An Analysis Of The Stumbling Blocks And Enablers Towards...

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AN ANALYSIS OF THE STUMBLING BLOCKS AND ENABLERS

TOWARDS ACHIEVING AUTHENTICITY FOR MBA AND EMBA

STUDENTS

A Thesis

presented to

The Graduate School of Business

University of Cape Town

in partial fulfilment

of the requirements for the

Masters of Business Administration Degree

by

Liezel Lombard

December 2009

Supervisor: Professor Kurt April

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I wish to thank Professor Kurt April for his invaluable support, input and guidance throughout this research process.

To Kent, thank you for your endless understanding, love, patience and support. To Martin and Monica, thank you for always encouraging and believing in me.

This thesis is not confidential. It may be used freely by the Graduate School of Business.

I certify that except as noted above the thesis is my own work and all references used are accurately reported.

Signed:

Liezel Lombard

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1. I know that plagiarism is wrong. Plagiarism is to use another’s work and pretend that it is

one’s own.

2. I have used the APA convention to citation and referencing. Each contribution to, and

quotation in, this report from the work(s) of other people has been attributed, and has been

cited and referenced.

3. This assignment is my own work.

4. I have not allowed, and will not allow, anyone to copy my work with the intention of

passing it off as his or her own work.

Signed : _________________________

Name : Liezel Lombard

Subject: Research Methodology

Assignment: Research Report

Due Date: 11th December 2009

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An Analysis of the Stumbling Blocks and Enablers Towards Achieving Authenticity for MBA

and EMBA Students

ABSTRACT

This research evaluates the various stumbling blocks and enablers towards achieving authenticity

for MBA and EMBA students. The researcher was provided with a body of Communication,

Leadership and Learning assignments, which was analysed through the use of open coding and

axial coding. The researcher used grounded theory and content analysis, during which various

family codes emerged. These were used to devise a model detailing the stumbling blocks and

enablers of authenticity.

Keywords: authenticity, self-awareness, leadership, conformance, society, trust, relationships,

morality, values, reflection, spirituality

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CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 7

1.1 RESEARCH AREA AND PROBLEM ................................................................................. 7 1.2 RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND SCOPE ............................................................................ 8 1.3 RESEARCH ASSUMPTIONS AND ETHICS .................................................................... 8

2. LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................ 9

2.1 DISCUSSION ......................................................................................................................... 9 2.2 CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................... 24

3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY .................................................................. 25

3.1 RESEARCH APPROACH AND STRATEGY .................................................................. 25 3.2 RESEARCH DESIGN, DATA COLLECTION METHODS AND RESEARCH

INSTRUMENTS .................................................................................................................. 26 3.3 SAMPLING .......................................................................................................................... 27 3.4 RESEARCH CRITERIA..................................................................................................... 27 3.5 DATA ANALYSIS METHODS .......................................................................................... 30

4 RESEARCH FINDINGS, ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION ...................... 32

4.1 RESEARCH FINDINGS ..................................................................................................... 32 4.2 RESEARCH ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION .................................................................. 67 4.3 RESEARCH LIMITATIONS ............................................................................................. 72

5 RESEARCH CONCLUSIONS ...................................................................... 72

6 FUTURE RESEARCH DIRECTIONS ........................................................ 73

REFERENCES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY ....................................................................................... 75 APPENDIX – CONDITIONAL RELATIONSHIP GUIDE ......................................................... 80

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LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Key Concepts……………………………………………………………………………..25

Table 2: Sub-Codes of Enablers and Stumbling Blocks of Authenticity…………………………..33

Table 3: Sub-Codes of Self-Knowledge……………………………………………………………35

Table 4: Sub-Codes of Personality Traits and Behaviours…………………………………………41

Table 5: Sub-codes of Relationships……………………………………………………………….45

Table 6: Sub-Codes of Fear…………………………………………………………………………50

Table 7: Sub-Codes of Values and Morals…………………………………………………………53

Table 8: Sub-Codes of Influence of Others…………………………………………………………56

Table 9: Sub-Codes of Coping Mechanisms………………………………………………………..59

Table 10: Sub-Codes of Meditation, Reflection and Spirituality…………………………………...60

Table 11: Sub-Codes of Balance……………………………………………………………………62

Table 12: Sub-Codes of Diversity…………………………………………………………………..63

Table 13: Sub-Codes of Institutions, Organisations and the Workplace…………………………...65

Table 14: Sub-Codes of Money and Material Goods………………………………………………66

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: "The Person-Centred Conception of Authenticity…………………………………………9

Figure 2: The Chain of Evidence Concept………………………………………………………….26

Figure 3: Breakdown of Family Codes of Authenticity…………………………………………….34

Figure 4: Interrelatonsip Diagraph of Authenticity Family Codes…………………………………68

Figure 5: Researcher's Model of Stumbling Blocks and Enablers of Authenticity…………………70

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1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 RESEARCH AREA AND PROBLEM

The research problem is to determine what the enablers and the stumbling blocks are to achieving

authenticity for a group of MBA and EMBA students, with special emphasis on the context of

leadership. The research focuses on a number of student’s experiences and feelings about these

stumbling blocks and enablers for authenticity, and analyses their experiences of these.

The concept of authenticity is key to that of good leadership: “Authentic leadership links

assumptions, beliefs about, and actions related to, authentic self, relationships, learning, governance

and organization, through significant human values, to leadership and management practices that

are ethically and morally uplifting” (Duignan & Bhindi, 1997, p. 208). This is substantiated by,

amongst others, Mader (2007) and George (2003). Sparrowe (2005, p .419) even goes as far as

saying that “[a]uthenticity - or, more precisely the lack thereof - lies near the heart of the crisis of

confidence in contemporary corporate leadership”. Hence, this research is important in order to

understand what enables or prevents people, especially those in management, or aspiring to be in

management and leadership positions, to live and lead authentically. Particularly in the context of

MBA and EMBA students, who are in, or are preparing for, leadership positions, it is important to

research this question more fully from a lived/situated-experience perspective in order to provide

more insight on how to live more authentically.

The researcher was provided with a number of MBA Communication, Leadership and Learning

assignments from the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business, as well as a number

of Executive MBA and MBA Leadership assignments from the Rotterdam School of Management.

Students were asked to write about authenticity and to provide a literary definition, as well as their

experiences of personal stumbling blocks and enablers of authenticity. Of these, 210 assignments

were written in 2007 and 2008, and are analysed in more depth in subsequent sections of this

report. According to Grabet (1998, as cited in Delattre, Ocler, Moulette and Rymeyko, 2009, p. 36)

it is “standard behaviour to link exploration with a qualitative approach”. The research is based on

a qualitative grounded theory methodology, with the ultimate aim of creating situated-experience

theory on authenticity and is therefore exploratory in nature.

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1.2 RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND SCOPE

Within the greater research topic, the following research questions will be explored. How can

authenticity be defined? What are the main stumbling blocks to achieving authenticity for MBA

and EMBA students? What are the main enablers of achieving authenticity for MBA and EMBA

students? Are there stumbling blocks and enablers which are common to all individuals? Are there

any patterns that emerge in terms of stumbling blocks or enablers?

There is a vast body of literature on authenticity which can be drawn on for the purposes of this

research. The 210 assignments each contained an academic definition of authenticity. These

definitions were loosely and manually grouped into various themes, and the six themes that

emerged the most frequently are as follows: Authenticity and Trust, Authenticity and Self-

Awareness, Authenticity and Relationships, Authenticity and the Perception of Others, Authenticity

and Leadership, and Authenticity and Balance. A more comprehensive literature review, based on

these themes, is detailed in subsequent sections. Through qualitative analysis, the stumbling blocks

and enablers were coded and grouped by means of content analysis.

1.3 RESEARCH ASSUMPTIONS AND ETHICS

It is assumed that the MBA and EMBA students were provided with the same instructions for

writing the assignments. However, since the assignments both contained the relevant information

regarding the definitions, stumbling blocks and enablers of authenticity, it can be assumed that

there will be no impact on the outcome of the research in this regard. The amount of duplication

contained in the different assignments, particularly in terms of the definitions of authenticity and

the literature review of stumbling blocks and enablers, could impact the findings of the analysis,

where students quote the same authors, resulting in bias towards certain authors. However, since

the material provided is from two different universities in two different countries, as well as two

different years, the possibility of this occurrence should be mitigated. As this research does not

make use of a questionnaire, and all data has been received, assumptions about issues such as

response rate and the possible impact of not meeting expected response rates do not apply in this

instance.

Diener and Crandall (as cited in Bryman & Bell, 2007, p. 132) have broken ethical issues down into

the following areas: “whether there is harm to participants, whether there is a lack of informed

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consent, whether there is an invasion of privacy; whether deception is involved”. In terms of “harm

to participants”, the confidentiality of all individuals who wrote the assignments is maintained by

the sanitization of names and personal references in all quotes and analyses. The authors of these

assignments were issued with a consent form containing the following statement, circling whether

they give permission for their assignments to be used (April, 2008):

I hereby, therefore, DO / DO NOT (circle choice) give permission to Prof. Kurt

April to research trend data and key areas of re-design or enhancement to the

framework above, in pursuit of a more robust and empirically-based understanding

of the human condition through research, and subsequent publication for debate.

In cases where an author circled “do not”, the assignment was not used for the purpose of this

research.

Where authors have given permission for their assignments to be used for research purposes, or

have not chosen to circle the “do not” option, a reasonable assumption can be made that they have

given “informed consent”, have not been “deceived” and have also not had their privacy “invaded”.

However, in order to take the ethical principles into account, the Ethical Clearance form has been

submitted.

2. LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 DISCUSSION

A literature review involves “the stages of: scanning, making notes, structuring the literature

review, writing the literature review, and building a bibliography” (Rowley & Slack, 2004, p. 31).

This is the process that has been followed in this research. The literature review for this proposal

commenced by reviewing the 210 assignments for the various definitions of authenticity, and is

further elaborated on below.

One of the most commonly found definitions of authenticity is that of Hodgkinson (1991, p. 130, as

cited in Duignan & Bhindi, 1997, p. 207), who defines authenticity “as being true to one’s own set

of values, whatever they may be. Authenticity, then, is the submission to the discipline of

‘whatever morality exists within’”. Another author who would agree with this definition is Handler

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(1986, p. 3), who states that authenticity “has to do with our true self, our individual existence, not

as we might present it to others, but as it ‘really is’, apart from any roles we play”. This is one of

the main arguments of authenticity, which is in essence being true to oneself and one’s values. The

second argument of authenticity is the concept of being true to oneself within the framework of the

greater common good (K. April, personal communication, August 6, 2009). The latter is the view

held by Charles Taylor, who sees authenticity as a “picture of what a better or higher mode of life

would be, where ‘better’ and ‘higher’ are defined not in terms of what we happen to desire or need,

but offer a standard of what we ought to desire” (Taylor, 1991, p. 16 as cited in Bartlette, 2008, p.

32). According to Bartlette (2008, p. 32), this “is contrary to the version of authenticity most

commonly used today, which might be summarized as ‘do what seems or feels right to you and you

alone’. Taylor’s authenticity is different; it is an adherence to a standard outside of ourselves, to a

set of higher ideals”.

This concept of adhering to a standard ‘outside of ourselves’ bears resemblance to that of authentic

transformational leadership. Bass and Steidlmeier (1999, p. 185-186, as cited in Price, 2003, p. 70)

state that authentic “transformational leadership provides a more reasonable and realistic concept of

self - a self that is connected to friends, family, and community whose welfare may be more

important to oneself than one’s own”. This is the belief that a person cannot be authentic in

isolation and is inextricably linked to the greater community. They further state that authentic

transformational leaders are “true to self and others” (Bass & Steidlmeier, 1999, p. 185-186, as

cited in Price, 2003, p. 70). According to Price (2003), this does not necessarily mean that values

of leaders will be those of their followers, as they may fail to “recognize the values advocated by

authentic transformational leaders as reflecting their interests” (Price, 2003, p. 70). According to

Krishnan (2003, p. 346), “Burns (1987) considered morality an essential aspect of transformational

leadership, most subsequent authors, however, have treated transformational leadership as being

unrelated to ethics and morality”.

Although not referring to transformational leadership, Bogue (1994, p. 13, as cited in Duignan &

Bhindi, 1997, p. 207) agrees that morality is an integral part of leadership, and argues that “honour,

dignity, curiosity, candour, compassion, courage, excellence, service” are “design ideals” of “a

venture in moral philosophy”. These values or ideals form part of the moral leadership that he

likens to a “call to honour” which is a “vision of what constitutes right action” (1994, p. 13, as cited

in Duignan & Bhindi, 1997, p. 207). Bogue’s argument seems to concur with Taylor’s view that

values cannot be important on the basis that they are a particular leader’s values, or “simply

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because they are freely chosen” (Lowney, 2009, p. 36). He argues “[w]hich issues are significant, I

do not determine. If I did, no issue would be significant. But then the very ideal of self-choosing as

a moral ideal would be impossible” (Taylor, 1991, p. 39, as cited in Lowney, 2009, p. 36). This

view is also reinforced by other authors: authentic leaders “are described as having developed the

moral capacity to judge issues, explore dilemmas from multiple angles, and identify ways to

address issues without being perceived as disingenuous” (Avolio & Gardner, 2005; Avolio &

Luthans, 2006; Luthans & Avolio, 2003, as cited in Jensen & Luthans, 2006, p. 651). Burns (1978,

as cited in Krishnan, 2003, p. 346) defines moral leadership as “emerging from, and always

returning to, the fundamental wants, needs, aspirations, and values of the followers”.

However, not all authors would agree with this view. When referring to more traditional

definitions of authenticity, such as that of adhering to “whatever morality exists within”

(Hodgkinson, 1991, p. 130, as cited in Duignan & Bhindi, 1997, p. 207), this does not mean that

one’s convictions have to be “ethical or positive in order to be authentic” (Endrissat, Müller &

Kaudela-Baum, 2007, p. 208). They merely need to be aligned to one’s behaviour according to

Endrissat, Müller and Kaudela-Baum (2007).

As people change over time, their values could also change. This is reinforced by Cass (1998, p.

331) who states “[a]uthenticity is a process rather than a state”. Similarly, Tannenbaum, Margulies,

Massarik and Associates (1985, p. 399, as cited in Schor, Kane & Lindsay, 1995, p. 55) define

authenticity as “being true to oneself in the moment and in relation to the full realization of one’s

potential over time”, concurring with Cass’s view (1998, p. 331) that it is a process that does take

time. Kernis (2003, p. 1) states that “[a]uthenticity can be characterized as the unobstructed

operation of one’s true, or core, self in one’s daily enterprise. I argue that authenticity has 4

components: awareness, unbiased processing, action, and relational”. The concept of awareness, or

more particularly, self-awareness, and the relational, or relationship component, are addressed in

the various sections below.

These are varied and even conflicting views of authenticity, and in the subsequent sections,

definitions of authenticity will be explored further. However, one definition that seems to

incorporate many of these aspects is a construct of authenticity that incorporates the self and the

greater society and its influence (see Figure 1). Barrett-Lennard’s construct involves “consistency

between the three levels of (a) a person’s primary experience, (b) their symbolized awareness, and

(c) their outward behaviour and communication” (Barrett-Lennard, 1998, p. 82, as cited in Wood,

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Linley, Maltby, Baliousis & Joseph, 2008, p. 386). The first level of primary experience consists of

“[a]ctual physiological states/emotions/deep level conditions” which contrasts with the second

level, consisting of “[c]onscious awareness of physiological states/emotions/cognitions” (Wood,

Linley, Maltby, Baliousis & Joseph, 2008, p. 386). The mismatch of these, and the extent to which

“the person experiences self-alienation between conscious awareness and actual experience

composes the first aspect of authenticity” (Wood, Linley, Maltby, Baliousis & Joseph, 2008, p.

386). Similarly, the second aspect of “[a]uthentic living” involves the “congruence between

experience as consciously perceived and behaviour” (Wood, Linley, Maltby, Baliousis & Joseph,

2008, p. 386). This is in line with the concept of being true to one’s values and acting out on these

values. The third aspect is “the extent to which one accepts the influence of other people and the

belief that one has to conform to the expectations of others… [or] accepting external influence”

(Wood, Linley, Maltby, Baliousis & Joseph, 2008, p. 386). These three aspects form the “tripartite

person-centred view of authenticity” (Wood, Linley, Maltby, Baliousis & Joseph, 2008, p. 386).

This definition, particularly when viewed in the context of the MBA and EMBA students, seems a

more holistic one in comparison to various other authors mentioned in this research.

Figure 1: “The person-centred conception of authenticity”

Source: Wood, Linley, Maltby, Baliousis & Joseph, 2008, p. 386

One of the most important factors in being true to one’s values and oneself is that of knowing what

these values are, and who the self is. This knowledge is inextricably linked to the concept of self-

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awareness. Although this has already been touched on in Barrett-Lennard’s construct (1998, as

cited in Wood, Linley, Maltby, Baliousis & Joseph, 2008), a further exploration follows below.

2.1.1 Authenticity and Self-Awareness

Mader states this concept of authenticity in a basic form, and believes that authenticity is “[i]n a

nutshell, transparent self-awareness” (2007, p. 74). He states that this is a continuous evaluation of

how values are informed by experiences (Mader, 2007). George, Sims, McLean & Mayer (2007, p.

130) echo this and acknowledge that “[a]uthentic leaders work hard at understanding and

developing themselves”. This links back to Cass’s (1998) definition of authenticity of being a

process, something that can change over time. Knowing oneself also includes knowing and

acknowledging weaknesses. Marshall and Heffes (2004, p. 10) state: “[a]uthentic leadership…is

about: being your own person; having your own unique style; stewardship; being aware of your

weaknesses; and developing as a leader”.

Self-awareness can be defined as follows: “when people are self-aware their consciousness is

focused on their thoughts and feeling, their personal history, their body, or other personal aspects of

themselves” (Duval & Wicklund, 1972, as cited in Vorauer & Ross, 1999, p. 417). This concept is

further divided into two parts, namely private and public self-awareness (Vorauer & Ross, 1999).

The former refers to “a focus on one’s inner thoughts, feelings, and motives, whereas public self-

awareness reflects a concern with how one is viewed by others” (Fenigstein, Scheier & Buss, 1985;

Scheier & Carver, 1983, as cited in Vorauer & Ross, 1999, p. 419). The view of private self-

awareness seems to be the one most associated with in terms of knowing oneself as described by

George, Sims, McLean & Mayer (2007) and Schor, Kane and Lindsay (1995), whereas the public

self-awareness is closely linked with impression management (Roberts 2005).

