Skip to main content
Log in

Authenticity at Work: Development and Validation of an Individual Authenticity Measure at Work

Journal of Happiness Studies Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Building on the work by Barrett-Lennard (Carl Rogers’ helping system: Journey & substance. Sage, London 1998) and Wood et al. (J Couns Psychol 55:385–399 2008), this study describes the development and validation of a theory-based measure of state authenticity at work, the Individual Authenticity Measure at Work (IAM Work). Even though this construct is obviously relevant to the work context (e.g., as regards issues of work relations, leadership and well-being), none of the instruments currently available focuses on authenticity in the area of work and organizational psychology. A total sample of 646 participants was divided in two equal sized subsamples. Exploratory factor analysis supported the underlying tripartite construct of authenticity at work, resulting in the subscales authentic living, self-alienation, and accepting external influences. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the tripartite construct and showed good psychometric properties of the state-focused measure of authenticity at work. Finally, correlation analysis showed that each subscale and the total score of authenticity was positively related to commonly used work outcomes such as job satisfaction, in-role performance, and work engagement. This study concludes that the IAM Work is a reliable and valid measure of state authenticity at work. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

References

  • Arbuckle, J. L. (2007). AMOS 18.0 [computer software]. Chicago: SPSS.

  • Barrett-Lennard, G. T. (1998). Carl Rogers’ helping system: Journey & substance. London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baruch, Y., & Holtom, B. C. (2008). Survey response rate levels and trends in organizational research. Human Relations, 61, 1139–1160.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bentler, P. M. (2005). EQS 6 [computer manual]. Encino, CA: Multivariate Software.

  • Bentler, P. M., & Wu, E. J. C. (2002). EQS for windows: User’s guide. Encino, CA: Multivariate Software.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boucher, H. C. (2011). The dialectical self-concept II: Cross-role and within-role consistency, well-being, self-certainty, and authenticity. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 42, 1251–1271.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brewer, G. A. (2005). In the eye of the storm: Frontline supervisors and federal agency performance. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 15, 505–527.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brunell, A. B., Kernis, M. H., Goldman, B. M., Heppner, W., Davis, P., Cascio, E. V., et al. (2010). Dispositional authenticity and romantic relationship functioning. Personality and Individual Differences, 48, 900–905.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Byrne, B. M. (2010). Structural equation modeling with AMOS: Basic concepts, applications, and programming (2nd ed.). New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cattell, R. B. (1966). The scree test for the number of factors. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 1, 245–276.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Curran, P. J., West, S. G., & Finch, J. F. (1996). The robustness of test statistics to nonnormality and specification error in confirmatory factor analysis. PsychologicalMethods, 1, 16–29.

    Google Scholar 

  • De Beurs, E., Van Dyck, R., Marquenie, L. A., Lange, A., & Blonk, R. W. B. (2001). The depression anxiety stress scales: A questionnaire for measuring depression, anxiety and stress [in Dutch]. Gedragstherapie, 34, 35–53.

    Google Scholar 

  • Erickson, R. J. (1994). Our society, our selves: Becoming authentic in an inauthentic world. Advanced Development, 6, 27–39.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fabrigar, L. R., Wegener, D. T., MacCallum, R. C., & Strahan, E. J. (1999). Evaluating the use of exploratory factor analysis in psychological research. Psychological Methods, 4, 272–299.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goodman, S. A., & Svyantek, D. J. (1999). Person-organization fit and contextual performance: Do shared values matter? Journal of Vocational Behavior, 55, 254–275.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grandey, A., Foo, S. C., Groth, M., & Goodwin, R. E. (2012). Free to be you and me: A climate of authenticity alleviates burnout from emotional labor. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 17, 1–14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hannah, S. T., Walumbwa, F. O., & Fry, L. W. (2011). Leadership in action teams: Team leader and members’ authenticity, authenticity strength, and team outcomes. Personnel Psychology, 64, 771–802.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harter, S. (2002). Authenticity. In C. R. Snyder & S. J. Lopez (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology (pp. 382–394). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hu, L. T., Bentler, P. M., & Kano, Y. (1992). Can test statistics in covariance structure analysis be trusted? Psychological Bulletin, 112, 351–362.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jung, H. J. (2011). Why be authentic? Psychological underpinnings of authenticity among baby boomers in the United States. Ethos, 29, 279–299.

