the ability to inspire (Ergeneli et al., 2007). Transformational leadership behaviors are associated with four categories:<br />
Idealized influence: when a leader performs as a role model and shares common <br />
visions, encourages and provides a strong sense of purpose.<br />
Inspirational motivation: a leader expresses the importance of desired objectives of the organization and motivates.<br />
Intellectual stimulation: when a leader challenges the normal ideas of followers.<br />
Individualized consideration: when a leader spends more time teaching and coaching for better performance.<br />
<br />
A transformational leader may have a vision they communicate influentially, but that vision may not be always true, or the leaders may be imposing their own needs or pleasures (Ilies et al., 2005). This is where authenticity becomes relevant because an authentic leader will not be ego-driven, and has high morality. Another distinction is that authentic leaders may or may not be charismatic but they will always foster positive development of those around them. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic Project Management ==<br />
<br />
Argue for why auhtentic leadership theory can apply in large regard to PM and an empirical study that didn't find correlation between authentic PM's and project success. Will also describe how it can benefit the whole organization, and culture being increasing the awareness in the organization.<br />
<br />
== How to increase authenticity ==<br />
<br />
Will cover mindfulness as good practice as well as describing how trigger event can cause more authentic behaviour.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Limitations ==<br />
<br />
It's a new field of study so it is not clear how the impact of authenticity effects projects. If project success is the only parameter you are interested in, then improving one's authenticity may be a lot of work for a small change. However, the change towards authentic behaviour will impact every aspect of one's life to the better.</div>Jacobammitsoehttp://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Authenticity&diff=91340Authenticity2021-02-22T10:00:21Z<p>Jacobammitsoe: /* What is authenticity? */</p>
<hr />
<div><br />
== Abstract ==<br />
The field of authenticity in project management is in its very beginning at this point (ref), with only a few empirical studies specific to project management. The field, however, builds on Authentic Leadership Theory which, although also a new field, has a solid empirical foundation. We will therefore, begin by understanding the basic principles of Authentic Leadership Theory and then relate it to Project Management. <br />
<br />
<br />
== Why Authenticity in Project Management is important ==<br />
<br />
Authenticity may seem as a trivial topic in Project Management since it doesn’t directly have anything to do with the four perspectives, Purpose, People, Complexity, Uncertainty. And yet, all four perspectives will benefit greatly with an authentic project manager with high ethical standards and openness towards others. Authentic PM’s will inspire their team members to perform better with more satisfaction and improve the overall organization. Authenticity is, however, not limited to Project Management. One can not learn to just be an authentic project manager, you must start by being an authentic person in everything you do. Being an authentic person comes first and then the benefits of authenticity will shine through all aspects of your life from project management to fatherhood. This article is not meant as a 3 step tutorial to being authentic, because you cannot become authentic by intellectual understanding only. You have to face yourself and who you think you are and challenge that through introspection. That said, the article will help a true understanding of the topic in regards to project management both theoretically, empirically and point to practical ways of getting more authentic as a person and as a project manager. <br />
<br />
<br />
= What is authenticity? =<br />
Many philosophers and sociologists have attempted to define authenticity since it was first brought up in ancient Greece. The Greeks wrote: “to thine own self be true” (ref xx), which is a quite precise definition of authenticity <br />
- to be true to your own self. We will not go into all the facets and philosophical views of authenticity <br />
- which wouldn’t bring us closer to our authentic self - and go with the two main aspects which defines authenticity that the literature generally agrees on: <br />
<br />
Knowing one’s true self; owning one’s personal experiences, be they thoughts, emotions, needs, wants, preferences, or beliefs.<br />
Acting in accord with one’s true self; expressing oneself in ways that are consistent with one’s understanding of self.<br />
<br />
As Eriksson points out, people are neither completely authentic nor completely inauthentic, it should be seen more as a spectrum of more or less authenticity.<br />
<br />
== Four components of authenticity ==<br />
<br />
As it was proposed by Kernis authenticity can be divided into four components. Each component has its own costs and benefits which will be described below.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Awareness ===<br />
The awareness of self refers to possessing, and being motivated to increase, one’s knowledge and trust in one’s motives, feelings, desires. It includes, for example, understanding one’s likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, goals and aspirations, dispositional characteristics, and emotional states.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Balanced Processing ===<br />
<br />
This component refers to being objective about all what is observed; one’s positive and negative aspects, emotions, experiences and information. Balanced processing involves not denying, distorting or exaggerating information to fit your personal needs. It can be understood by looking at how people with low or fragile high self-esteem select and interpret information. Such persons find it hard to acknowledge personal shortcomings, such as certain skills or personality traits that they don’t like. They will typically develop strong ego defense mechanisms to distort information about their shortcomings. Individuals with balanced processing will not have strong self-serving biases to gain personal success, and will not have strong defense mechanisms.<br />
<br />
=== Behaviour ===<br />
Authentic behaviour means “acting in accord with one’s values, preferences, and needs as opposed to acting merely to please others or to attain rewards or avoid punishments through acting falsely... Authenticity is not reflected in a compulsion to be one’s true self, but rather in the free and natural expression of core feelings, motives and inclinations.”(Kernis). <br />
This can be seen as the behavioural output of Awareness and Balanced Processing.<br />
<br />
Of course, there will be instances where it will not be appropriate to act on behalf of your core needs and values, because it may not fit the immediate environment. Therefore one must act against the true self, which will lead to a temporally internal conflict. However, unbiased processing and awareness can still be present in such an instance, which would allow one to reflect and learn from the situation. In contrast, if awareness and unbiased processing was not present at that instance, then may not be recognized as an act against one’s values and that would lead to blind obedience.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Relational transparency ===<br />
<br />
A person with high relation orientation will strive for truthfulness and openness in his/her close relationships. It’s about self-disclosure, wanting others to see the “real” you, and the development of mutual intimacy and trust. At the core, it’s about being genuine rather than fake in one’s relationships.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic Leadership Theory ==<br />
Authentic Leadership Theory is a new area of research firmly established in 2003 (Avolio, Gardner) that draws insights from positive psychology and full-range leadership (FRL)/transformational leadership theory. It is based on empirical evidence and seems to be the most complete leadership theory, because authenticity is the root of it.<br />
<br />
=== Characteristics of authentic leaders ===<br />
<br />
First of all, an authentic leader must achieve authenticity (as defined above) through self-awareness, self-acceptance, and authentic actions and relationships (Gardner). Authentic leaders has been defined as “those who are deeply aware of how they think and behave and are perceived by others as being aware of their own and others’ values/moral perspectives, knowledge, and strengths; aware of the context in which they operate; and who are confident, hopeful, optimistic, resilient, and of high moral character” (Avolio, Luthans, and Walumbwa 2004, p. 4). <br />
<br />
<br />
Authentic leaders posit the following four distinct characteristics, proposed by Shamir and Eilam (2005):<br />
<br />
- Rather than faking their leadership, authentic leaders are true to themselves (rather than conforming to the expectations of others).<br />
- Authentic leaders are motivated by personal convictions, rather than to attain status, honors, or other personal benefits.<br />
- Authentic leaders are originals, not copies; that is, they lead from their own personal point of view.<br />
- The actions of authentic leaders are based on their personal values and convictions. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
=== How Authentic Leadership impact those around them ===<br />
<br />
Authentic leadership goes beyond the authenticity of the leader as a person to the relationship and development of the team he/she is leading. The relationships are called “authentic followership” and are characterized by:<br />
- Transparency, openness, trust<br />
- Guidance towards worthy objectives<br />
- Emphasis on follower development<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Relation to other leadership theories ==<br />
<br />
To understand where it comes from we will look at how it relates and differentiates to another leadership theory, Transformational leadership. A transformational leadership is also considered as charismatic leadership as it has considerable emotional appeal and possesses the ability to inspire (Ergeneli et al., 2007). Transformational leadership behaviors are associated with four categories:<br />
Idealized influence: when a leader performs as a role model and shares common <br />
visions, encourages and provides a strong sense of purpose.<br />
Inspirational motivation: a leader expresses the importance of desired objectives of the organization and motivates.<br />
Intellectual stimulation: when a leader challenges the normal ideas of followers.<br />
Individualized consideration: when a leader spends more time teaching and coaching for better performance.<br />
<br />
A transformational leader may have a vision they communicate influentially, but that vision may not be always true, or the leaders may be imposing their own needs or pleasures (Ilies et al., 2005). This is where authenticity becomes relevant because an authentic leader will not be ego-driven, and has high morality. Another distinction is that authentic leaders may or may not be charismatic but they will always foster positive development of those around them. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic Project Management ==<br />
<br />
Argue for why auhtentic leadership theory can apply in large regard to PM and an empirical study that didn't find correlation between authentic PM's and project success. Will also describe how it can benefit the whole organization, and culture being increasing the awareness in the organization.<br />
<br />
== How to increase authenticity ==<br />
<br />
Will cover mindfulness as good practice as well as describing how trigger event can cause more authentic behaviour.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Limitations ==<br />
<br />
It's a new field of study so it is not clear how the impact of authenticity effects projects. If project success is the only parameter you are interested in, then improving one's authenticity may be a lot of work for a small change. However, the change towards authentic behaviour will impact every aspect of one's life to the better.</div>Jacobammitsoehttp://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Authenticity&diff=91339Authenticity2021-02-22T09:59:15Z<p>Jacobammitsoe: </p>
<hr />
<div><br />
== Abstract ==<br />
The field of authenticity in project management is in its very beginning at this point (ref), with only a few empirical studies specific to project management. The field, however, builds on Authentic Leadership Theory which, although also a new field, has a solid empirical foundation. We will therefore, begin by understanding the basic principles of Authentic Leadership Theory and then relate it to Project Management. <br />
<br />
<br />
== Why Authenticity in Project Management is important ==<br />
<br />
Authenticity may seem as a trivial topic in Project Management since it doesn’t directly have anything to do with the four perspectives, Purpose, People, Complexity, Uncertainty. And yet, all four perspectives will benefit greatly with an authentic project manager with high ethical standards and openness towards others. Authentic PM’s will inspire their team members to perform better with more satisfaction and improve the overall organization. Authenticity is, however, not limited to Project Management. One can not learn to just be an authentic project manager, you must start by being an authentic person in everything you do. Being an authentic person comes first and then the benefits of authenticity will shine through all aspects of your life from project management to fatherhood. This article is not meant as a 3 step tutorial to being authentic, because you cannot become authentic by intellectual understanding only. You have to face yourself and who you think you are and challenge that through introspection. That said, the article will help a true understanding of the topic in regards to project management both theoretically, empirically and point to practical ways of getting more authentic as a person and as a project manager. <br />
<br />
<br />
== What is authenticity? ==<br />
Many philosophers and sociologists have attempted to define authenticity since it was first brought up in ancient Greece. The Greeks wrote: “to thine own self be true” (ref xx), which is a quite precise definition of authenticity <br />
- to be true to your own self. We will not go into all the facets and philosophical views of authenticity <br />
- which wouldn’t bring us closer to our authentic self - and go with the two main aspects which defines authenticity that the literature generally agrees on: <br />
<br />
Knowing one’s true self; owning one’s personal experiences, be they thoughts, emotions, needs, wants, preferences, or beliefs.<br />
Acting in accord with one’s true self; expressing oneself in ways that are consistent with one’s understanding of self.<br />
<br />
As Eriksson points out, people are neither completely authentic nor completely inauthentic, it should be seen more as a spectrum of more or less authenticity.<br />
<br />
== Four components of authenticity ==<br />
<br />
As it was proposed by Kernis authenticity can be divided into four components. Each component has its own costs and benefits which will be described below.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Awareness ===<br />
The awareness of self refers to possessing, and being motivated to increase, one’s knowledge and trust in one’s motives, feelings, desires. It includes, for example, understanding one’s likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, goals and aspirations, dispositional characteristics, and emotional states.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Balanced Processing ===<br />
<br />
This component refers to being objective about all what is observed; one’s positive and negative aspects, emotions, experiences and information. Balanced processing involves not denying, distorting or exaggerating information to fit your personal needs. It can be understood by looking at how people with low or fragile high self-esteem select and interpret information. Such persons find it hard to acknowledge personal shortcomings, such as certain skills or personality traits that they don’t like. They will typically develop strong ego defense mechanisms to distort information about their shortcomings. Individuals with balanced processing will not have strong self-serving biases to gain personal success, and will not have strong defense mechanisms.<br />
<br />
=== Behaviour ===<br />
Authentic behaviour means “acting in accord with one’s values, preferences, and needs as opposed to acting merely to please others or to attain rewards or avoid punishments through acting falsely... Authenticity is not reflected in a compulsion to be one’s true self, but rather in the free and natural expression of core feelings, motives and inclinations.”(Kernis). <br />
This can be seen as the behavioural output of Awareness and Balanced Processing.<br />
<br />
Of course, there will be instances where it will not be appropriate to act on behalf of your core needs and values, because it may not fit the immediate environment. Therefore one must act against the true self, which will lead to a temporally internal conflict. However, unbiased processing and awareness can still be present in such an instance, which would allow one to reflect and learn from the situation. In contrast, if awareness and unbiased processing was not present at that instance, then may not be recognized as an act against one’s values and that would lead to blind obedience.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Relational transparency ===<br />
<br />
A person with high relation orientation will strive for truthfulness and openness in his/her close relationships. It’s about self-disclosure, wanting others to see the “real” you, and the development of mutual intimacy and trust. At the core, it’s about being genuine rather than fake in one’s relationships.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic Leadership Theory ==<br />