Mader (2007) links transparency and self-awareness in the context of authenticity. His description

of transparency claims that leaders “practicing their values and principles openly, is the foundation

of long-term effectiveness” (Mader, 2007, p. 74). Similarly, Vorauer and Ross’s study (1999) also

links transparency and self-awareness. However, their study shows that “increased self-awareness

was associated with increased feelings of transparency” and they state that people “feel transparent

when they sense that another person can discern their true attributes from their remarks and

behaviour…and that his or her judgements of their traits will be congruent with their own”

(Vorauer & Ross, 1999, p. 415).

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In terms of communicating authentically, Crowley (2004, p. 93) states that “[s]elf-awareness and a

strong relationship between the parties are needed to move from casual socializing to authentic

communication”, and that authentic communication can be “practiced”. She goes on further to state

that “half of communicating authentically is to be mindful of what we say and how we say it”

(2004, p. 97), which again points to the fact that being aware of oneself is vital in order to be

authentic.

However, being self aware, acknowledging weaknesses and understanding oneself is not a complete

description of authenticity for some authors. Schor, Kane & Lindsay (1995, p. 55) describe

authenticity as “being with, understanding and acting from one’s feelings and inner truth in the

moment and in an ongoing process of self-discovery”. The idea of acting from one’s “inner truth in

the moment” is linked closely to Donahoe’s definition, who sees authenticity as “maintaining a

sense of self no matter where you are” (as cited in George, Sims, McLean & Mayer, 2007, p. 137).

Although theoretically plausible, this argument is somewhat weak in terms of applicability in

reality, and this concept of acting on one’s feelings, no matter what the situation, or where one

might be, is one that many find difficult to put into practice. This is where the need for balance is

addressed.

2.1.2 Authenticity and Balance

There are many factors of authenticity that require balance. One of these is the balance between

intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. In order to discover one’s authentic leadership, according to

George, Sims, McLean and Mayer (2007, p. 135), “the key is to find a balance between your

desires for external validation and the intrinsic motivations that provide fulfilment in your work”.

Many leaders measure their terms of success against external validations instead of intrinsic

motivations (George, Sims, McLean & Mayer 2007), in spite of the fact that intrinsic motivations

“are congruent with your values and are more fulfilling than extrinsic motivations” (George, Sims,

McLean & Mayer, 2007, p. 136).

One of the contexts in which it is often most difficult to strike a balance in with regards to

authenticity, is that of the workplace: “a challenge for leaders is one of reconciling the interests of

the individual with those of the organisation” (Duignan & Bhindi, 1997, p. 205). This difficult

balancing act of authentic leadership in the workplace that leaders should aspire to, is defined by

May, Chan, Hodges and Avolio (2003, as cited in Novicevic, Davis, Dorn, Buckley & Brown,

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2005, p. 1397) as follows: “[t]his capacity for awareness, determination and dependability to

remain true to oneself and aligned with the organization’s genuine mission, while passionately

enacting organizational vision, can be conceptualized broadly as authentic leadership”. This is no

doubt not an easy feat to achieve.

Badaracco (1992, p. 77, as cited in Novicevic, Davis, Dorn, Buckley & Brown, 2005, p. 1404)

confirms this notion of balance by stating “the moral dilemma of management must be resolved

through balancing acts – through decisions and actions that meet, as best they can, the conflicting

claims of different spheres of responsibility”. Two of these spheres of responsibility are divided

into personal and representative spheres by Barnard (1958, p. 6, as cited in Novicevic, Davis, Dorn,

Buckley & Brown, 2005, p. 1400). He states that personal responsibility refers to “the character of

individuals”, whereas representative responsibility “refers to acting in the official role” (Barnard,

1958, p. 6, as cited in Novicevic, Davis, Dorn, Buckley & Brown, 2005, p. 1400). When these two

interact there is “tension between the interests of the individual and the interests of the organisation.

Resolution of this tension in favor of organizational interests represents loyalty to the firm”

(Barnard, 1958, p. 6, as cited in Novicevic, Davis, Dorn, Buckley & Brown, 2005, p. 1400).

Hodgkinson (1991, as cited in Duignan & Bhindi, 1997) would argue that it is not always possible

to act according to “one’s inner truth in the moment”. “[B]ecause of the often poor fit between

personality and role in our organizations, the degree of ‘authentic engagement’ of the personality

with the formal role is an open question and a continuing concern” (Hodgkinson, 1991, p. 70, as

cited in Duignan & Bhindi, 1997, p. 205). Often this is most evident where there is pressure to

conform to society, or the organisation’s concept of professionalism. This can be seen as similar to

Barnard’s concept of loyalty to the firm (Barnard, 1958, p. 6, as cited in Novicevic, Davis, Dorn,

Buckley & Brown, 2005, p. 1400). Hewlin (2003, as cited in Roberts, 2005 p. 700) illustrates this

well: “[o]ne’s ‘true self’ or authentic self portrayal is not always consistent with external standards

of professional competence and character. In order to gain certain social and professional benefits,

individuals often suppress or contradict their personal values or identity characteristics for the sake

of meeting societal expectations of professionalism”.

Endrissat, Müller and Kaudela-Baum (2007, p. 215) therefore propose that “personal and

organizational values should either be compatible or, organizational norms…should value diversity

so that employees dare to express their views”. However, although leaders can aspire to work in

organisations that are either compatible with their values, or value diversity, realistically, this

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cannot always be the case for all individuals. Kernis (2003, p. 14) looks at this slightly differently,

and states that society’s and the individual’s values are incompatible and that the focus should be

on the processes that lead to “behavioural selection”, not only whether authenticity is reflected in

behaviour or not. He states that in this instance, authenticity is “reflected in awareness of one’s

needs and motives and an unbiased assessment of relevant evaluative information. In some cases

the resulting behaviour may also reflect authenticity, but in other cases it may not” (Kernis, 2003, p.

15). In short, a certain component of authenticity might be operating, where another does not, but it

still is an indication of authenticity (Kernis, 2003). This is a more realistic and achievable concept

of authenticity than that espoused by Donahoe (as cited in George, Sims, McLean & Mayer, 2007,

p. 137) of being authentic “no matter where you are”.

Another area in which it is difficult to find this balance is that of managing people within the

organisation. Goffee and Jones (2005, p. 88) describe the difficulty leaders face of finding a

“balance between expressing their personalities and managing those of the people they aspire to

lead or at least influence“. According to Goffee and Jones (2005), there is a way to try to address

this, namely by choosing which parts of oneself to reveal to whom. Although this is no easy task,

Goffee and Jones (2005, p. 88) state that great leaders “seem to know which personality traits they

should reveal to whom and when”. However, this is something that some find difficult to reconcile

with the concept of authenticity (Goffee & Jones, 2005), and which seems to be almost in contrast

to concept of authenticity by leaders such as Donahoe (as cited in George, Sims, McLean & Mayer,

2007). Managing the perceptions of others is key to knowing which parts one should reveal of

oneself, while trying to remain authentic.

One of the most difficult balancing acts in trying to achieve authenticity is that of balancing values

and actions or behaviours. The better the balance between being true to one’s core, and the actions

one takes, the more authentic one is. “Authenticity refers to the degree of congruence between

internal values and external expressions. In other words, it is the extent to which an individual acts

in accord with the true self, and it involves owning one’s persona experiences, thoughts, emotions,

needs, wants, preferences or beliefs” (Harter, 2002, as cited in Roberts, 2005, p. 699).

2.1.3 Authenticity and the Perception of Others

Goffee and Jones (2005, p. 88) state that “authenticity is a quality that others must attribute to

you…a person cannot be authentic on his or her own”. This definition seems to vary a great deal

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from the definitions of authenticity that require developing self-awareness, self-discovery and

oneself (Mader, 2007; Schor, Kane & Lindsay, 1995; Marshall & Heffes, 2004). Endrissat, Müller

and Kaudela-Baum (2007, p. 208) concur with Goffee and Jones (2005) in that they see authenticity

not as “a personal innate quality, but as a characteristic attributed to leaders by others”. However,

they deviate slightly from Goffee and Jones’ (2005) interpretation of the factors needed to create

authenticity. Where Goffee and Jones (2005) state that a leader’s words and deeds need to be

consistently aligned to establish authenticity, Endrissat, Müller and Kaudela-Baum (2007, p. 217)

argue that this is “not necessarily a reliable indicator of a person being true to herself” and that it is

a “necessary, but not a sufficient condition for authenticity”. They argue that leaders might be able

to act a part that is not of their conviction (Endrissat, Müller and Kaudela-Baum (2007). Jensen

and Luthans (2006, p. 649) take it into a more organisational context and claim that a leader

deemed authentic “is one who is perceived as striving to create a transparent, future-oriented, and

associate-building organization”.

In essence, leaders do have some control of managing this perception of others. Roberts (2005, p.

687) defines the perceived professional image as “an internalized, global representation of many

people’s current impressions of an individual, across interactions but within a specific professional

context”. Leary and Kowalski (1990, as cited in Roberts, 2005, p. 687) describe impression

management as having three components: “(1) monitoring – becoming aware of others’

perceptions; (2) motivation – desiring to change others’ perceptions; and (3) construction –

enacting a persona in an effort to change others’ perceptions”. This would seem to be in contrast

with the concept of authenticity as being “true to oneself” (Hodgkinson, 1991, p. 130, as cited in

Duignan & Bhindi, 1997), particularly the third component of constructing a persona. However,

Roberts (2005) explains that impression management is likely to succeed or not, based on the

credibility and authenticity of the leader. When one presents oneself “in an inauthentic and

noncredible manner…one is likely to experience negative consequences on well-being,

relationships, and performance”, whereas when one presents oneself authentically, it results in

positive outcomes (Roberts, 2005, p. 699-700). Therefore, she makes the argument that even

though one can present an image to others, it should be based on one’s own values and feelings

(Roberts, 2005).

According to Goffee & Jones (2005), there are two parts to managing this perception: leaders have

to ensure their actions match their words, and they need to “present different faces to different

audiences” (Goffee & Jones, 2005, p. 89). Therefore, it is still important to remain authentic,

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however, one should choose wisely which aspect of one’s personality should be shown to a specific

group. When doing this, authentic leaders also need to know how much they need to “conform to

social and organizational norms…to create just enough distance from the norms so followers will

perceive the leaders as special and attractive” (Goffee & Jones, 2005, p. 93). Cirucci (2000) also

advocates this concept of cultivating slight eccentricities that enable the leaders to stand out, but to

do so authentically. In order to know how much they need to conform to these norms and what to

present to which audience (Goffee & Jones, 2005), the leader’s ability to read and know his or her

audiences, and therefore his or her ability to build relationships, is very important in this aspect, as

will be detailed below.

2.1.4 Authenticity and Relationships

One of the reasons it is important to show different aspects of one’s true personality to different

audiences, is the fact that people can sense inauthenticity in most cases. Roberts qualifies this by

stating that authenticity can “enhance the quality of the individual’s relationships, while

inauthenticity can detract from relationship quality” (Roberts, 2005, p. 701). This is further

substantiated by Cashman and Walsh (2000, p. 5) who state that authenticity “is the life force of

relationships – and the true voice of the leader”. Conversely, Duignan and Bhindi (1996, p. 201)

find that the relationship between authenticity and relationships is reversed: “[a]uthenticity is not

only a quality of the leader but it is also a product of relationships and interrelationships”. Mader

(2007, p.74) even goes so far as to say that authentic leaders tend to have “many good friends

because they rely on relationships. They tend to lead lives integrated with family and community”.

Relationships can also be described in terms of connectedness. Fullan (1993, p. 80, as cited in

Duignan & Bhindi, 1997, p. 204) mentions the concepts of “inner and outer learning”. The “inner

learning” starts “within ourselves” and the “outer learning…is about connectedness”. He goes on

to say that “our connections must be more balanced, more authentic, more to the total person”

(Fullan, 1993, p. 80, as cited in Duignan & Bhindi, 1997, p. 204) and that we as leaders need to

build connections or relationships as a vital part of learning and growth.

Taylor (1991, p. 33 as cited in Duignan & Bhindi, 1997, p. 200) concurs with this view and argues

“no one acquires the languages needed for self-definition on their own…the genesis of the human

mind is…not ‘monological,’ not something each accomplishes on his or her own, but ‘dialogical’”.

Giddens (1991, as cited in Endrissat, Müller & Kaudela-Baum, 2007, p. 215) elaborates on this by

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stating that authentic behaviour is developed “through reflexive awareness by the individual in the

interaction with others”. This view is also supported by Endrissat, Müller and Kaudela-Baum

(2007, p. 215) who state that authenticity should not be seen as a “stable concept but rather as a

dynamic concept that is developed in relationships with others”.

In terms of helping leaders to achieve authenticity, George, Sims, McLean and Mayer (2007, p.

135) state that “[a]uthentic leaders build extraordinary support teams to help them stay on course”,

who provide “affirmation, advice, perspective, and calls for course corrections when needed”.

They argue that even the greatest leaders need good relationships in order not to lose their

authenticity, and that when they can rely on someone unconditionally, “they are more likely to

accept themselves for who they really are” (George, Sims, McLean and Mayer 2007, p. 136).

Polzer, Milton and Swann (2002, as cited in Roberts, 2005, p. 702) concur by stating “authenticity

is also critical for developing high-quality relationships with workgroup members. Group

functioning…is related to the extent to which group members see others in the group as others see

themselves”.

Kernis has a similar viewpoint and states that relational authenticity involves “endorsing the

importance for close others to see the real you” and that it is a “selective process of self-disclosure

and the development of mutual intimacy and trust” (Kernis, 2003, p. 15).

In a broader sense, Doorewaard and Benschop (2003, p. 276) argue that authenticity is “a culture-

related phenomenon…their authenticity is always moulded and shaped by the ‘mores’ of the

society they live in and the organizations they work in”. They therefore indicate that society, and

therefore relationships in society, influence an individual’s authenticity (Doorewaard & Benschop,

2003).

Trust is an integral part of relationships, as well as a part of authenticity. Luke (1998, as cited in

Fairholm & Fairholm, 2000, p. 103) captures this connection as follows: “[t]rust, essential in

interpersonal relationships, is based not only on the confidence and predictability of the actions of

others, but also on the moral integrity and goodwill of another”. This concept of trust in the context

of authenticity is elaborated on below.

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2.1.5 Authenticity and Trust

One of the essential ingredients in relationships is trust. James (2001, as cited in Darwish, 2006, p.

34) describes trust as follows: “[e]xtending trust is the exposure of vulnerability. It is a leap of faith.

If trust is violated, the other party will limit their future exposure. If trust is confirmed, greater

loyalty and commitment are like to occur”. Effective leaders need to confirm, or earn, the trust of

others in order to become authentic: “[a]uthentic leaders earn the allegiance of others not by

coercion or manipulation but by building trusting relationships” (Duignan & Bhindi, 1997, p. 206).

As with relationships, there is an interplay between authenticity and trust, which is illustrated by

George, Sims, McLean & Mayer (2007, p. 129): “[p]eople trust you when you are genuine and

authentic”. Crowley (2004, p. 98) believes that authenticity is a component of trust, not a way of

fostering trust: “trust has several components: competence, reliability, consistency, caring,

authenticity, and familiarity”, whereas Pine II and Gilmore (2008. p. 20) state that authenticity

comes from “thought and action”. The action in this instance refers to the fact that “being

trustworthy, honest, and compassionate focuses one on behaviour towards others” (Pine II &

Gilmore, 2008, p. 20).

Xavier (2007, p. 349) concurs with George, Sims, McLean & Mayer’s (2007) view that trust is built

through authenticity. He states that two of the core interpersonal skills a leader needs are integrity

and ethics. He goes on to explain that he or she “builds trust with others through own authenticity

and honest communication, follows through on commitments, shows consistency among principles,

[and] demonstrates sound business ethics” (Xavier, 2007, p 349). Darwish (2006, p. 34) has a

similar view and states “[a]uthenticity and honesty are great qualifiers for establishing a foundation

for trust”.

Mader (2007, p. 74) elaborates on the concept of trust: “if we get it right, the personal authenticity

aspect of leadership essentially defines ‘trust’…we don’t necessarily mean we agree or even have

the same values. We mean we know who these people are and that they will consistently act for the

welfare of the organization, according to their best judgement”. As mentioned, Price (2003) and

Burns (1978, as cited in Krishnan, 2003) are also proponents of this view, that the leader will do

what is best for the followers, even though their values might not be the same as those of the

followers.

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Although authors such as George, Sims, McLean & Mayer (2007) and Xavier (2007) argue that

trust is built through being authentic, there are more concrete ways for leaders of ensuring that trust

is built up. One of these is holding people accountable and thereby not betraying trust themselves:

“[w]e build trust on known, predictable, and continuing mechanisms that let others know what

unprofessional or unethical conduct is and by punishing it when it occurs. When leaders are not

willing to be clear and hold members accountable, they betray trust” (Fairholm & Fairholm, 2000,

p. 104). They also suggest understanding what staff need, and ensuring responsiveness to those

needs, as well as creating a culture of co-operation and open communications, amongst others

(Fairholm & Fairholm, 2000).

Dietz and Den Hartog (2006, p. 558) break trust down into three parts: “trust as a belief, as a

decision, and as an action”. The first part is a set of beliefs “which lead one to assume that the

other party’s likely action will have positive consequences for oneself” (Dietz & Den Hartog, 2006,

p. 558). The second part is the “decision to actually trust the other party” (Dietz & Den Hartog,

2006, p. 559) and lastly, the “action of trusting another is at best only a likely consequence of the

decision to trust; it is by no means guaranteed” (Dietz & Den Hartog, 2006, p. 560). This is a

complex process, which is echoed by Lewicki, McAllister and Bies (1998, as cited in Dietz & Den

Hartog, 2006, p. 564) in the following way: “the formation of a trust belief about another party, and

the decision to trust them or not, requires sophisticated processing of huge amounts of often-

contradictory information”. Precisely because of these huge amounts of information that people

need to process in order to trust leaders, the more transparent and authentic the leaders are, the

easier it is to make this decision. This definition of trust by Dietz and Den Hartog (2006) seems to

be a comprehensive, applicable definition, particularly in the organisational context, which can be

fraught with hidden agendas, and which MBA and EMBA students are often exposed to.

