Authenticity at Work: Its Relations With Worker Motivation and Well-being

Abstract

Drawing on Self-Determination Theory (SDT; Deci et al., 2017), this study examines the associations between authenticity at work, motivation and well-being, assuming that motivation would at least partly mediate the association between authenticty and well-being. Since authentic behavior refers to the degree to which a person acts in agreement with their true self (i.e., one's own core values), high levels of authenticity at work should relate positively to more intrinsic types of motivation regulation and negatively to more extrinsic types of motivation regulation. Moreover, high levels of authenticity should be associated with higher well-being at work (i.e., higher work engagement and lower burnout). Structural equation modeling using cross-sectional data from 546 participants revealed that self-determined motivation (i.e., autonomous motivation) showed positive associations with authenticity at work and that non-selfdetermined motivation (i.e., controlled motivation and amotivation) showed negative associations with authenticity at work. The positive associations increased in strength with increasing self-determined motivation. A similar-but reversed-pattern was found for the negative associations. Parallel mediation analysis revealed that self-determined motivation partially mediated the relationship between authenticity and well-being at work.Keywords: Authenticity, burnout, SDT, work motivation, work engagement INTRODUCTIONThe associations among authenticity, self-determined motivation and well-being at work have gained considerable interest over the past few years. One line of research has successfully related authenticity-i.e., the degree to which someone acts in agreement with their true self (van den Bosch and Taris, 2014a)-to various aspects of well-being. For example, Toor and Ofori (2009) found a positive association between experienced authenticity and leaders' well-being. Kernis and Goldman (2006) reported positive associations between self-reported authenticity on the one hand and eudaimonic well-being, hedonic well-being, and life satisfaction on the other. Finally, Emmerich and Rigotti (2017) examined the associations among authenticity on the one hand and depression, work ability and intrinsic motivation on the other.In a different line of research, a series of studies focused on the associations between well-being on the one hand and various types of motivation on the other. In this research a major distinction is made between self-determined vs. non-self-determined motivation and behavior (Deci et al., 2017), arguing that-since they stem from the self-especially self-determined behaviors are "authentic" and should therefore be associated with positive well-being . For example, van Beek et al. (2012) showed that self-determined forms of motivation were associated with Van den Bosch and Taris Authenticity at Work, Motivation, and Well-being favorable scores on burnout and work engagement. Similarly, Van den Broeck et al. (2011) found that autonomous motivation was associated with favorable...

Human Values and Work Engagement: The Mediating Role of Authenticity Among Workers in a Spanish Religious Organization

“…As the validity of the studies performed by Van den Bosch and Taris (2014bTaris ( , 2018 is limited to just employees working in business and financial services, and those performed by Ariza-Montes et al (2019) is limited to nuns, this research extrapolates this conclusion to all the workers (religious and secular) of a Catholic non-profit religious organization, due to the importance that this type of institutions currently have. Therefore, this research raises the following hypothesis:…”

“…Hence, these authors conclude that employees who feel more authentic in their workplace fit better in it and are more energetic and more engaged in their work. In a more recent investigation, performed with 546 participants, Van den Bosch and Taris (2018) demonstrate that high levels of authenticity at work should be associated with higher levels of work engagement. Moreover, in another research developed by Ariza-Montes et al (2019) among 208 nuns, whose objective is to study work engagement as a mediator variable between authenticity and subjective wellbeing, they demonstrate that there is a significant direct link between those religious workers who act in accordance with their values and work engagement.…”

“…Misfits between an individual and his or her environment could induce stress and strain, leading to a lower level of wellbeing and work engagement, feeling less comfortable at the work, and losing energy while pretending to be someone else (Van den Bosch and Taris, 2014b). However, workers who feel authentic in their job, being faithful to their values and beliefs, are more intrinsically motivated, being "pulled" toward their work (Van Beek et al, 2012;Emmerich and Rigotti, 2017). In fact, in a study conducted by Ménard and Brunet (2011), managers who perceived that they could be themselves at their jobs tended to find meaning and purpose, as well as satisfaction and emotions, in their occupation.…”

Organizational Cynicism and Its Impact on Organizational Pride in Industrial Organizations

“…“Cynicism towards change” is about an employee’s specific distrust towards any organizational change [20] and the nature of a career [15]. “Work cynicism” is explored as a component of burnout [27]. Work cynicism means holding a secluded and indifferent attitude to one’s work and the predisposition to assess one’s own performance at work in negative terms [28,29].…”

“…“Work cynicism” is explored as a component of burnout [27]. Work cynicism means holding a secluded and indifferent attitude to one’s work and the predisposition to assess one’s own performance at work in negative terms [28,29].…”