EGE AKADEMİK BAKIŞ / EGE ACADEMIC REVIEW

Volume 24 • Number 3 • July 2024

Cilt 24 • Sayı 3 • Temmuz 2024

Contents
Examining the Effect of Informal and Foreign Competitors on Innovation and
Export: Evidence from Service SMEs Article Type:
Ebru ÖZTÜRK KÖSE .........................................................................................................................................355-368 Research Article

Authentic Leadership: A Systematic Review

andResearch Agenda Article Type:
Eray POLAT , Hasan Evrim ARICI, Hüseyin ARASLI .................................................................................369-390 Research Article

Exploring the Factors Affecting Shared Biking Perception:

Insights from Türkiye Article Type:
Bengü SEVİL OFLAÇ, Seda ÖZCAN .............................................................................................................391-406 Research Article

Heterogenous Panel Modeling on Foreign Direct Investments

in E7 Countries Article Type:
Dilara AYLA .......................................................................................................................................................407-420 Research Article

Examining the Relationship Between Violence Against Healthcare Workers

and Their Levels of Exhaustion, Confidence and Safety Article Type:
Bahar CELBİŞ, Özlem ÖZAYDIN ....................................................................................................................421-432 Research Article

Analysis of Structural Change for the Kyrgyz Republic Economy:

Evidence from Decomposition of Output Changes and Multiplier Product Matrix Article Type:
Arya AKDENİZ, Neşe KUMRAL, Barış GÖK ..................................................................................................433-446 Research Article

International Immigrant Entrepreneurship in Tourism Industry:

A Comprehensive Literature Review Article Type:
İge PIRNAR, Hüseyin Ozan ALTIN ................................................................................................................447-462 Research Article

Audit Expectation Gap: A Bibliometric Analysis

Based on Scopus And WoS Data (1992-2024) Article Type:
Neriman POLAT ÇELTİKCİ ..............................................................................................................................463-480 Research Article

Social Impact Analysis: An Evaluation of Aibs Located in Bursa

in the Context of Facebook Social Media Platform Article Type:
Özge KİRİŞÇİ, Kurtuluş KAYMAZ ...................................................................................................................481-498 Research Article
 Cilt 24 • Sayı 3 • Temmuz 2024
SS. 369/390
EGE AKADEMİK BAKIŞ / EGE ACADEMIC REVIEW Doi: 10.21121/eab.20240302
Başvuru Tarihi: 10.05.2023 • Kabul Tarihi: 17.04.2024

Article Type: Research Article

Authentic Leadership: A Systematic Review and

Research Agenda

Eray POLAT1 ID
, Hasan Evrim ARICI2 ID
, Hüseyin ARASLI3 ID

ABSTRACT
There has been a growing interest in authentic leadership as a distinctive style of leadership and a dynamic research topic.
In this direction, the aim of this study is multifaceted. First, we focus on providing a comprehensive overview of research
on authentic leadership (AL), which has attracted substantial research interest in the last few years. Second, we outline the
theoretical and nomological network of AL, highlighting antecedents, outcomes, moderators, and mediators. Third, we offer an
elaborated future research agenda to enable advances in theory and empirics. We systematically reviewed 182 articles issued in
the business management and psychology literature between 2005 and 2021. Interest in AL is growing, and 2020 is the golden
year. Developed countries dominate the field. After a rigorous review, we offer a future research agenda with four key themes.
The study highlights that AL is critical to the emergence and growth of valuable behaviours, attitudes, and performance at
individual, team, and organisational levels. The study provides new research ideas and further conceptualization of AL. We also
provide a comprehensive review of why managers should continue to practice AL, where the literature has been, and where it
may be headed in the future.
Keywords: Authentic Leadership, Leadership, Authenticity, Systematic Literature Review.
JEL Classification Codes: M12, M54
Referencing Style: APA 7

INTRODUCTION misbehavior of leaders in several organizations because

traditional leadership styles are no longer sufficient for a
Leadership has become an active area of hopeful solution to these problems (Margiadi & Wibowo
conceptualization and study, providing a more scientific 2020). Therefore, AL has become a key element of positive
and evidence-based background to foster long-term leadership research in recent years. As a valuable and
interest in the phenomenon among researchers and relatively new contemporary leadership style (Alilyyania
professionals. Thus, for more than six decades, researchers et al., 2018), AL has become the focus of researchers and
have been striving to unravel the black box in the field practitioners over the past decade. Since its inception, AL
of knowledge in order to find more effective ways to theory has benefited from critical refinements, and the
lead individuals, work environments, and organizations number of empirical studies examining AL has increased,
(Polat et al., 2024). Throughout the history of leadership, “most notably” (Banks et al., 2016).
countless efforts have been made to clarify why and how
certain leadership approaches might be more effective While the number of studies on AL has grown
in different work environments and industries. However, impressively, there are few comprehensive literature
there are still no satisfactory answers in this area, so reviews on this approach to leadership. The few studies
scholars are striving to uncover many dark sides in this that have been published that have examined AL using
field (Gordon & Yukl 2004). a systematic literature review (SLR) do not show the
whole picture, but only part of the picture. For example,
In the wake of ethical scandals in businesses, Intesarach & Ueasangkomsate (2021) focused on the
governments, and nonprofit organizations, people antecedents of AL; Maziero et al. (2020) identified
are wondering what is wrong with our leaders (Brown and analyzed the positive aspects of AL in nurses’
& Treviño 2006). The AL approach emerged from the work process. In addition, Margiadi & Wibowo (2020)

1
Faculty of Tourism, Gumushane University, 29100 Gumushane/Türkiye, eraypolat38@[Link]
2
Faculty of Tourism, Kastamonu University, 37150 Kastamonu/Türkiye, EU Business School, Digital Campus, Av. Diagonal, 648 bis 08017 Barcelona, Spain
hasanevrimarici@[Link]
3
Department of Social Sciences, NHS, University of Stavanger, Norway, [Link]@[Link]
Eray POLAT, Hasan Evrim ARICI, Hüseyin ARASLI