2.1.6 Authenticity and Leadership

Authenticity in the context of leadership has been touched on in various sections above and a great

deal of literature has been written on authentic leadership. There are various definitions of

authentic leadership: “[a]uthentic leadership implies a genuine kind of leadership – a hopeful, open-

ended, visionary and creative response to social circumstances, as opposed to the more traditional

dualistic portrayal of management and leadership practices” (Begley, 2001, as cited in Begley,

2006, p. 570).

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Being ethical or moral are key parts of leadership for many authors: “[a]uthentic leadership is

therefore grounded in the understanding or interpretation of observed or experienced valuation

processes, as well as, in ethical decision-making processes” (Begley, 2006, p. 575). May, Chan,

Hodges and Avolio (2003, p. 253, as cited in Sarros, Cooper & Hartican, 2006, p. 684) also state

that “authentic leaders […] see themselves as the ‘moral standard bearer’ for their organizations,

demonstrating consistently high standards of ethical conduct”. Duignan & Bhindi (1996, p. 199)

state the importance of leaders having a stand on moral issues: “to become an authentic leader, it is

important to know where one stands on important moral and professional issues and then act

accordingly”. Avolio, Gardner, Walumbwa, Luthans and May (2004, as cited in Jensen & Luthans,

2006, p. 648) state that authentic leadership is a “basic root construct that creates conditions for

higher trust, helps people to build on their strengths and be more positive, to broaden their thinking,

to add value and a sense of what is right to their decisions, and to improve the overall performance

of their organization over time”.

Rokeach (1979, as cited in Turner & Mavin, 2008, p. 380) define values as “lasting beliefs that

certain modes of conduct are more desirable than others…with authentic leaders guided by values

oriented towards what is ‘right’ and ‘fair’ for all stakeholders”. In contrast to the authors

mentioned above who propose that ethical and moral conduct is a key part of leadership (Begley,

2006; May, Chan, Hodges & Avolio, 2003, as cited in Sarros, Cooper & Hartican, 2006; Duignan

& Bhindi, 1996; Avolio, Gardner, Walumbwa, Luthans & May, 2004, as cited in Jensen & Luthans,

2006), some argue that an integral part of leadership is that leaders need to live by their own values,

and not what is considered to be ethical or moral, although the leader’s own values could be both.

Shamir and Eilam (2005, p. 3, as cited in Turner & Mavin, 2008, p. 378), for example, state that

leadership is “an eudaimonic activity for authentic leaders in that they are true to one’s self and

their personal life activities are congruent with their deeply held values”. Some argue that the

values that leaders live by are not necessarily ethical or moral, but that they live by them because

they are based on their own experience. Shamir and Eilam (2005, p. 397, as cited in Turner &

Mavin, 2008, p. 380) state “authentic leaders are originals not copies, they hold their values to be

true, not because these values are socially or politically appropriate but because they have

experienced them to be true”. (Turner & Mavin, 2008, p. 380) reinforce this idea and state “[t]he

values and convictions of authentic leaders are highly personalized through their lived experiences,

experienced emotions and active process of reflection on those experiences and emotions”

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Schwarz (1994, as cited in Turner & Mavin, 2008, p. 380) defines values as being “expected to

vary on a continuum anchored at one end by self-enhancement success centred values and at the

other self transcendence system centred values”. He further defines the self enhancement values as

“values of achievement, pursuit of personal success, power, dominance over others, personal

gratification, hedonism” and self transcendence values as: “benevolence, concern for immediate

others and universalism concerned with the welfare of people” (Schwarz 1994, as cited in Turner &

Mavin, 2008, p. 380). This description of values ties in with Cass’s (1998) view that authenticity is

a process, and that therefore values can change over time, and with the idea of values being linked

to experience (Turner & Mavin, 2008).

According to Laub (1999, as cited in Joseph & Winston, 2005, p. 9), servant leadership “promotes

the valuing and development of people, the building of community, [and] the practice of

authenticity”. Cirucci (2000) agrees that valuing people, or recognition, is one of the key parts of a

leader aiming towards achieving authenticity, as is telling the truth. However, Cashman and Walsh

(2000, p. 5) see authenticity in the context of leadership from a different perspective. They state

that authenticity “is the foundation for sustaining our leadership. But authenticity is more than just

telling the truth. It is the congruence of our inner and outer person. It means we know our

strengths and weaknesses, and we dare to be vulnerable with ourselves and with others”. Cashman

and Walsh (2000, p. 5) therefore imply that authenticity sustains leadership, whereas Laub (1999,

as cited in Joseph & Winston, 2005, p. 9) argues that leadership promotes authenticity.

Cashman and Walsh (2000) mention being vulnerable with regards to authenticity. George, Sims,

McLean and Mayer (2007, p. 134) also believe that vulnerability plays a big role in authenticity:

”as they [examine themselves], leaders become more humane and willing to be vulnerable”, which

leads to knowing their “authentic selves”. However, being vulnerable can also lead to

inauthenticity in some cases. Crowley (2004, p. 97) states that “hidden agendas are defensive

messages we send for protection when we’re not feeling good about ourselves…[and they]

typically emerge when we’re feeling upset or vulnerable”. These hidden agendas are “’by their

very nature, inauthentic…the act, the face we put on to show others” (Crowley, 2004, p. 96). She

goes on to say that these agendas can be identified and managed, in order to “consciously shift to a

new way of looking at things” and to understand the damaging effect of inauthentic communication

(Crowley, 2004, p. 97).

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Finally, Marshall and Heffes (2004, p. 10) summarise the key points of being an authentic leader as

follows:

The five dimensions of authentic leadership include: understanding your purposes

(why would I follow you?); practicing solid values; leading with your heart (passion

for the business); establishing connected relationships (built on trust); self-discipline

in getting results (deliver results, both short- and long-term).

2.2 CONCLUSION

The literature reviewed on authenticity related to self-awareness, balance, the perception of others,

relationships, trust and leadership expanded on many of the definitions stated in the 210

assignments. There is a clear indication that there are various schools of thought in terms of

authenticity, some of which contradict each other. However, some of the key concepts discussed in

this review were those of being true to one’s values and being aware of these, that authentic

leadership requires acting morally and for the greater good, and the congruence of thought and

action. A summary of the key concepts and authors is depicted below.

Key Concept Author Being true to one’s values Hodgkinson 1990; Handler, 1986 Being true to oneself within the framework of the greater common good

Taylor, 1991; Bogue, 1997

Transformational leadership Bass & Steidlmeier, 1999 Adhering to inner morality Hodgkinson, 1990; Endrissat, Müller &

Kaudela-Baum, 2007 Authenticity as a process Cass, 1998; Tannenbaum, Margulies,

Massarik & Associateds, 1985 Authenticity incorporating self and society

Barrett-Lennard, 1998

Transparent self-awareness Mader, 2007; Duval & Wicklund, 1972; Vorauer & Ross, 1999

Recognising strengths and weaknesses Marshall & Heffes, 2004 Knowing oneself George, Sims, McLean & Mayer, 2007;

Schor, Kane & Lindsay 1995 Authenticity and Balance George, Sims, McLean & Mayer, 2007;

Duignan & Bhindi, 1997; May, Chan, Hodges & Avolio, 2003; Badaracco, 1992; Goffee & Jones, 2005

Congruence between words and deeds Harter, 2002

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Authenticity and Perception Goffee & Jones, 2005; Endrissat, Müller & Kaudela-Baum, 2007; Roberts, 2005; Leary & Kowalski, 1990

Authenticity and Relationships Roberts, 2005; Fuller, 1993; Taylor, 1991; Endrissat, Müller & Kaudela-Baum, 2007; George, Sims, McLean & Mayer, 2007; Kernis, 2003

Authenticity and Trust Luke, 1998; James, 2001; Duignan & Bhindi, 1997; George, Sims, McLean & Mayer, 2007; Xavier, 2007; Mader, 2007; Dietz & Den Harto, 2006; Lewicki, McAllister & Bies, 1998

Authenticity and Leadership Begley, 2006; May, Chan, Hodges & Avolio, 2003; Duignan & Bhindi, 1996; Avolio, Gardner, Walumba, Luthans & May, 2004; Shamir & Eilam, 2005; Laub, 1999; Cashman & Walsh, 2000

Table 1: Key Concepts

3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1 RESEARCH APPROACH AND STRATEGY

Schutz, (1967, as cited in Shaw, 1999, p. 65) notes that the “qualitative paradigm recommends that

researchers observe human behaviour and action as it occurs in ‘mundane’ everyday life”. The

experiences of everyday stumbling blocks and enablers of authenticity of 210 people, as detailed in

the Communication, Leadership and Learning assignments, as well as the Leadership assignments

of various MBA and EMBA students were analysed and coded within this research. The words in

these assignments record some of their feelings, behaviour or action. According to Bryman and

Bell (2007, p. 731), “[q]ualitative research usually emphasizes words rather than quantification in

the collection and analysis of data”. In this research, these words were coded, which is an

indication that the research is thus qualitative.

Bryman and Bell (2007, p. 14) mention that “an inductive strategy of linking data and theory is

typically associated with a qualitative research approach”. According to Thiétart (1999), inductive

logic “makes it possible to go from individual observation to general terms” (as cited in Delattre,

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Ocler, Moulette & Rymeyko, 2009, p. 36). Delattre, Ocler, Moulette and Rymeyko (2009, p. 33)

also state that the “main objective of qualitative research is to create a methodology for

approaching, understanding, analysing and explaining management phenomena at a social or

company level”. In this case, the research is focused on understanding and analysing the

phenomena of the stumbling blocks and enablers of authenticity for students largely at management

level. These stumbling blocks and enablers are very much the experiences of individuals, which

were coded into more general terms during the research process. Hence, the approach of this

research is inductive in nature. Chinn and Kramer (1999, as cited in Elo & Kyngäs, 2008, p. 109)

reinforce this flow from individual cases to more general terms: “[a]n approach based on inductive

data moves from the specific to the general, so that particular instances are observed and then

combined into a larger whole or general statement”.

3.2 RESEARCH DESIGN, DATA COLLECTION METHODS AND RESEARCH

INSTRUMENTS

The research design that was used is cross-sectional. Although this is traditionally understood to be

associated with research methods such as surveys (Bryman & Bell, 2007), it also uses methods like

content analysis, and can be defined as “the collection of data on more than one case (usually quite

a lot more than one) and at a single point in time in order to collect a body of quantitative or

quantifiable data in connection with two or more variables (usually many more than two), which

are then examined to detect patterns of association” (Bryman & Bell, 2007, p. 55).

The 210 Communication Leadership and Learning, as well as the Leadership assignments, qualify

as the data collected, and Bryman and Bell (2007, p. 71) state that the typical form of a cross-

sectional design can “be based upon qualitative content analysis of a set of documents relating to a

single event”.

The various assignments were written specifically on the 12 seeds of the April² Framework (April

& April, 2007), one seed of which was authenticity, which although not an event, is a single topic.

In addition, even though the assignments were written over a period of time from 2007 to 2008, the

researcher received these at one point in time. Longitudinal research “warrants being dubbed

longitudinal when there is a concern to map change” (Bryman & Bell, 2007, p. 71), which is not the

case in this research, hence the research design is described as cross-sectional.

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The traditional qualitative data collection methods, such as ethnography, interviewing, focus groups

or discourse analysis (Bryman & Bell, 2007) are not applicable to this research, as the researcher

was provided with 1,159 documents, mainly Communication, Leadership and Learning

assignments from the Graduate School of Business and Leadership assignments from the Rotterdam

School of Management, of which 210 of the most recent assignments were chosen as the data

sample. The researcher used these assignments as a basis for document analysis, which is “the

study of existing documents, such as public documents like annual reports…and formal letter, and

personal documents like diaries and photographs” (Ritchie & Lewis, 2004, p. 35, as cited in Burden

& Roodt, 2007, p. 14)

3.3 SAMPLING

The researcher was provided with a database of Communication, Leadership and Learning

assignments from the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business, as well as

Leadership assignments of EMBA students from the Rotterdam School of Management. Although

a data population of 1,159 documents was provided by the researcher’s supervisor, some of which

were written as far back as 2004, the researcher chose to use a sample size of 210 of the most recent

assignments across both schools. According to Bryman and Bell (2007, p. 182), a non-probability

sample is “a sample that has not been selected using a random selection method”. In this case, due

to time constraints, and in order to complete an analysis of authenticity using the most current data

available, a non-probability sample has been chosen. The sample can further be defined as a

convenience sample, which is chosen “by virtue of its accessibility” (Bryman & Bell, 2007, p. 197).

Documents whose authors expressly stated they did not give permission for their assignment to be

used for research purpose were omitted, as well as any documents that contained no relevant or

appropriate definitions, enablers or stumbling blocks of authenticity. These included assignments

and appendices. In addition, where a document was duplicated, it was omitted.

3.4 RESEARCH CRITERIA

Validity in terms of qualitative research refers to whether “you are observing, identifying, or

‘measuring’ what you say you are” (Mason, 1996, p. 21, as cited in Bryman & Bell, 2007, p. 410).

LeCompte and Goetz (1982, as cited in Bryman & Bell, 2007, p. 410) state that internal validity,

which determines whether “there is a good match between researchers’ observations and the

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theoretical ideas they develop” is usually a strength in qualitative analysis, because of the amount

of time spent with the group being interviewed or observed. Although the researcher did not spend

any amount of time with the research respondents / authors of the assignments, the types of

documents detail the respondent’s feelings in some detail, which should assist in resulting in a

match between observations and theory.

External validity refers to “the degree to which findings can be generalized across social settings”

(Bryman & Bell, 2007, p. 410). This is a limitation of this particular research, as the findings

cannot be generalized across a broader population. However, some researchers have argued that

different criteria should be used to evaluate qualitative data instead of reliability and validity

(Bryman & Bell, 2007, p. 411). According to Guba (1985) and Guba and Lincoln (1994), these are

“trustworthiness and authenticity”, and trustworthiness is further broken down into four criteria (as

cited in Bryman & Bell, 2007, p. 411). The first of these is credibility, which refers to ensuring that

good practice is followed in terms of the research, and that the findings are reconfirmed by the

people who were studied (Bryman & Bell, 2007). In this particular research, this will not be the

case. Transferability refers to “rich accounts of the details of a culture” (Bryman & Bell, 2007, p.

413) which will determine whether the findings can be transferable to other situations (Guba &

Lincoln, 1985, p. 316 as cited in Bryman & Bell, 2007, p. 413). The assignments provide in-depth

accounts and details, hence the research should provide a great deal of transferability. The third

component is that of dependability, ensuring that “complete records are kept of all phases of the

research process” in order to allow peers to audit these and ensure that “proper procedures are being

and have been followed” (Bryman & Bell, 2007, p. 414). All documentation has been saved

throughout the research process. April (2004) has created the concept of a “Chain of Evidence”

(see Figure 1) to illustrate the data analysis process. The saving of all documents would be a

component of the first step in the Chain of Evidence, namely “Organize Raw Data”, which includes

the cataloguing of documents (April, 2004, p. 103). Lastly, confirmability entails that the

researcher does not let personal values “sway the conduct of the research and findings deriving

from it” (Bryman & Bell, 2007, p. 414). Due to the evidence presented in the assignments, which

has not been influenced in any way by the researcher, it can be assumed that the research will be

confirmable.

Authenticity refers to various criteria, including fairness, ontological authenticity and educative

authenticity (Bryman & Bell, 2007). Fairness refers to whether different viewpoints are

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represented adequately (Bryman & Bell, 2007). Since the researcher did not choose a specific

criteria other than recency for the assignments analysed, it can be assumed that fairness was used.

Ontological authenticity entails arriving at “a better understanding of [the member’s] social

milieu”, where educational authenticity refers to an appreciation of “the perspectives of other

members of their social settings” (Bryman & Bell, 2007, p. 414). Due to the nature of the research,

there is a possibility that readers of this research could describe the research as ontologically and

educationally authentic.

Reliability can “be estimated through the coding of the original data. The evaluation of the

reliability of the research…thus consists in ensuring and verifying that the different coding

operations will be able to be repeated with the same results obtained” (Delattre, Ocler, Moulette &

Rymeyko, 2009, p. 35).

Through the use of ATLAS.ti1 software, it can be assumed that there is a possibility that these

coding operations will be able to be repeated to obtain the same results. The coding using ATLAS.ti

software forms part of the second step in the Chain of Evidence concept, “Create Code Framework”

(April, 2004, p. 103) which is illustrated in Figure 2 below.

1 1 ATLAS.ti software is described as follows: “ATLAS.ti is a versatile workbench for the qualitative analysis of large bodies of textual, graphical, audio, and video data. It offers a variety of tools for accomplishing the tasks associated with any systematic approach to unstructured data, e.g., data that cannot be meaningfully analyzed by formal, statistical approaches” (ATLAS.ti – the Knowledge Workbench, 2009).

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Figure 2: The Chain of Evidence Concept. Source: Adapted from April, 2004, p. 103

3.5 DATA ANALYSIS METHODS

Shaw (1999, p. 65) states that:

“the inductive analysis of qualitative data involves: the reading and re-reading of

transcripts and field notes (Easterby-Smith, Thorpe & Lowe., 1991); the use of codes

to bring order, structure and meaning to raw data (Strauss & Corbin, 1990); the

constant comparison of the codes and categories which emerge with subsequent data

collected and also with concepts suggested by the literature (Glaser & Strauss, 1967)

and, the search for relationships among emerging categories of data (Marshall &

Rossman, 1995)”

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This is the process that has been followed in this research through the use of grounded theory.

Grounded theory is “a methodology that has been used to generate theory where little is already

known, or to provide a fresh slant on existing knowledge. It is an interpretivist mode of enquiry

which has its roots in symbolic interactionism and as such language, gestures, expressions and

actions are all considered primary to the experience” (Goulding, 1998, p. 51-52). It is particularly

appropriate for researching stumbling blocks and enablers of authenticity, as it is a methodology

“developed for, and particularly suited to, the study of behaviour” (Goulding, 1998, p. 56).

Glaser (1978, p. 36, as cited in Goulding 1998, p. 53) states: “Theoretical sampling is the process of

data collection for generating theory whereby the analyst jointly collects, codes and analyses the

data and decides what data to collect next and where to find it, in order to develop the theory as it

emerges. This process of data collection is ‘controlled’ by the emerging theory”.

