Letting your true self shine through: Antecedents and consequences of authenticity at work

The idea of being authentic at work is gaining track on both academia and organizations. Drawing from a sample of 192 participants we tested whether four types of organizational culture (hierarchical, clan, market, and adhocracy) influence employees’ authenticity at work and whether behaving more authentically influences the extent to which employees are engaged with their jobs. Results indicate that as a whole, an environment that is more inclusive, participative, and that incentivizes individual and group autonomy (i.e. clan and adhocracy cultures) is positively associated with employees behaving more authentically at work. Cultures emphasizing stability, order and control (i.e. hierarchy and market culture), on the other hand, negatively influence authenticity. In addition, our results confirm that employees that behave more authentically at work are more engaged with their jobs. Limitations and directions for future research conclude this article.