Authentic Leadership Theory is a new area of research firmly established in 2003 (Avolio, Gardner) that draws insights from positive psychology and full-range leadership (FRL)/transformational leadership theory. It is based on empirical evidence and seems to be the most complete leadership theory, because authenticity is the root of it.<br />
<br />
=== Characteristics of authentic leaders ===<br />
<br />
First of all, an authentic leader must achieve authenticity (as defined above) through self-awareness, self-acceptance, and authentic actions and relationships (Gardner). Authentic leaders has been defined as “those who are deeply aware of how they think and behave and are perceived by others as being aware of their own and others’ values/moral perspectives, knowledge, and strengths; aware of the context in which they operate; and who are confident, hopeful, optimistic, resilient, and of high moral character” (Avolio, Luthans, and Walumbwa 2004, p. 4). <br />
<br />
<br />
Authentic leaders posit the following four distinct characteristics, proposed by Shamir and Eilam (2005):<br />
<br />
- Rather than faking their leadership, authentic leaders are true to themselves (rather than conforming to the expectations of others).<br />
- Authentic leaders are motivated by personal convictions, rather than to attain status, honors, or other personal benefits.<br />
- Authentic leaders are originals, not copies; that is, they lead from their own personal point of view.<br />
- The actions of authentic leaders are based on their personal values and convictions. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
=== How Authentic Leadership impact those around them ===<br />
<br />
Authentic leadership goes beyond the authenticity of the leader as a person to the relationship and development of the team he/she is leading. The relationships are called “authentic followership” and are characterized by:<br />
- Transparency, openness, trust<br />
- Guidance towards worthy objectives<br />
- Emphasis on follower development<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Relation to other leadership theories ==<br />
<br />
To understand where it comes from we will look at how it relates and differentiates to another leadership theory, Transformational leadership. A transformational leadership is also considered as charismatic leadership as it has considerable emotional appeal and possesses the ability to inspire (Ergeneli et al., 2007). Transformational leadership behaviors are associated with four categories:<br />
Idealized influence: when a leader performs as a role model and shares common <br />
visions, encourages and provides a strong sense of purpose.<br />
Inspirational motivation: a leader expresses the importance of desired objectives of the organization and motivates.<br />
Intellectual stimulation: when a leader challenges the normal ideas of followers.<br />
Individualized consideration: when a leader spends more time teaching and coaching for better performance.<br />
<br />
A transformational leader may have a vision they communicate influentially, but that vision may not be always true, or the leaders may be imposing their own needs or pleasures (Ilies et al., 2005). This is where authenticity becomes relevant because an authentic leader will not be ego-driven, and has high morality. Another distinction is that authentic leaders may or may not be charismatic but they will always foster positive development of those around them. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic Project Management ==<br />
<br />
Argue for why auhtentic leadership theory can apply in large regard to PM and an empirical study that didn't find correlation between authentic PM's and project success. Will also describe how it can benefit the whole organization, and culture being increasing the awareness in the organization.<br />
<br />
== How to increase authenticity ==<br />
<br />
Will cover mindfulness as good practice as well as describing how trigger event can cause more authentic behaviour.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Limitations ==<br />
<br />
It's a new field of study so it is not clear how the impact of authenticity effects projects. If project success is the only parameter you are interested in, then improving one's authenticity may be a lot of work for a small change. However, the change towards authentic behaviour will impact every aspect of one's life to the better.</div>Jacobammitsoehttp://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Authenticity&diff=91338Authenticity2021-02-22T09:58:18Z<p>Jacobammitsoe: /* Balanced Processing */</p>
<hr />
<div><br />
== Abstract ==<br />
The field of authenticity in project management is in its very beginning at this point (ref), with only a few empirical studies specific to project management. The field, however, builds on Authentic Leadership Theory which, although also a new field, has a solid empirical foundation. We will therefore, begin by understanding the basic principles of Authentic Leadership Theory and then relate it to Project Management. <br />
<br />
<br />
== Why Authenticity in Project Management is important ==<br />
<br />
Authenticity may seem as a trivial topic in Project Management since it doesn’t directly have anything to do with the four perspectives, Purpose, People, Complexity, Uncertainty. And yet, all four perspectives will benefit greatly with an authentic project manager with high ethical standards and openness towards others. Authentic PM’s will inspire their team members to perform better with more satisfaction and improve the overall organization. Authenticity is, however, not limited to Project Management. One can not learn to just be an authentic project manager, you must start by being an authentic person in everything you do. Being an authentic person comes first and then the benefits of authenticity will shine through all aspects of your life from project management to fatherhood. This article is not meant as a 3 step tutorial to being authentic, because you cannot become authentic by intellectual understanding only. You have to face yourself and who you think you are and challenge that through introspection. That said, the article will help a true understanding of the topic in regards to project management both theoretically, empirically and point to practical ways of getting more authentic as a person and as a project manager. <br />
<br />
<br />
== What is authenticity? ==<br />
Many philosophers and sociologists have attempted to define authenticity since it was first brought up in ancient Greece. The Greeks wrote: “to thine own self be true” (ref xx), which is a quite precise definition of authenticity <br />
- to be true to your own self. We will not go into all the facets and philosophical views of authenticity <br />
- which wouldn’t bring us closer to our authentic self - and go with the two main aspects which defines authenticity that the literature generally agrees on: <br />
<br />
Knowing one’s true self; owning one’s personal experiences, be they thoughts, emotions, needs, wants, preferences, or beliefs.<br />
Acting in accord with one’s true self; expressing oneself in ways that are consistent with one’s understanding of self.<br />
<br />
As Eriksson points out, people are neither completely authentic nor completely inauthentic, it should be seen more as a spectrum of more or less authenticity.<br />
<br />
== Four components of authenticity ==<br />
<br />
As it was proposed by Kernis authenticity can be divided into four components. Each component has its own costs and benefits which will be described below.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Awareness ===<br />
The awareness of self refers to possessing, and being motivated to increase, one’s knowledge and trust in one’s motives, feelings, desires. It includes, for example, understanding one’s likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, goals and aspirations, dispositional characteristics, and emotional states.<br />
<br />
<br />
==== Balanced Processing ====<br />
<br />
This component refers to being objective about all what is observed; one’s positive and negative aspects, emotions, experiences and information. Balanced processing involves not denying, distorting or exaggerating information to fit your personal needs. It can be understood by looking at how people with low or fragile high self-esteem select and interpret information. Such persons find it hard to acknowledge personal shortcomings, such as certain skills or personality traits that they don’t like. They will typically develop strong ego defense mechanisms to distort information about their shortcomings. Individuals with balanced processing will not have strong self-serving biases to gain personal success, and will not have strong defense mechanisms.<br />
<br />
=== Behaviour ===<br />
Authentic behaviour means “acting in accord with one’s values, preferences, and needs as opposed to acting merely to please others or to attain rewards or avoid punishments through acting falsely... Authenticity is not reflected in a compulsion to be one’s true self, but rather in the free and natural expression of core feelings, motives and inclinations.”(Kernis). <br />
This can be seen as the behavioural output of Awareness and Balanced Processing.<br />
<br />
Of course, there will be instances where it will not be appropriate to act on behalf of your core needs and values, because it may not fit the immediate environment. Therefore one must act against the true self, which will lead to a temporally internal conflict. However, unbiased processing and awareness can still be present in such an instance, which would allow one to reflect and learn from the situation. In contrast, if awareness and unbiased processing was not present at that instance, then may not be recognized as an act against one’s values and that would lead to blind obedience.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Relational transparency ===<br />
<br />
A person with high relation orientation will strive for truthfulness and openness in his/her close relationships. It’s about self-disclosure, wanting others to see the “real” you, and the development of mutual intimacy and trust. At the core, it’s about being genuine rather than fake in one’s relationships.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic Leadership Theory ==<br />
Authentic Leadership Theory is a new area of research firmly established in 2003 (Avolio, Gardner) that draws insights from positive psychology and full-range leadership (FRL)/transformational leadership theory. It is based on empirical evidence and seems to be the most complete leadership theory, because authenticity is the root of it.<br />
<br />
=== Characteristics of authentic leaders ===<br />
<br />
First of all, an authentic leader must achieve authenticity (as defined above) through self-awareness, self-acceptance, and authentic actions and relationships (Gardner). Authentic leaders has been defined as “those who are deeply aware of how they think and behave and are perceived by others as being aware of their own and others’ values/moral perspectives, knowledge, and strengths; aware of the context in which they operate; and who are confident, hopeful, optimistic, resilient, and of high moral character” (Avolio, Luthans, and Walumbwa 2004, p. 4). <br />
<br />
<br />
Authentic leaders posit the following four distinct characteristics, proposed by Shamir and Eilam (2005):<br />
<br />
- Rather than faking their leadership, authentic leaders are true to themselves (rather than conforming to the expectations of others).<br />
- Authentic leaders are motivated by personal convictions, rather than to attain status, honors, or other personal benefits.<br />
- Authentic leaders are originals, not copies; that is, they lead from their own personal point of view.<br />
- The actions of authentic leaders are based on their personal values and convictions. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
=== How Authentic Leadership impact those around them ===<br />
<br />
Authentic leadership goes beyond the authenticity of the leader as a person to the relationship and development of the team he/she is leading. The relationships are called “authentic followership” and are characterized by:<br />
- Transparency, openness, trust<br />
- Guidance towards worthy objectives<br />
- Emphasis on follower development<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Relation to other leadership theories ==<br />
<br />
To understand where it comes from we will look at how it relates and differentiates to another leadership theory, Transformational leadership. A transformational leadership is also considered as charismatic leadership as it has considerable emotional appeal and possesses the ability to inspire (Ergeneli et al., 2007). Transformational leadership behaviors are associated with four categories:<br />
Idealized influence: when a leader performs as a role model and shares common <br />
visions, encourages and provides a strong sense of purpose.<br />
Inspirational motivation: a leader expresses the importance of desired objectives of the organization and motivates.<br />
Intellectual stimulation: when a leader challenges the normal ideas of followers.<br />
Individualized consideration: when a leader spends more time teaching and coaching for better performance.<br />
<br />
A transformational leader may have a vision they communicate influentially, but that vision may not be always true, or the leaders may be imposing their own needs or pleasures (Ilies et al., 2005). This is where authenticity becomes relevant because an authentic leader will not be ego-driven, and has high morality. Another distinction is that authentic leaders may or may not be charismatic but they will always foster positive development of those around them. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic Project Management ==<br />
<br />
Argue for why auhtentic leadership theory can apply in large regard to PM and an empirical study that didn't find correlation between authentic PM's and project success. Will also describe how it can benefit the whole organization, and culture being increasing the awareness in the organization.<br />
<br />
== How to increase authenticity ==<br />
<br />
Will cover mindfulness as good practice as well as describing how trigger event can cause more authentic behaviour.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Limitations ==<br />
<br />
It's a new field of study so it is not clear how the impact of authenticity effects projects. If project success is the only parameter you are interested in, then improving one's authenticity may be a lot of work for a small change. However, the change towards authentic behaviour will impact every aspect of one's life to the better.</div>Jacobammitsoehttp://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Authenticity&diff=91337Authenticity2021-02-22T09:57:35Z<p>Jacobammitsoe: </p>
<hr />
<div><br />
== Abstract ==<br />
The field of authenticity in project management is in its very beginning at this point (ref), with only a few empirical studies specific to project management. The field, however, builds on Authentic Leadership Theory which, although also a new field, has a solid empirical foundation. We will therefore, begin by understanding the basic principles of Authentic Leadership Theory and then relate it to Project Management. <br />
<br />
<br />
== Why Authenticity in Project Management is important ==<br />
<br />
Authenticity may seem as a trivial topic in Project Management since it doesn’t directly have anything to do with the four perspectives, Purpose, People, Complexity, Uncertainty. And yet, all four perspectives will benefit greatly with an authentic project manager with high ethical standards and openness towards others. Authentic PM’s will inspire their team members to perform better with more satisfaction and improve the overall organization. Authenticity is, however, not limited to Project Management. One can not learn to just be an authentic project manager, you must start by being an authentic person in everything you do. Being an authentic person comes first and then the benefits of authenticity will shine through all aspects of your life from project management to fatherhood. This article is not meant as a 3 step tutorial to being authentic, because you cannot become authentic by intellectual understanding only. You have to face yourself and who you think you are and challenge that through introspection. That said, the article will help a true understanding of the topic in regards to project management both theoretically, empirically and point to practical ways of getting more authentic as a person and as a project manager. <br />
<br />
<br />
== What is authenticity? ==<br />
Many philosophers and sociologists have attempted to define authenticity since it was first brought up in ancient Greece. The Greeks wrote: “to thine own self be true” (ref xx), which is a quite precise definition of authenticity <br />
- to be true to your own self. We will not go into all the facets and philosophical views of authenticity <br />
- which wouldn’t bring us closer to our authentic self - and go with the two main aspects which defines authenticity that the literature generally agrees on: <br />
<br />
Knowing one’s true self; owning one’s personal experiences, be they thoughts, emotions, needs, wants, preferences, or beliefs.<br />
Acting in accord with one’s true self; expressing oneself in ways that are consistent with one’s understanding of self.<br />
<br />
As Eriksson points out, people are neither completely authentic nor completely inauthentic, it should be seen more as a spectrum of more or less authenticity.<br />
<br />
== Four components of authenticity ==<br />
<br />
As it was proposed by Kernis authenticity can be divided into four components. Each component has its own costs and benefits which will be described below.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Awareness ===<br />
The awareness of self refers to possessing, and being motivated to increase, one’s knowledge and trust in one’s motives, feelings, desires. It includes, for example, understanding one’s likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, goals and aspirations, dispositional characteristics, and emotional states.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Balanced Processing ===<br />
<br />
