Authenticity in Chinese Leadership

A great deal of theoretical discussion exists in the literature regarding authenticity in leadership. However, empirical studies attempting to resolve data-driven factors operationalizing the construct of authenticity in leadership are scarce. In this article, the authors introduce a discussion pertaining to Chinese leadership styles and relevance to existing authenticity in leadership theories. The vast theoretical arguments regarding authenticity in leadership are synthesized into a 49-item instrument, which was introduced and piloted with 200 Chinese university students. The Leadership Authenticity Rating Scale (LARS) achieved high reliability with Cronbach’s alpha of .84. Data were factor analyzed using exploratory analysis, resulting in two factors contributing to the authenticity construct with reliability measures of .82 and .75 respectively. While cultural differences exist between Eastern and Western notions of leadership, evidence supporting the theory of authentic leadership as a part of the Chinese view of leadership is supported, indicating high potential for a common definition of authenticity regardless of ethnic orientation.