Authentic Leadership: Do We Really Need Another Leadership Style?

Gabrielle Wood

Advisor: Jose Cortina

Committee Members: Todd Kashdan, Nance Lucas

Research Hall, 92
November 29, 2007, 07:00 PM to 07:00 PM

Abstract:

The purpose of this study was to test the incremental validity of authentic leadership above and beyond existing leadership styles. Prior leadership research has focused primarily on transformational leadership. Recently, many researchers have observed that there are leaders who are effective and who do not conform to this style. Authentic leadership theory has been advanced as an approach that may explain additional variance in leadership effectiveness. Participants included upper-year Cadets from the United States Military Academy (USMA) who served in leadership positions over lower-ranking Cadets. Cadet leadership styles were matched with personal attribute and performance scores to test a nomological network model of authentic leadership. Findings indicate some support for the notion that authentic leadership style adds incremental validity over existing leadership styles, including transformational leadership. This study advances our understanding of authentic leadership theory and leadership effectiveness in high-stress contexts. Recommendations for future research in this area are provided.