This component refers to being objective about all what is observed; one’s positive and negative aspects, emotions, experiences and information. Balanced processing involves not denying, distorting or exaggerating information to fit your personal needs. It can be understood by looking at how people with low or fragile high self-esteem select and interpret information. Such persons find it hard to acknowledge personal shortcomings, such as certain skills or personality traits that they don’t like. They will typically develop strong ego defense mechanisms to distort information about their shortcomings. Individuals with balanced processing will not have strong self-serving biases to gain personal success, and will not have strong defense mechanisms.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Behaviour ===<br />
Authentic behaviour means “acting in accord with one’s values, preferences, and needs as opposed to acting merely to please others or to attain rewards or avoid punishments through acting falsely... Authenticity is not reflected in a compulsion to be one’s true self, but rather in the free and natural expression of core feelings, motives and inclinations.”(Kernis). <br />
This can be seen as the behavioural output of Awareness and Balanced Processing.<br />
<br />
Of course, there will be instances where it will not be appropriate to act on behalf of your core needs and values, because it may not fit the immediate environment. Therefore one must act against the true self, which will lead to a temporally internal conflict. However, unbiased processing and awareness can still be present in such an instance, which would allow one to reflect and learn from the situation. In contrast, if awareness and unbiased processing was not present at that instance, then may not be recognized as an act against one’s values and that would lead to blind obedience.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Relational transparency ===<br />
<br />
A person with high relation orientation will strive for truthfulness and openness in his/her close relationships. It’s about self-disclosure, wanting others to see the “real” you, and the development of mutual intimacy and trust. At the core, it’s about being genuine rather than fake in one’s relationships.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic Leadership Theory ==<br />
Authentic Leadership Theory is a new area of research firmly established in 2003 (Avolio, Gardner) that draws insights from positive psychology and full-range leadership (FRL)/transformational leadership theory. It is based on empirical evidence and seems to be the most complete leadership theory, because authenticity is the root of it.<br />
<br />
=== Characteristics of authentic leaders ===<br />
<br />
First of all, an authentic leader must achieve authenticity (as defined above) through self-awareness, self-acceptance, and authentic actions and relationships (Gardner). Authentic leaders has been defined as “those who are deeply aware of how they think and behave and are perceived by others as being aware of their own and others’ values/moral perspectives, knowledge, and strengths; aware of the context in which they operate; and who are confident, hopeful, optimistic, resilient, and of high moral character” (Avolio, Luthans, and Walumbwa 2004, p. 4). <br />
<br />
<br />
Authentic leaders posit the following four distinct characteristics, proposed by Shamir and Eilam (2005):<br />
<br />
- Rather than faking their leadership, authentic leaders are true to themselves (rather than conforming to the expectations of others).<br />
- Authentic leaders are motivated by personal convictions, rather than to attain status, honors, or other personal benefits.<br />
- Authentic leaders are originals, not copies; that is, they lead from their own personal point of view.<br />
- The actions of authentic leaders are based on their personal values and convictions. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
=== How Authentic Leadership impact those around them ===<br />
<br />
Authentic leadership goes beyond the authenticity of the leader as a person to the relationship and development of the team he/she is leading. The relationships are called “authentic followership” and are characterized by:<br />
- Transparency, openness, trust<br />
- Guidance towards worthy objectives<br />
- Emphasis on follower development<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Relation to other leadership theories ==<br />
<br />
To understand where it comes from we will look at how it relates and differentiates to another leadership theory, Transformational leadership. A transformational leadership is also considered as charismatic leadership as it has considerable emotional appeal and possesses the ability to inspire (Ergeneli et al., 2007). Transformational leadership behaviors are associated with four categories:<br />
Idealized influence: when a leader performs as a role model and shares common <br />
visions, encourages and provides a strong sense of purpose.<br />
Inspirational motivation: a leader expresses the importance of desired objectives of the organization and motivates.<br />
Intellectual stimulation: when a leader challenges the normal ideas of followers.<br />
Individualized consideration: when a leader spends more time teaching and coaching for better performance.<br />
<br />
A transformational leader may have a vision they communicate influentially, but that vision may not be always true, or the leaders may be imposing their own needs or pleasures (Ilies et al., 2005). This is where authenticity becomes relevant because an authentic leader will not be ego-driven, and has high morality. Another distinction is that authentic leaders may or may not be charismatic but they will always foster positive development of those around them. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic Project Management ==<br />
<br />
Argue for why auhtentic leadership theory can apply in large regard to PM and an empirical study that didn't find correlation between authentic PM's and project success. Will also describe how it can benefit the whole organization, and culture being increasing the awareness in the organization.<br />
<br />
== How to increase authenticity ==<br />
<br />
Will cover mindfulness as good practice as well as describing how trigger event can cause more authentic behaviour.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Limitations ==<br />
<br />
It's a new field of study so it is not clear how the impact of authenticity effects projects. If project success is the only parameter you are interested in, then improving one's authenticity may be a lot of work for a small change. However, the change towards authentic behaviour will impact every aspect of one's life to the better.</div>Jacobammitsoehttp://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Authenticity&diff=91336Authenticity2021-02-22T09:56:59Z<p>Jacobammitsoe: /* Authentic Leadership */</p>
<hr />
<div><br />
== Abstract ==<br />
The field of authenticity in project management is in its very beginning at this point (ref), with only a few empirical studies specific to project management. The field, however, builds on Authentic Leadership Theory which, although also a new field, has a solid empirical foundation. We will therefore, begin by understanding the basic principles of Authentic Leadership Theory and then relate it to Project Management. <br />
<br />
<br />
== Why Authenticity in Project Management is important ==<br />
<br />
Authenticity may seem as a trivial topic in Project Management since it doesn’t directly have anything to do with the four perspectives, Purpose, People, Complexity, Uncertainty. And yet, all four perspectives will benefit greatly with an authentic project manager with high ethical standards and openness towards others. Authentic PM’s will inspire their team members to perform better with more satisfaction and improve the overall organization. Authenticity is, however, not limited to Project Management. One can not learn to just be an authentic project manager, you must start by being an authentic person in everything you do. Being an authentic person comes first and then the benefits of authenticity will shine through all aspects of your life from project management to fatherhood. This article is not meant as a 3 step tutorial to being authentic, because you cannot become authentic by intellectual understanding only. You have to face yourself and who you think you are and challenge that through introspection. That said, the article will help a true understanding of the topic in regards to project management both theoretically, empirically and point to practical ways of getting more authentic as a person and as a project manager. <br />
<br />
<br />
== What is authenticity? ==<br />
Many philosophers and sociologists have attempted to define authenticity since it was first brought up in ancient Greece. The Greeks wrote: “to thine own self be true” (ref xx), which is a quite precise definition of authenticity <br />
- to be true to your own self. We will not go into all the facets and philosophical views of authenticity <br />
- which wouldn’t bring us closer to our authentic self - and go with the two main aspects which defines authenticity that the literature generally agrees on: <br />
<br />
Knowing one’s true self; owning one’s personal experiences, be they thoughts, emotions, needs, wants, preferences, or beliefs.<br />
Acting in accord with one’s true self; expressing oneself in ways that are consistent with one’s understanding of self.<br />
<br />
As Eriksson points out, people are neither completely authentic nor completely inauthentic, it should be seen more as a spectrum of more or less authenticity.<br />
<br />
== Four components of authenticity ==<br />
<br />
As it was proposed by Kernis authenticity can be divided into four components. Each component has its own costs and benefits which will be described below.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Awareness ===<br />
The awareness of self refers to possessing, and being motivated to increase, one’s knowledge and trust in one’s motives, feelings, desires. It includes, for example, understanding one’s likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, goals and aspirations, dispositional characteristics, and emotional states.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Balanced Processing ===<br />
<br />
This component refers to being objective about all what is observed; one’s positive and negative aspects, emotions, experiences and information. Balanced processing involves not denying, distorting or exaggerating information to fit your personal needs. It can be understood by looking at how people with low or fragile high self-esteem select and interpret information. Such persons find it hard to acknowledge personal shortcomings, such as certain skills or personality traits that they don’t like. They will typically develop strong ego defense mechanisms to distort information about their shortcomings. Individuals with balanced processing will not have strong self-serving biases to gain personal success, and will not have strong defense mechanisms.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Behaviour ===<br />
Authentic behaviour means “acting in accord with one’s values, preferences, and needs as opposed to acting merely to please others or to attain rewards or avoid punishments through acting falsely... Authenticity is not reflected in a compulsion to be one’s true self, but rather in the free and natural expression of core feelings, motives and inclinations.”(Kernis). <br />
This can be seen as the behavioural output of Awareness and Balanced Processing.<br />
<br />
Of course, there will be instances where it will not be appropriate to act on behalf of your core needs and values, because it may not fit the immediate environment. Therefore one must act against the true self, which will lead to a temporally internal conflict. However, unbiased processing and awareness can still be present in such an instance, which would allow one to reflect and learn from the situation. In contrast, if awareness and unbiased processing was not present at that instance, then may not be recognized as an act against one’s values and that would lead to blind obedience.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Relational transparency ===<br />
<br />
A person with high relation orientation will strive for truthfulness and openness in his/her close relationships. It’s about self-disclosure, wanting others to see the “real” you, and the development of mutual intimacy and trust. At the core, it’s about being genuine rather than fake in one’s relationships.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic Leadership Theory ==<br />
Authentic Leadership Theory is a new area of research firmly established in 2003 (Avolio, Gardner) that draws insights from positive psychology and full-range leadership (FRL)/transformational leadership theory. It is based on empirical evidence and seems to be the most complete leadership theory, because authenticity is the root of it.<br />
<br />
== Characteristics of authentic leaders ==<br />
<br />
First of all, an authentic leader must achieve authenticity (as defined above) through self-awareness, self-acceptance, and authentic actions and relationships (Gardner). Authentic leaders has been defined as “those who are deeply aware of how they think and behave and are perceived by others as being aware of their own and others’ values/moral perspectives, knowledge, and strengths; aware of the context in which they operate; and who are confident, hopeful, optimistic, resilient, and of high moral character” (Avolio, Luthans, and Walumbwa 2004, p. 4). <br />
<br />
<br />
Authentic leaders posit the following four distinct characteristics, proposed by Shamir and Eilam (2005):<br />
<br />
- Rather than faking their leadership, authentic leaders are true to themselves (rather than conforming to the expectations of others).<br />
- Authentic leaders are motivated by personal convictions, rather than to attain status, honors, or other personal benefits.<br />
- Authentic leaders are originals, not copies; that is, they lead from their own personal point of view.<br />
- The actions of authentic leaders are based on their personal values and convictions. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== How Authentic Leadership impact those around them ==<br />
<br />
Authentic leadership goes beyond the authenticity of the leader as a person to the relationship and development of the team he/she is leading. The relationships are called “authentic followership” and are characterized by:<br />
- Transparency, openness, trust<br />
- Guidance towards worthy objectives<br />
- Emphasis on follower development<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Relation to other leadership theories ==<br />
<br />
To understand where it comes from we will look at how it relates and differentiates to another leadership theory, Transformational leadership. A transformational leadership is also considered as charismatic leadership as it has considerable emotional appeal and possesses the ability to inspire (Ergeneli et al., 2007). Transformational leadership behaviors are associated with four categories:<br />
Idealized influence: when a leader performs as a role model and shares common <br />
visions, encourages and provides a strong sense of purpose.<br />
Inspirational motivation: a leader expresses the importance of desired objectives of the organization and motivates.<br />
Intellectual stimulation: when a leader challenges the normal ideas of followers.<br />
Individualized consideration: when a leader spends more time teaching and coaching for better performance.<br />
<br />
A transformational leader may have a vision they communicate influentially, but that vision may not be always true, or the leaders may be imposing their own needs or pleasures (Ilies et al., 2005). This is where authenticity becomes relevant because an authentic leader will not be ego-driven, and has high morality. Another distinction is that authentic leaders may or may not be charismatic but they will always foster positive development of those around them. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic Project Management ==<br />
<br />
Argue for why auhtentic leadership theory can apply in large regard to PM and an empirical study that didn't find correlation between authentic PM's and project success. Will also describe how it can benefit the whole organization, and culture being increasing the awareness in the organization.<br />
<br />
== How to increase authenticity ==<br />
<br />
Will cover mindfulness as good practice as well as describing how trigger event can cause more authentic behaviour.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Limitations ==<br />
<br />
It's a new field of study so it is not clear how the impact of authenticity effects projects. If project success is the only parameter you are interested in, then improving one's authenticity may be a lot of work for a small change. However, the change towards authentic behaviour will impact every aspect of one's life to the better.</div>Jacobammitsoehttp://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Authenticity&diff=91335Authenticity2021-02-22T09:56:38Z<p>Jacobammitsoe: /* What is authenticity? */</p>
<hr />
<div><br />
== Abstract ==<br />
The field of authenticity in project management is in its very beginning at this point (ref), with only a few empirical studies specific to project management. The field, however, builds on Authentic Leadership Theory which, although also a new field, has a solid empirical foundation. We will therefore, begin by understanding the basic principles of Authentic Leadership Theory and then relate it to Project Management. <br />
<br />
<br />
== Why Authenticity in Project Management is important ==<br />
<br />