The coding for this research has been done using ATLAS.ti software, which was further analysed

using content analysis. Open coding can be defined as “the analytic process through which

concepts are identified and their properties and dimensions discovered in the data” (Strauss &

Corbin, 1998, p. 101, as cited in Burden & Roodt, 2007, p. 15). The “key feature of all content

analysis is that the many words of the text are classified into much smaller categories” (Weber,

1990, Burnard, 1996 as cited in Elo & Kyngäs, 2008 p. 107).

After completion of the open coding, a conditional relationship guide was used to perform axial

coding for each of the 125 sub-codes identified during the open coding process. According to Scott

(2004, p.125), the Conditional Relationship Guide “contextualises the central phenomenon and

related the structure with the process by answering the investigative questions ‘What, When,

Where, Why, How, and with what Consequence’”.

Content analysis is the method used if “there is not enough former knowledge about the

phenomenon or if this knowledge is fragmented, the inductive approach is recommended” (Lauri &

Kyngäs, 2005, as cited in Elo & Kyngäs, 2008, p. 109), which is the case in terms of stumbling

blocks and enablers to authenticity for MBA and EMBA students.

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4 RESEARCH FINDINGS, ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION 4.1 RESEARCH FINDINGS

Through the process of open coding, there were 125 sub-codes of stumbling blocks and enablers to

authenticity that emerged. These are listed in the table below:

conforming to the

expectations of others

meditation and reflection self-awareness openness in

relationships

organisations with

conflicting values to yours

shyness

knowing oneself

learning and education

being true to yourself

living out your true

values

fear of vulnerability taking risks

pleasing others sound values embracing

diversity family and

friends spirituality and

religion

the ability to adapt and

change

confidence contingent self-esteem

inability to be open about

one's feelings

inability to be true to self

putting up a facade

the struggle of maintaining

one's integrity

showing trust avoiding conflict

recognising strengths and weaknesses

role models seeking approval transparency

wanting to fit in awareness

congruence between words

and deeds

examining one's life story

expressing feelings

moral guidance

lack of reflection

lack of self-awareness

non-conformance

standing up for what you

believe in upbringing open-

mindedness

working in an environment conducive to expressing

values

being comfortable with your decisions

being compassionate

inability to listen

authentically

inability to trust

overcoming fear

knowing your purpose

repressing parts of oneself

strong sense of self

times of distress

tolerance of others self-deception

balancing extrinsic and

intrinsic motivation

being influenced

building strong support

networks

death of a loved one

fear of rejection self-discipline

honesty

knowing where you stand on

moral issues

lack of confidence

moving away from a

comfort zone

not knowing oneself

lack of passion

not telling the truth

revealing different

aspects of oneself

stealing the traits of others

telling the truth

associate with others who respect me

lack of role models

cultural diversity

feedback from others

focusing on positive traits

having low self-esteem

integrating one's life

lack of self-discipline

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making a positive

difference in the lives of

others

material wealth

not understanding one's purpose

reflection on the past

self-acceptance

living up to self imposed expectations

vulnerability working too much arrogance

being intolerant of

others

being passionate

mind is stronger than

body building up a

defense mechanism

denial doing what is right and fair

embracing being

different

fear of being judged

inability to ask for

assistance

fear of repercussions

hiding aspects of oneself

lack of inner vision

lack of meaningful

relationships

lack of purpose

inability to self regulate in a stressful environment

listening intently mindfulness

not being afraid of being

judged

participation in social networks

stewardship

incongruence between

words and deeds

strong intuition

appreciation of others

aversion to risk

avoiding situations that conflict with one's morals

balancing work and

social responsibilities

integrity

caring what others think

conscience and guilt

difficulty with examining one's past

experiences

escapism fear of conflict irreconcilable desires

fear of hurting others

fear of loss of income

fear of making mistakes

financial freedom freedom

Table 2: Sub-Codes of Enablers and Stumbling Blocks of Authenticity

Of these sub-codes, “conforming to the expectations of others” was mentioned fifty seven times,

which was the sub-code mentioned the most, with “meditation and reflection” being mentioned

thirty three times, and “self-awareness” being mentioned twenty seven times. There were 646

instances of enablers and stumbling blocks mentioned in the assignments.

These 125 sub-codes were grouped into twelve family codes: Self-Knowledge, Personality Traits

and Behaviours, Relationships, Fear, Values and Morals, Influence of Others, Coping Mechanisms,

Meditation, Reflection and Spirituality, Balance, Diversity, Institutions, Organisations and the

Workplace, and Money and Material Goods. The breakdown of the frequency of each of the sub-

codes mentioned is depicted below:

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Balance5%

Money and material goods2%

Coping mechanisms4% Fear

10%

Meditation, reflection and spirituality

5%Institutions, organisations

and the workplace3%

Personality traits and behaviours

19%

Relationships14%

Diversity3%

Values and morals11%

Self knowledge17%

Influence of others7%

Figure 3: Breakdown of Family Codes of Authenticity

The family codes, as well as the sub-codes are described in more detail in the following sections.

4.1.1 Self-Knowledge

The sub-codes contained in the family code of “Self-Knowledge” are cited mainly as enablers,

however, the lack of self-knowledge is often mentioned as a stumbling block of authenticity. The

table below shows the breakdown of the sub-codes contained in this family code. For certain sub-

codes, the excerpts from the Conditional Relationship Guide have been included below for

illustrative purposes.

Self-Knowledge Frequency

self-awareness 27

knowing oneself 17

being true to yourself 15

recognising strengths and weaknesses 7

awareness 6

examining one's life story 6

expressing feelings 6

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lack of self-awareness 6

knowing your purpose 5

strong sense of self 5

repressing parts of oneself 5

revealing different aspects of oneself 4

not knowing oneself 4

focusing on positive traits 3

not understanding one's purpose 3

self-acceptance 3

hiding aspects of oneself 2

lack of purpose 2

difficulty with examining one's past experiences 1

living up to self imposed expectations 1

open-mindedness 1

Total Count 129

Table 3: Sub-Codes of Self-Knowledge

4.1.1.1 Self-Awareness

Self-awareness appeared twenty seven times and was one of the most frequently mentioned sub-

code, and from the conditional relationship guide, this occurs in many varied situations. This is

illustrated with the following comment: “[d]uring tense moments, both in my previous job, and at

home during a domestic spat, I find that I refer to myself (internally) asking the question, ‘am I

being me? Is this who I am’… I find that by doing this, it provides me with the knowledge of the

fact that I am aware of my actions”.

What When Where Why How Consequence

Self-awareness When in a leadership

session In all situations The individual

was being filmed

The individual saw a lot of things he never realized about himself and tried to imagine being filmed and what it would say

about him

The individual could discover

more about himself`

This is an extract from the Conditional Relationship Guide, which illustrates how an individual

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discovered more about himself after being filmed, and became more aware of his actions.

Consequences for other individuals included not pretending to be anyone else, adjusting reactions

to the world, self-acceptance, and a change of outlook on life.

4.1.1.2 Knowing Oneself

This sub-code was mentioned seventeen times and occurred when people were re-assessing

themselves, or had experienced a change in their lives. One example is where a respondent joined

Narcotics Anonymous: “The turnaround came when I sat down with a sponsor, and started putting

my life story to paper…the lessons learnt from both were that the journey of discovery is not a one-

time event but rather a continuous life-long exercise”. Another individual joined the army: “[t]he

army exposed me to values and beliefs which I did not at all accept… This process of being aware

of what is and what is not important must have sparked off the start of questioning myself and the

things I stood for and believed in”.

The extract from the Conditional Relationship Guide elaborates on the quotes above with the

consequence of becoming more authentic. Other consequences included individuals being able to

be true to themselves, have a more meaningful life and starting to make the choice to be

themselves.

4.1.1.3 Being True to Yourself

This sub-code appeared fifteen times and although appeared in various situations, often appeared in

difficult times in the individual’s lives, where individual were forced to make extreme decisions. .

One such example is as follows: “At some point in my life I was faced with a dilemma to take or

save someone’s life. I did not pull an AK47 trigger because it was against what I believed in…I

was being true to myself”. This instance of “being true to yourself” is elaborated on in the excerpt

from the Conditional Relationship Guide below.


Knowing oneself When coming out of rehabilitation In all situations

The individual had to embark on a process to get to

know himself

The individual started writing down his life

story

The individual is closer to

becoming authentic

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Being true to yourself

When deciding to take or save

someone’s life In all situations

The individual did not want to go against what he

stood for

The individual did not shoot someone

The individual found deeper purpose and

meaning

4.1.1.4 Recognising Strengths and Weaknesses

This sub-code was mentioned seven times, as both stumbling block and enabler. The following

excerpt illustrates this: “I am bad at acknowledging my own personal shortcomings which results in

my bad self-clarity… [w]hen I fail at something I need to assess why I failed, rather than trying to

cover up the fact that I failed”.

4.1.1.5 Awareness

Awareness occurs mostly in situations where individuals are looking at their life in relation to their

surroundings: “First and foremost is awareness - I am in constant internal dialogue regarding the

impact of societal influences on my decisions and am careful to not underestimate their strength on

my thought processes”. This sub-code was mentioned by six individuals.

4.1.1.6 Examining One’s Life Story

This sub-code emerged six times and usually took place when individuals analysed their lives for a

specific reason. One of these did so while writing his CLL assignment: “When I look back and

examine the relationships of my parents I now realize that, although my father was the alcoholic, it

was my mother that was the dominant, controlling personality. I also now see how I use the same

techniques to try to dominate my wife”. The excerpt from the Conditional Relationship Guide

below shows how one individual was able to be more authentic through examining his life story.


Examining one’s life story

After the individual’s illness

In all situations The individual has a greater understanding of him/herself after the last few years

During the individual’s illness friends got to know him/her a lot better and the individual has looked back at this time

The individual is more authentic

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Other consequences of this sub-code were that individuals had defined their beliefs and that they

learnt more about themselves.

4.1.1.7 Expressing Feelings

This was both a stumbling block and an enabler for the individuals and was mentioned six times

and occurs in various situations. This is one example: “I see myself as a person, who is not at all

afraid to express her thinking even in the face of adversity”.

4.1.1.8 Lack of Self-Awareness

This sub-code was mentioned six times and is a stumbling block in all cases. When sitting with his

coach and explaining that he wanted to be the following situation emerged: “’I want to be an

engineer with an MBA, a successful businessman, wealthy, emotionally intelligent…’ – all the

things I thought were important to me. He sat and listened with interest and then asked me two

simple questions: ‘But who do you want to be?’... I was stunned to silence”.

4.1.1.9 Knowing Your Purpose

The sub-code of “knowing your purpose” was mainly an enabler and emerged five times. In one

case, an individual was pressured into choosing between engineering and medicine and wanted to

do neither and broached it with his father: “he didn’t know what I wanted, so we agreed that I

postponed my admission for six months, following that he and I traveled to the USA to find out if I

can do something else… I am glad that he did let me make my decision”.

4.1.1.10 Strong Sense of Self

This was mainly an enabler and was mentioned by five individuals, one of whom had been on a

journey to get to know himself: “By seeing a counselor, reading vast amounts of self help literature

including the Bible, regularly asking friends and family for constructive feedback, understanding

my addictions and learning to love myself…I have developed a strong sense of self”.

4.1.1.11 Repressing Parts of Oneself

Individuals who mentioned this stumbling block all related it to the communities or families they

were living in, and this sub-code appeared five times. One individual illustrates this as follows: “I

grew up with somewhat split personalities, only expressing my true extroverted personality when in

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the presence of my mother and being consciously very reserved and introverted when I was with

my father”.

The table above illustrates one individual’s experience of this sub-code. Other consequences

included not being authentic around the individual’s father, and adding a perspective on how the

individual approaches a problem.

4.1.1.12 Revealing Different Aspects of Oneself

Although similar to the previous sub-code, this was mentioned four times and appears mainly in the

work context: “I do not always feel free to be me…and tend to reveal different parts of myself to

different people”.

4.1.1.13 Not Knowing Oneself

This sub-code also appeared four times and is a stumbling block that occurs in the individual’s

personal lives: “To put it frank[ly], there is a hell of a lot of things that I do know much more about

than myself”.

4.1.1.14 Focusing on Positive Traits

This sub-code appeared three times and occurs in daily life: “By focusing on my positive traits I am

able to distinct myself from others around me and that is what makes me authentic”.

4.1.1.15 Not Understanding One’s Purpose

This is a stumbling block that emerged three times and appears mainly in the personal lives of

individuals. One individual illustrates this sub-code in the following way: “Ever since I was a child

I have held the belief that I wanted to have a career in finance and thus all of my jobs to date have

been in that field. However, I now realize that this is not what truly makes me happy and this need

to work in finance probably arose because my father worked in finance and I have been

subconsciously trying to emulate him”.

What When Where Why How Consequence Repressing parts of oneself

When in the hospitality industry

In all situations The industry is based on the belief that the customer is always right

The individual role-plays to please the clients

This repression contradicts the individual’s deeper persuasion of self-display

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4.1.1.16 Self-Acceptance

This is an enabler that emerged three times and is illustrated by the following comment: “I have

few things I do not like about myself; I like who I am… I do not choose to be me, I just am”.

4.1.1.17 Hiding Aspects of Oneself

“Hiding aspects of oneself” appeared twice as a stumbling block and is encapsulated in the

following excerpt: “Due to my ambitious nature, I normally try to hide my failures”.

4.1.1.18 Lack of Purpose

This sub-code was mentioned by two individuals as a stumbling block: “I have found that my lack

of purpose has meant that I behave very differently in different situations and I struggle internally

with the fact that I am very often not the same person from one day to the next”.

“Difficulty with examining one’s past experiences” and “living up to self imposed expectations”

were stumbling blocks that were mentioned by one individual each, whereas “open-mindedness”

was mentioned as an enabler by one individual.

4.1.2 Personality Traits and Behaviours

The family code of “personality traits and behaviours” is broken down as follows:

Personality Traits and Behaviours Frequency Confidence 9

inability to be true to self 8 inability to be open about one's

feelings 8 being compassionate 5

inability to trust 5 inability to listen authentically 5

lack of confidence 4 having low self-esteem 3

Arrogance 2

being intolerant of others 2 being passionate 2

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building up a defense mechanism 2 Denial 2

strong intuition 2 caring what others think 1

conscience and guilt 1 Shyness 1

lack of passion 1 self-discipline 1

lack of self-discipline 1 inability to self regulate in a

stressful environment 1 inability to ask for assistance 1

Total Count 67

Table 4: Sub-Codes of Personality Traits and Behaviours

4.1.2.1 Confidence

“Confidence” appeared nine times in the open coding and occurs in various different day to day

situations. This is illustrated with the following comment: “When something strikes me as

important, I will act strongly and with enormous amounts of self confidence and passion”. Some

individuals mention that they need confidence in order to be authentic.

What When Where Why How Consequence Confidence As the individual

started to believe in himself

In all situations The individual believed in himself more

The individual was able to start making their own decisions

The individual reached a new authentic frontier

The extract from the Conditional Relationship Guide shows how one individual reached a new

authentic frontier. Other consequences for the sub-code “confidence” were that individuals became

aware of their morals, stood up for what they believe in and became more and more of the same

person.

4.1.2.2 Inability to be True to Self

This stumbling block emerged eight times, mostly when dealing with others or facing a difficult

truth. One such example is illustrated with this comment: “One of the contributing factors that

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make[s] me unauthentic is that I am unable to accept my sexuality and never wanted anybody to

know about [it]”.

4.1.2.3 Inability to be Open about one’s Feelings

This code emerged eight times as a stumbling block mainly when dealing with family, friends or

work colleagues. One individual mentioned that she told her family not to attend her graduation,

even though she was extremely proud of her achievement: “I realise now that my lack of

genuineness in stating my real thoughts of having my family there made a gratifying achievement a

lonely moment in my life”. The table below details the consequence of another individual’s

inability to be open about his feelings. Other consequences include losing girlfriends and not

opening up.

4.1.2.4 Being Compassionate

“Being compassionate” was mentioned five times, mostly as an enabler for authenticity and mainly

occurs for individuals who feel the need to give something back to the community: “one of the

reasons I’m doing my MBA is to be able to give everything I can to South Africans and the world.

I would like to focus on education and really transform people’s lives”.

4.1.2.5 Inability to Trust

This stumbling block was mentioned five times and occurred in the individual’s private, as well as

work lives when individuals have been betrayed in the past. This is one illustrative example: “I

have been betrayed in life and therefore, find it hard to trust in people. It is usually after a long

while of interaction that I tend to trust certain people”.

What When Where Why How Consequence Inability to be open about one’s feelings

When dealing with certain friends

In all situations There is no real trust or intimacy in these relationships

The individual will only talk about topics like sport and hide his feelings

The individual is not being authentic

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4.1.2.6 Inability to Listen Authentically

This code appeared five times as a stumbling block, mainly in the individual’s personal lives, which

is illustrated by the following quote from a doctor, who thought he listened well in his professional

life: “it was always from the point of view of assessing someone else’s problems and coming up

with a solution. I find it very difficult to take a hermeneutic approach to communication.

According to my wife, I never listen to anything she says”.

4.1.2.7 Lack of Confidence

Four individuals mentioned this stumbling block, in various situations involving other people. One

individual mentioned how he feels in certain environments, particularly in large social gatherings:

“I do not have much confidence in myself and almost need to adopt another persona in order to feel

competent in some social situations”.

4.1.2.8 Having low Self-Esteem

This was mentioned three times as a stumbling block towards achieving authenticity. An individual

mentions how she had to endure this trait: “I have a low self-esteem and suffer from much

insecurity. I have gone through eating disorders, depression and only through much effort have

managed to lose my extreme shyness…I specifically have issues about my body and weight”. This

causes the individual to lose her sense of self worth. The extract from the Conditional Relationship

Guide illustrates this quote. Other examples of consequences of this sub-code include being

opened up to manipulation and making decisions that individuals did not want to make.

4.1.2.9 Arrogance

“Arrogance” was mentioned twice, both times as a stumbling block: “The final important stumbling

block to maximising my own authenticity is its expression as an overbearing, almost arrogant,

What When Where Why How Consequence Having low self-esteem

When in a situation in which the individual is insecure

In all situations The individual has esteem problems about her body and weight

The individual defers to a lesser image of herself

The individual loses her sense of worth and her authenticity

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always-right attitude, which leaves no room for others’ views and ways of being”. He mentions

that this leads to “strife, conflict and a loss of respect” for him.

