Impact of Big Five personality traits on authentic leadership

Abstract

PurposeThe bulk of the current research on authentic leadership focuses on the examination of its consequences. Little attention has been paid to the predictors of authentic leadership. We examined how the Big Five personality traits can predict an authentic leadership style.Design/methodology/approachUsing multisource time-lagged data from 305 leader–subordinate dyads, we examined how the Big Five traits (extraversion, agreeableness, consciousness, openness to experience and neuroticism) are related to authentic leadership. While leader personality was measured through self-reports, we measured authentic leadership style through subordinate reported data.FindingsWe found good support for the proposed hypotheses. While extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness and openness to experience were positively related to authentic leadership style, neuroticism was negatively related to it.Practical implicationsThe findings support the trait view of leadership, suggesting that the personality traits of a leader can predict his/her authentic leadership style. These findings hold promise for managers in that they can use personality inventories and tests in the selection and evaluation process to select and train potential authentic leaders.Originality/valueWe proposed a unique idea and tested it using leader–subordinate dyadic data that are time-lagged to test our hypotheses.

Project Managers’ Personality and Project Success: Moderating Role of External Environmental Factors

“…The openness trait is also known as intellect. The trait characteristics show a person who is imaginative, independent-minded, prefers diversity and has intellectual curiosity [33]. Managers who secure the highest rank in openness are more inquisitive and have explorative and divergent thinking.…”

The Trend of Authentic Leadership Skills in Nursing Education: The Key Role of Perfectionism and Self-Efficacy

“…The research results which clearly indicate the positive effects of AL in the work environment are given as the justification for this approach [ 3 , 10 , 14 , 15 ]. According to Shahzad et al [ 18 ] the personality traits of a leader can predict his/her authentic leadership style. This is an important observation because the result of study, using the Five-Factor Model of Personality (FFM), emphasizes a direct relationship between personality and AL skills.…”

“…They are: extraversion (also often spelled extroversion), agreeable-ness, openness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism. In the context of FFM, it was noted that extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness and openness to experience can have a positive impact on shaping the authentic leadership style, while neuroticism is negatively related to it [ 18 ]. This observation provides the basis for looking for a link between personality traits and AL skills on a more detailed level.…”

“…There is a lack of studies that analyze the complex relationship between perfectionism, self-efficacy and AL skills. There are studies that analyze these psychological variables separately and not as a complex [ 16 , 17 , 18 , 29 ].…”

Optimizing authentic leadership

“…To investigate the issue further, Shahzad et al (2021) conduct a study involving graduates from a business school in Pakistan now working in various sectors like education, healthcare, financial services and manufacturing, among others. Their workplace leaders also took part in the study.…”