Authenticity may seem as a trivial topic in Project Management since it doesn’t directly have anything to do with the four perspectives, Purpose, People, Complexity, Uncertainty. And yet, all four perspectives will benefit greatly with an authentic project manager with high ethical standards and openness towards others. Authentic PM’s will inspire their team members to perform better with more satisfaction and improve the overall organization. Authenticity is, however, not limited to Project Management. One can not learn to just be an authentic project manager, you must start by being an authentic person in everything you do. Being an authentic person comes first and then the benefits of authenticity will shine through all aspects of your life from project management to fatherhood. This article is not meant as a 3 step tutorial to being authentic, because you cannot become authentic by intellectual understanding only. You have to face yourself and who you think you are and challenge that through introspection. That said, the article will help a true understanding of the topic in regards to project management both theoretically, empirically and point to practical ways of getting more authentic as a person and as a project manager. <br />
<br />
<br />
== What is authenticity? ==<br />
Many philosophers and sociologists have attempted to define authenticity since it was first brought up in ancient Greece. The Greeks wrote: “to thine own self be true” (ref xx), which is a quite precise definition of authenticity <br />
- to be true to your own self. We will not go into all the facets and philosophical views of authenticity <br />
- which wouldn’t bring us closer to our authentic self - and go with the two main aspects which defines authenticity that the literature generally agrees on: <br />
<br />
Knowing one’s true self; owning one’s personal experiences, be they thoughts, emotions, needs, wants, preferences, or beliefs.<br />
Acting in accord with one’s true self; expressing oneself in ways that are consistent with one’s understanding of self.<br />
<br />
As Eriksson points out, people are neither completely authentic nor completely inauthentic, it should be seen more as a spectrum of more or less authenticity.<br />
<br />
== Four components of authenticity ==<br />
<br />
As it was proposed by Kernis authenticity can be divided into four components. Each component has its own costs and benefits which will be described below.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Awareness ===<br />
The awareness of self refers to possessing, and being motivated to increase, one’s knowledge and trust in one’s motives, feelings, desires. It includes, for example, understanding one’s likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, goals and aspirations, dispositional characteristics, and emotional states.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Balanced Processing ===<br />
<br />
This component refers to being objective about all what is observed; one’s positive and negative aspects, emotions, experiences and information. Balanced processing involves not denying, distorting or exaggerating information to fit your personal needs. It can be understood by looking at how people with low or fragile high self-esteem select and interpret information. Such persons find it hard to acknowledge personal shortcomings, such as certain skills or personality traits that they don’t like. They will typically develop strong ego defense mechanisms to distort information about their shortcomings. Individuals with balanced processing will not have strong self-serving biases to gain personal success, and will not have strong defense mechanisms.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Behaviour ===<br />
Authentic behaviour means “acting in accord with one’s values, preferences, and needs as opposed to acting merely to please others or to attain rewards or avoid punishments through acting falsely... Authenticity is not reflected in a compulsion to be one’s true self, but rather in the free and natural expression of core feelings, motives and inclinations.”(Kernis). <br />
This can be seen as the behavioural output of Awareness and Balanced Processing.<br />
<br />
Of course, there will be instances where it will not be appropriate to act on behalf of your core needs and values, because it may not fit the immediate environment. Therefore one must act against the true self, which will lead to a temporally internal conflict. However, unbiased processing and awareness can still be present in such an instance, which would allow one to reflect and learn from the situation. In contrast, if awareness and unbiased processing was not present at that instance, then may not be recognized as an act against one’s values and that would lead to blind obedience.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Relational transparency ===<br />
<br />
A person with high relation orientation will strive for truthfulness and openness in his/her close relationships. It’s about self-disclosure, wanting others to see the “real” you, and the development of mutual intimacy and trust. At the core, it’s about being genuine rather than fake in one’s relationships.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic Leadership ==<br />
Authentic Leadership Theory is a new area of research firmly established in 2003 (Avolio, Gardner) that draws insights from positive psychology and full-range leadership (FRL)/transformational leadership theory. It is based on empirical evidence and seems to be the most complete leadership theory, because authenticity is the root of it. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Characteristics of authentic leaders ==<br />
<br />
First of all, an authentic leader must achieve authenticity (as defined above) through self-awareness, self-acceptance, and authentic actions and relationships (Gardner). Authentic leaders has been defined as “those who are deeply aware of how they think and behave and are perceived by others as being aware of their own and others’ values/moral perspectives, knowledge, and strengths; aware of the context in which they operate; and who are confident, hopeful, optimistic, resilient, and of high moral character” (Avolio, Luthans, and Walumbwa 2004, p. 4). <br />
<br />
<br />
Authentic leaders posit the following four distinct characteristics, proposed by Shamir and Eilam (2005):<br />
<br />
- Rather than faking their leadership, authentic leaders are true to themselves (rather than conforming to the expectations of others).<br />
- Authentic leaders are motivated by personal convictions, rather than to attain status, honors, or other personal benefits.<br />
- Authentic leaders are originals, not copies; that is, they lead from their own personal point of view.<br />
- The actions of authentic leaders are based on their personal values and convictions. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== How Authentic Leadership impact those around them ==<br />
<br />
Authentic leadership goes beyond the authenticity of the leader as a person to the relationship and development of the team he/she is leading. The relationships are called “authentic followership” and are characterized by:<br />
- Transparency, openness, trust<br />
- Guidance towards worthy objectives<br />
- Emphasis on follower development<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Relation to other leadership theories ==<br />
<br />
To understand where it comes from we will look at how it relates and differentiates to another leadership theory, Transformational leadership. A transformational leadership is also considered as charismatic leadership as it has considerable emotional appeal and possesses the ability to inspire (Ergeneli et al., 2007). Transformational leadership behaviors are associated with four categories:<br />
Idealized influence: when a leader performs as a role model and shares common <br />
visions, encourages and provides a strong sense of purpose.<br />
Inspirational motivation: a leader expresses the importance of desired objectives of the organization and motivates.<br />
Intellectual stimulation: when a leader challenges the normal ideas of followers.<br />
Individualized consideration: when a leader spends more time teaching and coaching for better performance.<br />
<br />
A transformational leader may have a vision they communicate influentially, but that vision may not be always true, or the leaders may be imposing their own needs or pleasures (Ilies et al., 2005). This is where authenticity becomes relevant because an authentic leader will not be ego-driven, and has high morality. Another distinction is that authentic leaders may or may not be charismatic but they will always foster positive development of those around them. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic Project Management ==<br />
<br />
Argue for why auhtentic leadership theory can apply in large regard to PM and an empirical study that didn't find correlation between authentic PM's and project success. Will also describe how it can benefit the whole organization, and culture being increasing the awareness in the organization.<br />
<br />
== How to increase authenticity ==<br />
<br />
Will cover mindfulness as good practice as well as describing how trigger event can cause more authentic behaviour.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Limitations ==<br />
<br />
It's a new field of study so it is not clear how the impact of authenticity effects projects. If project success is the only parameter you are interested in, then improving one's authenticity may be a lot of work for a small change. However, the change towards authentic behaviour will impact every aspect of one's life to the better.</div>Jacobammitsoehttp://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Authenticity&diff=91334Authenticity2021-02-22T09:55:54Z<p>Jacobammitsoe: </p>
<hr />
<div><br />
== Abstract ==<br />
The field of authenticity in project management is in its very beginning at this point (ref), with only a few empirical studies specific to project management. The field, however, builds on Authentic Leadership Theory which, although also a new field, has a solid empirical foundation. We will therefore, begin by understanding the basic principles of Authentic Leadership Theory and then relate it to Project Management. <br />
<br />
<br />
== Why Authenticity in Project Management is important ==<br />
<br />
Authenticity may seem as a trivial topic in Project Management since it doesn’t directly have anything to do with the four perspectives, Purpose, People, Complexity, Uncertainty. And yet, all four perspectives will benefit greatly with an authentic project manager with high ethical standards and openness towards others. Authentic PM’s will inspire their team members to perform better with more satisfaction and improve the overall organization. Authenticity is, however, not limited to Project Management. One can not learn to just be an authentic project manager, you must start by being an authentic person in everything you do. Being an authentic person comes first and then the benefits of authenticity will shine through all aspects of your life from project management to fatherhood. This article is not meant as a 3 step tutorial to being authentic, because you cannot become authentic by intellectual understanding only. You have to face yourself and who you think you are and challenge that through introspection. That said, the article will help a true understanding of the topic in regards to project management both theoretically, empirically and point to practical ways of getting more authentic as a person and as a project manager. <br />
<br />
<br />
== What is authenticity? ==<br />
Many philosophers and sociologists have attempted to define authenticity since it was first brought up in ancient Greece. The Greeks wrote: “to thine own self be true” (ref xx), which is a quite precise definition of authenticity <br />
- to be true to your own self. We will not go into all the facets and philosophical views of authenticity <br />
- which wouldn’t bring us closer to our authentic self - and go with the two main aspects which defines authenticity that the literature generally agrees on: <br />
<br />
Knowing one’s true self; owning one’s personal experiences, be they thoughts, emotions, needs, wants, preferences, or beliefs.<br />
Acting in accord with one’s true self; expressing oneself in ways that are consistent with one’s understanding of self.<br />
<br />
As Eriksson points out, people are neither completely authentic nor completely inauthentic, it should be seen more as a spectrum of authenticity. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Four components of authenticity ==<br />
<br />
As it was proposed by Kernis authenticity can be divided into four components. Each component has its own costs and benefits which will be described below.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Awareness ===<br />
The awareness of self refers to possessing, and being motivated to increase, one’s knowledge and trust in one’s motives, feelings, desires. It includes, for example, understanding one’s likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, goals and aspirations, dispositional characteristics, and emotional states.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Balanced Processing ===<br />
<br />
This component refers to being objective about all what is observed; one’s positive and negative aspects, emotions, experiences and information. Balanced processing involves not denying, distorting or exaggerating information to fit your personal needs. It can be understood by looking at how people with low or fragile high self-esteem select and interpret information. Such persons find it hard to acknowledge personal shortcomings, such as certain skills or personality traits that they don’t like. They will typically develop strong ego defense mechanisms to distort information about their shortcomings. Individuals with balanced processing will not have strong self-serving biases to gain personal success, and will not have strong defense mechanisms.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Behaviour ===<br />
Authentic behaviour means “acting in accord with one’s values, preferences, and needs as opposed to acting merely to please others or to attain rewards or avoid punishments through acting falsely... Authenticity is not reflected in a compulsion to be one’s true self, but rather in the free and natural expression of core feelings, motives and inclinations.”(Kernis). <br />
This can be seen as the behavioural output of Awareness and Balanced Processing.<br />
<br />
Of course, there will be instances where it will not be appropriate to act on behalf of your core needs and values, because it may not fit the immediate environment. Therefore one must act against the true self, which will lead to a temporally internal conflict. However, unbiased processing and awareness can still be present in such an instance, which would allow one to reflect and learn from the situation. In contrast, if awareness and unbiased processing was not present at that instance, then may not be recognized as an act against one’s values and that would lead to blind obedience.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Relational transparency ===<br />
<br />
A person with high relation orientation will strive for truthfulness and openness in his/her close relationships. It’s about self-disclosure, wanting others to see the “real” you, and the development of mutual intimacy and trust. At the core, it’s about being genuine rather than fake in one’s relationships.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic Leadership ==<br />
Authentic Leadership Theory is a new area of research firmly established in 2003 (Avolio, Gardner) that draws insights from positive psychology and full-range leadership (FRL)/transformational leadership theory. It is based on empirical evidence and seems to be the most complete leadership theory, because authenticity is the root of it. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Characteristics of authentic leaders ==<br />
<br />
First of all, an authentic leader must achieve authenticity (as defined above) through self-awareness, self-acceptance, and authentic actions and relationships (Gardner). Authentic leaders has been defined as “those who are deeply aware of how they think and behave and are perceived by others as being aware of their own and others’ values/moral perspectives, knowledge, and strengths; aware of the context in which they operate; and who are confident, hopeful, optimistic, resilient, and of high moral character” (Avolio, Luthans, and Walumbwa 2004, p. 4). <br />
<br />
<br />
Authentic leaders posit the following four distinct characteristics, proposed by Shamir and Eilam (2005):<br />
<br />
- Rather than faking their leadership, authentic leaders are true to themselves (rather than conforming to the expectations of others).<br />
- Authentic leaders are motivated by personal convictions, rather than to attain status, honors, or other personal benefits.<br />
- Authentic leaders are originals, not copies; that is, they lead from their own personal point of view.<br />
- The actions of authentic leaders are based on their personal values and convictions. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== How Authentic Leadership impact those around them ==<br />
<br />
Authentic leadership goes beyond the authenticity of the leader as a person to the relationship and development of the team he/she is leading. The relationships are called “authentic followership” and are characterized by:<br />
- Transparency, openness, trust<br />
- Guidance towards worthy objectives<br />
- Emphasis on follower development<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Relation to other leadership theories ==<br />
<br />
To understand where it comes from we will look at how it relates and differentiates to another leadership theory, Transformational leadership. A transformational leadership is also considered as charismatic leadership as it has considerable emotional appeal and possesses the ability to inspire (Ergeneli et al., 2007). Transformational leadership behaviors are associated with four categories:<br />
Idealized influence: when a leader performs as a role model and shares common <br />
visions, encourages and provides a strong sense of purpose.<br />
Inspirational motivation: a leader expresses the importance of desired objectives of the organization and motivates.<br />
Intellectual stimulation: when a leader challenges the normal ideas of followers.<br />
Individualized consideration: when a leader spends more time teaching and coaching for better performance.<br />
<br />
