Rights statement: he final, definitive version of this article has been published in the Journal, Leadership, 15 (3), 2019, © SAGE Publications Ltd, 2019 by SAGE Publications Ltd at the Leadership page: https://journals.sagepub.com/home/lea on SAGE Journals Online: http://online.sagepub.com/
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Final published version
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Authenticity in leadership
T2 - Reframing relational transparency through the lens of emotional labour
AU - Kempster, Stephen John
AU - Iszatt-White, Marian
AU - Brown, Matthew
N1 - he final, definitive version of this article has been published in the Journal, Leadership, 15 (3), 2019, © SAGE Publications Ltd, 2019 by SAGE Publications Ltd at the Leadership page: https://journals.sagepub.com/home/lea on SAGE Journals Online: http://online.sagepub.com/
PY - 2019/6/1
Y1 - 2019/6/1
N2 - In this paper we problematize relational transparency as an element of authentic leadership when viewed through the lens of emotional labour. Using the method of analytic co-constructed auto-ethnography we examine a senior hospital manager’s experience of seeking to be authentic during a period of intense challenge as he pursues the closure of a hospital ward. A first-person account is developed that speaks to the necessity of hiding felt emotions and displaying his perceptions of desired emotions warranted in the context in which he seeks to lead. That this is not experienced as inauthentic is seen as deriving from two dimensions of experienced authenticity: strength of identification with leadership role and fidelity to leadership purpose. The veracity of this reframing of authenticity in leadership practice is explored through a second study, of practising leaders required to balance the demands of performing emotional labour and appearing and feeling authentic. We suggest that reframing relational transparency as ‘fidelity to purpose’ may be a valuable counter-weight to the goal of relational transparency promulgated by the leadership industry and a practical advance for those seeking to practise authentic leadership.
AB - In this paper we problematize relational transparency as an element of authentic leadership when viewed through the lens of emotional labour. Using the method of analytic co-constructed auto-ethnography we examine a senior hospital manager’s experience of seeking to be authentic during a period of intense challenge as he pursues the closure of a hospital ward. A first-person account is developed that speaks to the necessity of hiding felt emotions and displaying his perceptions of desired emotions warranted in the context in which he seeks to lead. That this is not experienced as inauthentic is seen as deriving from two dimensions of experienced authenticity: strength of identification with leadership role and fidelity to leadership purpose. The veracity of this reframing of authenticity in leadership practice is explored through a second study, of practising leaders required to balance the demands of performing emotional labour and appearing and feeling authentic. We suggest that reframing relational transparency as ‘fidelity to purpose’ may be a valuable counter-weight to the goal of relational transparency promulgated by the leadership industry and a practical advance for those seeking to practise authentic leadership.
KW - Authentic leadership
KW - fidelity to purpose
KW - relational transparency
KW - role identification
KW - emotional labour
U2 - 10.1177/1742715017746788
DO - 10.1177/1742715017746788
M3 - Journal article
VL - 15
SP - 319
EP - 338
JO - Leadership
JF - Leadership
SN - 1742-7150
IS - 3
ER -