conducted a bibliometric literature review but did not motivated by a particular inner scenario. This inner theater
provide data on mediators, facilitators, antecedents, plays an important role in shaping our behavior and
and outcomes. To our knowledge, the Gardner et al. leadership style throughout our lives. For these reasons, it
(2011) study is the only systematic review that provides is best not to view the concept of authenticity as an either/
a general picture of AL, while the Alilyyania et al. (2018) or construct, but to accept that it exists with continuity
study focuses on healthcare. and is determined to the extent that people remain true to
their core human values, identities, preferences, or feelings
It is therefore timely to provide an in-depth and
(Avolio et al. 2004).
comprehensive review of studies on AL. By describing
such results, this study aims to answer these questions: The explanation of authenticity above most closely
describes the kind of positive leadership required in
1. What are the theoretical frameworks used in the
today’s world. In this sense, research from AL has reached
research of AL?
a significant point in recent years in the studies of positive
2. What are the antecedents, outcomes, facilitators, leadership (Banks et al. 2016; Margiadi & Wibowo 2020). AL
and moderators of this research? is explained by Walumbwa et al. (2008, p. 94) as “draws on
and fosters positive psychological skills and a positive ethical
3. What is the future of research at AL? climate to promote greater self-awareness, an internalized
moral perspective, balanced processing of information, and
This study conducts an SLR on AL and contributes
relational transparency on the part of leaders in working with
significantly to the existing literature. First, such an
their followers to support positive self-development.”
analysis is valuable because it reveals the big picture of
AL. Thus, this study brings to light current developments Comprehensive interpretations could be drawn from
on AL. Systematic reviews provide an opportunity to find, an integrated literature review (Oh et al., 2018) to explain
analyze, evaluate, and report on the “best” evidence- what constitutes AL. However, it appears that they are
based practices that may be useful to practitioners. examined under four main interrelated concepts (Avolio
Based on this exploration, practitioners can make more & Gardner 2005): (i) self-knowledge, (ii) internalized
consistent decisions about whether or not to adopt a moral perspective, (iii) morally balanced processing, and
practice. Second, this study contributes to practitioners (iv) relational transparency. Firstly, AL requires a high
by identifying key antecedents and outcomes, facilitators, level of self-awareness consistent with the importance
and moderators of AL. Third, our study contributes to of authenticity (Avolio & Gardner 2005). Self-awareness
theorists by presenting the big picture of the knowledge is related to how leaders understand their strengths,
domain, identifying gaps in research on AL, and weaknesses, and motivations and recognize others’ views
suggesting directions for future research. of their leadership. It includes inner and outer capacity.
Inner capacity symbolises self-awareness of the leader’s
LITERATURE REVIEW
states of mind, such as beliefs, wishes and emotions,
What is authentic leadership? while outer capacity means that the leader reflects the
self-image that others perceive. Leaders who are high
Authenticity is a concept that is of concern to both in self-awareness use self-knowledge and self-image to
practitioners and scholars (Walumbwa et al., 2008), and improve their leadership efficiency (Arici et al., 2020).
derives from the ancient Greek philosophy “Be true to
yourself” (Avolio & Gardner 2005). Positive psychologists Internalized moral perspective/self-regulation is
refer to authenticity as owning personal experiences the second component of AL. It involves efforts to
(thoughts, feelings or beliefs) and behaving according to self-regulate in three ways: (i) setting internal moral
one’s authentic self (Luthans & Avolio 2003). Simply put, standards, (ii) assessing inconsistencies between
the core of authenticity is “knowing oneself, accepting internal standards and actual/potential outcomes, (iii)
oneself, being true to oneself” (Avolio et al., 2004) and discovering intentional actions to resolve inconsistencies.
acting accordingly (Gardner et al. 2011). Self-regulation can also be seen as the alignment of an
authentic leader’s values with their intentions and actions
One of the most important and primary requirements (Gardner et al. 2011). In self-regulation, individuals have
for leadership is that individuals have a cultivated self and the power to control when others can influence them. As
understand themselves (Luthans & Avolio 2003). Regarding a result, there is a consistent composition between the
the role that people’s inner selves play in leadership, Vries leader’s moral perspective, actions, and beliefs (Margiadi
(1994) suggested that we all have an inner theater and are & Wibowo 2020).
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 Authentic Leadership: A Systematic Review and Research Agenda

The third term, balanced processing, used by Kernis (Table 1). Researchers (Gardner et al. 2011; Margiadi &
(2003) unbiased processing, represents an objective Wibowo 2020; Strom 2020; Intesarach & Ueasangkomsate
analysis of all relevant information before a decision 2021) have conducted review studies in all disciplines
is made (Neider & Schriesheim 2011). According to using criteria such as year, country, author, journal, and
Kernis (2003, p. 14), it means “not denying, distorting, research method. Studies have also been conducted
exaggerating, or ignoring private knowledge, internal frequently in health sciences such as public health
experience”, and external evaluative information. It is (Alilyyani et al. 2018) and nursing (Maziero et al. 2020;
at the heart of a person’s integrity and character and Valle et al., 2021). Alilyyani et al. (2018) focused on the
plays an essential role in shaping decisions and actions antecedents and consequences of AL; Valle et al. (2021)
(Luthans & Avolio 2003). AL -structural empowerment relationship; Maziero et al.
(2020) reviewed the studies on the positive aspects of AL.
The final component is relational transparency, which
concerns showing one’s genuine self to other people Also of note are studies that use meta-analysis
and providing information about one’s true thoughts techniques to evaluate AL. Zhang et al. (2021) evaluated
and feelings in a clear but honest way (Avolio et al. the antecedents and outcomes of AL. Hoch et al. (2018)
2004). Relationships become transparent when people analysed the results of authentic, transformational,
share their primary emotions, ideas, and tendencies with servant leadership; Banks et al. (2016) compared
each other (Margiadi & Wibowo 2020). Authentic leaders authentic and transformational leadership. Miao et
therefore rely on openness and self-disclosure in their al. (2018) examined the association between AL and
close relationships with others (Banks et al. 2016). emotional intelligence.

Previous Reviews on Authentic Leadership METHODOLOGY

Following the political and corporate crises of the early Data Collection
21st century (e.g., Enron, WorldCom), authenticity in
SLR is a methodology that involves the systematic and
leadership is a popular topic in the business management
comprehensive gathering, organisation and evaluation of
literature (Hoch et al. 2018). Luthans & Avolio’s definition
existing literature in a field of study (Polat et al., 2023). In
of AL in 2003, followed by theoretical models (Avolio
this context, we decided that conducting an SLR was the
et al. 2004) and inter-disciplinary meetings held by the
most appropriate approach to advance existing AL research
Gallup Leadership Institute in 2004 and 2006, has focused
in the field and improve understanding and practical
attention on AL.
application of AL. The review process followed the protocols
The number of studies on this topic is growing, and for SLRs used in previous studies (Polat et al., 2024). First, the
we are seeing SLR or meta-analysis studies exploring the database was identified. Scopus was selected due to its high
development and evolution of the structure of AL, as well reputation, trust, and large journal pool. Second, ‘Authentic
as the broad picture of its antecedents and outcomes Leadership’ was identified as a keyword in light of previous
Table 1. Previous reviews on AL

# of Studies
Author Research Method Years Interval
Examined
Gardner et al. (2011) SLR up-to-December 2010 91
Intesarach/Ueasangkomsate (2021) SLR 2010-2018 21
Margiadi/Wibowo (2020) Bibliometric Analysis 2003-2018 122
Alilyyani et al. (2018) SLR up-to-January 2017 38
Valle et al. (2021) SLR 2012-2018 5
Maziero et al. (2020) SLR June-September 2018 17
Strom (2020) SLR 2003–2018 15
Hoch et al. (2018) Meta-Analysis up-to-November 2015 41
Banks et al. (2016) Meta-Analysis up-to-September 2014 74
Zhang et al. (2021) Meta-Analysis not specified 214
Miao et al. (2018) Meta-Analysis not specified 11