A transformational leader may have a vision they communicate influentially, but that vision may not be always true, or the leaders may be imposing their own needs or pleasures (Ilies et al., 2005). This is where authenticity becomes relevant because an authentic leader will not be ego-driven, and has high morality. Another distinction is that authentic leaders may or may not be charismatic but they will always foster positive development of those around them. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic Project Management ==<br />
<br />
Argue for why auhtentic leadership theory can apply in large regard to PM and an empirical study that didn't find correlation between authentic PM's and project success. Will also describe how it can benefit the whole organization, and culture being increasing the awareness in the organization.<br />
<br />
== How to increase authenticity ==<br />
<br />
Will cover mindfulness as good practice as well as describing how trigger event can cause more authentic behaviour.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Limitations ==<br />
<br />
It's a new field of study so it is not clear how the impact of authenticity effects projects. If project success is the only parameter you are interested in, then improving one's authenticity may be a lot of work for a small change. However, the change towards authentic behaviour will impact every aspect of one's life to the better.</div>Jacobammitsoehttp://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Authenticity&diff=91333Authenticity2021-02-22T09:49:06Z<p>Jacobammitsoe: </p>
<hr />
<div><br />
== Why Authenticity in Project Management is important ==<br />
<br />
Authenticity may seem as a trivial topic in Project Management since it doesn’t directly have anything to do with the four perspectives, Purpose, People, Complexity, Uncertainty. And yet, all four perspectives will benefit greatly with an authentic project manager with high ethical standards and openness towards others. Authentic PM’s will inspire their team members to perform better with more satisfaction and improve the overall organization. Authenticity is, however, not limited to Project Management. One can not learn to just be an authentic project manager, you must start by being an authentic person in everything you do. Being an authentic person comes first and then the benefits of authenticity will shine through all aspects of your life from project management to fatherhood. This article is not meant as a 3 step tutorial to being authentic, because you cannot become authentic by intellectual understanding only. You have to face yourself and who you think you are and challenge that through introspection. That said, the article will help a true understanding of the topic in regards to project management both theoretically, empirically and point to practical ways of getting more authentic as a person and as a project manager.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== What is authenticity? ==<br />
Many philosophers and sociologists have attempted to define authenticity since it was first brought up in ancient Greece. The Greeks wrote: “to thine own self be true” (ref xx), which is a quite precise definition of authenticity <br />
- to be true to your own self. We will not go into all the facets and philosophical views of authenticity <br />
- which wouldn’t bring us closer to our authentic self - and go with the two main aspects which defines authenticity that the literature generally agrees on: <br />
<br />
Knowing one’s true self; owning one’s personal experiences, be they thoughts, emotions, needs, wants, preferences, or beliefs.<br />
Acting in accord with one’s true self; expressing oneself in ways that are consistent with one’s understanding of self.<br />
<br />
As Eriksson points out, people are neither completely authentic nor completely inauthentic, it should be seen more as a spectrum of authenticity. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Four components of authenticity ==<br />
<br />
As it was proposed by Kernis authenticity can be divided into four components. Each component has its own costs and benefits which will be described below.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Awareness ===<br />
The awareness of self refers to possessing, and being motivated to increase, one’s knowledge and trust in one’s motives, feelings, desires. It includes, for example, understanding one’s likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, goals and aspirations, dispositional characteristics, and emotional states.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Balanced Processing ===<br />
<br />
This component refers to being objective about all what is observed; one’s positive and negative aspects, emotions, experiences and information. Balanced processing involves not denying, distorting or exaggerating information to fit your personal needs. It can be understood by looking at how people with low or fragile high self-esteem select and interpret information. Such persons find it hard to acknowledge personal shortcomings, such as certain skills or personality traits that they don’t like. They will typically develop strong ego defense mechanisms to distort information about their shortcomings. Individuals with balanced processing will not have strong self-serving biases to gain personal success, and will not have strong defense mechanisms.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Behaviour ===<br />
Authentic behaviour means “acting in accord with one’s values, preferences, and needs as opposed to acting merely to please others or to attain rewards or avoid punishments through acting falsely... Authenticity is not reflected in a compulsion to be one’s true self, but rather in the free and natural expression of core feelings, motives and inclinations.”(Kernis). <br />
This can be seen as the behavioural output of Awareness and Balanced Processing.<br />
<br />
Of course, there will be instances where it will not be appropriate to act on behalf of your core needs and values, because it may not fit the immediate environment. Therefore one must act against the true self, which will lead to a temporally internal conflict. However, unbiased processing and awareness can still be present in such an instance, which would allow one to reflect and learn from the situation. In contrast, if awareness and unbiased processing was not present at that instance, then may not be recognized as an act against one’s values and that would lead to blind obedience.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Relational transparency ===<br />
<br />
A person with high relation orientation will strive for truthfulness and openness in his/her close relationships. It’s about self-disclosure, wanting others to see the “real” you, and the development of mutual intimacy and trust. At the core, it’s about being genuine rather than fake in one’s relationships.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authenticity in Project Management ==<br />
The field of authenticity in project management is in its very beginning at this point (ref), with only a few empirical studies specific to project management. The field, however, builds on Authentic Leadership Theory which, although also a new field, has a solid empirical foundation. We will therefore, begin by understanding the basic principles of Authentic Leadership Theory and then relate it to Project Management. <br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic Leadership Theory ==<br />
<br />
Authentic Leadership Theory is a new area of research firmly established in 2003 (Avolio, Gardner) that draws insights from positive psychology and full-range leadership (FRL)/transformational leadership theory. It is based on empirical evidence and seems to be the most complete leadership theory, because authenticity is the root of it. <br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic leaders ==<br />
<br />
First of all, an authentic leader must achieve authenticity (as defined above) through self-awareness, self-acceptance, and authentic actions and relationships (Gardner). Authentic leaders has been defined as “those who are deeply aware of how they think and behave and are perceived by others as being aware of their own and others’ values/moral perspectives, knowledge, and strengths; aware of the context in which they operate; and who are confident, hopeful, optimistic, resilient, and of high moral character” (Avolio, Luthans, and Walumbwa 2004, p. 4). <br />
<br />
<br />
== Characteristics ==<br />
<br />
Authentic leaders posit the following four distinct characteristics, proposed by Shamir and Eilam (2005):<br />
<br />
- Rather than faking their leadership, authentic leaders are true to themselves (rather than conforming to the expectations of others).<br />
- Authentic leaders are motivated by personal convictions, rather than to attain status, honors, or other personal benefits.<br />
- Authentic leaders are originals, not copies; that is, they lead from their own personal point of view.<br />
- The actions of authentic leaders are based on their personal values and convictions. <br />
<br />
<br />
== How Authentic Leadership impact those around them ==<br />
<br />
Authentic leadership goes beyond the authenticity of the leader as a person to the relationship and development of the team he/she is leading. The relationships are called “authentic followership” and are characterized by:<br />
- Transparency, openness, trust<br />
- Guidance towards worthy objectives<br />
- Emphasis on follower development<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Distinction to other leadership theories ==<br />
<br />
To understand where it comes from we will look at how it relates and differentiates to another leadership theory, Transformational leadership. A transformational leadership is also considered as charismatic leadership as it has considerable emotional appeal and possesses the ability to inspire (Ergeneli et al., 2007). Transformational leadership behaviors are associated with four categories:<br />
Idealized influence: when a leader performs as a role model and shares common <br />
visions, encourages and provides a strong sense of purpose.<br />
Inspirational motivation: a leader expresses the importance of desired objectives of the organization and motivates.<br />
Intellectual stimulation: when a leader challenges the normal ideas of followers.<br />
Individualized consideration: when a leader spends more time teaching and coaching for better performance.<br />
<br />
A transformational leader may have a vision they communicate influentially, but that vision may not be always true, or the leaders may be imposing their own needs or pleasures (Ilies et al., 2005). This is where authenticity becomes relevant because an authentic leader will not be ego-driven, and has high morality. Another distinction is that authentic leaders may or may not be charismatic but they will always foster positive development of those around them. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic Project Management ==<br />
<br />
Argue for why auhtentic leadership theory can apply in large regard to PM and an empirical study that didn't find correlation between authentic PM's and project success. Will also describe how it can benefit the whole organization, and culture being increasing the awareness in the organization.<br />
<br />
== How to increase authenticity ==<br />
<br />
Will cover mindfulness as good practice as well as describing how trigger event can cause more authentic behaviour.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Limitations ==<br />
<br />
It's a new field of study so it is not clear how the impact of authenticity effects projects. If project success is the only parameter you are interested in, then improving one's authenticity may be a lot of work for a small change. However, the change towards authentic behaviour will impact every aspect of one's life to the better.</div>Jacobammitsoehttp://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Authenticity&diff=91332Authenticity2021-02-22T09:48:27Z<p>Jacobammitsoe: </p>
<hr />
<div><br />
== Why Authenticity in Project Management is important ==<br />
<br />
Authenticity may seem as a trivial topic in Project Management since it doesn’t directly have anything to do with the four perspectives, Purpose, People, Complexity, Uncertainty. And yet, all four perspectives will benefit greatly with an authentic project manager with high ethical standards and openness towards others. Authentic PM’s will inspire their team members to perform better with more satisfaction and improve the overall organization. Authenticity is, however, not limited to Project Management. One can not learn to just be an authentic project manager, you must start by being an authentic person in everything you do. Being an authentic person comes first and then the benefits of authenticity will shine through all aspects of your life from project management to fatherhood. This article is not meant as a 3 step tutorial to being authentic, because you cannot become authentic by intellectual understanding only. You have to face yourself and who you think you are and challenge that through introspection. That said, the article will help a true understanding of the topic in regards to project management both theoretically, empirically and point to practical ways of getting more authentic as a person and as a project manager.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== What is authenticity? ==<br />
Many philosophers and sociologists have attempted to define authenticity since it was first brought up in ancient Greece. The Greeks wrote: “to thine own self be true” (ref xx), which is a quite precise definition of authenticity <br />
- to be true to your own self. We will not go into all the facets and philosophical views of authenticity <br />
- which wouldn’t bring us closer to our authentic self - and go with the two main aspects which defines authenticity that the literature generally agrees on: <br />
<br />
Knowing one’s true self; owning one’s personal experiences, be they thoughts, emotions, needs, wants, preferences, or beliefs.<br />
Acting in accord with one’s true self; expressing oneself in ways that are consistent with one’s understanding of self.<br />
<br />
As Eriksson points out, people are neither completely authentic nor completely inauthentic, it should be seen more as a spectrum of authenticity. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Four components of authenticity ==<br />
<br />
As it was proposed by Kernis authenticity can be divided into four components. Each component has its own costs and benefits which will be described below.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Awareness ===<br />
The awareness of self refers to possessing, and being motivated to increase, one’s knowledge and trust in one’s motives, feelings, desires. It includes, for example, understanding one’s likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, goals and aspirations, dispositional characteristics, and emotional states.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Balanced Processing ==<br />
<br />
This component refers to being objective about all what is observed; one’s positive and negative aspects, emotions, experiences and information. Balanced processing involves not denying, distorting or exaggerating information to fit your personal needs. It can be understood by looking at how people with low or fragile high self-esteem select and interpret information. Such persons find it hard to acknowledge personal shortcomings, such as certain skills or personality traits that they don’t like. They will typically develop strong ego defense mechanisms to distort information about their shortcomings. Individuals with balanced processing will not have strong self-serving biases to gain personal success, and will not have strong defense mechanisms.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Behaviour ==<br />
Authentic behaviour means “acting in accord with one’s values, preferences, and needs as opposed to acting merely to please others or to attain rewards or avoid punishments through acting falsely... Authenticity is not reflected in a compulsion to be one’s true self, but rather in the free and natural expression of core feelings, motives and inclinations.”(Kernis). <br />
This can be seen as the behavioural output of Awareness and Balanced Processing.<br />
<br />
Of course, there will be instances where it will not be appropriate to act on behalf of your core needs and values, because it may not fit the immediate environment. Therefore one must act against the true self, which will lead to a temporally internal conflict. However, unbiased processing and awareness can still be present in such an instance, which would allow one to reflect and learn from the situation. In contrast, if awareness and unbiased processing was not present at that instance, then may not be recognized as an act against one’s values and that would lead to blind obedience.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Relational transparency ==<br />
<br />
A person with high relation orientation will strive for truthfulness and openness in his/her close relationships. It’s about self-disclosure, wanting others to see the “real” you, and the development of mutual intimacy and trust. At the core, it’s about being genuine rather than fake in one’s relationships.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authenticity in Project Management ==<br />
The field of authenticity in project management is in its very beginning at this point (ref), with only a few empirical studies specific to project management. The field, however, builds on Authentic Leadership Theory which, although also a new field, has a solid empirical foundation. We will therefore, begin by understanding the basic principles of Authentic Leadership Theory and then relate it to Project Management. <br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic Leadership Theory ==<br />
<br />
Authentic Leadership Theory is a new area of research firmly established in 2003 (Avolio, Gardner) that draws insights from positive psychology and full-range leadership (FRL)/transformational leadership theory. It is based on empirical evidence and seems to be the most complete leadership theory, because authenticity is the root of it. <br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic leaders ==<br />
<br />
