'What makes authentic leaders ‘bad’ and inauthentic leaders ‘good’?', a seminar by Prof Andrea Whittle (Newcastle University Business School)

What makes authentic leaders ‘bad’ and inauthentic leaders ‘good’? Insights from the media framing of political leaders

Authors:

Professor Frank Mueller, Durham University Business School

Professor Andrea Whittle, Newcastle University Business School

Abstract:

How can authenticity be ‘bad’ and inauthenticity be ‘good’ (or at least pragmatically necessary) for a leader? The mainstream literature on authentic leadership cannot provide answers to this question because it is premised on the assumption that authenticity is an inherently positive thing and something all leaders should strive for. Combining frame analysis and attribution theories of leadership, we addressed this puzzling and counter-intuitive question by investigating the framing of eight leaders of the UK Conservative party (1997-2024) in the mainstream media. We identify the frames used by media commentators, plotted along two dimensions: an epistemic dimension which ascribes (in)authenticity to the leader, and an evaluative dimension which evaluates the strengths or weaknesses of the ascribed (in)authenticity for their leadership. Our analysis reveals a ‘kaleidoscope’ of frames used by observers, who routinely diverged along both dimensions. We develop a theoretical model of leadership attribution which explains why, for some observers and in some leadership contexts, authenticity can be viewed as ‘bad’ and inauthenticity can be viewed as ‘good’ (or as least a ‘necessary evil’) for leaders.

About the speaker:

Before joining Newcastle University in 2013, Andrea held a Chair in Organisation Studies at Cardiff University. Andrea graduated with a first class honours degree in Natural Science from Durham University in 1999 and gained her ESRC funded PhD in Sociology from Brunel University at the Centre for Research into Innovation, Culture and Technology (CRICT) in 2003, followed by an ESRC funded post-doctoral research fellowship at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.

Her research is driven by a passion for understanding the role of language in management settings and is informed by theories and methodologies from the fields of discourse analysis, narrative, discursive psychology, ethnography, ethnomethodology and conversation analysis. She has conducted research on management consultants, identity, branding, organizational change, technology and strategy. Recent research has focused on sensemaking in official discourse, strategy discourse and narratives and qualitative research methodology.

Andrea has co-authored two SAGE textbooks, Understanding Identity and Organizations (2011) and Strategy: Theory and Practice (2nd edition 2017, 3rd edition 2020, 4th edition 2022).

Andrea is currently Research, Scholarship and Impact Lead for the Leadership, Work and Organization Subject Group and has previously served as Head of the Leadership, Work and Organization Subject Group (2016-2019) and Strategy, Organizations and Society (SOS) Research Group (2013-2015). 

Google Scholar: Click here.