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Eray POLAT, Hasan Evrim ARICI, Hüseyin ARASLI

studies (Gardner et al. 2011; Alilyyani et al. 2018; Margiadi & coding done by the researchers was mutually reviewed and
Wibowo 2020). There are two primary options for keyword differences were negotiated.
selection (Chen & Xiao 2016): (1) at the macro level, using
Data analysis
all keywords to determine the structural features of domain
knowledge, (2) at the micro level, using “essential” keywords The Oxford English Dictionary describes review
to explore a large research field and their relationships. We studies as a study that summarises recent literature or
adopted for the second option. Third, AL was scanned in developments on a particular topic. As one of the review
article titles, keywords, and abstracts. Articles from 2005 to typologies (Kim et al., 2018), SLR aims to identify, analyze,
2021, June 1, were considered. We began in 2005 because, and evaluate existing studies on a given topic within a
following the research calls of Luthans & Avolio (2003) given framework. In this regard, researchers understand
and The Leadership Quarterly “AL Development- Getting to the development and evolution of the topic in question
the Root of Positive Forms of Leadership,” the first research and identify salient trends. The SLR approach was used
papers were published that year. In addition, only SSCI- because the interest of this study was to capture the
indexed journal articles in English and the subject areas of prospects of AL studies according to different criteria.
(i) business, management, and accounting (BMA) and (ii)
psychology were considered. The result was 263 articles. FINDINGS
Fourth, to ensure that the articles were related to the
Overview of the Authentic Leadership Studies
topic, two researchers independently coded each article
by reading the title, abstract, and (if necessary) full texts. In Publications by Year
this way, the coders questioned whether or not the articles
focused precisely on AL. Throughout the process, any Figure 1 illustrates the number of studies issued
ambiguity regarding the appropriateness of an article was between 2005 and 2021. The results show that only
discussed to establish consensus among the researchers. As 27.5% of studies (n=50) were published between 2005
a result, 81 articles were excluded due to unrelated research and 2013, with most published since 2013 (72.5%,
and 182 were included in the sample. n=132). Therefore, we examined AL -focused studies
by considering two time periods: (1) 2005-2013 and (2)
Finally, the researchers transferred the data into an Excel 2014-2021. The year 2005 stands out in the initial time
spreadsheet to create a coding book. In this book, each article period. The main reason could be derived from the
was individually categorized by two researchers in terms of studies in the special issue of The Leadership Quarterly.
descriptive characteristics and theories, scales used in AL More importantly, 2020 is the golden year with the
surveys, antecedents, outcomes, mediators, and moderators highest number of articles for AL. However, in 2021, there
of AL. To ensure the reliability of the categorization, the coding were 18 studies published in the first five months, which
process focused on complete consistency. In this regard, the shows a growing interest.

Figure 1: Number of studies over time

Note: The first five months of 2021 were considered.
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 Authentic Leadership: A Systematic Review and Research Agenda

Table 2. Journals (selected) publishing AL research

Journal Frequency %
Leadership & Organization Development Journal (LODJ) 38 20.8
The Leadership Quarterly (TLQ) 31 17.03
Journal of Business Ethics (JBE) 18 9.8
Leadership 16 8.8
Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies 14 7.7
European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology (EJWOP) 8 4.4
International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management (IJCHM) 6 3.3
Journal of Organizational Behavior (JOB) 5 2.75
Journal of Management (JM) 4 2.2
Academy of Management Annals (Annals) 1 0,54

Publications by the method design. In addition, 14 of the quantitative studies include

three or two waves, and 90% of the studies are cross-
The results show that the researchers mainly used
sectional.
empirical analysis to study AL and its constructs. Thus,
there were 140 (76.9%) empirical papers and 42 (23.1%) In contrast, the qualitative studies focused on single-
conceptual papers in the sample. 24 (57.1%) of the case studies, primarily interviews (58.4%). For the
conceptual studies were conducted in the first period, individual-level studies, samples ranged from 3 to 97
and 18 (42.9%) in the second period. In the first period, employees (mean=25.25, median=17.25). Two studies
researchers mainly conducted conceptual studies chose a longitudinal design and investigated in three
to strengthen the theoretical foundations of AL and waves over a period of 15 months and one year. In addition,
examine its distinguishing features from other leadership we find studies using secondary data (newspaper
approaches. In the second period, researchers sought archives), observations, and auto-ethnographic design.
to contribute to the development of AL from various Surprisingly, only 16.6% of the qualitative research was
theoretical perspectives. Meanwhile, researchers also theory-driven; the majority of the remaining studies
addressed the academic concerns and critiques of AL sought to understand how AL developed within an
(Gardner et al. 2021). Other conceptual studies during this organization. Leadership was the top journal (50%) in
period were interested in developing new propositions which qualitative AL research was published.
and guidelines to help managers better understand
To better understand why the phenomenon emerged
and apply the newly developed leadership style and its
and developed, limited mixed methods research on AL
practices in their organizations (Gill et al., 2018).
generally consisted of surveys followed by interviews.
Scholarly attention has moved from conceptual studies These studies collected qualitative data via semi-
to empirical analyzes in the second period, following structured interviews, focus group discussions, role-
satisfactory progress in conceptualization. All studies in playing, observation, and scenario-based voluntary
Eastern Europe are empirical. This development might blog posts. Quantitative data, on the other hand, were
be due to the fact that journal editors and reviewers collected through questionnaires and an experimental
give more priority to empirical studies. Another factor design. In contrast to qualitative research, 50% of the
could be the need to generalize leadership style and its studies were based on theories.
potential impact on organizations and followers. Among
Publications by journal
the empirical studies, the quantitative research method
predominated (87.8%); the rest adopted a qualitative Autentic leadership research has been published in a
approach (9.3%) or a mixed method of quantitative and variety of journals (Table 2). The LODJ has dominated the
qualitative methods (2.9%). Correlative field studies knowledge space, followed by TLQ and JBE. In addition,
predominate among the quantitative research on AL, with since 2005, research papers have increasingly been
six meta-analyzes and six studies using an experimental published in high impact factor journals, such as Annals

373
Eray POLAT, Hasan Evrim ARICI, Hüseyin ARASLI

and JM. In addition, high-impact journals in organizational SIT is the most used theory. It has been used to
behavior, hospitality, or psychology, including IJCHM, describe how authentic leaders develop strong bonds
JOB, and EJWOP, have also published several papers on with employees and create a sense of partnership
AL. Finally, the overwhelming majority of studies were between employees and the organization or leader.
conducted in the discipline of BMA (85.2%). When strong bridges are built between followers and
the organization, leader, or team, positive behaviors
Publications by country
increase, and negative ones decrease. For instance, when
Figure 2 illustrates the distribution of articles by country. followers’ identification with the leader is improved,
AL has been present on the global stage for many years employees’ organizational commitment (Lux et al., 2019),
thanks to the multinational structure of 21st century level of organizational identification (Gigol 2021), voting
organizations and the positive leadership styles adopted behavior (Niu et al. 2018), or perceived support of the
worldwide. In total, studies on AL have been conducted leader (Arici 2018) increases. Moreover, in this way, the
in 42 different countries. Most of the studies of AL have level of identification with the team (Azanza et al., 2015)
been conducted in developed countries, for example the and team performance increases (Lin & Chen 2016), while
US, the UK, Australia, and Canada. Over the past 20 years, turnover intention decreases (Azanza et al. 2015).
ethical scandals around the world, particularly in the US
Second, SET appears frequently. This theory is also
and several European countries, have led to AL being
prominent in studies in Eastern European countries. It
discussed and studied in these countries more than
assumes that the leader-follower relationship involves a
others. Studies have been conducted in Eastern Europe;
continuous process of resource exchange and contributes
four in Poland and one in Serbia.
to the explanation of the employee observing the AL