4.1.2.10 Being Intolerant of Others

This stumbling block was mentioned twice in relation to dealing with others. One individual states:

“at times I can become intolerant of people and not give them the opportunity to make mistakes,

learn and grow. I have been criticised by people of being too impatient and wanting to control the

outcome of everything”.

4.1.2.11 Being passionate

“Being passionate” emerged as an enabler twice, and both individuals stated this when doing

something they really enjoyed, such as playing the piano or cooking food: “cooking is an

externalisation of the love I have for my friends and family and nothing is more fulfilling than

watching my guests enjoy a meal. When I cook, I cook with passion for the ingredients, the

method and the final outcome… Passion is the authentic me, magnified”.

4.1.2.12 Building up a Defense Mechanism

Two individuals named this as a stumbling block when dealing with others. One states: “I think

that [I] have many self defence mechanisms and masks that I use, especially with people that I do

not know as well as my work colleagues”. This had led to the individual developing another

personal “to fit in better with society”.

4.1.2.13 Denial

This stumbling block was also mentioned twice. This is illustrated with the following quote: “I

always find it hard to receive negative feedback from friends and family, I tend to push back on it

and get defensive”.

4.1.2.14 Strong Intuition

“Strong intuition” was mentioned twice as an enabler. One individual mentioned “I seem to always

let my heart or my gut determine the decisions that I make” whereas the other individual states: “I

do have a strong intuition which helps me to understand quickly what people want or expect or

what their real intentions are”.

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“Caring what others think”, “shyness”, “lack of passion”, “lack of self-discipline”, “inability to

self-regulate in a stressful environment” and “inability to ask for assistance” were each mentioned

by one individual as a stumbling block. “Conscience and guilt” emerged as an enabler, where an

individual quotes: “[t]o be placed in a predicament where I chose not to be Authentic to myself

would drown me in a pool of guilt. It is a matter that I would struggle to come to terms with. For

this reason, my guilt and conscience are [the] driving force behind my being Authentic”. Lastly,

“self-discipline” was mentioned as another enabler.

4.1.3 Relationships

This is one of the key family codes that contains stumbling blocks and enablers. These are depicted

in the table below.

Relationships Frequency Openness in relationships 21

Family and friends 10

showing trust 8 avoiding conflict 7

role models 7 upbringing 6

tolerance of others 5 building strong support

networks 4 death of a loved one 4

associate with others who respect me 3

vulnerability 3 lack of meaningful

relationships 2 participation in social

networks 2 listening intently 2

appreciation of others 1 lack of role models 1

irreconcilable desires 1

transparency 1 Total Count 88

Table 5: Sub-codes of Relationships

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4.1.3.1 Openness in relationships

This code appears mainly as an enabler and emerged twenty one times, in the context of both close

personal relationships, as well as working relationships. One individual describes this as follows

when he speaks about telling his fiancée something he is ashamed of: “I have become brave enough

to tell her about the time when as a sixteen year old I slapped my then girlfriend who had cheated

on me… I believe that revealing who I am will make my relationships more real because people

will be interacting with the real me”. The table below indicates another example of axial coding for

this sub-code. Other consequences of this code are being able to reflect, being able to express

oneself better and credibility.

What When Where Why How Consequence Openness in relationships

In her relationship with her mother

In all situations The individual is only truly open with her mother

The individual always holds something back in relationships with people other than her mother

The individual only has one authentic relationship

4.1.3.2 Family and Friends

Ten individuals mentioned “family and friends” as both enablers and stumbling blocks. One

example where this sub-code is mentioned as a stumbling block is as follows: “With my family I

behave in an opposite way. I am the youngest of three children… since I was young I have felt as if

I was standing in their shadow. I always tried to join in the discussions my parents and siblings

used to have during supper, but I was usually too young and ignorant to understand… I sometimes

tried to throw statements into the conversation, but the response would always be ‘he is still young,

forgive him’”.

4.1.3.3 Showing Trust

This sub-code emerged eight times as an enabler, both at home and at work. The following quote

illustrates this, where a young woman was given advice by her mentor in the workplace: “I was the

only female working with and managing about a hundred men. My manager and mentor, Richard

Jaure… sat me down on my first day and said to me, ‘child… the first and most important thing you

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need to do is gain trust with all these men’… I went out and did just that and I can attest I had the

most fulfilling working experience built on trust and mutual respect”.

What When Where Why How Consequence Showing trust When in

leadership positions

At work The individual had to manage a hundred men as a twenty one year old woman and her mentor told her to build up their trust

The individual gained trust with these men

The individual had the most fulfilling work experience based on mutual respect and trust

The table above shows the excerpt from the Conditional Relationship Guide for this individual.

Additional consequences for this sub-code include individuals being authentic to their ideals and

having a profound effect on family and friends.

4.1.3.4 Avoiding Conflict

“Avoiding conflict” was a stumbling block mentioned seven times, mainly in the context where

people were faced with difficult situations. One of these is highlighted here: “sometimes I have

acted against my inner belief just to avoid conflict. In arguments, I often concede defeat even when

I know I am right just to avoid conflict”. This leads in most cases to inauthentic behaviour.

4.1.3.5 Role Models

Seven individuals mentioned role models as enablers for authenticity and one individual describes

what her role model means to her: “I have a role model in my life who I regard as one of the more

authentic people I have ever met. Royal, a 62 year old grandmother, is by no means perfect, in fact,

quite the opposite, but she is real… I use her as my benchmark for authenticity”.

4.1.3.6 Upbringing

“Upbringing” was cited six times, and most of these instances were mentioned as enablers: “I

always had a very good and open relationship with my parents… They showed me… their

unconditional love and taught me to be honest, courageous, and authentic to achieve my goals”.

However, one individual experienced the opposite when having to live with his father and

stepmother after his parents’ divorce: “In this family I was not free or enabled to practise my inner

self”.

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4.1.3.7 Tolerance of Others

This sub-code was mentioned by five individuals, all in terms of being an enabler, as indicated

here: “I believe that I have a good ability to be tolerant of the imperfections of others and this is

largely due to the way in which I was brought up”. Another individual confirms this: “I would

always try and help somebody and understand their problems rather than losing my temper”. This

occurs in various different situations and usually leads to individuals being more authentic.

4.1.3.8 Building Strong Support Networks

Four people mentioned this sub-code as an enabler in different circumstances. This is illustrated by

one individual: “I rely, heavily, and contribute to, the support system that I’ve built around me. It

begins with my immediate family, foremost my parents and brother (particularly my mother) and

widens to include my aunt and cousin in Durban, my close group of girl friends who are scattered

around the world, yet available at a moment’s notice”.

4.1.3.9 Death of a Loved One

“Death of a Loved One” emerged four times, usually as an enabler. One individual describes how

her father had cancer and not much time to live: “I simply left my desk and affairs as they were,

flew to PE and spent the next six weeks at his bedside – a precious time that I will never regret.

This period confirmed my values a thousand-fold – I will truly kill for my family and those I love”.

What When Where Why How Consequence Death of a loved one

When the individual’s sister died

In all situations The death made the individual realize how little time there is on earth and how little time you have to be true to yourself

The individual found meaning out of the death to justify their extreme loss

The individual has realized they want to be authentic in the short time on earth

The table above shows another example of an individual’s experience of the death of a loved one.

Other consequences include the individual carrying neuroses into adulthood and being able to be

authentic.

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4.1.3.10 Associate with Others who Respect Me

Three people mentioned this as an enabler, one particularly when he went to university after a

tough time at school, where he did not fit in: “In the Engineering department, I met people who did

not view my geekiness as something strange that should be ridiculed but rather as something worth

recognising and even admired… Through this validation I was able to reinforce my self worth”.

4.1.3.11 Vulnerability

This sub-code is mentioned three times in situations where the individual is usually in a close

relationship with others that they trust: “I therefore consider vulnerability in meaningful

relationships as one of the most important enablers for authenticity. A meaningful relationship is

where I can be myself without wearing a mask and where I can ‘unpack’ experiences”.

4.1.3.12 Lack of Meaningful Relationships

Two individuals mentioned this as a stumbling block, one of whom illustrates this as he moved

from country to country for his career: “I have often moved on from life, which I have built up

temporarily with a girlfriend and circle of friends. I have left the partner behind, because it was the

right thing to do, and not because it felt right”.

4.1.3.13 Participation in Social Networks

This emerged twice as an enabler, and one individual describes this in the context of sport, when he

moved from being extremely competitive, to realising the value of just participating: “This internal

shift from winning to participation, is re-enforced in recalling messages from my old high school

principal, Jan Preuyt… [who] consistently emphasised that the value in competition is participation

and not victory”.

4.1.3.14 Listening Intently

“Listening intently” was cited twice as an enabler and one individual elaborates on this when

describing the disagreements he has with his father: “whereas before I was listening for the things I

did not want to hear I am now listening to understand”. This has led to him feeling he can become

more authentic.

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The other sub-codes in this family code were all mentioned once, with “appreciation of others” and

“transparency” listed as enablers and “lack of role models” and “irreconcilable desires” as

stumbling blocks.

4.1.4 Fear

Fear is a family code that encompasses mainly stumbling blocks, where individuals are afraid of

certain consequences that disable them from acting authentically. However, some, such as “moving

away from a comfort one” assist individuals in being more authentic. The breakdown is listed

below:

Fear Frequency fear of vulnerability 13

times of distress 5

fear of rejection 4 moving away from a

comfort zone 4 fear of being judged 2 fear of repercussions 2 not being afraid of

being judged 2

fear of conflict 1 fear of hurting others 1

fear of making mistakes 1 aversion to risk 1 overcoming fear 1 self-deception 1 Total Count 38

Table 6: Sub-Codes of Fear

4.1.4.1 Fear of Vulnerability

This sub-code was mentioned thirteen times as a stumbling block, in various situations including

family life, university, and at the workplace. One individual states the following: “Being away

from home makes me feel vulnerable, further being black in a white dominated class worsens my

already precarious position… The fear is that if I look more vulnerable then I am in trouble”. This

prevents him from being who he is, and blocks him in his learning. The table below is an example

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of how another individual experienced this fear. Other consequences include individuals resigning

and losing trust in who they are.

What When Where Why How Consequence Fear of vulnerability

When growing up as an inferior sportsman compared to his brother and going to boarding school

In all situations The events that happened to the individual led him to create an appearance of strength and control

The individual created an image of invulnerability

The individual was not true to himself

4.1.4.2 Times of Distress

“Times of Distress” emerged five times, interestingly mostly as an enabler. During his time in the

Armed Forces, one individual describes his experience: “I was pushed to the very limits of my

mental and physical abilities… It is only when you are completely emotionally drained and have

absolutely nothing left to give; no rank to hide behind; no physical stamina left to call upon; no

false bravado to get you through; no modern comfort to ease your suffering; starving and deprived

of sleep that you truly see the Authentic You”.

4.1.4.3 Fear of Rejection

This stumbling block occurred four times, mostly when dealing with other people: “The fear of

being rejected feeds my difficulty with trusting other people as I am afraid of being hurt”, which in

this case is as a result of drastically changing environments for this individual.

4.1.4.4 Moving Away from a Comfort Zone

“Moving away from a comfort zone” was raised by four individuals who were forced, or chose to,

leave their comfort zones. One individual describes his experience: “most of valuable lessons I

have learnt in my life have been from instances that moved me outside of my comfort zone, some

severely so… When the sheriff repossess[ed] our home and all we owned, I was forced to face the

reality that I was not defined by the possessions that I or my family owned, if this was the case I

was nothing and I refused to accept that”. This enabled him to become more authentic.

4.1.4.5 Fear of Being Judged

This sub-code appeared twice as a stumbling block and is illustrated as follows: “My fear of

judgement relates to what I fear others will think of me should I behave authentically and,

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therefore, possibly distinguish myself from a group… This fear relates to my social networking…

Therefore, there is a juxtaposition where I feel forced into compromising my authenticity in order

to maintain social credibility and not be judged by others”.

4.1.4.6 Fear of Repercussions

Two people highlighted this stumbling block, and one describes the situation where he overcame

this stumbling block: “When I bought out my business partner, I knew that the repercussions could

be severe but I felt that his decision-making ability was flawed and I did not wish him to cause

financial loss for my business”.

4.1.4.7 Not Afraid of Being Judged

This sub-code was also mentioned twice and this excerpt illustrates how one individual feels when

they were asked in an Entrepreneurship class if they had any advanced ideas and they mentioned a

teleportation transport system: “The hilarity in the class made it impossible for me to compare this

idea with the fact that mobile phones were as science fiction as a teleporting device, only 30 years

ago… At the end I was true to myself”.

The last sub-codes of “fear of conflict”, “fear of hurting others”, “fear of making mistakes”,

“aversion to risk”, “overcoming fear” “self-deception” were also mentioned once each. All were

stumbling blocks with the exception of “overcoming fear”.

4.1.5 Values and Morals

In the majority of cases, sub-codes belonging to this family code are enablers of authenticity, in that

the individuals are guided by their values and morals in various different ways. The sub-codes and

the frequency count are listed below:

Values and Morals Frequency living out your true values 14

sound values 13

standing up for what you believe in 6 being comfortable with your decisions 5

honesty 4

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knowing where you stand on moral issues 4

telling the truth 4 making a positive difference in the lives of

others 3 Doing what is right and fair 2

stewardship 2 avoiding situations that conflict with one's

morals 1 integrity 1

moral guidance 1 freedom 1

Total Count 61

Table 7: Sub-Codes of Values and Morals

4.1.5.1 Living Out Your True Values

This sub-code occurred in various situations and was highlighted fourteen times as an enabler. One

example is that of an individual who worked for Accenture and decided to resign: “I made the

difficult decision to leave the organisation based on the fact that the organisation principles were in

constant conflict with my values… I also found that being a consultant sometimes required me to

act in ways that were not always honest in order to please the client and make money for the

organisation”. The consequence is that she now works for an organisation that is in line with her

values.

4.1.5.2 Sound Values

Thirteen individuals mentioned sound values as an enabler. The context of this sub-code is varied,

but includes family life, upbringing and religion. Quotes that illustrate this are: “My strong family

values, religion and sense of morality prevents wavering of values or compromising integrity” and

“I now dare to live by my own values and principles”.

What When Where Why How Consequence Sound values When in the navy At work The individual

was taught that honour, loyalty, integrity and dignity were key values

The individual believes his ability to be an authentic leader is based on his sound values

This has guided the individual through tough decisions

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The table above shows an individual’s experience of having sound values. Other examples of

consequences for this sub-code include individuals appearing arrogant and preventing individuals

from compromising their integrity and core values.

4.1.5.3 Standing Up for What You Believe In

This code emerged six times as an enabler, mostly in all situations. One individual describes it as

follows: “An enabler for me is not being afraid to voice my opinion or thoughts and have courage

to stand up to my beliefs.”

4.1.5.4 Being Comfortable With Your Decisions

Five people mentioned that “being comfortable with your decisions” was an enabler for them: “I

need to realise that when I make decisions, on what to study or who to date, I am the one who has

to live with these decisions, not my family or my friends. I have to make decisions that sit well with

me”.

4.1.5.5 Honesty

This sub-code was mentioned four times in a general context and one of the examples listed is as

follows: “I would list my honesty, particularly when it comes to recogni[sing] my weaknesses and

my ability to learn from past experience. My capacity of talking directly to others looking straight

at their eyes, combined with a distinct level of courage to report the truth…enable me to maintain

my authenticity”.

4.1.5.6 Knowing Where You Stand on Moral Issues

This enabler emerged four times in various situations, such as the following one: “I chose not to

engage in activities such as smoking and drinking which were then the only way of becoming

accepted into friendships”. The consequence for this person was that they did not allow these

influences to affect their authenticity negatively.

4.1.5.7 Telling the Truth

“Telling the truth” was mentioned four times as an enabler and one individual relates his experience

of this: “In my community, stealing is punishable by death by public thrashing and roasting if the

masses get hold of you before the police… I consequently grew up telling the truth and portraying

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myself as I truly was, even if that meant losing out on the things I treasured most or exposing

myself to unknown dangers”.

4.1.5.8 Making a Positive Difference in the Lives of Others

Three individuals raised this sub-code as an enabler to their authenticity: “An example of my

authenticity is my commitment to volunteering at the Red Cross. This was motivated by an intense

desire to make a difference in the lives of others”. The result of this is that the individual has

fulfilment in their lives.

4.1.5.9 Doing what is Right and Fair

This sub-code was cited twice as an enabler, with one individual stating: “The dedication to justice

and fairness is deeply rooted in my heart. Encountering situations of which I disapprove demands

expression of my open and honest opinion. The positive reaction towards my actions by

environment is further incentive to be authentic”.

4.1.5.10 Stewardship

“Stewardship” was raised in the context of leadership for both individuals who mentioned this sub-

code. One stated: “I agree that leadership is about servanthood, I have been in leadership capacities

since I was in high school and came to realise that it was more tedious than I previously envisioned

of leaders whom I had seen as bosses who only give orders”.

“Avoiding situations that conflict with one’s morals”, “integrity”, “moral guidance” and “freedom”

were all mentioned as enablers by one individual each.

4.1.6 Influence of Others

This family code relates on the whole to stumbling blocks to authenticity where individuals are

influenced in different ways. The various sub-codes are listed below:

Influence of Others Frequency conforming to the expectations of

others 57 pleasing others 13

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contingent self-esteem 9 Wanting to fit in 7 seeking approval 7 non-conformance 6

stealing the traits of others 4

being influenced 4 feedback from others 3

Total Count 110

Table 8: Sub-Codes of Influence of Others

4.1.6.1 Conforming to the Expectations of Others

This stumbling block was mentioned fifty seven times and is the one sub-code mentioned the most

times in all the documents that were analysed. This sub-code occurred in all situations, including

at work, at university, when growing up, in the family context, in relationships, sexuality and in the

community.