First of all, an authentic leader must achieve authenticity (as defined above) through self-awareness, self-acceptance, and authentic actions and relationships (Gardner). Authentic leaders has been defined as “those who are deeply aware of how they think and behave and are perceived by others as being aware of their own and others’ values/moral perspectives, knowledge, and strengths; aware of the context in which they operate; and who are confident, hopeful, optimistic, resilient, and of high moral character” (Avolio, Luthans, and Walumbwa 2004, p. 4). <br />
<br />
<br />
== Characteristics ==<br />
<br />
Authentic leaders posit the following four distinct characteristics, proposed by Shamir and Eilam (2005):<br />
<br />
- Rather than faking their leadership, authentic leaders are true to themselves (rather than conforming to the expectations of others).<br />
- Authentic leaders are motivated by personal convictions, rather than to attain status, honors, or other personal benefits.<br />
- Authentic leaders are originals, not copies; that is, they lead from their own personal point of view.<br />
- The actions of authentic leaders are based on their personal values and convictions. <br />
<br />
<br />
== How Authentic Leadership impact those around them ==<br />
<br />
Authentic leadership goes beyond the authenticity of the leader as a person to the relationship and development of the team he/she is leading. The relationships are called “authentic followership” and are characterized by:<br />
- Transparency, openness, trust<br />
- Guidance towards worthy objectives<br />
- Emphasis on follower development<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Distinction to other leadership theories ==<br />
<br />
To understand where it comes from we will look at how it relates and differentiates to another leadership theory, Transformational leadership. A transformational leadership is also considered as charismatic leadership as it has considerable emotional appeal and possesses the ability to inspire (Ergeneli et al., 2007). Transformational leadership behaviors are associated with four categories:<br />
Idealized influence: when a leader performs as a role model and shares common <br />
visions, encourages and provides a strong sense of purpose.<br />
Inspirational motivation: a leader expresses the importance of desired objectives of the organization and motivates.<br />
Intellectual stimulation: when a leader challenges the normal ideas of followers.<br />
Individualized consideration: when a leader spends more time teaching and coaching for better performance.<br />
<br />
A transformational leader may have a vision they communicate influentially, but that vision may not be always true, or the leaders may be imposing their own needs or pleasures (Ilies et al., 2005). This is where authenticity becomes relevant because an authentic leader will not be ego-driven, and has high morality. Another distinction is that authentic leaders may or may not be charismatic but they will always foster positive development of those around them. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic Project Management ==<br />
<br />
Argue for why auhtentic leadership theory can apply in large regard to PM and an empirical study that didn't find correlation between authentic PM's and project success. Will also describe how it can benefit the whole organization, and culture being increasing the awareness in the organization.<br />
<br />
== How to increase authenticity ==<br />
<br />
Will cover mindfulness as good practice as well as describing how trigger event can cause more authentic behaviour.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Limitations ==<br />
<br />
It's a new field of study so it is not clear how the impact of authenticity effects projects. If project success is the only parameter you are interested in, then improving one's authenticity may be a lot of work for a small change. However, the change towards authentic behaviour will impact every aspect of one's life to the better.</div>Jacobammitsoehttp://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Authenticity&diff=91331Authenticity2021-02-22T09:45:06Z<p>Jacobammitsoe: </p>
<hr />
<div><br />
== Why Authenticity in Project Management is important ==<br />
<br />
Authenticity may seem as a trivial topic in Project Management since it doesn’t directly have anything to do with the four perspectives, Purpose, People, Complexity, Uncertainty. And yet, all four perspectives will benefit greatly with an authentic project manager with high ethical standards and openness towards others. Authentic PM’s will inspire their team members to perform better with more satisfaction and improve the overall organization. Authenticity is, however, not limited to Project Management. One can not learn to just be an authentic project manager, you must start by being an authentic person in everything you do. Being an authentic person comes first and then the benefits of authenticity will shine through all aspects of your life from project management to fatherhood. This article is not meant as a 3 step tutorial to being authentic, because you cannot become authentic by intellectual understanding only. You have to face yourself and who you think you are and challenge that through introspection. That said, the article will help a true understanding of the topic in regards to project management both theoretically, empirically and point to practical ways of getting more authentic as a person and as a project manager.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Four components of authenticity ==<br />
<br />
As it was proposed by Kernis authenticity can be divided into four components. Each component has its own costs and benefits which will be described below.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Awareness ===<br />
The awareness of self refers to possessing, and being motivated to increase, one’s knowledge and trust in one’s motives, feelings, desires. It includes, for example, understanding one’s likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, goals and aspirations, dispositional characteristics, and emotional states.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Balanced Processing ==<br />
<br />
This component refers to being objective about all what is observed; one’s positive and negative aspects, emotions, experiences and information. Balanced processing involves not denying, distorting or exaggerating information to fit your personal needs. It can be understood by looking at how people with low or fragile high self-esteem select and interpret information. Such persons find it hard to acknowledge personal shortcomings, such as certain skills or personality traits that they don’t like. They will typically develop strong ego defense mechanisms to distort information about their shortcomings. Individuals with balanced processing will not have strong self-serving biases to gain personal success, and will not have strong defense mechanisms.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Behaviour ==<br />
Authentic behaviour means “acting in accord with one’s values, preferences, and needs as opposed to acting merely to please others or to attain rewards or avoid punishments through acting falsely... Authenticity is not reflected in a compulsion to be one’s true self, but rather in the free and natural expression of core feelings, motives and inclinations.”(Kernis). <br />
This can be seen as the behavioural output of Awareness and Balanced Processing.<br />
<br />
Of course, there will be instances where it will not be appropriate to act on behalf of your core needs and values, because it may not fit the immediate environment. Therefore one must act against the true self, which will lead to a temporally internal conflict. However, unbiased processing and awareness can still be present in such an instance, which would allow one to reflect and learn from the situation. In contrast, if awareness and unbiased processing was not present at that instance, then may not be recognized as an act against one’s values and that would lead to blind obedience.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Relational transparency ==<br />
<br />
A person with high relation orientation will strive for truthfulness and openness in his/her close relationships. It’s about self-disclosure, wanting others to see the “real” you, and the development of mutual intimacy and trust. At the core, it’s about being genuine rather than fake in one’s relationships.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authenticity in Project Management ==<br />
The field of authenticity in project management is in its very beginning at this point (ref), with only a few empirical studies specific to project management. The field, however, builds on Authentic Leadership Theory which, although also a new field, has a solid empirical foundation. We will therefore, begin by understanding the basic principles of Authentic Leadership Theory and then relate it to Project Management. <br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic Leadership Theory ==<br />
<br />
Authentic Leadership Theory is a new area of research firmly established in 2003 (Avolio, Gardner) that draws insights from positive psychology and full-range leadership (FRL)/transformational leadership theory. It is based on empirical evidence and seems to be the most complete leadership theory, because authenticity is the root of it. <br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic leaders ==<br />
<br />
First of all, an authentic leader must achieve authenticity (as defined above) through self-awareness, self-acceptance, and authentic actions and relationships (Gardner). Authentic leaders has been defined as “those who are deeply aware of how they think and behave and are perceived by others as being aware of their own and others’ values/moral perspectives, knowledge, and strengths; aware of the context in which they operate; and who are confident, hopeful, optimistic, resilient, and of high moral character” (Avolio, Luthans, and Walumbwa 2004, p. 4). <br />
<br />
<br />
== Characteristics ==<br />
<br />
Authentic leaders posit the following four distinct characteristics, proposed by Shamir and Eilam (2005):<br />
<br />
- Rather than faking their leadership, authentic leaders are true to themselves (rather than conforming to the expectations of others).<br />
- Authentic leaders are motivated by personal convictions, rather than to attain status, honors, or other personal benefits.<br />
- Authentic leaders are originals, not copies; that is, they lead from their own personal point of view.<br />
- The actions of authentic leaders are based on their personal values and convictions. <br />
<br />
<br />
== How Authentic Leadership impact those around them ==<br />
<br />
Authentic leadership goes beyond the authenticity of the leader as a person to the relationship and development of the team he/she is leading. The relationships are called “authentic followership” and are characterized by:<br />
- Transparency, openness, trust<br />
- Guidance towards worthy objectives<br />
- Emphasis on follower development<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Distinction to other leadership theories ==<br />
<br />
To understand where it comes from we will look at how it relates and differentiates to another leadership theory, Transformational leadership. A transformational leadership is also considered as charismatic leadership as it has considerable emotional appeal and possesses the ability to inspire (Ergeneli et al., 2007). Transformational leadership behaviors are associated with four categories:<br />
Idealized influence: when a leader performs as a role model and shares common <br />
visions, encourages and provides a strong sense of purpose.<br />
Inspirational motivation: a leader expresses the importance of desired objectives of the organization and motivates.<br />
Intellectual stimulation: when a leader challenges the normal ideas of followers.<br />
Individualized consideration: when a leader spends more time teaching and coaching for better performance.<br />
<br />
A transformational leader may have a vision they communicate influentially, but that vision may not be always true, or the leaders may be imposing their own needs or pleasures (Ilies et al., 2005). This is where authenticity becomes relevant because an authentic leader will not be ego-driven, and has high morality. Another distinction is that authentic leaders may or may not be charismatic but they will always foster positive development of those around them. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic Project Management ==<br />
<br />
Argue for why auhtentic leadership theory can apply in large regard to PM and an empirical study that didn't find correlation between authentic PM's and project success. Will also describe how it can benefit the whole organization, and culture being increasing the awareness in the organization.<br />
<br />
== How to increase authenticity ==<br />
<br />
Will cover mindfulness as good practice as well as describing how trigger event can cause more authentic behaviour.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Limitations ==<br />
<br />
It's a new field of study so it is not clear how the impact of authenticity effects projects. If project success is the only parameter you are interested in, then improving one's authenticity may be a lot of work for a small change. However, the change towards authentic behaviour will impact every aspect of one's life to the better.</div>Jacobammitsoehttp://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Authenticity&diff=90607Authenticity2021-02-21T21:38:22Z<p>Jacobammitsoe: </p>
<hr />
<div><br />
== Why Authenticity in Project Management is important ==<br />
<br />
Authenticity may seem as a trivial topic in Project Management since it doesn’t directly have anything to do with the four perspectives, Purpose, People, Complexity, Uncertainty. And yet, all four perspectives will benefit greatly with an authentic project manager with high ethical standards and openness towards others. Authentic PM’s will inspire their team members to perform better with more satisfaction and improve the overall organization. Authenticity is, however, not limited to Project Management. One can not learn to just be an authentic project manager, you must start by being an authentic person in everything you do. Being an authentic person comes first and then the benefits of authenticity will shine through all aspects of your life from project management to fatherhood. This article is not meant as a 3 step tutorial to being authentic, because you cannot become authentic by intellectual understanding only. You have to face yourself and who you think you are and challenge that through introspection. That said, the article will help a true understanding of the topic in regards to project management both theoretically, empirically and point to practical ways of getting more authentic as a person and as a project manager.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Four components of authenticity ==<br />
<br />
As it was proposed by Kernis authenticity can be divided into four components. Each component has its own costs and benefits which will be described below.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Awareness ==<br />
The awareness of self refers to possessing, and being motivated to increase, one’s knowledge and trust in one’s motives, feelings, desires. It includes, for example, understanding one’s likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, goals and aspirations, dispositional characteristics, and emotional states.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Balanced Processing ==<br />
<br />
This component refers to being objective about all what is observed; one’s positive and negative aspects, emotions, experiences and information. Balanced processing involves not denying, distorting or exaggerating information to fit your personal needs. It can be understood by looking at how people with low or fragile high self-esteem select and interpret information. Such persons find it hard to acknowledge personal shortcomings, such as certain skills or personality traits that they don’t like. They will typically develop strong ego defense mechanisms to distort information about their shortcomings. Individuals with balanced processing will not have strong self-serving biases to gain personal success, and will not have strong defense mechanisms.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Behaviour ==<br />
Authentic behaviour means “acting in accord with one’s values, preferences, and needs as opposed to acting merely to please others or to attain rewards or avoid punishments through acting falsely... Authenticity is not reflected in a compulsion to be one’s true self, but rather in the free and natural expression of core feelings, motives and inclinations.”(Kernis). <br />
This can be seen as the behavioural output of Awareness and Balanced Processing.<br />
<br />
Of course, there will be instances where it will not be appropriate to act on behalf of your core needs and values, because it may not fit the immediate environment. Therefore one must act against the true self, which will lead to a temporally internal conflict. However, unbiased processing and awareness can still be present in such an instance, which would allow one to reflect and learn from the situation. In contrast, if awareness and unbiased processing was not present at that instance, then may not be recognized as an act against one’s values and that would lead to blind obedience.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Relational transparency ==<br />
<br />
A person with high relation orientation will strive for truthfulness and openness in his/her close relationships. It’s about self-disclosure, wanting others to see the “real” you, and the development of mutual intimacy and trust. At the core, it’s about being genuine rather than fake in one’s relationships.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authenticity in Project Management ==<br />
The field of authenticity in project management is in its very beginning at this point (ref), with only a few empirical studies specific to project management. The field, however, builds on Authentic Leadership Theory which, although also a new field, has a solid empirical foundation. We will therefore, begin by understanding the basic principles of Authentic Leadership Theory and then relate it to Project Management. <br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic Leadership Theory ==<br />