Figure 2: Distributi on of AL studies by country

style in their leader and feeling obligated to respond with

Theories related to Authentic Leadership
increasing positive and decreasing negative behaviors
We analyzed the literature to emphasize the theoretical (Duarte et al., 2021). From this perspective, according to the
viewpoints researchers have highlighted. Researchers principle of reciprocity, employees have better performance
have used 72 theories, and no single theory is dominant (Duarte et al. 2021), the intensity of leader-member
in the AL literature. Instead, it can be said that social- exchange (LMX) (Hirst et al., 2016), and work engagement
based theories are more prevalent than others as a (WE) increases. Finally, they exhibit more Organisational
category (social identity theory (SIT)=14; social exchange Citizenship Behaviours (OCB) (Farid et al., 2020).
theory (SET)=12; social learning theory (SLT)=8; social
Another theoretical framework, SLT, assumes that
information processing theory=6; social cognitive
individuals learn behaviors, values, and attitudes by
theory=3; social contagion theory=3).
observing, imitating, and modeling appropriate and
trustworthy role models. In an organization, authentic

374
 Authentic Leadership: A Systematic Review and Research Agenda

leaders are imitated by their followers as reliable role leader’s self-awareness has a more decisive influence
models. Based on this explanation, studies show that on the perception of AL than group self-awareness.
followers achieve higher individual performance (Duarte Similarly, the leader’s authentic personality (Liang 2017)
et al. 2021), OCB (Fortin et al., 2017), or helping behavior and self-awareness or self-consistency (Peus et al. 2012)
(Hirst et al. 2016) by imitating their leaders’ behavior. are related to followers’ perceptions of AL. Leaders who
pay attention to being authentic are motivated to act in
The second popular group of theories is motivation-
a way or have an attitude consistent with their behaviors,
based, which proposes strategies to motivate followers to
such as self-knowledge and authentic personality.
achieve desired behavioral, attitudinal, and performance
outcomes. These theories include self-determination The leader’s resources and skills may also affect the
theory (n=7), resource maintenance theory (n=5), level of AL perceived by followers. Based on political
psychological capital theory (n=4), extension and building influence theory, Mehmood et al. (2020) found that
theory (n=2), and intrinsic motivation theory (n=1). On apparent sincerity makes the leader appear more
the other hand, studies based on motivational theories authentic. Because employees can only test leaders
emphasize the antecedents of AL more than those based based on their visible behavior. This way, leaders with
on social science theories. For example, self-determination apparent high sincerity are perceived as more authentic.
theory asserts that individuals adopt the values or Researchers have also linked networking ability to AL.
behaviors they encounter in their social lives through Accordingly, networking ability and AL have a negative
intrinsic and extrinsic motivational mechanisms (Ryan correlation. However, this is only true for female leaders
& Deci 2000). In this context, Peus et al. (2012) examined and suggests that gender is the moderating variable
whether self-determination is a prerequisite for AL. in this relationship. Gender stereotypes suggest that
women should worry about positive relationships and
Some studies focus on self-driven theories such as self-
social cohesion, while men success and status. On the
categorization (n=2), self-efficacy (n=3), self-regulation
other hand, networking ability is not problematic for
(n=2), self-consistency (n=1), or self-enhancement (n=1)
men because it is more associated with success and
theories. Moreover, leadership theories such as LMX (n=5)
status. Still, it creates a contradictory situation for women
and implicit leadership theory (n=2) can also be noticed.
and makes them appear less authentic.
Antecedents of Authentic Leadership
Instead of a rival out-group, inner group-oriented
We identified 17 empirical studies that test the behaviors help followers view leaders more positively
antecedents of AL. These studies generally focus on and are perceived as more authentic. For instance,
the leader’s personality and personal resources and Steffens et al. (2016) show that a leader who advocates
contribute to the model of AL development (see Figure for collective interests is more authentic and more
3). likely to be followed by employees. In this context, LMX
influences perceptions of AL (Azanza et al., 2018). As
In studies attempting to determine the antecedents this interaction has a positive effect on the relational
of AL, researchers asked leaders to rate their personality transparency dimension of AL, followers perceive the
traits and followers to rate their supervisor’s leadership leader as more authentic.
style to determine whether a leader’s personality predicts
AL behaviors. Shahzad et al. (2021) discovered that Regarding gender, three studies show no consensus.
conscientiousness, openness to experience, extraversion, Azanza et al. (2018) reported that female leaders were
and agreeableness were positively associated with AL, likelier to exhibit AL behaviors than males. They claimed
whereas neuroticism was negative. Zhang et al. (2020a) this was because women have a higher internal moral
examined whether mindfulness was related to AL and perspective. In contrast, Monzani et al. (2015a, 2015b)
found positive effects. Petersen & Youssef (2018) linked reported that male leaders were likelier to exhibit AL
AL to leaders’ strengths (psychological capital) and behaviors. Monzani et al. (2015a) state that although
organizational context (psychological climate - trust, women are more likely to exhibit AL behaviors, women’s
support, autonomy, etc.) and found positive relationships leadership behaviors may be attributed to gender roles
between these constructs. rather than leadership roles due to role conflict in the
workplace. Thus they may perceive themselves as less
Steffens et al. (2021) show that personal and group authentic. Studies are needed that show correlation
self-awareness are essential factors in employees’ between AL and the leader’s gender, age, education
perceptions of AL. In addition, they indicate that a level, and tenure in the future.
375
Eray POLAT, Hasan Evrim ARICI, Hüseyin ARASLI

Outcomes of Authentic Leadership innovation (Cerne et al., 2013), sales (Rego et al., 2015),
and oriented outcomes. Further, it has been discovered
Most empirical research on AL has concentrated on
that AL is more effective in service innovation than
how leaders affect follower outcomes and the processes
paternalistic and democratic leadership (Ahmed et al.
that explain these connections. Appendix.1-(Tables I-II-
2018).
III) and Fig. 3 provide a comprehensive overview of these
connections. Leader-Related Outcomes

