Leadership practice that is founded on values is the new order in contemporary organizations that operate under complex and dynamic environments. The survival of such organizations requires the review of classical leadership theories and the adoption of newer approaches that have heightened the demand for effective leadership. Leaders’ misdeeds such as those witnessed in Enron and WorldCom, hypocrisy in the pulpit, infidelity in the family unit, politics of deceit, and so on have dented the leader’s image and the followers have lost the confidence they had in them. These developments justify the need to embrace authentic and credible leadership as an alternative leadership approach to rebuild followers’ trust and sustain operations of the organizations. The principles of authenticity and credibility are more critical than ever before in the restoration of confidence to followers where credibility has waned. It is on this basis that this qualitative study was undertaken to understand authentic and credible leadership development. The objective of the study was to identify how credibility and authenticity relate and the values and qualities that leaders perceive as important for defining credible and authentic leaders. The study adopted a qualitative research design. Three congregants from a Baptist church located in Nairobi city, Kenya were interviewed for their views about leadership, differences between authenticity and credibility, qualities of credible leaders, how credible leadership can be developed, outcomes of credible leadership, and the followers’ role incredible leadership development. The findings resonated with what is known in literature and in theory. The qualities that were found to define credible leaders included being forward-looking, visionary, compassionate, supportive, good listener, having integrity, being firm, being fair, and acting as role models. The fear instilled by leaders to the followers was found to be an impediment to the followers to effectively play their oversight role. The conclusion drawn was that credibility is a must-have tool for leaders to meaningfully engage their followers with a view to providing solutions to the problems faced at the workplace and addressing their needs. It smoothens the relationship and provides an enabling environment where leaders and followers can freely engage.
Published in | Science Journal of Business and Management (Volume 10, Issue 1) |
DOI | 10.11648/j.sjbm.20221001.16 |
Page(s) | 36-46 |
Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Credible Leadership, Authentic Leadership, Credibility, Authenticity, Values, Qualities
[1] | Ardaa, O. A., Aslanb, T. & Alpkanca, L. (2016). Review of Practical Implications in Authentic Leadership Studies. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 229 (2016), 246–252. |
[2] | Avolio, B. J., & Gardner, W. L. (2005). Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root ofpositive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16, 315–338. htpps://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2005.03.001. |
[3] | Avolio, B. J., & Luthans, F. (2006). The high impact leader: Authentic, resilient leadership that gets results and sustains growth. McGraw-Hill. |
[4] | Bendell, J., Sutherland, N. & Little, R. (2017). Beyond unsustainable leadership: critical social theory for sustainable leadership. Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, 8 (4), 418-444. https://doi.org/10.1108/SAMPJ-08-2016-0048. |
[5] | Biography.com. (2020, August 14). Edward R. Murrow Biography. A&E Television Networks. https://www.biography.com/media-figure/edward-r-murrow. |
[6] | Burchell, M., & Robin, J. (2011). The Great Workplace: How to build it, how to keep it, and why it matters. Jossey-Bass. |
[7] | Creswell J. W. (2013). Research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches, (4th Ed.). SAGE Publications. |
[8] | Ettekal., A. Burkhard, B., Fremont, E., Su, S. & Stacey, D. (2017). Relational Developmental. |
[9] | Systems Metatheory. The SAGE Encyclopedia of Out-of-School Learning. SAGE Publications, Inc. http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781483385198.n250. |
[10] | Ferrin, D. L. (2015). Insights and observations on the decision to trust in both science and practice: Interview with Robert F. Hurley. Journal of Trust Research, 5, (2), 184-198. https://doi.org/10.1080/21515581.2015.1072543 |
[11] | Fettweis, C. J. (2007). Credibility and the War on Terror. Political Science Quarterly, 122 (4), 607–633. https://www.jstor.org/stable/20202929. |
[12] | Fledderus, J. (2015). Building trust through public service co-production. International Journal of Public Sector Management, 28 (7), 550-565. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPSM-06-2015- 0118. |
[13] | Gardner, W. L., Avolio, B. J., & Walumbwa, F. (2006). Authentic leadership theory and practice: Origins, effects and development. Elsevier JAI Press. |
[14] | Gardner, W. L., Cogliser, C. C., Davis, K. M. & Dickens, M. P. (2011). Authentic leadership: a review of the literature and research agenda. Leadership Quarterly, 22, (6), 1120-1145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2011.09.007. |
[15] | Grasse, N. J., Heidbreder, B., & Ihrke, D. M. (2014). City Managers’ Leadership Credibility: Explaining the variations of Self-other assessments. Public Administration Quarterly, 38 (4), 544–572. |
[16] | Hassi, A., Storti, G. & Azennoud, A. (2011). Corporate trainers' credibility and cultural values: evidence from Canada and Morocco. Cross-Cultural Management: An International Journal, 18 (4), 499-519. https://doi.org/10.1108/13527601111179546. |
