The Authenticity Challenge: How a Values-Affirmation Exercise Can Engender Authentic Leadership

Choi, Y, Iyengar, S and Ingram, P (2017) The Authenticity Challenge: How a Values-Affirmation Exercise Can Engender Authentic Leadership. Working Paper. Working Paper. (Unpublished)

Abstract

In this paper, we introduce a simple and effective tool in the form of a values-affirmation exercise that leaders can use to be authentic. Drawing from self-determination theory, we argue that individuals feel authentic about their action when the motivation underlying the action originates from their core values. We further argue that affirming and activating core values can help induce authenticity because activating core values will allow individuals to identify the values-based motivation as the most salient motivation behind their actions. Leaders’ behaviors often stem from multiple motivations because they manage multiple constituents. By reaffirming their core values, leaders can attribute values-based motivation as the main driver of their actions. Moreover, values-affirmed leaders are also more likely to express their intentions in relation to their core values when communicating their decisions to their followers. Thus, in a leader-follower communication, followers are more likely to attribute values-affirmed leaders’ motivation as self-determined and perceive leaders’ action as being authentic. We test our theory with two experiments.