Behavioral Outcomes Regarding leader-related outcomes, the most

researched variable is LMX (Hsiung 2012; Xu et al. 2017).
The most widely addressed connection in AL research
Moreover, research has revealed correlations between
is that between AL and OCB. This research focused on
AL and leader effectiveness (Nichols & Erakovich, 2013);
employees studying different sectors such as hospitality
supervisor identification (Liu et al., 2018); trust in the
(Qiu et al., 2019), banking (Farid et al. 2020) or education
leaders (Zhang et al., 2020b); and leader behavioral
(Fortin et al. 2017), and their immediate leaders (Wei
integrity (Leroy et al., 2012).
et al., 2018). AL is also found to be positively related to
voice-(Liang 2017), helping behaviors (Hirst et al. 2016), Moderators in Authentic Leadership Research
organization’s core values (Oh et al. 2018); negatively
Thirty-six studies focused on moderators. In 12
related to stress- and stress symptoms (Rahimnia &
studies, AL was examined as a moderator. These studies
Sharifirad 2015), workplace bullying (Laschinger & Fida
focused on how AL affects followers’ attitudes and found
2014), and workplace deviance behavior (Liu et al.,
that positive relationships between variables were
2018).
strengthened while negative ones were weakened. For
Attitudinal Outcomes example, Xu et al. (2017) discovered that the relationship
between LMX and employee flourishing becomes
Given the nature of AL, it is positively associated with
stronger at higher AL levels; Arici et al., (2020) found
a broad variety of work-related attitudinal outcomes. WE
the relationship between nepotism and tolerance of
(Liu et al. 2018), affective commitment (Milic et al., 2017),
workplace incivility becomes weaker at higher AL levels.
organizational commitment job satisfaction (Monzani
In studies where AL is the moderator variable, the
et al. 2015b), and psychological capital (Hu et al., 2018)
moderating effects of AL on interpersonal relationships
are the most critical outcomes. An emerging body of
at the individual, team, and organizational levels of
literature has also verified that AL is positively associated
analysis have also been examined. The individual level
with personal (Lux et al., 2019), workgroup (Steffens
of analysis is the most common (see Appendix.1-Table IV
et al. 2016), team (Lin & Chen 2016), or organizational
and Figure 3)
identification (Niu et al. 2018). Also, it is stated that
AL is more effective in relationship-based employee The remaining 24 studies analysed the relationship
governance than paternalistic and democratic leadership between AL and its outcomes under the influence of
(Ahmed et al., 2018). different moderators. The moderators can be divided
into employee- and workplace-related moderators (e.g.,
Additionally, research shows that AL is negatively
gender, role clarity), leadership-related moderators
associated with turnover intention, risk perception
(e.g., LMX, leader mindfulness emotions), team-related
(Nielsen et al., 2013), emotional exhaustion and cynicism
moderators (team prototypicality), and climate- and
(Laschinger & Fida 2014), role conflicts and role-ambiguity
organisation-related moderators (e.g., organisation
(Kalay et al. 2020), and job insecurity (Wang & Xie 2020).
size). On the other hand, many different moderators
Performance Outcomes were proposed and tested only once in studies. For this
reason, it is not possible to provide a concise summary.
The literature shows that AL predicts several levels Therefore, future studies consistently examine the effects
of performance, including employee (Qu et al. 2019), of moderator variables.
team (Lin & Chen 2016), and organizational (Hmieleski
et al. 2012). A significant performance outcome of AL is Measures of Authentic Leadership
employee creativity (Xu et al., 2017). Most of the studies
Henderson & Hoy (1983) made the first attempt to
on this subject are prepared at the individual level, and
functionalise the AL construct. They concentrated on
there is only one study at the team level (Lei et al., 2021).
the concept and functionalisation of AL and created the
There is also a developing literature that links AL to
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 Authentic Leadership: A Systematic Review and Research Agenda

Figure 3: Outline of mediator & moderator variables and antecedents & outcomes of AL

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Eray POLAT, Hasan Evrim ARICI, Hüseyin ARASLI

Leader Authenticity Inventory, a 32-item scale that can DISCUSSION

be used to assess AL (Gardner et al. 2011).
Through a review of 182 articles, this article provides
Following Luthans & Avolio (2003)’s call for research, a comprehensive overview of AL and suggests avenues
scholarly interest in AL has resurfaced, and researchers for further investigation. First, it shows that academic
have attempted to develop the construct of AL. Since interest in the study of AL and its consequences has
then, different tools have been developed for measuring increased. All of the articles reviewed in this article
AL. A summary of the measurement tools that emerged were published in the last 15 years.
in the studies is presented in Appendix.1-(Table V).
The substantial increase in research from 2020
Before the introduction of ALQ, ALI, or AL-IQ, reflects the significant progress of studies focused
researchers faced several challenges and tried different on AL contemporary leadership styles and introduces
ways to measure AL. For instance, Jensen & Luthans important management practices. Although some
(2006) measured by combining three different scales: researchers have studied AL and its importance, the
the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ), the academic understanding of AL in management is still
ENTRESCALE (Entrepreneurial Orientation), and the in its infancy. To fill this knowledge gap, scholars need
Ethical Climate Questionnaire. Similarly, Tate (2008) to focus on the fundamental concepts and themes
created a measurement tool based on George’s (2003) identified in our research.
conceptual dimensions with 17 items and three
subscales (self-discipline and ethical standards—9 items; The results show that developed countries (e.g., the
establishing positive relationships—4 items; and passion U.S., the U.K., Australia) explored AL more than their
for purpose—4 items). Eastern counterparts. This means that researchers
from Western countries are focusing more on the
Walumbwa et al.’s (2008) ALQ is the most widely used principle of authenticity in leading their organizations
scale in studies. Neider & Schriesheim’s (2011) ALI was and followers, with a growing number of scientific
the other tool used to measure AL. While the ALQ is more experiments focusing on creating a trust-based climate
widely used than the ALI, the ALI has better internal in the work environment. This significant finding may
consistency and reliability than the ALQ (Oh & Oh 2017). encourage scientists from Eastern and developing
countries to focus more on AL and its associated
On the other hand, Levesque-Côté et al. (2018)
outcomes. However, they cannot ignore the growing
determined that there are problems in some factor
scientific interest in this approach, as illustrated in
items of ALQ and ALI through the exploratory structural
Figure 2.
equation modelling (ESEM) technique, which has
emerged as a new analytical approach. Thus, they The mediating and moderating constructs that
created a new tool (AL-IQ) by combining some items of have been used to examine how and when AL affects
both measurement tools with the ESEM. Only Levesque- various outcomes are discussed below, and the main
Côté et al.’s (2021) study has used this tool. variables used are presented. The employee- and
leader-centered (e.g., WE, empowerment, LMX) and
Scenario-based studies were conducted for AL
team- and organization-centered variables, such as
measurement. For example, Nichols & Erakovich (2013)
team trust, safety climate, and identification, have
investigated how AL affects leader effectiveness and
often been used as intervening constructs to probe the
prepared two different scenarios, and measured AL
mechanisms underlying the effects of AL on various
scores according to answers given to these scenarios.
levels of outcomes. This taxonomy provides a beneficial
In addition, in one experimental study (Monzani et al.
way to clarify the mediating mechanisms that link AL
2015b), participants were shown an initial manipulation
to different outcomes (e.g., behavioral, attitudinal,
with a 5-minute video in which the CEO gave a welcoming
and performance outcomes). Moderating constructs
speech in an authentic style (displaying a high level of
were grouped into four categories (employee- and
self-awareness, moral perspective, balanced information
workplace-centered, leadership-centered, team-
processing, and relational transparency), and AL
centered, and climate- and organization-centered) to
measurements were made accordingly. There is currently
help researchers better understand the nature of the
a lack of scenario-based and experimental research in the
boundary conditions within the link between AL and
literature. For future research, this area contains a critical
its outcomes.
gap.

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 Authentic Leadership: A Systematic Review and Research Agenda

Table 3. Future research questions

Foci Research question

Does AL estimate follower, team, and organizational outcomes beyond transformational, servant, instru-
mental, or ethical leadership?
Is AL empirically separate from transformational, ethical, or servant leadership?
General
How do authentic leaders’ and followers’ relationships improve over time?
How do home-office, work-home conflict and/or work stress affect AL behaviors?
What can be the other behavioral and attitudinal antecedents of AL?
Does AL affect the leader’s promotion?
Is leadership training effective in gaining authentic leadership (or sub-dimensions) skills?
Do authentic leaders need to regulate their emotions or engage in emotional effort in the workplace?
Leader
Is AL an effective tool in reducing the leader-follower value incongruence?
Is an interdisciplinary approach combining history and leadership research possible? Can we learn some-
thing different from historical figures about AL? What can these add today’s AL principles?
Do employees perceive AL as an extraordinary leadership style or as standard behavior?
Does investing resources in employees result in a loss of resources for the authentic leader?
Follower/ Em-
ployee Does AL affect information share behavior among followers?
Which sub-dimension of AL gains importance according to different generations (e.g., Gen X-Y-Z) of
employees?
Does organizational culture affect the relationship between AL and its outcomes?
Does the type of organization (e.g., entrepreneurial, bureaucratic, non-profit, organic) moderate the
Organizational relationship between AL and its antecedents and outcomes?
Does perceived organizational support lead to the emergence or development of AL?
Is AL influence higher-level outcomes (e.g., customers’ evaluations of the firm, firm performance & profit)
Industry Do the relationships between AL and its antecedents and consequences differ by industries?
Is AL an effective leadership style in countries with high power distance/masculinity?
Culture
Is AL perceived as a lack of self-confidence in individualistic cultures?
Do longitudinal research or experimental designs ensure a better explanation about the correlational or
casual relationship between AL and its antecedents and outcomes?
Does experience sampling method be applied to protect against common method bias in the study
Research domain?
method
Can AL scales specific to sectors be developed?
Do conducting mixed-methods research approaches contribute to strengthening the reliability of the
data in the study domain?

