Authentic Leadership: A Self, Leader, And Spiritual Identity Perspective

In this paper, the author introduces a model of authentic leadership that rests on a single explanatory concept - identity - which specifies three interrelated identity systems: the self-identity system, the leader-identity system, and the spiritual-identity system, which, in turn, are comprised of multiple sub-identities that include cognitive, affective, and conative elements. The author offers a construct definition of authentic leadership that is explicated in a theoretical model which draws from humanistic psychology, existential philosophy, and social identity as well as self-categorization theory, leader prototypicality, and spiritual leadership theory. The fundamental premise of this paper is that spirituality and spiritual identity are at the core of authentic leadership.