<br />
Authentic Leadership Theory is a new area of research firmly established in 2003 (Avolio, Gardner) that draws insights from positive psychology and full-range leadership (FRL)/transformational leadership theory. It is based on empirical evidence and seems to be the most complete leadership theory, because authenticity is the root of it. <br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic leaders ==<br />
<br />
First of all, an authentic leader must achieve authenticity (as defined above) through self-awareness, self-acceptance, and authentic actions and relationships (Gardner). Authentic leaders has been defined as “those who are deeply aware of how they think and behave and are perceived by others as being aware of their own and others’ values/moral perspectives, knowledge, and strengths; aware of the context in which they operate; and who are confident, hopeful, optimistic, resilient, and of high moral character” (Avolio, Luthans, and Walumbwa 2004, p. 4). <br />
<br />
<br />
== Characteristics ==<br />
<br />
Authentic leaders posit the following four distinct characteristics, proposed by Shamir and Eilam (2005):<br />
<br />
- Rather than faking their leadership, authentic leaders are true to themselves (rather than conforming to the expectations of others).<br />
- Authentic leaders are motivated by personal convictions, rather than to attain status, honors, or other personal benefits.<br />
- Authentic leaders are originals, not copies; that is, they lead from their own personal point of view.<br />
- The actions of authentic leaders are based on their personal values and convictions. <br />
<br />
<br />
== How Authentic Leadership impact those around them ==<br />
<br />
Authentic leadership goes beyond the authenticity of the leader as a person to the relationship and development of the team he/she is leading. The relationships are called “authentic followership” and are characterized by:<br />
- Transparency, openness, trust<br />
- Guidance towards worthy objectives<br />
- Emphasis on follower development<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Distinction to other leadership theories ==<br />
<br />
To understand where it comes from we will look at how it relates and differentiates to another leadership theory, Transformational leadership. A transformational leadership is also considered as charismatic leadership as it has considerable emotional appeal and possesses the ability to inspire (Ergeneli et al., 2007). Transformational leadership behaviors are associated with four categories:<br />
Idealized influence: when a leader performs as a role model and shares common <br />
visions, encourages and provides a strong sense of purpose.<br />
Inspirational motivation: a leader expresses the importance of desired objectives of the organization and motivates.<br />
Intellectual stimulation: when a leader challenges the normal ideas of followers.<br />
Individualized consideration: when a leader spends more time teaching and coaching for better performance.<br />
<br />
A transformational leader may have a vision they communicate influentially, but that vision may not be always true, or the leaders may be imposing their own needs or pleasures (Ilies et al., 2005). This is where authenticity becomes relevant because an authentic leader will not be ego-driven, and has high morality. Another distinction is that authentic leaders may or may not be charismatic but they will always foster positive development of those around them. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic Project Management ==<br />
<br />
Argue for why auhtentic leadership theory can apply in large regard to PM and an empirical study that didn't find correlation between authentic PM's and project success. Will also describe how it can benefit the whole organization, and culture being increasing the awareness in the organization.<br />
<br />
== How to increase authenticity ==<br />
<br />
Will cover mindfulness as good practice as well as describing how trigger event can cause more authentic behaviour.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Limitations ==<br />
<br />
It's a new field of study so it is not clear how the impact of authenticity effects projects. If project success is the only parameter you are interested in, then improving one's authenticity may be a lot of work for a small change. However, the change towards authentic behaviour will impact every aspect of one's life to the better.</div>Jacobammitsoehttp://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Authenticity&diff=90522Authenticity2021-02-21T21:26:53Z<p>Jacobammitsoe: /* Why Authenticity in Project Management is important */</p>
<hr />
<div><br />
== Why Authenticity in Project Management is important ==<br />
<br />
Authenticity may seem as a trivial topic in Project Management since it doesn’t directly have anything to do with the four perspectives, Purpose, People, Complexity, Uncertainty. And yet, all four perspectives will benefit greatly with an authentic project manager with high ethical standards and openness towards others. Authentic PM’s will inspire their team members to perform better with more satisfaction and improve the overall organization. Authenticity is, however, not limited to Project Management. One can not learn to just be an authentic project manager, you must start by being an authentic person in everything you do. Being an authentic person comes first and then the benefits of authenticity will shine through all aspects of your life from project management to fatherhood. This article is not meant as a 3 step tutorial to being authentic, because you cannot become authentic by intellectual understanding only. You have to face yourself and who you think you are and challenge that through introspection. That said, the article will help a true understanding of the topic in regards to project management both theoretically, empirically and point to practical ways of getting more authentic as a person and as a project manager.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Four components of authenticity ==<br />
<br />
As it was proposed by Kernis authenticity can be divided into four components. Each component has its own costs and benefits which will be described below.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Awareness ==<br />
The awareness of self refers to possessing, and being motivated to increase, one’s knowledge and trust in one’s motives, feelings, desires. It includes, for example, understanding one’s likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, goals and aspirations, dispositional characteristics, and emotional states.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Balanced Processing ==<br />
<br />
This component refers to being objective about all what is observed; one’s positive and negative aspects, emotions, experiences and information. Balanced processing involves not denying, distorting or exaggerating information to fit your personal needs. It can be understood by looking at how people with low or fragile high self-esteem select and interpret information. Such persons find it hard to acknowledge personal shortcomings, such as certain skills or personality traits that they don’t like. They will typically develop strong ego defense mechanisms to distort information about their shortcomings. Individuals with balanced processing will not have strong self-serving biases to gain personal success, and will not have strong defense mechanisms.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Behaviour ==<br />
Authentic behaviour means “acting in accord with one’s values, preferences, and needs as opposed to acting merely to please others or to attain rewards or avoid punishments through acting falsely... Authenticity is not reflected in a compulsion to be one’s true self, but rather in the free and natural expression of core feelings, motives and inclinations.”(Kernis). <br />
This can be seen as the behavioural output of Awareness and Balanced Processing.<br />
<br />
Of course, there will be instances where it will not be appropriate to act on behalf of your core needs and values, because it may not fit the immediate environment. Therefore one must act against the true self, which will lead to a temporally internal conflict. However, unbiased processing and awareness can still be present in such an instance, which would allow one to reflect and learn from the situation. In contrast, if awareness and unbiased processing was not present at that instance, then may not be recognized as an act against one’s values and that would lead to blind obedience.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Relational transparency ==<br />
<br />
A person with high relation orientation will strive for truthfulness and openness in his/her close relationships. It’s about self-disclosure, wanting others to see the “real” you, and the development of mutual intimacy and trust. At the core, it’s about being genuine rather than fake in one’s relationships.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Authenticity in Project Management ==<br />
The field of authenticity in project management is in its very beginning at this point (ref), with only a few empirical studies specific to project management. The field, however, builds on Authentic Leadership Theory which, although also a new field, has a solid empirical foundation. We will therefore, begin by understanding the basic principles of Authentic Leadership Theory and then relate it to Project Management. <br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic Leadership Theory ==<br />
<br />
Authentic Leadership Theory is a new area of research firmly established in 2003 (Avolio, Gardner) that draws insights from positive psychology and full-range leadership (FRL)/transformational leadership theory. It is based on empirical evidence and seems to be the most complete leadership theory, because authenticity is the root of it. <br />
<br />
<br />
== Authentic leaders ==<br />
<br />
First of all, an authentic leader must achieve authenticity (as defined above) through self-awareness, self-acceptance, and authentic actions and relationships (Gardner). Authentic leaders has been defined as “those who are deeply aware of how they think and behave and are perceived by others as being aware of their own and others’ values/moral perspectives, knowledge, and strengths; aware of the context in which they operate; and who are confident, hopeful, optimistic, resilient, and of high moral character” (Avolio, Luthans, and Walumbwa 2004, p. 4). <br />
<br />
<br />
== Characteristics ==<br />
<br />
Authentic leaders posit the following four distinct characteristics, proposed by Shamir and Eilam (2005):<br />
<br />
- Rather than faking their leadership, authentic leaders are true to themselves (rather than conforming to the expectations of others).<br />
- Authentic leaders are motivated by personal convictions, rather than to attain status, honors, or other personal benefits.<br />
- Authentic leaders are originals, not copies; that is, they lead from their own personal point of view.<br />
- The actions of authentic leaders are based on their personal values and convictions. <br />
<br />
<br />
== How Authentic Leadership impact those around them ==<br />
<br />
Authentic leadership goes beyond the authenticity of the leader as a person to the relationship and development of the team he/she is leading. The relationships are called “authentic followership” and are characterized by:<br />
- Transparency, openness, trust<br />
- Guidance towards worthy objectives<br />
- Emphasis on follower development<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Distinction to other leadership theories ==<br />
<br />
To understand where it comes from we will look at how it relates and differentiates to another leadership theory, Transformational leadership. A transformational leadership is also considered as charismatic leadership as it has considerable emotional appeal and possesses the ability to inspire (Ergeneli et al., 2007). Transformational leadership behaviors are associated with four categories:<br />
Idealized influence: when a leader performs as a role model and shares common <br />
visions, encourages and provides a strong sense of purpose.<br />
Inspirational motivation: a leader expresses the importance of desired objectives of the organization and motivates.<br />
Intellectual stimulation: when a leader challenges the normal ideas of followers.<br />
Individualized consideration: when a leader spends more time teaching and coaching for better performance.<br />
<br />
A transformational leader may have a vision they communicate influentially, but that vision may not be always true, or the leaders may be imposing their own needs or pleasures (Ilies et al., 2005). This is where authenticity becomes relevant because an authentic leader will not be ego-driven, and has high morality. Another distinction is that authentic leaders may or may not be charismatic but they will always foster positive development of those around them. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Headline text ==<br />
<br />
<br />
== Headline text ==</div>Jacobammitsoehttp://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Authenticity&diff=90461Authenticity2021-02-21T21:18:58Z<p>Jacobammitsoe: Created page with " == Why Authenticity in Project Management is important == Authenticity may seem as a trivial topic in Project Management since it doesn’t directly have anything to do with..."</p>
<hr />
<div><br />
== Why Authenticity in Project Management is important ==<br />
<br />
Authenticity may seem as a trivial topic in Project Management since it doesn’t directly have anything to do with the four perspectives, Purpose, People, Complexity, Uncertainty. And yet, all four perspectives will benefit greatly with an authentic project manager with high ethical standards and openness towards others. Authentic PM’s will inspire their team members to perform better with more satisfaction and improve the overall organization. Authenticity is, however, not limited to Project Management. One can not learn to just be an authentic project manager, you must start by being an authentic person in everything you do. Being an authentic person comes first and then the benefits of authenticity will shine through all aspects of your life from project management to fatherhood. This article is not meant as a 3 step tutorial to being authentic, because you cannot become authentic by intellectual understanding only. You have to face yourself and who you think you are and challenge that through introspection. That said, the article will help a true understanding of the topic in regards to project management both theoretically, empirically and point to practical ways of getting more authentic as a person and as a project manager.</div>Jacobammitsoehttp://13.50.150.85/index.php?title=Articles_Spring_Term_2021&diff=90412Articles Spring Term 20212021-02-21T21:14:48Z<p>Jacobammitsoe: /* Overview of 2021 Wiki Collections */</p>
<hr />
<div>=Overview of 2021 Wiki Collections=<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable"<br />
|+Spring Term 2021 Wiki Collections<br />
|Group name<br />
|First name<br />
|Surname<br />
|Student number<br />
|[[Article name]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|TAs Example<br />
|Thomas<br />
|Giannoulopoulos<br />
|s192419<br />
|[[APPM Example 2021]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 12<br />
|Christian<br />
|Frøsig<br />
|s175044<br />
|[[Belbin's 9 team roles]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 1<br />
|Oliver<br />
|K. Vittrup<br />
|s163754<br />
|[[Top-down vs bottom-up estimations]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|44<br />
|Jeyad<br />
|M. Baig<br />
|s153585<br />
|[[Planning Methods - 3 Levels of Project Planning]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 17<br />
|Quoc-Khanh Rose-Marie Therese<br />
|Madsen<br />
|s123462<br />
|[[Applying Tuckman’s model for team development]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|31<br />
|Haoxiang<br />
|Sang<br />
|s192258<br />
|[[Cost control with statistic tools]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 31<br />
|He<br />
|Fan<br />
|s192195<br />
|[[Work Break-down Structure]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 19<br />
|Ángel<br />
|Castro del Olmo<br />
|s193246<br />
|[[Stakeholder Engagement and Sustainability in Maritime Spatial Planning]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|44<br />
|Abdullah Shams<br />
|Turkmani<br />
|s153337<br />
|[[ICT Agreement]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 17<br />
|Jacopo<br />
|Renzi<br />
|s210445<br />
|[[Double Diamond in Project Management]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 35<br />
|Helga Sigríður<br />
|Magnúsdóttir<br />
|s202027<br />
|[[Network Planning]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|12<br />
|Cæcilie<br />
|Kortbæk<br />
|163873<br />
|[[Double diamond]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 18<br />
|Frithjof Johannes<br />
|Thiem<br />
|s202972<br />
|[[DevOps]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|12<br />
|Emilie<br />
|Winther Schmidt<br />
|163884<br />
|[[Iron Triangle]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|12<br />
|Anna<br />
|Fredgaard<br />
|s163887<br />
|[[Active Listening Technique]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|35<br />
|Ruben<br />
|Raes<br />
|s202029<br />
|[[Iron Triangle of Project Management]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|21<br />
|Claudia<br />
|Balcells<br />
|s202939<br />
|[[APPPM Issue Tree]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|35<br />
|Brynja<br />
|Gudmundsdottir<br />
|s202030<br />
|[[FAST goals]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|16<br />
|Andrea<br />
|Pin Morales<br />
|s205567<br />
|[[The Business Case]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|16<br />
|Lena Maria<br />
|Thyen<br />
|s202969<br />
|[[The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|35<br />
|Úlfar<br />
|Viktorsson<br />
|s202022<br />
|[[The 4 Disciplines of Execution]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|16<br />
|Moritz<br />
|Rindermann<br />
|s202976<br />