The results show that conceptual research dominated hypothesized relationships that can empirically
in the first period, while scholarly efforts focused on test the proposed relationships and generalize the
empirical analyzes in the second period, when the importance of AL. Future academic efforts could also
desired developments in the conceptualization of AL focus on conducting mixed and longitudinal designs
were completed. In this period, quantitative research to provide better statistical and experimental results
has dominated. Most quantitative studies have used for this leadership style.
correlative case studies. However, because this field is
Walumbwa et al.’s (2008) measurement scale has
still in its infancy, there appears to be a need for more
been used extensively in leadership research as a scale
empirical analyzes, particularly experimental designs
to test AL (Appendix.1-Table V). However, as Levesque-
or at least mixed-methods research, to demonstrate
Côté et al. (2018) noted, some problems with the
and confirm the role of AL in developing organisational
factor loadings of the scale items required additional
resources and effectiveness. Scholars can therefore
experimentation to develop new scales. This could
focus on developing study models that incorporate

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Eray POLAT, Hasan Evrim ARICI, Hüseyin ARASLI

encourage researchers to develop a new scale by Moderating and Mediating Variables

considering different characteristics of organizations
This study has clarified various moderators and mediators
from different sectors, as each group could have
used to explain the influences of AL on various outcomes.
different and unique structures and characteristics.
Regarding moderating constructs, many studies have not
Researchers have used various theories to study AL, and presented a theoretical rationale for using a particular
no one theory dominates the knowledge domain. SIT is moderator in the research framework. Therefore, further
the most commonly used theory by researchers, followed research can provide a theoretical framework to classify and
by SET and SLT. Social information processing theory justify moderating constructs used as buffer effects between
also emerges in research examining the role of AL. These AL and worker- and firm-level outcomes. Similarly, future
findings suggest that there is no dominant theory that studies should theoretically underpin the link between AL
conceptually underpins AL research. This theoretical gap and the boundary conditions for its consequences.
is an important impetus for further research in this area.
In addition, team-, organization-, and leadership-related
We offered avenues for future studies in four main attributes were examined to moderate the association
areas based on the significant findings. Based on these between AL and outcomes. Results in published articles
areas, we also pose future research questions that also show that AL has a stronger impact when the team
might encourage leadership researchers to conduct or organization is prototypical (Monzani et al. 2015a), the
further research in this area (Table 3). organization is large (Oh & Oh 2017), and the leader acts as
a moderator, including the values of benevolence, collective
FUTURE RESEARCH AGENDA self-perception, and leader emotion (Yagil & Medler-Liraz
Research Methods 2014). This is in tune with Gardner et al.’s (2021) directive
that there are many competitive moderators, or norms that
Although the studies in our database focus primarily point in different channels, such as flexibility, and restraint
on causal relationships, most of these papers were of strong opinions. These conditions might provide a better
unsuitable for this purpose because they did not choose rationale for when AL has a greater or lesser impact on its
an appropriate study design and/or had problems with consequences. We therefore encourage further research in
endogeneity. Therefore, we make several methodological this direction.
suggestions to increase the likelihood of future research
that focuses more on causal issues. The results also point to a moderating role of employee
characteristics on the impact of AL. Given the labor-intensive
First, researchers need to abandon cross-sectional characteristics of the service industry, employees play an
studies in favor of longitudinal studies and rely on a active role in shaping management practices. Therefore,
longer time period. Most studies to date (87.8%) have it is worthwhile to examine employee perceptions of AL
used survey methods, the limitations of which make behavior.
the results unlikely to contribute to a better theoretical
underpinning of leadership styles. Similarly, the In our mediation analysis, we used a four-group
academic attention given to AL is characterized by a lack classification for mediating constructs. These mediating
of mixed methods. In an area of research that is still in the constructs should be further explored in future research
developmental stage, robust mixed methods research to expand understanding of how AL influences various
could help present meaningful results and accurately outcomes (e.g., behavior, attitude, performance, and
guide future academic efforts. Therefore, we encourage leadership-related outcomes). For example, it would be
further studies in this area. worthwhile to analyze the potential effects of innovation
climate, error management culture, and team youthfulness
Regarding the issue of research methods, we on performance outcomes as mediating constructs in a
suggest developing multilevel designs that examine parallel mediation model. Further studies could also focus
AL as a group- or organization-level variable. Such an on clarifying the effects of leader-centered mediators on the
investigation can enrich leadership development, as relationship between AL and behavioral outcomes.
leaders often address attitudes directed at work units
rather than individual employees, and employees Our four-category taxonomy recommends that further
working in the same department or work unit tend to be studies assess mediating constructs using the following
more affected by group- or organization-level leadership categorizations: employee-centered, leader-centered,
(Arici 2018; Arici et al. 2020). team-centered, climate-centered, and organization-

