More 'Right' than 'Real'
The Shape of Authentic Leadership in New Zealand
Excelerator today announced the release of "More Right Than Real" - an important large scale study on authentic leadership, funded by BDO Spicers, that lifts our understanding of leadership in New Zealand and provides a number of key leadership imperatives that can enable us to improve our personal performance and that of our organisations.
It will be no surprise that researchers have unearthed evidence that authentic leaders create a positive effect on organisational behaviour that leads to performance gains.
Working closely with the international Authentic Leadership expert Professor Bruce Avolio, the authors of the study asked close to 1,000 employees to determine the levels of authenticity of their leaders, their own psychological capacities and the consequent leadership impact for their organisation.
The study reveals that the New Zealand leader is unlikely to encourage and acknowledge differing points of view, has low self-awareness and is resistant to change. It identifies that many leaders appear to respect data more than the opinions of their workforce and the authors conclude that "it is as if their need to be 'right' overwhelms their ability to be 'real'".
In environments where the level of Authentic Leadership is low, the study finds that the effects on the workforce are profound, stripping them of the very qualities that are the ingredients of success - creativity, innovation, risk-taking, openness and profound connection to the aspirations of the organisation.
Dr Lester Levy, Chief Executive of Excelerator and principal researcher stated: "Our study reveals that who you are as a leader will have a profound effect on the workforce. The more authentic you are, by which I mean morally and ethically grounded, self-aware, open, transparent, receptive and balanced, the more your workforce will respond with creativity, opinions, confidence and commitment."
The study built upon similar large scale studies conducted in the United States, Russia and Singapore and on the more positive side reveals the relative strength of the New Zealand leaders in their moral and ethical perspective in particular.
As well as covering the results in detail, the report provides a straightforward summary of the key takeouts as well as a brief list of six key 'leadership imperatives' - direct actions that can be taken by New Zealand leaders without delay.
Simon Peacocke Auckland Partner of BDO Spicers who financially supported the study said: "Usually, making a significant productivity and effectiveness improvement at work costs a great deal of money, but this study reveals the massive scale of impact that can be made by mastering the true tool of leadership - self. This costs little but takes huge effort and commitment."