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Authenticity is defined by psychologists as the act of expressing one’s true self, and it has been shown to have numerous psychological benefits. For instance, authenticity increases well-being, is associated with more positive social relationships, and can act as a buffer against interpersonal conflict.
But what about in the workplace? Should authenticity be embraced in professional settings, or is it better not to let one’s guard down?
New research forthcoming in the journal Personality and Individual Differences examined the relationship between workplace authenticity, job performance, and job satisfaction. Specifically, a team of researchers led by Anna Sutton of the University of Waikato in New Zealand found that acting authentically at work is just as important as acting authentically in life.
“This meta-analysis unambiguously concludes that authenticity, or the feeling of being true to oneself, is key to both well-being and employee engagement,” states Sutton. “As both of these outcomes become increasingly important for measures of economic and societal success, creating the space and encouragement for diverse authentic expressions of self is [...] likely to have wide reaching positive impacts at work and in wider society.”
To arrive at this conclusion, Sutton and her team gathered decades of published research on authenticity, well-being, and employee engagement. This amounted to 51 studies, 75 independent participant samples, and over 36,500 participant observations. The researchers then tallied the correlations between these measures. They found, across all studies, that authenticity was associated with higher levels of well-being (r = 0.4) and employee engagement (r = 0.37). They write, “The size of these effects indicates that authenticity makes a substantial contribution to individual well-being and engagement and may provide a key intervention point for work organizations seeking to improve these outcomes for their workforce.”
Interestingly, the researchers reported that the impact of authenticity on well-being and employee engagement did not differ by age. In other words, younger employees were no more likely to value authenticity in work (and in life) than older employees. This finding is in contrast to the view that millennials, in comparison to older generations, prefer work environments that afford them a higher degree of self-expression.
Their findings did, however, differ by culture. The relationship between authenticity, well-being, and employee engagement was stronger in Western cultures than Eastern cultures. The researchers speculate that this finding has to do with the “collectivistic” nature of Eastern cultures. Sutton states, “In general, the more collectivist a culture is, the weaker the positive relationship between authenticity and well-being, confirming the suggestion [...] that in collectivist cultures, an increasing tendency to be true to oneself may come into conflict with a cultural norm of putting the interests of the group above one's own.”
Furthermore, Sutton and her team noted that the way researchers measured authenticity influenced the size of the effect. For example, studies measuring authenticity using agree-disagree statements such as “For better or for worse, I am aware of who I truly am” and “I understand why I believe the things I do about myself” showed a stronger relationship with well-being and engagement than studies using statements such as ““I think it is better to be yourself, than to be popular” and “I am true to myself in most situations.” This suggests that self-insight, coupled with the ability to act on it, might be the key ingredient in supporting the authenticity-well-being association.
The authors conclude, “It is widely recognized that there are challenges to authentic behavior, whether that is in the balancing of organizational and individual demands in the workplace or in terms of personal or cultural identity. This meta-analysis demonstrates that, despite these challenges, striving for authenticity is a worthwhile goal with positive connotations for both individual well-being and work engagement.”