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centered. While this taxonomy is based on the current attitudes and behaviours. “Power” is the ability to mobilize
literature on these mechanisms, it also contains important resources and achieve goals (Kanter 1993). Consequently,
directions for further research. To illustrate, as part of their employees are considered to be empowered when their
research design, researchers should determine which work setting enables them to achieve the ‘desired power’ to
mechanism is most appropriate for their research problem accomplish work tasks and goals. AL could be considered as
(e.g., whether to rely on employee-, leader-, team-, or a key approach that provides employees with the necessary
climate- and organization-level constructs). Researchers power to achieve common goals. Therefore, empowerment
should review each factor in the chosen intervening theory has the potential to identify the role of AL in inspiring
category and determine the most appropriate factor. followers to achieve common organizational goals.
This paper also suggests that researchers select a new
The studies of AL can also be considered within a possible
mediating construct from a different categorization to
theoretical framework of green-focused theories. For
further examine the appropriateness and justification of
example, senior leadership theory could serve as a guide for
the selected mediators. By categorizing mediators, we
AL researchers seeking to examine the role of AL in achieving
suggest a way for researchers to identify the mechanisms
green goals.
within and between groups that are most closely associated
with AL and individual outcomes. This paper invites These frameworks can potentially improve the theoretical
researchers to use a conceptually designed taxonomy to foundation and guidance for explaining the impact of
guide the selection of variables and to conduct rigorous AL on outcomes. Specifically, AL researchers could use
investigations, and expand understanding with the upper echelon theory to focus more on the role of AL
ultimate goal of developing more rigid, rigorous, and in developing new green ideas. Using this theoretical
functional models for AL and the outcomes. framework, future researchers can investigate the impact
of AL on green innovation and green creativity in service
Measures
organizations. These academic experiments may require
Our review found a lack of studies that consider the an environmental AL approach to this leadership style
lower order factors of AL as separate constructs. For to achieve green outcomes in organizations. Thus, our
example, Bass & Avolio (1997) originally developed the review invites researchers to adapt AL to green practices
AL scale with four components: intellectual stimulation, that require the development of new measurement scales
inspirational motivation, idealized influence, and based on environmental priorities. In addition, researchers
individualized consideration, with four items for each conducting such studies can make important contributions
subcomponent. However, researchers who have studied to the conceptual development and interdisciplinary study
the AL have not considered possible differences among of leadership and sustainability.
these subconstructs and have mostly treated the AL as
a single factor. For a better understanding of AL, studies
LIMITATIONS
that focus on the variances between the effects of each Our study has some limitations, although it offers
subconstruct are a prerequisite. Further research should crucial new insights into the current landscape of AL.
examine each dimension and its effects as a single factor. The data are limited to the (i) BMA and (ii) psychology
Possible further steps consist of conducting studies to literature, and the dataset was generated by searching
uncover differences among these subconstructs that articles from academic journals indexed in Scopus.
could help implement more effective dimensions of AL. Therefore, the generalizability of our results may be
problematic. Furthermore, due to our study’s subjective
Theoretical background
and interpretive nature, future researchers will need to
Our review shows that no single theory dominates the field use different approaches to obtain alternative results
of knowledge. AL Researchers have mostly adopted social- and suggestions for further research. In this context,
based theories, such as SIT, SET, SLT. The most popular theory for example, meta-analysis studies can eliminate this
is SIT, which describes the role of AL in developing strong subjectivity. Furthermore, meta-analysis studies are
bonds with followers and creating a sense of partnership valuable because they allow us to see the effect size
between followers and organizations. from a wider perspective in relation to the antecedents
and outcomes that have been put forward in this study.
The concept of “empowerment” could enhance to the
Finally, bibliometric studies should also be considered by
theoretical background of AL. Kanter (1993) suggested
future researchers as they eliminate this subjectivity and
that the features of the work setting influence work
show the intellectual structure of AL.

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Appendix.1
Table I. AL and behavioral outcomes

Level Mediator Outcome Authors

Individual Effective-Based Trust OCB Farid et al. (2020)
Individual Cognitive-Based Trust OCB
Individual Psychological Empowerment OCB Joo & Jo (2017)
Individual Work Engagement (WE) OCB Wei et al. 2018
Individual Member-Representative Value OCB (union) Fortin-Bergeron et al. (2017)
Congruence
Individual Trust in Leader Customer Oriented OCB Qiu et al. (2019)
Individual Job Insecurity Surface Acting Wang & Xie (2020)
Individual Relational Energy Deep Acting
Individual Attachment Insecurity Stress Rahimnia & Sharifirad (2015)
Individual Attachment Insecurity Stress Symptoms
Individual Mental Depletion Job Stress Weiss et al. (2018)
Group Employee Positive Mood Voice Behavior Hsiung (2012)
Group LMX Voice Behavior
Group Self-Esteem Voice Behavior Liang (2017)
Individual Organizational identification Unethical pro-organizational Gigol (2021)
behavior
Individual WE Unethical pro-organizational Gigol (2020)
behavior
Individual Psychological Capital Proactive Behavior Hu et al. (2018)
Individual Supervisor Identification→ Proactive Behavior Liu et al. (2018)
Psychological Safety→
WE
Individual Supervisor Identification→ Workplace Deviance Behavior
Psychological Safety→
WE
Individual Voice Efficacy Speaking Up Xu et al. (2021)
Individual Voice Efficacy Speaking Out
Individual Optimism Extra Role Behavior Srivastava & Dhar (2019)

Group Intra-Team Trust Helping Behavior Hirst et al. (2016)

Individual Self-Concordance Helping Behavior
Group Innovation Climate Knowledge Sharing Behavior Steffens et al. (2016)
Group Work Group Identification Knowledge Sharing Behavior
Group Team Psychological Safety Internal Whistleblowing Liu et al. (2015)
Individual Personal Identification with Internal Whistleblowing
Leader
Individual Moral Perspective Guilt Related to Unethical Act Cianci et al. (2014)
Individual Perceived Cost of Feedback Feedback Seeking Qian et al. (2012)
Seeking
Individual Perceived Value of Feedback Feedback Seeking
Seeking

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Eray POLAT, Hasan Evrim ARICI, Hüseyin ARASLI

Table II. AL and attitudinal outcomes

Level Mediator Outcome Authors

Individual Job Satisfaction WE Wirawan et al. (2020)

Individual Psychological Empowerment WE Towsen et al. (2020)

Individual Mental Depletion WE Weiss et al. (2018)

Individual Practicing Core Values WE Oh et al., 2018

Individual Message meaningfulness WE Shulga (2021)

Individual Supervisor Identification → Psycholog- WE Liu et al. (2018)

ical Safety

Individual Trust Climate WE Ling et al. (2017)

Individual WE Career Satisfaction Kaya & Karatepe (2020)

Individual Work-Life Balance Job Satisfaction Braun & Peus (2018)

Individual Attachment Insecurity Job Satisfaction Rahimnia & Sharifirad (2015)

Group Team Virtuousness Affective Commitment Rego et al. (2013)

Individual Personal Identification Affective Commitment Lux et al. (2019)

Individual Affect-Based Trust Affective Commitment

Individual Perceptions of Leader Behavioral Affective Commitment Leroy et al. (2012)

Integrity

Individual Board Participative Safety Climate Affective Commitment Guerrero et al. (2015)

Individual Trust Climate Organizational Commitment Ling et al. (2017)

Individual Organizational Justice Organizational Commitment Kiersch & Byrne (2015)

Individual Predictability Organizational Commitment Peus et al. (2012)

Individual Affective Commitment Turnover Intention Kalay et al. (2020); Ribeiro et

al. (2020b); Oh & Oh (2017)

Individual Organizational Commitment Turnover Intention Ausar et al. (2016)

Individual WE Turnover Intention Azanza et al. (2015)

Individual Organizational Justice Turnover Intention Kiersch & Byrne (2015)

Individual Affective Commitment Sportsmanship Schriesheim & Liu (2018)

Individual Value Internalization Sportsmanship

Individual Safety Climate Risk Perception Nielsen et al. (2013)

Individual Board Participative Safety Climate Pro-Organizational Motivation Guerrero et al. (2015)

Individual Affective Commitment Role-Conflicts Kalay et al. (2020)

Individual Affective Commitment Role-Ambiguity

Individual Positive Work Climate Psychological Capital Woolley et al. (2011)

Individual Supervisor Identification Psychological Safety Liu et al. (2018)

Individual Speaking Up Psychological Ownership Xu et al. (2021)

Individual Job Satisfaction Social Exchange with Organization Chiaburu et al. (2011)

Individual Self-Efficacy Sense of Meaningfulness in Work Chaudhary (2020)

Individual LMX → Work–Family Enrichment Work–Family Balance Lyu et al. (2019)

Individual LMX Employee Thriving Xu et al. (2017)

Individual Psychological safety Employee Thriving

Individual Affective Commitment Customer Orientation Ribeiro et al. (2020a)

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 Authentic Leadership: A Systematic Review and Research Agenda

