Rethinking Authentic Leadership: Insights from a Study of Female Entrepreneurs

Abstract

The critiques of Authentic Leadership Theory (ALT) require us to reconsider the concept of authenticity in leadership. Through semi-structured interviews with 14 female entrepreneurs in the United Kingdom (UK), this study sought to establish whether the concept of authenticity in leadership has practical applicability for female entrepreneurs. Support was found for the strongest critiques of ALT, and a consensus was identified among the participants that being authentic in leadership is a balancing act between the values of the individual and the values of (and duties to) the organisation and its members. The study also found that, as entrepreneurs, the participants did not experience the challenges of being authentic leaders that extant literature has shown females in other roles to be experiencing. The findings lead to the proposition that the concept of ALT is abandoned and replaced by a more fluid understanding that acknowledges the complexities and subjectivities associated with the notions of ‘leading with authenticity’.