    Google Scholar 

  • Karasek, R., Brisson, C., Kawakami, N., Houtman, I., Bongers, P., & Amick, B. (1998). The Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ): An instrument for internationally comparative assessments of psychosocial job characteristics. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 3, 322–355.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kernis, M. H., & Goldman, B. M. (2006). A multicomponent conceptualization of authenticity: Theory and research. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 38, 283–357.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kline, R. B. (2005). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling (2nd ed.). New York: The Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kristensen, T. F., & Borg, V. (2003). Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ). Copenhagen: AMI.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lopez, F. G., & Rice, K. G. (2006). Preliminary development and validation of a measure of relationship authenticity. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 53, 362–371.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lovibond, S. H., & Lovibond, P. F. (1995). Manual for the depression anxiety stress scales (2nd ed.). Sydney: Psychology Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ménard, J., & Brunet, L. (2011). Authenticity and well-being in the workplace: A mediation model. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 26, 331–346.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Neff, K. D., & Suizzo, M. (2006). Culture, power, authenticity and psychological well-being within romantic relationships: A comparison of European American and Mexican Americans. Cognitive Development, 21, 441–457.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nunnally, J. C., & Bernstein, I. H. (1994). Psychometric theory (3rd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • O’Conner, B. P. (2000). SPSS and SAS programs for determining the number of components using parallel analysis and Velicer’s MAP test. Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, & Computers, 32, 396–402.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pejtersen, J. H., Kristensen, T. S., Borg, V., & Bjorner, J. B. (2010). The second version of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, 38, 8–24.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rogelberg, S. G., Leach, D. J., Warr, P. B., & Burnfield, J. L. (2006). “Not another meeting!”: Are meeting time demands related to employee well-being? Journal of Applied Psychology, 91, 86–96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rogers, C. R. (1965). The concept of the fully functioning person. Pastoral Psychology, 16, 21–33.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Satorra, A., & Bentler, P. M. (1988). Scaling corrections for Chi square statistics in covariance structure analysis. Proceedings of the American Statistical Association, 1, 308–313.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saucier, G., & Goldberg, L. R. (2002). Assessing the Big Five: Applications of 10 psychometric criteria to the development of marker scales. Big Five Assessment (29-58). Göttingen: Hogrefe& Huber.

  • Schaufeli, W. B., & Bakker, A. B. (2010). The conceptualization and measurement of work engagement. In A. B. Bakker & M. P. Leiter (Eds.), Work engagement: A handbook of essential theory and research (pp. 10–24). New York: Psychology Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schaufeli, W. B., Bakker, A. B., & Salanova, M. (2003). The measurement of work engagement with a short questionnaire. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 66, 701–716.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schmid, P. F. (2005). Authenticity and alienation: Towards an understanding of the person beyond the categories of order and disorder. In S. Joseph & R. Worsley (Eds.), Person-centred psychopathology (pp. 75–90). Ross-on-Wye (UK): PCCS.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sheldon, K. M., Ryan, R. M., Rawsthorne, L. J., & Ilardi, B. (1997). Trait self and true self: Cross-role variation in the Big-Five personality traits and its relations with psychological authenticity and subjective well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 73, 1380–1393.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spitzmuller, M., & Ilies, R. (2010). Do they [all] see my true self? Leader’s relational authenticity and followers’ assessments of transformational leadership. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 19, 304–332.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Toor, S., & Ofori, G. (2009). Authenticity and its influence on psychological well-being and contingent self-esteem of leaders in Singapore construction sector. Construction Management and Economics, 27, 299–313.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Velicer, W. F., Eaton, C. A., & Fava, J. L. (2000). Construct explication through factor or component analysis: A review and evaluation of alternative procedures for determining the number of factors or components. In R. D. Goffin & E. Helmes (Eds.), Problems and solutions in human assessment: Honoring Douglas Jackson at Seventy (pp. 41–71). Boston: Kluwer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, W. L., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure. Journal of Management, 34, 89–126.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wanous, J. P., Reichers, A. E., & Hudy, M. J. (1997). Overall job satisfaction: How good are single-item measures? Journal of Applied Psychology, 82, 247–252.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Watson, D., Clark, L. A., & Tellegen, A. (1988). Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: The PANAS scales. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54, 1063–1070.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • White, N. (2011). An examination of dispositional authenticity. Arizona: Arizona State University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wood, A. M., Linley, P. A., Maltby, J., Baliousis, M., & Joseph, S. (2008). The authentic personality: A theoretical and empirical conceptualization and the development of the authenticity scale. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 55, 385–399.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wrzesniewski, A., & Dutton, J. E. (2001). Crafting a job: revisioning employees as active crafters of their work. Academy of Management Review, 26, 179–201.

    Google Scholar 

  • Xanthopoulou, D., Bakker, A. B., Demerouti, E., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2007). The role of personal resources in the job demands-resources model. International Journal of Stress Management, 14, 121–141.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yalom, I. D. (1980). Existential psychotherapy. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zwick, W. R., & Velicer, W. F. (1986). Factor influencing five rules for determining the number of components to retain. Psychological Bulletin, 99, 432–442.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ralph van den Bosch.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

van den Bosch, R., Taris, T.W. Authenticity at Work: Development and Validation of an Individual Authenticity Measure at Work. J Happiness Stud 15, 1–18 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-013-9413-3

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-013-9413-3

Keywords

Navigation