This sub-code displays various examples of when individuals felt pressure to conform to what was

expected of them, with the result in the majority of instances that the individuals could not be true

to themselves. One individual relays how he was forced by his father, who was a Professor, into

studying something that he did not want to: “I realised that my interests lay in business. However,

due to the intense pressure from my father, I was forced to pursue a Medical degree with the

intention of eventually entering the health fraternity”. Another individual describes how he was

forced to conform to the expectation of others when he was homosexual: “I grew up in a home

where the only affirmation I could get was by being the perfect child. This involved getting the

best marks in school…and most importantly pretending to be heterosexual. I was unable to be

authentic because I had fitted myself into a social category to please my mother… It was the most

painful thing having to be inauthentic when I knew the authentic me was gay”.

What When Where Why How Consequence Conforming to the expectations of others

When forced to obtain a masters degree

In all situations The individual wanted to have a certain status among his cousins

The individual went through a tough time achieving this

The individual thinks he might be under the illusion that he is in control

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The table above illustrates another individual’s experience in conforming. Other examples of

consequences of this sub-code include selling out, a painful inauthentic existence and the individual

does not practice what they preach.

4.1.6.2 Pleasing Others

“Pleasing others” was mentioned by thirteen individuals as a stumbling block in various different

circumstances. One of these was where an individual stated: “My desire to please everyone and

always be the ‘perfect person’ is my flawed sense of role in that it disables me from really being

myself. For example, if I have problems, I don’t really want to bother others with it and try to put

up a happy face and start denying my own feelings”. The consequence of this was that more

negative feelings were created and this had led to her suffering from bulimia in the past.

4.1.6.3 Contingent Self-Esteem

Nine individuals mention this sub-code as stumbling blocks, and one illustrates this as follows:

“Throughout my life I have been measured against my older sister, Mienkie, who is quite simply

more intelligent, more beautiful, more socially adept and more disciplined than me. This has made

me feel misaligned with myself because I am continuously trying to achieve something which is not

based on my own goals and aspirations”.

4.1.6.4 Wanting to Fit In

This sub-code was mentioned seven times as a stumbling block. One individual pretended to be

Namibian when he was South African at university and states: “[I] passed myself off as a

Namibian… Though my rouge worked, and led to my acceptance as a foreigner it led to my utter

confusion and unhappiness”.

4.1.6.5 Seeking Approval

Seven individuals named this as a stumbling block, both in their personal lives and at work, as is

the case with this individual: “my actions are very often focused purely on achievement and the

resultant recognition. This single minded pursuit of recognition from my peers and superiors leads

me to conduct myself in a manner which is less than authentic”.

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4.1.6.6 Non-conformance

Non-conformance appeared six times in the documents, as an enabler. One example that illustrates

this is where an individual states: “I have never been one to take the easy way out…I believe

strongly in being a non-conformist… Conformity was never a condition for love in my household”.

4.1.6.7 Stealing the Traits of Others

Four individuals reported this sub-code as a stumbling block: “I also fall into the trap of pretending

to be somebody else by copying certain aspects of somebody I was impressed by”.

4.1.6.8 Being Influenced

“Being influenced” was also mentioned by four individuals as a stumbling block. One individual

mentions how he was forced into a leadership role for the benefit of others: “I was volunteered to

be an administrator for a group of chess coaches for my provincial chess team. I did not choose to

become the administrator because I was merely interested in coaching”. This resulted in the

individual doing a poor job.

4.1.6.9 Feedback from Others

This sub-code was mentioned three times and one individual writes: “When my parents told me off

when I was younger, I found it difficult to accept what they had to say and move on from it, and

similarly my team leader in my current role commented that I am very defensive to criticism in the

workplace”.

4.1.7 Coping Mechanisms

This family code refers mainly to stumbling blocks that were identified as means for individuals to

deal with their specific situations. The sub-codes are detailed below:

Coping Mechanisms Frequency putting up a facade 8 not telling the truth 4

escapism 1

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mind is stronger than body 1 the ability to adapt and

change 1 Total Count 15

Table 9: Sub-Codes of Coping Mechanisms

4.1.7.1 Putting up a Façade

This stumbling block is mentioned eight times in various circumstances. This individual describes

himself in the workplace: “In the end I could hardly identify the real me. In every work situation I

built a façade to which I can relate the demands of the new project”. This resulted in the individual

not letting people know who he is. This is illustrated below. Other examples for consequences of

this sub-code include wasted energy and suppression of the individual.

What When Where Why How Consequence Putting up a façade

When working in a new project

At work The individual wanted to appease the organization

The individual put up a new façade with each project

The individual did not let people know who he was

4.1.7.2 Not Telling the Truth

Four individuals mention this sub-code as a stumbling block and one mentions how he grew up

without a father, but lied about it: “I would lie to my primary schoolmates about my father… I used

to tell my schoolmates things about my father that were non-existent. Even though I knew that

lying is wrong I still made up stories about my father because I wanted my friends to accept me”.

4.1.7.3 Escapism

This was mentioned by one individual who became withdrawn and silent: “I can suffer from

escapism. I think my teenage years taught me this trait”.

4.1.7.4 Mind is Stronger than Body

One individual mentioned this as a stumbling block, where she mentions her mind conquers her

body: “my belief of eating healthy can suppress my taste-buds in recognising which foods my taste-

buds enjoy”.

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4.1.7.5 The Ability to Adapt and Change

This was also mentioned by one person, but as an enabler: “this is the heart and soul of my

‘authentic self’: Being able to adapt and change my personality, leadership style, level of self

awareness etc. to suite the moment and the purpose, in order to achieve my goal and ultimately

develop and grow myself”.

4.1.8 Meditation, Reflection and Spirituality

This family code represents mainly enablers, and the sub-codes are listed below:

Meditation, Reflection and Spirituality Frequency

meditation and reflection 33 spirituality and religion 10

lack of reflection 6

reflection on the past 3 mindfulness 2

lack of inner vision 2 Total Count 56

Table 10: Sub-Codes of Meditation, Reflection and Spirituality

4.1.8.1 Meditation and Reflection

This sub-code was mentioned thirty three times and is the second most mentioned sub-code. It is

an enabler in the majority of instances and occurs in a range of settings, including at work and in

the individual’s personal lives. One individual finds this in nature: “I have found that my quiet time

comes when I participate in road running or cycling, as well as finding that walks in the Table

Mountain National Park (or any open fields) focus my mind on being reflective, thinking about

myself, my loved ones, how I am fitting into the world around me, am I really happy doing what I

am doing”. According to the conditional relationship guide, the consequence of most of these

instances is that the individuals know themselves better over time.

What When Where Why How Consequence Meditation and reflection

When trying to find a life calling

In all situations The individual realized he was not happy

The individual started an MBA

The individual understood himself better

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The table above shows another example of an individual experiencing meditation and reflection.

Other examples of consequences include individuals finding themselves, learning about themselves,

aligning their values and being true to themselves.

4.1.8.2 Spirituality and Religion

Ten individuals named this as a stumbling block or enabler. One individual mentions: “I had many

material pos[sessions] but my life… still felt empty. When I became a Christian I understood my

purpose was to follow God and serve him and others”. Another individual sees it as a stumbling

block and refers to her ‘Jewish guilt’: “I was raised in a Jewish household… I sought this societal

approval during my school years and hence feel like I compromised my own beliefs”.

4.1.8.3 Lack of Reflection

This was seen as a stumbling block by six individuals: “I have rarely spent time determining why I

act in certain ways and a lack of clarity around my purpose combined with difficulty in creating

deep relationships have affected my ability to project my authentic self”.

4.1.8.4 Reflection on the Past

This sub-code emerged three times, and this is one example: “I believe it is very important to learn

from our past mistake[s] to be able to grow. An enabler for me to be authentic is to see how I was

unauthentic in the past and work towards the other direction in future”.

4.1.8.5 Mindfulness

“Mindfulness” appeared twice as an enabler: “My discussion with Lisa allowed me to exercise

mindfulness while eating… I hope that through regular practice of mindfulness, I will learn to still

my mind so as to enhance my appreciation of the present”.

4.1.8.6 Lack of Inner Vision

Two individuals mentioned this sub-code as a stumbling block. One illustrates this as follows: “I

find that I have difficulty in focussing on my inner self. I am unsure what questions… I need to be

asking and whether I can be truly honest to myself”.

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4.1.9 Balance

This family code is represented by both stumbling blocks and enablers and is broken down into the

following sub-codes:

Balance Frequency congruence between words and deeds 6

balancing extrinsic and intrinsic motivation 4

integrating one's life 3 balancing work and social

responsibilities 1 incongruence between words and deeds 1

the struggle of maintaining one's integrity 1

Total Count 16

Table 11: Sub-Codes of Balance

4.1.9.1 Congruence between Words and Deeds

This sub-code appears six times and is an enabler. One individual explains this as follows: “I

sincerely believe that actions speak louder than words… I strive to maintain a consistency between

what I say and do”. The extract below shows the consequences of this enabler. Other examples are

that individuals gain credibility as a leader that they feel genuine.

What When Where Why How Consequence Congruence between words and deeds

When managing the feelings of others

In all situations The individual wants to become authentic/original

The individual wants to develop their emotional intelligence to be able o think and say and act what he feels is right

The individual believes he will become more authentic this way

4.1.9.2 Balancing Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivation

Four people have highlighted this sub-code. An individual speaks of living in Johannesburg and

the effect this has on extrinsic motivation: “growing up and living in Johannesburg, it’s easy to get

caught up in the materialism hype- bigger paycheques equals bigger house, bigger car and a more

extravagant lifestyle. As result of this, you tend to lose a grip of who you are”.

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4.1.9.3 Integrating One’s Life

This sub-code emerged three times and one individual comments on his difficulty in achieving this:

“I think I have been out of balance in profession [and] education versus my family life”.

4.1.9.4 Balancing Work and Social Responsibilities

Only one person highlighted this as a stumbling block: “I need to strike a balance between

managing my own professional schedules and tasks… and my social responsibilities so that the

legitimate expectations of my family are also effectively catered for”.

4.1.9.5 Incongruence between Words and Deeds

This sub-code was mentioned by one individual: “I often tend to behave in conflicting ways, in that

sometimes my words to not reflect my actions”.

4.1.9.6 The Struggle of Maintaining One’s Integrity

One person cited this as a stumbling block where he mentions “the ever present battle I have with

maintaining my integrity… I can also relate to my first three years in recovery, and the amount of

times I had relapsed, due to the fact that I entered recovery purely as a means to please family and

management”.

4.1.10 Diversity

This family code is comprised of the following sub-codes:

Diversity Frequency embracing diversity 11

cultural diversity 3 embracing being different 2

taking risks 1 Total Count 17

Table 12: Sub-Codes of Diversity

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4.1.10.1 Embracing Diversity

Eleven individuals highlighted this sub-code as an enabler. One individual illustrates this concept:

“When it comes to respect for diversity, to live and work in South Africa is indeed a blessed

opportunity… I’ve found that a culture of respect for diversity encourages me to be as authentic as I

can be”. The table below shows another instance of axial coding. Other examples of consequences

include individuals growing and becoming better leaders.

4.1.10.2 Cultural Diversity

“Cultural Diversity” emerged three times, and this individual describes how it is a stumbling block

for him being Chinese and working in the West: “as children in a small Chinese community,

humility and respect were core values that were instilled in us…But working with six other western

individual[s] the same age as me quickly taught me that I needed to change… as humility and acute

respect was being interpreted as weak and resulted in me being walked over”.

4.1.10.3 Embracing being Different

Two individuals identified this sub-code as an enabler, one of whom mentions: “One of my

enablers is that I love being different, unconventional and hate conforming”.

4.1.10.4 Taking Risks

“Taking risks” was mentioned by one person as an enabler: “Looking back on my life, the times

I’ve felt truly authentic have been when I’ve taken the risk and believed in myself”.

What When Where Why How Consequence Embracing diversity

When choosing a university

At university The individual wanted to be in a group of diverse people

The individual chose to do his MBA in another country at UCT because of the diverse group of people

The individual got to know his authentic self better

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4.1.11 Institutions, Organisations and the Workplace

This family code represents stumbling blocks and enablers and is detailed below:

Institutions, Organisations and the Workplace Frequency

organisations with conflicting values to yours 18

learning and education 17

working in an environment conducive to expressing values 6

working too much 3

Total Count 44

Table 13: Sub-Codes of Institutions, Organisations and the Workplace

4.1.11.1 Organisations with Conflicting Values to Yours

Eighteen individuals mentioned this as a stumbling block and one of these was in the navy, where

his values did not match that of the organisation: “My compounding disillusionment with the navy

reached a limit when I was ordered to commission a substandard Midshipman who had failed

continuously throughout the year. I reached a point where further justification to stay in the navy

would mean the almost complete deconstruction of what it meant to be me”. This resulted in the

individual leaving the navy.

4.1.11.2 Learning and Education

“Learning and education” was mentioned seventeen times, mostly as an enabler, although there

were some instances of this sub-code being a stumbling block. An example of this sub-code being

an enabler is elaborated on by one individual: “For every year I have studied I have unearthed a

new aspect to m[y] personality that I was previously unaware of, as if education is part of the spade

that is excavating the essence of Gary. It pushes boundaries and challenges beliefs, always holding

me up to a new exacting standard”. The table below shows another individual’s view on learning

and education. Other consequences were learning moral lessons, individuals validating themselves

and gaining courage to stand up for what they believe in.

What When Where Why How Consequence Learning and education

When losing their father

In all situations The individual believed their future lay in education

The individual worked extremely hard at school

The individual learnt moral and religious lessons

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4.1.11.3 Working in an Environment Conducive to Expressing Values

This sub-code emerged six times as an enabler. One individual described his situation: “At this

moment in my current working environment it is easy for me to live and apply my personal

strengths and values”.

4.1.11.4 Working Too Much

Three people noted that this was a stumbling block for them and one of them described a situation

where one of his friends was in a car accident in which his fellow passenger was killed, and the

friend was jailed. The individual’s mother asked him to join his friend’s family for moral support,

although they needed both moral and financial assistance: “So she asked me to accompany her to

their house to give them moral support. I did not make it because there was something major

happening in my company that I couldn’t afford to miss. Nevertheless, I offered some money just

to clear my conscience”. The result was that the friend’s family wanted the moral support and

refused the money.

4.1.12 Money and Material Goods

The family code “money and material goods” consists of mainly stumbling blocks and is detailed as

follows

Money and Material Goods Frequency material wealth 3

financial freedom 1 fear of loss of income 1

Total Count 5

Table 14: Sub-Codes of Money and Material Goods

4.1.12.1 Material Wealth

This sub-code was mentioned three times as stumbling blocks: “The pursuit of material wealth and

buying ‘things’ may stop me from pursuing another line of work that might be more fulfilling but

does not pay as much as my current job”. The table below illustrates the consequence of this sub-

code.

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What When Where Why How Consequence Material wealth When living life In all situations The individual

becomes distracted by wealth

The individual loses sight of who he is

The individual is not authentic

4.1.12.2 Financial Freedom

This was mentioned as an enabler by one individual who moved out of an expensive house to a

cheaper property: “This will give me some flexibility so that I am not tied to my paycheck and can

explore other career options that may not be as financially rewarding but more spiritually

rewarding”.

4.1.12.3 Fear of Loss of Income

Conversely, this sub-code was cited by one individual as a stumbling block: “Another hindering

problem in my life has been that of poverty resulting in my great fear of income loss if I behave out

of cord with the powers that pay my salary”.

4.2 RESEARCH ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION

The researcher took the twelve family codes and created an interrelationship diagraph in order to

answer the question ‘how are the different family codes of authenticity interlinked?’. This was

achieved by taking each family code, for example Fear, and deciding whether it influenced the

following family code, for example Balance, or whether Balance influenced Fear. If Fear

influenced Balance, an arrow was drawn pointing away from Fear and the arrow head would point

towards Balance. The inverse would also be true. Once this exercise was completed with all

twelve family codes, a count was done of the number of arrows pointing away from each family

code, and towards each family code. The family codes with the majority of arrows pointing

outwards were labelled as drivers, those with the majority of arrows pointing towards the code were

outcomes, and those in the middle were labelled as links. This resulted in Fear, Coping

Mechanisms, Relationships and Balance emerging as the outcomes and Values and Morals,

Personality Traits and Behaviour, Money and Material Goods and Institutions, Organisations and

the Workplace emerging as links. The drivers of authenticity are Meditation, Reflection and

Spirituality, Influence of Others, Self-Knowledge and Diversity.

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Figure 4: Interrelationship Diagraph of Authenticity Family Codes

The family code Self-Knowledge, and more specifically the sub-code, “self-awareness” can be

related back to the definitions of authenticity of Mader (2007), George, Sims and McLean (2007) as

well as Marshall and Heffes (2004). Individuals practiced this self-awareness in many different

situations, including when they were experiencing tense moments, when embarking on an MBA, in

a marriage, in leadership positions and when moving overseas: “I have developed a large degree of

self-awareness and personal insight since moving away from home over eight years ago”. The

family code of Personality Traits and Behaviours can be linked to this, as traits such as “shyness”

and “having low self-esteem“, which are sub-codes, are intricately linked with knowing oneself.

Here, individuals make statements such as “one of my major weaknesses is shyness” and “[w]hen I

make a decision I often ask the opinion of friends and family, this causes me to second guess the

initial decision I made and subsequently a decision that I did not want to make”. It could be argued

that the family code of Meditation, Reflection and Spirituality are also linked to the concept of self-

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awareness. This was the experience of one student: “[m]editative practice has been cited by many

authors as a useful tool… I have used this technique extensively and have found it’s application

hugely beneficial in ‘quietening’ my mind and allowing a more acute self-awareness and therefore

improved authenticity”. Religion as an enabler occurred when people converted or when it was a

key part of their upbringing. However, in one case this is the opposite: “I consider myself a

spiritual person, driven that way mainly by the rejection of religion”.

Although the family code Money and Material Goods and its sub-codes did not appear in the initial

literature review, individuals did mention that these had an effect on their authenticity and were

stumbling blocks to achieving authenticity. One individual states: “We have become too distracted

in the riches of the world that we lose sight of what is important and who we are”. This view is

similar to Reisert’s essay on Authenticity, Justice, and Virtue in Taylor and Rousseau (2000,

p.327), where he states: “Rousseau shows us how inequalities of wealth, power, status tempt us to

define ourselves in terms of these external goods rather than in terms of our intimate relationships

and commitment to worthwhile ideals”.

