Authentic leadership in a pandemic world: an exploratory study in the Indian context

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the strategies that helps leaders be authentic in order to be able to respond proactively and become effective in helping their organisations they lead in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachUsing a qualitative approach, 25 business leaders from diverse sectors were interviewed to understand what sustained them in an adverse context.FindingsResults reveal various dimensions of authentic leadership in a disruptive environment. Authentic leaders have to exhibit distinct behaviours that stems from re-examining oneself to reaffirming organisational purpose. Reimagining the work is emerged as the newer dimension to the authentic leadership considering the context of COVID-19.Practical implicationsThe results of the study provides insights for anyone leading organisations in today's disruptive business environment. The findings of this study can be used further to undertake quantitative studies to test professional relationships and understand the leadership strategies at different time frames.Originality/valueThis paper addresses the strategies that leaders successfully follow to withstand the COVID crisis and highlights the different roles and behaviours that helped leaders to address the crisis confidently.

Authentic leadership and flourishing: Do trust in the organization and organizational support matter during times of uncertainty?

“…Without having empirical evidence, one may reason those authentic leaders possibly have an even more substantial influence on trust and feelings of support in uncertain times compared to normal circumstances. Chully et al (2022) found that in a pandemic world, authentic leaders need to ensure that employees are comfortable sharing their opinions while the leaders support them and build a flexible and innovative culture that can endure the disruptive external environment. To sustain trust in circumstances such as a pandemic, leaders should remain closely connected to 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.955300 employees and demonstrate actions to enhance the strength of the authentic relationship (Ahern and Loh, 2020).…”

Authentic Leadership for Organisational Advancement in the New Normal

“…Rayiramkandath (2021) views authentic leadership as a mechanism for advancement in the new normal following the pandemic of COVID-19. Indeed, authentic leaders' values tend to provide stability in organisations by enabling employees to deal with stressful and critical situations (Chully, Jose, & Luthufi, 2022;Fox, Davis, & Baucus, 2020). Namely, authentic leaders face crisis situations with clear vision, they adjust to the ongoing change and facilitate reciprocal communication to reach organisational goals (Rayiramkandath, 2021).…”

The Role of Authentic Leadership in Enhancing Organizational Commitment: Evidence From Egypt

“…Despite the abundance of studies that dealt with authentic leadership in the non-Arab business environment, which confirmed the importance of practicing authentic leadership in the business organization because of its positive impact on employees attitudes as it leads to an increase in desired behaviors. As Arun et al, (2022) pointed out, authentic leadership has been linked to a wide range of employee attitudes, behaviors, and outcomes, which improves the effectiveness and efficiency of the organization (Lee and Lee,2018; Iqbal et al,2018). Efforts to address this gap are below what is required on the part of Arab researchers.…”