Table III. AL and performance outcomes

Level Mediator Outcome Authors

Individual Job Resourcefulness Performance Semedo et al. (2016)

Individual Creativity Performance

Individual Organizational Commitment Performance Nasab & Afshari (2019)

Individual Affective Commitment → Individ- Performance Duarte et al. (2021)

ual Creativity

Individual Sportsmanship Performance Schriesheim & Liu (2018)

Individual LMX Job Performance Wang et al. (2014)

Individual/Group Basic Need Satisfaction Work-Role Performance Leroy et al. (2012)

Individual Psychological Capital Contextual Performance Malik & Dhar (2017); Malik
(2018)

Group Team Identity Team Performance Lin & Chen (2016)

Group Team Affective Tone Firm Performance Hmieleski et al. (2012)

Individual WE Task Performance Wei et al. 2018

Individual WE Adaptive Performance Kaya & Karatepe (2020)

Individual LMX → Employee Thriving Creativity Xu et al. (2017)

Individual Psychological Safety → Employee Creativity

Thriving

Individual Support for Innovation Creativity Černe et al. (2013)

Individual Psychological Capital Creativity Rego et al. (2012)

Individual Commitment Creativity Imam et al. (2020)

Individual Empowerment Creativity

Individual Affective Commitment Creativity Semedo et al. (2016);

Ribeiro et al. (2020a)

Individual Job Resourcefulness Creativity Semedo et al. (2016)

Individual Hope Creativity Rego et al. (2014)

Group Innovation Atmosphere Team Creativity Lei et al. (2021)

Individual Affective commitment Organizational Learning Milić et al. (2017)

Individual Organizational Identification Innovation Behavior Niu et al. (2018)

Individual Relational Identification →Org. Innovation Behavior

Identification

Individual Psychological Capital Service Innovation Schuckert et al. (2018)

Individual Relationship-based employee Service Innovation Ahmed et al. (2018)

governance
Individual Islamic leadership Organizational Innovation Galanou & Farrag (2015)

Individual Team Reflexivity Team Effectiveness Lyubovnikova et al. (2017)

Group Team Reflexivity Team Productivity

Individual Predictability Extra Effort Peus et al. (2012)

Individual Team Virtuousness Team Potency Rego et al. (2013)

Organizational Internal branding Sustainability Srivastava et al. (2020)

Individual/ Organiza- Group virtuousness → Group Sales achievement Rego et al. (2015)
tional potency

Individual Trust in Management Sales Growth Clapp-Smith et al. (2009)

Individual Error Management Culture Errors Farnese et al. (2019)

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 Table IV. Moderators of AL

Level Antecedent Moderator Outcome Authors

Follower behaviors

Individual Socially responsible human AL Job crafting Luu (2021)

resource practices

Individual/ Organizational Food safety consciousness AL Food safety prohibitive voice Yu et al. (2021)

Individual Positive emotions AL Authentic behavior Yagil & Medler-Liraz

(2014)

Individual AL Traditionality Voice Efficacy Xu et al. (2021)

Individual AL Traditionality Speaking out

Individual AL Traditionality Speaking up

Individual AL Traditionality LMX Lyu et al. (2019)

Individual AL Compassion at work Proactive behavior Hu et al. (2018)

Leader AL Leader competency OCB Wei et al. (2018)

Group AL Proactive personality Silence Guenter et al. (2017)

Follower attitudes

Individual LMX AL Employee thriving Xu et al. (2017)

Individual Person-organization fit AL Personal growth initiative Joo et al. (2020)

Individual Nepotism AL Tolerance to workplace incivility Arici et al. (2020)

Individual Department-level high-per- AL Employee-perceived high-perfor- Cao et al. (2020)

formance work systems mance work systems

Individual PsyCap AL Work empowerment Joo et al. (2016)

Individual/Group Authentic followership AL Basic need satisfaction Leroy et al. (2012)

Individual Promotive voice AL Leader receptivity Zhang et al. (2019)

Individual Prohibitive voice AL Leader receptivity

Individual Temptation AL Ethical decision Cianci et al. (2014)

Leader AL Collective self-awareness Personal self-awareness Steffens et al. (2021)

Individual AL Role Clarity WE Towsen et al. (2020)

Individual AL Self-efficacy Work meaningfulness Chaudhary (2020)

Individual AL Compassion at work PsyCap Hu et al. (2018)

Leader AL LMX Employee relational identification Niu et al. (2018)

Individual AL Perceived supervisor Turnover intention Arici (2018)

support

Leader AL Interaction with fol- Depletion Weiss et al. (2018)

lowers

Leader AL Work-Family Conflict Followers’ Work-Family Conflict Braun & Nieberle (2017)

Individual AL Organizational size Commitment Oh & Oh (2017)

Individual AL Conscientiousness Satisfaction Monzani et al. (2015b)

Individual AL Self-categorization Collective Identity Advancement Steffens et al. (2016)

Individual AL Power distance Perceived value Qian et al. (2012)

Individual AL Gender Positive work climate Woolley et al. (2011)

Individual AL Leader emotions Followers’ unbiased self-presenta- Yagil & Medler-Liraz

tion (2014)
Performance related outcomes

Group Creative self-efficacy AL Individual-level creativity Lei et al. (2021)

Leader/Group AL Leaders’ high benevo- Followers’ Performance Qu et al. (2019)

lence values

Individual AL External locus of control Performance Abbas et al. (2020)

Organizational AL Green training Internal branding Srivastava et al. (2020)

Individual AL PsyCap Performance Wang et al. (2014)

Individual AL Value Congruence Cynicism about change Williams et al. (2012)

 Authentic Leadership: A Systematic Review and Research Agenda

Table V. Summary statistics from commonly used AL scales

Study # of items and dimensions # of studies

used

Walumbwa et al. (2008) 16 items; Self-awareness (4 items), Relational transparency (5 items), 74

AL Questionnaire (ALQ) Internalized moral perspective (4 items), and balanced processing
(3 items).

Neider & Schriesheim (2011) 14 items; Self-awareness (3 items), Relational transparency (3 items), 19
AL Inventory (ALI) Internalized moral perspective (4 items), and balanced processing
(4 items).

Avolio et al. (2007) 16 items; Self-awareness (4 items), Relational transparency (4 items), 12

ALQ (Copyright 2007 by Bruce J. Avolio, Internalized moral perspective (4 items), and balanced processing
William L. Gardner, and Fred O. Walumb- (4 items).
wa. All rights reserved in all media.
Distributed by Mind Garden, Inc.

Levesque-Côté et al. (2018) AL Integrated 14 items; Self-Awareness (3 items, all from the ALQ), Balanced Pro- 2
Questionnaire (AL-IQ) cessing (4 items, all from the ALI), Relational Transparency (3 items,
1 from the ALQ; 2 from the ALI), Moral Perspective (4 items, all from
the ALQ).

Xu et al. (2017) 8 items; Based on Walumbwa et al. ‘s (2008) ALQ authors used 1
eight-item measure, subscales self-awareness (2 items), relational
transparency (2 items), internalized moral perspective (2 items), and
balanced processing (2 items).

Zhou/Yang (2013) 17 items; (1) Honesty (5 items), (2) leadership 1

qualities (4 items), (3) subordinate-oriented (4 items), (4) internal-
ized moral perspective (4 items)

Bass/Avolio (1997) 16 items; Intellectual stimulation, inspirational motivation, idealized 1

influence, and individualized consideration.

389