Many individuals commented on the fact that their places of work were a stumbling block to their

authenticity. Some mentioned that their managers asked them to engage in illegal, dishonest or

unethical tasks: “the director to whom I report into often requests that I and my colleagues conduct

business by employing dishonesty”. Others stated that they felt they needed to conform to the

company culture in order to impress their managers, to climb the corporate ladder, get a deal signed

or to be politically correct: “[t]he dogmatic and paternalistic culture on the mines determined how I

behaved because I wanted to appear to be politically correct”. One individual describes how he had

to retrench 700 employees and he had to break the news to those concerned: “I took the cold,

business approach to sharing the difficult news with individuals. It felt easy at the time, but it was

not long before I started questioning my inappropriate approach to others”. Although the individual

might not have had a choice in having to retrench his staff, perhaps his choice could have been

expressed in the way he worded his delivery of the news. This is in line with Jackson’s findings,

who states: “The manner in which people are terminated, including the kind of words used to

communicate the firing and the specific ways the day’s events transpire, are of great significance in

terms of perceptions of meanness and cruelty, on one hand, or kindness and compassion, on the

other” (Jackson, 2005, p.318).

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Relationships, whether in the context of family and friends, role models, social networks or the

workplace had a profound effect on authenticity. In the context of leadership at work, many

individuals expressed the need to be open: “Leaders who are genuine and open to their followers

will share a greater connection in values than those leaders who are highly persuasive”. This ties in

with the literature review conducted, particularly with Kernis’ view (2003) “endorsing the

importance for close others to see the real you”. Influence of Others is a family code that contains a

number of stumbling blocks that refer back to Relationships, particularly the argument that

Doorewaard and Benschop (2003, p.276) make, that states individuals are “moulded and shaped by

the ‘mores’ of the society they live in”. This is highlighted by many individuals, one of whom

states: “I feel that my girlfriend at the time of my Fathers sequestration was a negative influence on

my authenticity… Being aware that others have an impact on my choices, by either their advi[c]e or

actions, will enable me to isolate their choices and actions in my mind and then analyse them before

making my decisions”.

The family code Balance ties into the concept of George, Sims, MacLean and Mayer (2007) of

balancing intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. It is also reinforced by Duignan and Bhindi (1997)

who describe the difficulty of reconciling organisational and individual interests. This can be taken

one step further to include balancing and integrating all aspects of life: “in essence I realised that

though providing for one’s family is a noble cause integrating one’s own goals an[d] aspirations in

the process is also important to be authentic”.

Values and Morals are an integral part of many definitions of authenticity, such as that of

Hodgkinson (1991, p. 130, as cited in Duignan & Bhindi, 1997, p. 207), who defines authenticity

“as being true to one’s own set of values, whatever they may be”. This family code of Values and

Morals is cited as an enabler by many students: “Having studies military leaders extensively at the

Military Academy and having to lead sailors for 13 years, I believe that my ability to become a

truly authentic leader is based upon my sound set of values”.

The concept of the family code of Fear is not described in the literature review conducted at the

start of this research process, which is described by many students as a stumbling block towards

their authenticity: “[t]he fear of conflict appears to originate from the need for acceptance”. The

family code of Coping Mechanisms also cannot be directly linked to the literature reviewed,

however, sub-codes such as “not telling the truth” and “putting up a façade” are the polar opposite

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of what authors such as George, Sims, McLean and Mayer (2007, p. 129) advocate: “[p]eople trust

you when you are genuine and authentic”.

Diversity as a family code consisted primarily of enablers, but does not tie directly into the

literature reviewed prior to the analysis of the documents. However, for many students it is a key

component of authenticity and one describes how he chose his university: “[t]he GSB offers such

an enabling environment to live the authentic self. You meet people from different regions and

different walks of lie. They all serve to offer different insights and perspectives to your own. In

the process you get to know your authentic self, where and what you truly stand for, because

everything you believe in, is continuously challenged and explored”.

In order to understand better how the drivers, links and outcomes obtained in the interrelationship

diagraph were interlinked, the researcher created a causal loop diagram, which was the refined into

the model below. This model depicts the researcher’s understanding of the relationship between

stumbling blocks and enablers of authenticity.

Figure 5: Researcher’s Model of Stumbling Blocks and Enablers of Authenticity

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4.3 RESEARCH LIMITATIONS

Since the researcher only used 210 assignments, this is a limited number and is a convenience

sample. This was used due to the limited time in which his research could be conducted. Mullen,

Pathé, Purcell & Stuart, (1999, as cited in Nielsen & Einarsen, 2008, p. 266) state that “as

convenience samples cannot be regarded as representative for a larger population, the external

validity of such samples may be low and the findings highly skewed”. Bryman and Bell (2007, p.

203) also state that even with probability sampling, “any findings can be generalized only to the

population from which that sample was taken”. Since the sample has been chosen on the basis of

the 210 most recent assignments, the findings for the MBA and EMBA students of the Graduate

School of Business and Rotterdam School of Management cannot be generalised to a greater

student population or a greater population in general.

Similarly, in terms of grounded theory limitations, the theories “pertain to the specific social

phenomenon being researched and not to a broader range of phenomena” (Bryman & Bell, 2007, p.

591). In addition, content analysis is limited in that the researcher will interpret the findings to

some extent, as it is “almost impossible to devise coding manuals that do not entail some

interpretation on the part of the coders” (Bryman & Bell, 2007, p. 321).

The researcher also experienced various challenges during the research process. This included the

researcher’s limited knowledge of Atlas.ti software, which led to the researcher making the mistake

of moving the document that was being coded to another folder, thereby corrupting the hermeneutic

unit.

5 RESEARCH CONCLUSIONS

The overall aim of this research was to analyse the stumbling blocks and enablers towards

achieving authenticity for MBA and EMBA students. In order to accomplish this, the researcher

received a number of Communication, Leadership and Learning assignments written by MBA

students at the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business, as well as by EMBA

students of Erasmus University’s Rotterdam School of Management. After conducting a literature

review on the topic of authenticity, these assignments were analysed using grounded theory.

During the process of open coding, 125 sub-codes were identified. The researcher then used axial

coding, through the use of a conditional relationship guide, to further analyse these sub-codes.

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These sub-codes were grouped into twelve family codes: Self-Knowledge, Personality Traits and

Behaviours, Relationships, Fear, Values and Morals, Influence of Others, Coping Mechanisms,

Meditation, Reflection and Spirituality, Balance, Diversity, Institutions, Organisations and the

Workplace, and Money and Material Goods.

Through using an interrelationship diagraph, it was established what the key drivers, links and

outcomes of authenticity were. When relating this to the initial literature review, it emerged that

the family codes of Relationships and Balance were in fact two of the sub-headings in the literature

review. In addition, “trust” and “self-awareness”, which were two other sub-headings in the

literature review, were identified as sub-codes in the analysis, thereby clearly reinforcing and

enhancing the literature review conducted. Leadership was also a key element within the analysis,

although it did not emerge as a sub-code. The one area of exception is that the literature review

also focused on Perception, which did not emerge from the analysis of the assignments.

The count of the sub-codes within the family code of Self Knowledge is one hundred and twenty

nine, whereas the count of the sub-codes within the family code Influence of Others is one hundred

and ten. These are the two highest counts of sub-codes in this analysis, hence these family codes are

the biggest influencers of authenticity. All family codes contain both stumbling blocks and

enablers, hence it is difficult to state what the main stumbling blocks and what the main enablers

are. However, the majority of sub-codes contained in the family code Self Knowledge are enablers,

and the majority of the sub-codes in the family code Influence of Others are stumbling blocks,

hence Self Knowledge is the main enabler, and Influence of Others is the main stumbling block

towards achieving authenticity for MBA and EMBA students. There are no individual stumbling

blocks or enablers that are common to every individual, and in terms of patterns, it emerged that

certain sub-codes were a stumbling block for one individual, and an enabler for another.

6 FUTURE RESEARCH DIRECTIONS

Despite the fact that there were limitations to this research, there are a number of possible

implications of this research for practising managers. This research contained the essays of both

MBA and EMBA students. The average age of an MBA student at the University of Cape Town’s

Graduate School of Business is 30 years, and the average number of years work experience is over

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three years (Ryan, n.d.), whereas the average age of an EMBA student at the Erasmus Rotterdam

School of Management is 34 years, and the average number of years work experience is eight years

(Schouten, 2009). Since there is a difference in the average age of an MBA student and an EMBA

student, as well as a difference in the average number of years’ work experience between these two

groups, it would be interesting to conduct an in-depth study to see how the enablers and stumbling

blocks change over the course of a manager’s life.

Similarly, since the data analysed is from two countries, South Africa and the Netherlands, a further

comparison could be made of which family codes and sub-codes are most influential in terms of

enabling authenticity in each country. This study would need to take the different political and

socio-economic factors into consideration and provide recommendations for each country.

An interesting exercise would be for companies to use these findings, based on a model derived

from the analysis, to create awareness programmes as a component of leadership development

training initiatives, and to assess the impact that this has on the individuals concerned.

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APPENDIX – CONDITIONAL RELATIONSHIP GUIDE

Conditional Relationship Guide for Authenticity


Appreciation of others

When the individual would run

projects and marketing activities

At work

To improve team morale and

because his boss had made him

feel good when he recognized the

individual

By expressing appreciation through a

simple email Increased morale

Arrogance When dealing

with subordinates

At work Due to the

individual’s high self-esteem

By the individual feeling he/she is right

This leads to decreased tolerance

for others

Arrogance When trying to

maximize authenticity

In all situations

It allows the individual to express his authenticity completely

By displaying an always right attitude and

leaving no room for the views of others

This leads to strife, conflict and loss of

respect

Associate with others who respect

me

During time spent at work and time spent

with family and friends

In all situations

In order not to take on others’

negative judgements of the individual

By demanding respect from colleagues at work

and by the individual surrounding himself

with friends and family who respect and love

him/her

The individual can truly be him/herself


me

When looking for a job with a

company which fit the individual’s

identity

At work

For the individual to be who he/she truly

was

By choosing the right company to work for

The individual feels comfortable

to be who he/she us


me

The individual found people

who respected him at

university in his Engineering

class

At university

People viewed the individuals “geekiness” as

worth recognizing and

admiring

The individual could express his passion

The individual got positive

reinforcement which reinforced his/her self-worth

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Aversion to risk

When confronted

with an uncertain situation

At work and in a personal setting

To get a friendly or respectful

response from the other person

The individual takes on an inauthentic persona

The individual has been unable to display his/her

authentic persona

Avoiding conflict

When dealing with people the individual does not know well

In all situations

The individual had a very

conservative upbringing not conducive to challenging

authority

The individual does not want to be perceived as

offensive

The individual has not been authentic in these situations

Avoiding conflict In any

confrontational situations

In all situations To passively resolve conflict

The individual would avoid any confrontation

The individual is losing out on

getting his point across or

influencing decisions

Avoiding conflict In subtle, insidiuous situations

In all situations

It is easier for the individual to chuckle non-committally

The individual chuckles non-committaly instead of asserting authenticity

This results in a condition of

“empty character”

Avoiding conflict In arguments

When the individual was a child and now that they are an

adult

To please other people

The individual concedes defeat even when he/she

knows they are right

The person acts against his/her

beliefs

Avoiding conflict When dealing with his/her

manager At work

The individual wants to preserve

the peace

The individual fails to express their true

feelings

The individual is not as genuine as

they thought

Avoiding conflict In dealing with others In all situations

The individual’s family always

avoided conflict, so did his/her

Apostolic Society

The individual kept feelings to him/herself

This results in awkward situations

Avoiding conflict

In relationships with the

individual’s family

In all situations

The individual is unable to express

his feelings towards his brother who

caused his life to

By the individual becoming an introvert and not expressing his feelings to his parents and brother after the

life-changing incident

The individual’s personality

changed to being an introvert

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change

Avoiding situations that

conflict with one's morals

Situations which seriously clash with the individual’s

morals

In all situations

For the individual to live

his/her life according to what he/she

believes is right

The individual would vocally appeal what he/he believes to be

right

The individual can act according to his/her morals

Awareness

When the individual

regards societal influences on his decisions

In all situations

In order for the individual not to

underestimate the strength of these societal

influences

The individual has constant internal

dialogue about this

The individual is more aware of how

his thoughts are influenced by

society

Awareness

When the individual

looks at what is happening with

his/her life

In all situations

Once the individual

understands what is happening in

his/her life, he/she can reflect

accordingly

The individual knows how he/she views

his/her surroundings

He/she can have enough time to reflect and act accordingly

Awareness

When on the path to

becoming more authentic

In all situations

In order for the individual to get

closer to authenticity

Through the individual setting time aside each

day to reflect and become more aware of emotions and thoughts

The individual can process these

thoughts constructively

Awareness

When looking at values and

principles, thoughts and emotions and

contexts in which the

individual finds him/herself

In all situations

In order for the individual to

show a more true representation of

him/herself

By practicing awareness

It can help enhance the authenticity

seed for the individual

Awareness When acting in the moment In all situations

In order for the individual to realize that

he/she can be what he/she wants to be

Through realizing that authenticity is a process

that takes time

It helps the individual

reconcile who he/she is and who he/she wants to be

Awareness When making

progress towards

becoming more

In all situations In order t make progress in terms

of becoming

Through the individual listening to his/herself

The individual can reflect his/her feeling in an

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authentic more authentic appropriate manner

Balancing extrinsic and


When the individual

interacts with others

In all situations

To enable the individual to get

closer to his/herself

By practicing this with close friends and family

It would enable the individual to differentiate

between his/her belief and those of

others



Living in Johannesburg, it is easy to get

caught up in the materialism

hype

In all situations

The individual has started

questioning what his/her life purpose is

The individual has looked at ways of

improving including volunteering and

mentorship programmes

The individual hopes to achieve

balance



When the individual is in

the face of recognition, achievement

and performance evaluations

At work In order to

become more authentic

Through increased self awareness

The individual hopes to become more authentic



Every day In all situations In order to

enable authenticity

By the individual finding this balance

The individual will be more authentic

Balancing work and social

responsibilities

When taking care of his

family In all situations

In order to cater for the

individual’s family’s

expectation

By managing professional schedules

and task and the individual’s social

responsibilities

The individual can manage his own

dreams to achieve positive results

Being comfortable with your decisions

When the individual is

making decisions on what to study or who to date

In all situations The individual has to live with

the consequences

The individual makes decisions that sit well

with him/her

The individual can become more

authentic


In any decisions the

individual takes

In all situations

In order for the individual to

remain true to her/himself

By asking him/herself if they would be proud of

their decision

If the answer is yes, he/she would

be true to him/herself

Being comfortable with your At the end of In all situations The individual

reviews and The person asks

whether they were true The individual becomes more

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MBA Research Report

decisions each day reflects on the choices he/she

made

to themselves consistent and authentic


When the individual

wants to test his/her

authenticity

In all situations To test how

authentic he/she is

The individual evaluates symptoms such as moodiness,

nightmares and conscience

The individual can re-align him/herself

with their authenticity


When faced with conflict or when meeting someone for the first time

In all situations

The individual hates the feeling of walking away from someone

and asking “why did I say that?”

By the individual choosing to behave in a

way comfortable to him/her

In order for the individual to become more

authentic

Being compassionate Every day

In all situations and in South

Africa

The individual would like to

transform people’s lives

The individual wants to go the extra mile to help

people

The person can listen more to his

intuition and therefore become more authentic

Being compassionate

When looking at the

increasing economic gap

in society

In all situations The individual feels empathy

The individual thinks about suffering and even tries to avoid

seeing it

The individual can act on it in a more

significant way

Being compassionate

Within the individuals

career and life In all situations

The individual naturally

empathises with others

The individual focuses on others and takes their

point of view into account

This has led to success in the

workplace from his/her staff

Being compassionate

When balancing

making a profit and personal importance

In the workplace and other situations

The individual cares so much about others

The individual empathises with others

The individual gets to know others

easily, but can also sometimes not strike the right balance for the

workplace

Being compassionate

In leadership positions In the workplace

People are guided by their

heart

By empowering the people they lead to make a difference

They become better leaders

Being influenced The individual has lost his/her

way in their

In the workplace The individual is easily influenced

The individual is influenced and changed

by others and

This has led to the individual being

inauthentic at times

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MBA Research Report

career experiences

Being influenced

At the time of the individual’s

father’s sequestration

At home

The individual has allowed himself to be

influenced

The individual has allowed himself to be

influenced by his girlfriend in a negative

way

This has led to the individual acting in an inauthentic way

Being influenced

Drawing assumptions and passing premature judgement

In all situations

The individual does not make decisions based

on his own information

The individual bases thoughts and actions on people that he does not

affiliate with

This leads to inauthentic behaviour

Being influenced When in the chess team In all situations

The individual was volunteered

to be an administrator when he only

wanted to coach

The individual administered poorly

because he wanted to coach

The individual was not authentic

Being intolerant of others

When interacting with

others In all situations

The individual strives to

maintain high standards of performance

The individual expects the same standard from

those around him

The individual can be seen as

offensive and inauthentic

Being intolerant of others

When dealing with others In all situations

The individual is impatient and

wants to control everything

The individual does not give others the

opportunity to grow and make mistakes

The individual does not act

authentically

Being passionate In life In all situations

The individual has a passion for

everyone in his/her life, love and everything

they do

The individual displays his/her innermost self relating to the things

they do

It is the individual’s

authentic self, magnified

Being passionate When playing the piano At home The individual

feels exhilarated Through playing the

piano The individual is more authentic


In all circumstances In all situations

The individual creates loving atmospheres

Being consistently true in all circumstances

The individual can be more authentic

Being true to Every day In all situations This resonates with the

Honest self assessment The individual becomes more

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yourself individual authentic