|[[Tuckmans model for Team Development]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 29<br />
|Heiðdís Ósk<br />
|Pétursdóttir<br />
|s202025<br />
|[[Efficiency and Effectiveness]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|31<br />
|Xabier<br />
|Martínez de Zabarte<br />
|s210323<br />
|[[Scrumban]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|17<br />
|Aldís Braga<br />
|Eiríksdóttir<br />
|s202045<br />
|[[Blake-Mouton Managerial Grid]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|32<br />
|Jan Otis<br />
| Ernst<br />
|s210433<br />
|[[RACI Matrix]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|3<br />
|Julie<br />
| Finne-Ipsen<br />
|s153987<br />
|[[Kahneman - Two Thinking Systems]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|24<br />
|Maria Eileen<br />
| Hubbuck<br />
|s210444<br />
|[[Risk Management-Identification]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|11<br />
|Alina<br />
| Barun<br />
|s202514<br />
|[[Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|24<br />
|Felix Vinzenz<br />
|Wütherich<br />
|s202968<br />
|[[Emotional Intelligence and Leadership]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|28<br />
|Ariadna<br />
|Ramos<br />
|s191852<br />
|[[The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 27<br />
|Jakob<br />
|Grønvald<br />
|s164346<br />
|[[Maslow‘s Hierarchy of Needs, Motivation in the workplace]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 16<br />
|Martina<br />
|Rampazzo<br />
|s202895<br />
|[[Earned value management (EVM)]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 2<br />
|John<br />
|Fritz<br />
|s202967<br />
|[[Learning plan]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 24<br />
|Henning<br />
|Duwe<br />
|s210450<br />
|[[SWOT Analysis]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 14<br />
|Søren Emil<br />
|Kjær<br />
|s201528<br />
|[[GANTT]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 23<br />
|Mathilde Kremmer<br />
|Broberg<br />
|s175074<br />
|[[Corrective and Preventive Actions (CAPA)]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 14<br />
|Rune Lykke<br />
|Høg<br />
|s165012<br />
|[[The use of the A3 management process]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 35<br />
|Tinna Hrönn<br />
|Unudóttir<br />
|s202032<br />
|[[Constructive communication]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 17<br />
|Eva Rún<br />
|Arnarsdóttir<br />
|s203214<br />
|[[Biases in Project Management]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 24<br />
|Astrid<br />
|Skovhus<br />
|s164499<br />
|[[Getting Things Done (GTD)]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 7<br />
|Phillip<br />
|Dyrberg<br />
|s164503<br />
|[[Double diamond: A design process model]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 14<br />
|Amanda Emilie<br />
|Søborg Berthelsen<br />
|s154707<br />
|[[The Johari Window]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 23<br />
|Nicolai Mossing<br />
|Madsen<br />
|s164515<br />
|[[SMART Goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound)]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 27<br />
|Marie-Louise Wolfsberg<br />
|Schmidt<br />
|s164417<br />
|[[The Affect Heuristic]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 4<br />
|Erika Marie<br />
|Strøm<br />
|s203224<br />
|[[Parkinson's Law in Project Schedule Management]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 16<br />
|Beatrice<br />
|Ranzato<br />
|s202887<br />
|[[X-Matrix Hoshin Kanri]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 9<br />
|Helene Waldmann<br />
|Jørgensen<br />
|s173891<br />
|[[Lag & Lead]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 4<br />
|Zahra<br />
|Al-Mosawi<br />
|s193938<br />
|[[Belbin Team Roles in Project Management]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 14<br />
|William Axel Linderoth<br />
|Michaelen<br />
|s153275<br />
|[[Design-Build]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 31<br />
|Jesús <br />
|Gracia Yoldi<br />
|s210111<br />
|[[Kanban in APPPM]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 35<br />
|Katrín Erla <br />
|Bergsveinsdóttir<br />
|s202026<br />
|[[Contingency plans]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 1<br />
|Cecilie Marie Raagaard <br />
|Christensen<br />
|s160832<br />
|[[Work breakdown structure (WBS)]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 19<br />
|Ali Jamal<br />
|Jomeh<br />
|s173741<br />
|[[SMART goals: A project management tool]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 15<br />
|Tobias <br />
|Hyldmo<br />
|s206658<br />
|[[High performing teams]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 5<br />
|Samah<br />
|Said<br />
|s203228<br />
|[[Business Process Excellence (BPEX)]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 3<br />
|Emilie<br />
|Torp<br />
|s153320<br />
|[[Goal Hierarchy]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 3<br />
|Victor Nørregaard<br />
|Schwærter<br />
|s164745<br />
|[[Milestone Planning]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 9<br />
|Jacob<br />
|Ammitsøe<br />
|s173849<br />
|[[Authenticity]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 18<br />
|Anna<br />
|Bjørn Reland<br />
|s154556<br />
|[[Choosing the appropriate medium (oral – written – hybrids)]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 10<br />
|Wail<br />
|Atrari<br />
|s170706<br />
|[[The Double Diamond Tool: Prevent budget overruns and delays in your projects]]<br />
|-<br />
|Group 10<br />
|Helená Evin<br />
|Cinar<br />
|s164741<br />
|[[SWOT Analysis Management]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 10<br />
|Mohammad<br />
|Abou Hassan<br />
|s160101<br />
|[[Implementing SWOT]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 10<br />
|Ahmet<br />
|Akgül<br />
|s152597<br />
|[[Smart goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely)]]<br />
|- <br />
|- <br />
|Group 2<br />
|Amalie<br />
|N. Müller<br />
|s173675<br />
|[[Big five personality traits (OCEAN model)]]<br />
|- <br />
|- <br />
|Group 29<br />
|Pétursdóttir<br />
|Stefanía Ósk<br />
|s202044<br />
|[[Situational leadership - Hersey and Blanchard]]<br />
|- <br />
|- <br />
|Group 10<br />
|Abdulahi<br />
|Hayle Hassan<br />
|s164691<br />
|[[Stakeholder management]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 27<br />
|Louise<br />
|Landschoff<br />
|s165111<br />
|[[SCRUM - A Project Management Framework]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 10<br />
|Sara<br />
|Alabiidi<br />
|s164650<br />
|[[The Blake-Mouton Managerial Grid]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 4<br />
|Felix<br />
|Dressel<br />
|s202965<br />
|[[The SPALTEN Problem-Solving Methodology as a Decision Making Tool in Project Management]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 11<br />
|Sandra<br />
|Nielsen<br />
|s153370<br />
|[[Conflict ladder]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 11<br />
|Lise Munch<br />
|Nordheim<br />
|s200400<br />
|[[McGregor's X & Y theory]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 2<br />
|Simon<br />
|Knutsson<br />
|s202041<br />
|[[Earned Value Management (EVM)]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 12<br />
|Christoffer<br />
|Askgaard<br />
|s165098<br />
|[[Design the team you need to succeed using Belbin's team roles]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 24<br />
|Gaute Bø<br />
|Aaløkken<br />
|s202065<br />
|[[Diversity in teams]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 2<br />
|Lukas<br />
|Tanzer<br />
|s200120<br />
|[[Continuous Improvement]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 7<br />
|Sofie<br />
|Lundsteen<br />
|s170285<br />
|[[Team roles at work]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 14<br />
|FIRST NAME<br />
|LAST NAME<br />
|STUDY ID<br />
|[[Applying the Hawthorne studies to project management]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 3<br />
|Amalie Nordstrøm<br />
|Nielsen<br />
|s153272<br />
|[[The seven characteristic principles]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 14<br />
|Louise Damborg<br />
|Frederiksen<br />
|s185238<br />
|[[Using Facilitation to Mitigate Bias in a Team Setting]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 1<br />
|Georg Holger<br />
|Waage<br />
|s163819<br />
|[[Fishbone Diagram]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 28<br />
|Özgenur<br />
|Baştuğ<br />
|s203033<br />
|[[Variation Orders in Construction Projects]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 9<br />
|Mads<br />
|Møhlenberg<br />
|s173879<br />
|[[A hybrid consisting of Agile and Stage Gate]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 29<br />
|Svanhvít Birta<br />
|Guðmundsdóttir<br />
|s203174<br />
|[[Project Milestones]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 23<br />
|Bente<br />
|Meidahl Münsberg<br />
|s175068<br />
|[[Gantt Charts]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 27<br />
|Frederik<br />
|Carlsson <br />
|s164345<br />
|[[FAST Goals]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 11<br />
|Tobias<br />
|Rydahl <br />
|s200471<br />
|[[Using DISC assessment for project team management]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 7<br />
|Mads <br />
|Støjfer-Hønberg<br />
|s174303<br />
|[[SCRUM - An Agile Project Management Framework]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 21<br />
|Matthieu <br />
|Buy<br />
|s202925<br />
|[[The Five-Factor Model (OCEAN)]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 18<br />
|Astrid Helene<br />
|Erecius<br />
|s171013<br />
|[[Choosing communication media for negotiation]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 44<br />
|Zainab<br />
|Jalal<br />
|s165491<br />
|[[Work Breakdown Structure in project management]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 2<br />
|Anna Felicia Mai<br />
|Lindström<br />
|s202046<br />
|[[Project Status Reporting]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 28<br />
|Alberto<br />
|Melloni<br />
|s202894<br />
|[[Pre-mortem analysis]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 29<br />
|Thore Uwe<br />
|Aye<br />
|s202746<br />
|[[Quality Gates in Project Management]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 9<br />
|Lydia<br />
|Tsintzou<br />
|s193745<br />
|[[SWOT Analysis Guide]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 28<br />
|Kendra Ana<br />
|Rodríguez López<br />
|s200182<br />
|[[Choosing by Advantages Decision-Making System]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 23<br />
|Rasmus<br />
|Engberg<br />
|s164513<br />
|[[RDM]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 4<br />
|Christine<br />
|Fryland<br />
|s153875<br />
|[[Theory X-Y]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 28<br />
|Manas P.<br />
|Dalvi<br />
|s210143<br />
|[[Effective Tools for Multiple Project Management]]<br />
-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 12<br />
|Joakim<br />
|Vollertzen<br />
|s163947<br />
|[[Extreme Project Management (XPM)]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 19<br />
|Shubham<br />
|Ingole<br />
|s200092<br />
|[[Stakeholder Management Strategies]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 31<br />
|Alvaro<br />
|Bello<br />
|s210447<br />
|[[Forecasting and estimation techniques]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 09<br />
|Dorothea<br />
|Georgiadou<br />
|s200230<br />
|[[Risk Register analysis]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 09<br />
|Maria Konstantina<br />
|Papaioannou<br />
|s195550<br />
|[[Fishbone diagram analysis]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 21<br />
|Kelvin<br />
|Scott-Fordsmand<br />
|s174312<br />
|[[RiskRegister]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 18<br />
|Christoffer Friis<br />
|Hansen<br />
|s164569<br />
|[[Identifying risk]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 1<br />
|Giulia <br />
|Zanelli<br />
|s205701<br />
|[[Earned Value Management - EVM]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 29<br />
|Tinna <br />
|Dofradottir<br />
|s203177<br />
|[[Adaptive Project Framework]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 23<br />
|Jonatan Larsen<br />
|Edry<br />
|s165499<br />
|[[The iron triangle as an analytical tool]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 4<br />
|Mikkel Walther<br />
|Hellesen<br />
|s203227<br />
|[[System Readiness Level Index]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 5<br />
|Yamila Denise<br />
|Aviles<br />
|s203409<br />
|[[Agile Release Train]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 5<br />
|Kallina<br />
|Karamitsiou<br />
|s202249<br />
|[[Kahneman's dual-system thinking]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 19<br />
|Prasad<br />
|Jagtap<br />
|s200109<br />
|[[Communication Management using Service Blueprint]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 3<br />
|Johan Holger <br />
|Rasmussen<br />
|s210512<br />
|[[Daniel Kahneman's two systems of thinking]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 18<br />
|Sigrún Björk <br />
|Sævarsdóttir<br />
|s200165<br />
|[[The Scrum framework]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 1<br />
|Francesca<br />
|Pieraccini<br />
|s206673<br />
|[[Double Diamond model]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 15<br />
|Dionysios<br />
|Dasopoulos<br />
|s202916<br />
|[[Tuckman's Model for Sustainable Team Development]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 15<br />
|Joern<br />
|Appelt<br />
|s202854<br />
|[[Intrinsic Motivation]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 23<br />
|Oliver<br />
|Karlsson<br />
|s165080<br />
|[[Double Diamond Model]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 5<br />
|Victor<br />
|Soler Fuertes<br />
|s206040<br />
|[[OKR - Objectives and Key Results]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 31<br />
|João<br />
|Ferreira<br />
|s202867<br />
|[[Psychological safety as a key factor to quality and productivity of Organizations]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 31<br />
|Timo<br />
|Scheitinger<br />
|s202966<br />
|[[The big five (OCEAN)]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 15<br />
|Maria-Lito<br />
|Glykioti<br />
|s151256<br />
|[[The role of Emotional Intelligence in Project Management]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 15<br />
|Hafeez<br />
|Ahmadi<br />
|s164137<br />
|[[ISM Principles of Change]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 21<br />
|Magnus Riis<br />
|Gregersen<br />
|s214321<br />
|[[Gantt Chart Scheduling]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 18<br />
|Marie Elly Ulricke<br />
|Kristensen<br />
|s144408<br />
|[[Motivation through Theory X&Y from a Project Management perspective]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 18<br />
|Christopher <br />
|Burgdorf<br />
|s154689<br />
|[[Simple Multi-Attribute Rating Technique (SMART)]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 5<br />
|Ishak<br />
|Zaaimia<br />
|s164631<br />
|[[Parkinson's Law]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 11<br />
|Sara Ballegaard<br />
|Laursen<br />
|s193723<br />
|[[Organizational Socialization]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 19<br />
|Ali Waleed<br />
|Abbas<br />
|s172841<br />
|[[Fishbone diagram for root cause analysis]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 17<br />
|Cecilia<br />
|Thuy Duyen Nguyen-Cong<br />
|s184300<br />
|[[The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 44<br />
|Farah<br />
|Sabri<br />
|s164740<br />
|[[Lack of communication in project management]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 1<br />
|Shakila<br />
|Khan Malik<br />
|s173780<br />
|[[Risk]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 27<br />
|Asbjørn Martin<br />
|Kruuse<br />
|s153470<br />
|[[Chairing a meeting]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 23<br />
|Tummas Dímun<br />
|Mohr<br />
|s160129<br />
|[[Project Dashboards]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 27<br />
|Vanessa <br />
|Clausen<br />
|s183302<br />
|[[Overcoming small-big projects (Gantt)]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 09<br />
|Emil <br />
|Ballermann<br />
|s174393<br />
|[[Parkinson's law and how to manage it]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 4<br />
|Gian Marco<br />
|Grieco<br />
|s202893<br />
|[[Parkinson's Law: achieving more in less time]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 44<br />
|Shahad<br />
|Abdelaziz<br />
|s122945<br />
|[[Outsourcing]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 3<br />
|Tais<br />
|Christiansen<br />
|s165131<br />
|[[Relationship of projects, programs and portfolios]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 4<br />
|Sana<br />
|Ilyas<br />
|s192815<br />
|[[SCRUM framework]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 5<br />
|Mia Chrstine<br />
|Wheitman<br />
|s206053<br />
|[[The use of Gantt Charts]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 35<br />
|Sigurjón Bjarni<br />
|Bjarnason<br />
|s202049<br />
|[[The Work breakdown structure(WBS)]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 19<br />
|Morten Dam<br />
|Laursen<br />
|s200364<br />
|[[Multiple Project Management: Summary, Theory and Improvement]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 29<br />
|Céline Engelbrecht<br />
|Galea-Larsen<br />
|s147312<br />
|[[Group Development - The Tuckman Model]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 28<br />
|Hazal <br />
|Alawi<br />
|s180408<br />
|[[The Double Diamond Framework]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 17<br />
|Xenia<br />
|Jørgensen<br />
|s123633<br />
|[[Teams - Creation and optimisation]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 11<br />
|Jonas <br />
|Bøje Simonsen<br />
|s154089<br />
|[[Logic tree and the Answer First Methodology]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 28<br />
|Kavikrishnan<br />
|Balakrishnan<br />
|s164338<br />
|[[Learning plans for high uncertainty projects]]<br />
|-<br />
|-<br />
|Group 2<br />
|Riccardo<br />
|Pollacchini<br />
|s192412<br />
|[[Complex Project Management (CPM)]]</div>Jacobammitsoe