[17] | Hemby, S. S. (2017). Creating a leader credibility climate as modeled in the leadership of Jesus. Journal of Biblical Perspectives in Leadership, 7, (1), 46-64. |
[18] | Ilies, R., Morgeson, F., & Nahrgang, J. (2005). Authentic leadership and eudaemonic well-being: Understanding leader-follower outcomes. The Leadership Quarterly, 16, 373-394. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2005.03.002. |
[19] | Johnson, H. H. & Johnson, M. D. (2017). Influence of event characteristics on assessing credibility and advice-taking. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 32 (1), 89-103. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMP-05-2016-0146. |
[20] | Khilji, S. E., Keilson, B., Shakir, F. Y. & Shrestha, B. K. (2015). Self, follower, organization and the context – a cross cultural view of authentic leadership. South Asian Journal of Global Business Research, 4 (1), 2-26. https://doi.org/10.1108/SAJGBR-12-2014-0084. |
[21] | Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2011). Credibility: How leaders gain it and lose it, why people demand it (Kindle Edition). Jossey-Bass. |
[22] | Lawler, J., & Ashman, I. (2012). Theorizing leadership authenticity: A Sartrean perspective. Leadership, 8 (4), 327–344. https://doi.org/10.1177/1742715012444685 |
[23] | Lock, I. & Schulz-Knappe, C. (2019). Credible corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication predicts legitimacy: Evidence from an experimental study. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 24 (1), 2-20. https://doi.org/10.1108/CCIJ-07-2018-0071. |
[24] | Luthans, F., & Avolio, B. J. (2003). Authentic leadership development. In K. S. Cameron, J. E. Dutton, & R. E. Quinn (Eds.), Positive organizational scholarship: 241-258. Berrett- Koehler. |
[25] | Mineo, D. L (2014). The Importance of Trust in Leadership. Research Management Review, 20 (1), 1-6. |
[26] | Novicevic, M., Harvey, M. G., Buckley, M. R., Brown, J. A. & Evans, R. (2006). Authentic leadership: a historical perspective. Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, 13 (1), 64-76. |
[27] | Northouse, P. Guy (2019). Leadership Theory and Practice (8th Ed.). Sage Publications Oginde, D. (2011). Follower expectations of a leader: Most admired leader behaviors. International Leadership Journal, 3 (2), 87-108. |
[28] | Ouedraogo, N., Zaitouni, M., & Ouakouak, M. L. (2021). Leadership credibility and change success: the mediating role of commitment to change. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMP-05-2016-0146. |
[29] | Ribeiro, N., Duarte, A. P., Filipe, R. & David, R. (2021). Does authentic leadership stimulate organizational citizenship behaviors? The importance of affective commitment as a mediator. Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/SAMPJ-11-2019-0423. |
[30] | Sahatjian, Z., & MacDugall, A. (2016). The SAGE Encyclopedia of Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Ethics Scandals in Organizations (2nd Ed.). SAGE Publications. |
[31] | Sanney, K., Trautman, L., Yordy, E., Cowart, T. & Sewell, D. (2020). The Importance of Truth Telling and Trust. Journal of Legal Studies Education, 37, 7-36. https://doi.org/10.1111/jlse.12099. |
[32] | Seijts, G., Gandz, J., Crossan, M. & Reno, M. (2015). Character matters: character dimensions’ impact on leader performance and outcomes, Organizational Dynamics, 44 (1), 65-74. |
[33] | Shahid, N. K. (2010). Impact of authentic leaders on organization performance. International Journal of Business and Management, 5 (12), 167-172. |
[34] | Shamir, B., & Eilam, G. (2005). What’s your story: A life-stories approach to authentic leadership development. Leadership Quarterly, 16: 395-417. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2005.03.005. |
[35] | Sturm, R. E., Vera, D. & Crossan, M. (2017). The entanglement of leader character and leader competence and its impact on performance. The Leadership Quarterly, 28 (3), 349-366, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.11.007. |
[36] | Umeogu, B. (2012). Source Credibility: A Philosophical Analysis. Open Journal of Philosophy, 2, (2), 112-115. http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/ojpp.2012.22017 |
[37] | 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, 89−126. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206307308913. |
[38] | Wang, L. & James, K. T. (2013). Cameo: the challenge for authentic leadership in multi-cultural settings, in Ladkin, D. and Spiller, C. (Eds), Authentic Leadership: Clashes, Convergences and Coalescences, Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd. |
[39] | Williams, E. N., Grande, S., Nakamura, Y. T., Pyle, L. & Shaw, G. (2021). The development and practice of authentic leadership: a cultural lens. European Journal of Training and Development, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJTD-03-2021-0039. |
[40] | Williams Jr, R., Raffo, D. M. & Clark, L. A. (2018). Charisma as an attribute of transformational leaders: what about credibility? Journal of Management Development, 37 (6), 512-524. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMD-03-2018-0088. |
APA Style
Muthiani Ben Muli. (2022). Credible and Authentic Leadership Development in Organizations. Science Journal of Business and Management, 10(1), 36-46. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjbm.20221001.16
ACS Style
Muthiani Ben Muli. Credible and Authentic Leadership Development in Organizations. Sci. J. Bus. Manag. 2022, 10(1), 36-46. doi: 10.11648/j.sjbm.20221001.16
AMA Style
Muthiani Ben Muli. Credible and Authentic Leadership Development in Organizations. Sci J Bus Manag. 2022;10(1):36-46. doi: 10.11648/j.sjbm.20221001.16
@article{10.11648/j.sjbm.20221001.16, author = {Muthiani Ben Muli}, title = {Credible and Authentic Leadership Development in Organizations}, journal = {Science Journal of Business and Management}, volume = {10}, number = {1}, pages = {36-46}, doi = {10.11648/j.sjbm.20221001.16}, url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjbm.20221001.16}, eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.sjbm.20221001.16}, abstract = {Leadership practice that is founded on values is the new order in contemporary organizations that operate under complex and dynamic environments. The survival of such organizations requires the review of classical leadership theories and the adoption of newer approaches that have heightened the demand for effective leadership. Leaders’ misdeeds such as those witnessed in Enron and WorldCom, hypocrisy in the pulpit, infidelity in the family unit, politics of deceit, and so on have dented the leader’s image and the followers have lost the confidence they had in them. These developments justify the need to embrace authentic and credible leadership as an alternative leadership approach to rebuild followers’ trust and sustain operations of the organizations. The principles of authenticity and credibility are more critical than ever before in the restoration of confidence to followers where credibility has waned. It is on this basis that this qualitative study was undertaken to understand authentic and credible leadership development. The objective of the study was to identify how credibility and authenticity relate and the values and qualities that leaders perceive as important for defining credible and authentic leaders. The study adopted a qualitative research design. Three congregants from a Baptist church located in Nairobi city, Kenya were interviewed for their views about leadership, differences between authenticity and credibility, qualities of credible leaders, how credible leadership can be developed, outcomes of credible leadership, and the followers’ role incredible leadership development. The findings resonated with what is known in literature and in theory. The qualities that were found to define credible leaders included being forward-looking, visionary, compassionate, supportive, good listener, having integrity, being firm, being fair, and acting as role models. The fear instilled by leaders to the followers was found to be an impediment to the followers to effectively play their oversight role. The conclusion drawn was that credibility is a must-have tool for leaders to meaningfully engage their followers with a view to providing solutions to the problems faced at the workplace and addressing their needs. It smoothens the relationship and provides an enabling environment where leaders and followers can freely engage.}, year = {2022} }
TY - JOUR T1 - Credible and Authentic Leadership Development in Organizations AU - Muthiani Ben Muli Y1 - 2022/03/12 PY - 2022 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjbm.20221001.16 DO - 10.11648/j.sjbm.20221001.16 T2 - Science Journal of Business and Management JF - Science Journal of Business and Management JO - Science Journal of Business and Management SP - 36 EP - 46 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2331-0634 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjbm.20221001.16 AB - Leadership practice that is founded on values is the new order in contemporary organizations that operate under complex and dynamic environments. The survival of such organizations requires the review of classical leadership theories and the adoption of newer approaches that have heightened the demand for effective leadership. Leaders’ misdeeds such as those witnessed in Enron and WorldCom, hypocrisy in the pulpit, infidelity in the family unit, politics of deceit, and so on have dented the leader’s image and the followers have lost the confidence they had in them. These developments justify the need to embrace authentic and credible leadership as an alternative leadership approach to rebuild followers’ trust and sustain operations of the organizations. The principles of authenticity and credibility are more critical than ever before in the restoration of confidence to followers where credibility has waned. It is on this basis that this qualitative study was undertaken to understand authentic and credible leadership development. The objective of the study was to identify how credibility and authenticity relate and the values and qualities that leaders perceive as important for defining credible and authentic leaders. The study adopted a qualitative research design. Three congregants from a Baptist church located in Nairobi city, Kenya were interviewed for their views about leadership, differences between authenticity and credibility, qualities of credible leaders, how credible leadership can be developed, outcomes of credible leadership, and the followers’ role incredible leadership development. The findings resonated with what is known in literature and in theory. The qualities that were found to define credible leaders included being forward-looking, visionary, compassionate, supportive, good listener, having integrity, being firm, being fair, and acting as role models. The fear instilled by leaders to the followers was found to be an impediment to the followers to effectively play their oversight role. The conclusion drawn was that credibility is a must-have tool for leaders to meaningfully engage their followers with a view to providing solutions to the problems faced at the workplace and addressing their needs. It smoothens the relationship and provides an enabling environment where leaders and followers can freely engage. VL - 10 IS - 1 ER -