Being true to yourself Every day In all situation

The individual feels it is very

important

Through self-knowledge

The individual becomes more

conscious


When being the “Best Man” In all situations

The individual wants to be truer

to himself

Through being the person you would want

with you on your wedding day

The individual becomes a better

friend, husband and person

Being true to yourself Every day In all situations

It is a motivating factor for the

individual

Through fighting to be authentic at all times

In order to be more authentic



family and friends

In all situations People will love the individual for

who he is

Through being around those who are closest to

him


authentic


When dealing with people In all situations

The individual does not pretend to be someone he

is not

The individual acts like “what you see is what

you get”


authentic


When trying to know who you

are In all situations

You cannot be authentic if you don’t know who

you are

The individual must figure out who he is

The individual will become more

authentic


When deciding to take or save someone’s life

In all situations

The individual did not want to go against what

he stood for

The individual did not shoot someone

The individual found deeper purpose and

meaning


After being in denial and having a

breakdown

In all situations The individual felt he/she was

dying inside

The individual moved to Cape Town and

expressed themselves

The person has become more

authentic


All aspects of life In all situations

The individual had an

apprehension to be themselves

The individual made a conscious choice to live

more authentically

The individual is living more

authentically

Being true to When moving from Pretoria

In all situations There was almost nobody that the The individual The individual

became truer to

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yourself to Stellenbosch individual knew there

reinvented herself herself


When starting university At university

The values of people were

different to those he knew in high

school

By not being ashamed of being smart

The individual became authentic


When truly understanding what takes us

to a higher level of meaning

In all situations

The individual takes pleasure in what they value

most

The individual peals away the rubble that his

life is built on

The individual experiences

moments of joy when being authentic


During walks of life In all situations

The individual believes some people make a

lasting impression

The individual believes the foundation of

relationships is genuine individuality and that

people are fascinated by stereotypes

This leads to more complexity

Building up a defense

mechanism In society In all situations

In order to prevent people

from getting too close

The individual built up an “entrance control”

This makes the individual less

authentic

Building up a defense

mechanism

When with others In all situations

The individual is private and

closed

The individual has developed a superficial, arrogant, materialistic persona to fit in better

with society

This has led to the individual feeling

alienated and disconnected

Building strong support networks Every day In all situations

To have people who understand

what the individual is

going through

By staying close to family and building

friendships

The individual is more able to be

authentic

Building strong support networks

In relational orientations In all situations The individual

values openness

Growing up in a strong family and being open

in relationships


Building strong support networks In relationship In all situations

The individual believes a

support team should provide

corrective action

The individual’s wife provides him with

hones feedback as to whether his actions

accord with his values

The individual receives valuable information about

himself

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MBA Research Report

and principles

Building strong support networks

When building a team At work

The individual would not be

able to do their job without the

team

The individual built a team and they created

trust

The groups is a strong support

network in and out of work

Caring what others think

During time spent in Tokyo In all situations

The individual is constantly loaded

with thoughts about themselves

The individual keeps thinking what others

might think of him/her

The individual does not reach his/her

goals

Confidence When

practicing authenticity

In all situations The individual relates this to

their upbringing

The individual believes in being a non-

conformist

The individual fights for what they

believe in and is more authentic

Confidence Most situations In most situations

The individual felt they no

longer need to pretend to be someone else

The individual is open about liking being an

engineer

The individual has a stiff spine in most

cases

Confidence When being vulnerable

In most situations

The benefits of being confident and authentic outweigh the risks of being

vulnerable

The individual needs to be vulnerable


Confidence When living life In all situations

The individual believes living authentically

takes courage in making choices

The individual believes one must have

confidence to stand by one’s conviction and not betray oneself for

transient rewards

The individual believes one can

become more authentic in this

way

Confidence

When making the decision to leave behind friendships based on

questionable moral

behaviours

In most situations

In order for the individual to become more

authentic

Breaking off key friendships

The individual can now stand up for what they believe

is right

Confidence Most of the time In the social and

professional The individual

has become more The individual is open to his family about his

The individual has become more and more of the same

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environment open values person

Confidence

When something strikes the

individual as important

In all situations

The individual has lots of passion for

something they think is

important

The individual will react strongly when

something is important to them

The person is very aware of their

morals

Confidence In everyday situations In all situations The individual

matured

The individual lives by their own values and

principles

The person is more authentic

Confidence

As the individual started to believe in himself

In all situations The individual

believed in himself more

The individual was able to start making their

own decisions

The individual reached a new

authentic frontier

Conforming to the expectations of

others In class At university

The individual is afraid of

sounding stupid

The individual does not comment in class

The individual is unable to be really

authentic


others

Comparing the individual with

their sister

In the family environment

The individual turned into the diplomatic type

The individual worked hard to make people

comfortable

The individual became the

diplomatic type


others

When creating a fictitious

persona In all situations

The individual thinks the world has expectations

of him her

By exaggerating the individual’s

achievements

This has failed the individual time and

again


others

The individual becomes

absorbed into the

expectations

In all situations It is easier to cope with

The individual describes himself in

terms of roles prescribed by society

This results in inauthenticity


others

When being true to oneself In all situations

The individual did not stand up

to her beliefs

The individual strangled their authenticity

The individual compromises their

authenticity


others

When latching onto other

people’s beliefs In all situations

The person thought they had

a better perception of the world than others

By thinking material things made the

individual what they were

The individual became unhappy

and deceived themselves

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others

When growing up in a mostly white school as

a mixed race child

In all situations The individual wanted to fit in

The individual took on behaviours, values and

beliefs of others



others

In the ultra-competitive workplace

where cronyism is rife

At the workplace The individual

wants to achieve career success

The individual believes one has to connect with

the right people

The individual does not always act authentically


others

When confronted

with choices of what you want to do and doing

what others expect

In all situations

Sometimes what the individual wants clashes

with what society wants

The person does not way what they want to

say

The individual is then submerged by

organizational structures


others

When following a generally

accepted view that is against

the individual’s own

In all situations

The individual lacks courage to see their personal

worth

By taking the path of least resistance

The person becomes less

authentic


others

When needing to know what other people

think

In all situations

The individual needs to know

what others think or expect of

him/her

The individual conforms to what others

think

This limits the individual’s ability

to be authentic


others

When the individual is

forced to compromise to

outside influences

In all situations

The individual is strongly

influenced by parents and

religion

The individual chooses to accept certain

influences

The individual sometimes “sells

out”


others

When forced to obtain a

masters degree In all situations

The individual wanted to have a

certain status among his

cousins

The individual went through a tough time

achieving this

The individual thinks he might be under the illusion

that he is in control


When going through a

In personal situations

The individual was worried

about his

The individual was thinking about others

The individual was authentic at work

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others divorce children, religion and society and what they would

think

instead of himself but not at home


others

When pressured to

succeed

In an organizational

context

The pressure is reinforced by the reward structure

Individuals succeed by conforming to the

values of the organization

The individual becomes less

authentic


others

Growing up in a family of extremely successful

people

In all situations

The individual’s father exerted

immense pressure

The individual conformed to his

father’s wishes and studied medicine

The individual became less

authentic


others

Being gay and not being able

to be open about it


wanted to please his mother

The individual tried to be the perfect child

The individual had an incredibly

painful inauthentic existence


others At all times In all situations

The individual always feels obligated to

conform

The individual only lets people see what they

want to see and creates illusions



others

When faced with choices In all situations

The individual chooses the path

of least resistance

The individuals actions are based on people

other than those true to himself


authentic


others

When disagreeing

with his father At home

The individual wanted to

maintain the high opinion his father

had of him

The individual would not questions his

father’s comments

The situation affected the individual’s authenticity


others

Being a woman in a technical

field

At work

The individual wants to be successfule

The individual does not show emotios, as men

do not either

The individual is less authentic


others

When growing up in a small

town

In all situations

The individual’s parents were

highly respected and he did not

want to rock the

The individual wanted to maintain his parents’

reputations


authentic

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environment boat


others

In the MBA orientation programme

At university

The individual had to play drums even though it is

against his values and culture

The individual had to play drums not to be

rude

The individual conformed to the expectations of

everyone and went against his own


others

When conforming to

“acceptable behaviour”

In the workplace

The individual does not want the

negative consequences of not behaving this

way

The individual does not speak his mind



others

When in an environment

where there is pressure to conform

In all situations

The pressure forces the

individual to deny her own

values

The person acts as if she believes in the dominant

culture

The person becomes less

authentic


others

When faced with peer, work

and financial pressure

In all situations It takes too much

courage not to conform

The individual does things against his nature



others

When doing what is right, but not right

for the individual


feels more relevant

The individual went to university and got a

degree and works in a corporate

The individual does not do what is right

for him


others Day to day In all situations

The individual becomes too

absorbed in daily life that he/she

conforms

The individual just accepts what others

think

The individual is inauthentic


others

When with a social group In all situations

The individual is not true to

herself

The individual drinks, swears or takes the

Lord’s name in vain

The individual does not practice what

they preach


others

When the individual has

to take on a role as a leader

In the work situation

The individual is trying to fill the role he believes

the situation dictates

The individual is not “being different”


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others

Being a wife and mother In all situations

The individual was brought up to believe the husband is the

head of the household and

should be served

The individual tries to fulfil the role of perfect

wife and mother



others

When wearing a mask to suit his/her boss or

colleagues

In the work situation

The individual wants to impress

the boss to advance more

easily

The individual wears a mask to impress their boss and colleagues



others

When there s pressure to

compromise values

In all situations, but particularly

work

The individual feels pressurized

The individual feels one does not always tell or hear the truth in sales

presentations


inauthentic


others

When acting because of

pressure from society

In all situations

The line is too fine between

acting and compromising

The individual acts as if nothing happened when family comes over if he has just had a fight with

his wife


authentic


others

When pleasing others

In all situations, but especially at

work

The individual wants to please

others

The individual leaves his/her self at home when going to work



others

When faced with pressure In all situations

The individual believes

expectation from society distracts

his vision

The individual is not living the life he wants

to live

The individual is not as authentic as

he wants to be


others

When trying to preserve the

peace In all situations

The individual wants to be

perceived in line with others

The individual does not express his true feelings

to his manager

The individual ends up not expressing

himself authentically


others

When having certain roles In all situations

Certain behaviour is

expected in these roles

The individual does not always express his

feelings



others

When using different

behavioural


wants to be accepted

The individual hides their thoughts or

emotions

The individual cannot be true in their behaviour

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models


others

When realizing you are in a

comfort zone In all situations


absorbed into expectations

Not willing to accept the truth about oneself


authentic


others

When trying to be accepted In all situations

The individual does not want to

lose respect

The individual does not speak up about what he

believes in

The individual is moving further

away from his truth


others

When having to agree with

clients At work

The individual had a duty to be at their beck and

call

The individual had to agree with clients without objection

The individual had a deep internal

struggle


others

When having to play by the

rules At work

The individual made the job top

priority after being

unemployed for a year

The individual went against their will to

keep their bosses happy

The individual’s ability to be

authentic suffered a great deal


others

When ‘playing along’

In all situations but particularly

at work

To achieve a business objective

The individual had to endure the company of people he did not like

The person has wondered how much it would

affect authenticity


others

Wearing a mask At work

There was already a

perception of the individual, so

he/she perpetuated it

The individual wore a mask of being

dependable and stable

The individual became

emotionally drained and less

authentic


others

When conforming to

family expectations

At home

The individual was gay and his family did not

want to accept it

The individual had to change his life and

break up with the man he loved

The individual became shaped by

his family


others

When living a dual lifestyle In all situations

The individual wanted to be

seen as the hard partygoer

The individual drank and partied when

actually he wanted to remain fit, healthy and

achieve in sports

The individual was responsible for his

team losing and was not living authentically


When meeting a girl that he

In all situations The individual does not want to

The individual would start a relationship and

The individual hurt others and was not

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others does not want a relationship

with

hurt others’ feelings

then run away from it and hide

authentic


others

When experiencing pressure from

the environment

In all situations

The individual sees others’

expectations as pressures

The individual wants to earn recognition and

conforms to that pressure

The individual has limitations over his free choice and is

not authentic


others

Living in a small Indian

community in Kenya

In all situations

It is difficult not to live up to the expectations of the community

The individual just copied what other

companies were doing by implementing a

certain system

This caused the system not to work for the company as

it was different from the others


others

By the individual

lying about his father

In social situations

The individual did not want to

be abnormal

The individual made up stories about his non-existent father to his

friends



others

When balancing

different roles In all situations


taken seriously by her male colleagues

She had to adopt male characteristics

The individual suppressed her

values


others

When forced into an

engagement

In the individual’s personal life

The individual succumbed to pressure from

family to become engaged

The individual eventually ended the

relationship

The individual disappointed his family but was

authentic in the end


others

When dressing for a party In all situations

The individual is not comfortable when they are ‘different’ and

grew up in Paris where

appearances matter a lot

The individual will not go to a social event

without really thinking what to wear in order not to be too different

The individual feels part of a

group when they are not different


others

When working in a law firm At work

The firm was very

conservative

The individual was not open and feminine

because it was frowned upon

The individual was inauthentic


When growing up In all situations The individual

was brought up in a conservative

The individual lived by rules dictated by society

This cause internal turmoil and lost the

respect of those

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others Afrikaans family not conducive to

challenging authority

dear to him


others

When the individual was

in the navy At work

The individual justified a course of action as long

as he did not have to

transgress his values

Through remaining in the navy

The individual became an

inauthentic leader

Congruence between words

and deeds

When aligning values and

action In all situations

The individual recognizes they

need to develop a moral platform

The individual aligns values like honesty and integrity with actions

The individual has created a moral and ethical platform for

life


and deeds

When managing the

feelings of others


wants to become authentic/original

The individual wants to develop their emotional intelligence to be able o

think and say and act what he feels is right

The individual believes he will become more

authentic this way


and deeds

When maintaining consistency

between what the individual says and does

In all situations

The individual believes that actions speak louder than

words

The individual abides by the law, treats people

with respect and aims not to discriminate

against others

The individual feels they are

genuine


and deeds

When practicing leadership

In all situations

The person thinks actions

speak louder than words

If the individual expects her team to meet a

deadline, she will be the first in the office and

the last to leave

The individual has gained credibility

as a leader


and deeds

In leadership situations In all situations

Otherwise people will not follow

the leader

Words and actions must be consistent

This will result in the individual

being accepted as a leader


and deeds



Other people define

authenticity in the individual

The individual tries to be consistent in his

actions

The individual is seen to be authentic

Conscience and guilt When in a

conflict In all situations If the person

made the wrong choice, he would

The person thinks whether he wants to live with companionship or


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situation be drowned in guilt

whether he wants to be able to live with himself when making decisions

authentic

Contingent self-esteem

When driven by success In all situations The individual is

driven by success

The individual lets others define success

for him



When living life In all situations

The individual is driven by external

evaluations of achievement

The individual has let this be a driving force in

his academic achievement

The individual was less authentic



The individual placed huge

emphasis on the opinion of others

The individual was someone he was not

The individual suppressed his

authenticity


When dealing with others At work

The individual is driven by

recognition

The individual rates recognition as his top

value

The individual realizes this may

jeopardize his authenticity



The individual finds contingent self-esteem in himself a lot

The individual bases his actions on pleasing

others

The individual does not act according to

his values


When going to medical school At university

The individual had always been a top achiever at markedly lower

standards and did not have

adoration from peers as a

measure of self-worth

The individual pretended to be

Namibian and started adopting African-

American mannerisms

The individual was confused and

unhappy


When going for aptitude

tests In all situations

The individual wanted to pursue a career that was

“suitable”

The individual did not want to believe his first aptitude and tried again

in the hope it would change

The individual realized he relies

too much on others


When climbing the corporate

ladder At work The individual’s

director asked him if he had

The individual let his contingent self-esteem

come to the fore

The individual resigned even

though he did a good job because

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rocks in his head he thought senior management did

not think so


When being compared to

her sister At home

The individual has a more beautiful,

intelligent and socially adept

sister

The individual tries to achieve goals that are

not her own


Cultural diversity

When being part of a minority

eastern culture

In all situations

The differences between eastern

and western cultures are so

big

The individual displayed his values of humility and respect,

which was seen as weakness by the

westerners at work

The individual was ‘walked over’ and started wearing a

façade to overcome this

Cultural diversity

When returning to South Africa

as a black person after 12

years

In all situations The individual was seen as a

‘coconut’

The individual spoke, dressed and socialized with people the way he

had overseas

The individual has many burning

questions around authenticity

Cultural diversity When being in diverse groups In all situations

The individual is challenged on

when to open up and when to hold back in diverse

groups

The individual does not know how to judge

when to speak up or not

The individual is not being fully

authentic in these groups

Death of a loved one

When the individual’s father died

At home

The individual had to support

his family as the sole breadwinner

The individual could not think of marriage

even though he needed it

The individual could not be fully

authentic


When the individual’s father died

In all situations The individual would ‘kill for

family’

The individual just left work and spent the final six weeks at her father’s

bedside

This enabled her to be authentic


When the individual’s sister died

In all situations

The death made the individual

realize how little time there is on earth and how little time you

have to be true to yourself

The individual found meaning out of the

death to justify their extreme loss

The individual has realized they want to be authentic in the short time on

earth

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When the individuals’ brother died

In all situations

The individual had many

insecurities because his /her

parents spent more time with

his dying brother

The individual suppressed these

insecurities

The individual carried many unrecognized neuroses into adulthood and

could not really be authentic

Denial

When receiving negative

feedback from family and

friends


becomes defensive

The individual does not want to hear negative

criticism

The individual does understand himself better once he does

receive the feedback

Denial When unable to accept their

sexuality In all situations

The individual never wanted

anyone to know about their sexuality

The individual just denies their sexuality


Difficulty with examining one’s

past

When trying to look back In all situations

The individual is very forward

looking

The individual prefers to focus on a bright

future

The individual realizes he/she might not be as

authentic as those who do look at

their past

Doing what is right and fair

In leadership positions In all situations

The individual wants to what is right even when

it is difficult

The individual hopes they can discipline their children even when it

will not be easy

The individual will be authentic

Doing what is right and fair


The individual has a strongly

developed sense of justice

The individual applies her sense of justice

fearlessly when required

The individual is true to herself

Embracing being different

When being different from

the herd In all situations

The individual was in one

relationships where he tried to

conform and became unhappy

Now the individual embraces being

different by only being himself

The individual is authentic

Embracing being different


The individual loves being

different and hates conforming

The individual owns his experience and

expresses his thoughts and feelings and does the opposite of what


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others expect

Embracing diversity


The individual has come a long way to get there

and wants to help others to do the

same

The individual wants to become a facilitator or a

coach


authentic

Embracing diversity

When choosing a university At university

The individual wanted to be in a group of diverse

people

The individual chose to do his MBA in another country at UCT because of the diverse group of

people

The individual got to know his

authentic self better

Embracing diversity

During and after studying In all situations

The individual had an

experience in the Dutch army that

sparked a question

The individual traveled extensively and read many philosophy and

spiritual books

The individual became more

authentic

Embracing diversity

When trying not to maintain a fixed mindset


does not want to get stuck

The individual reads, travels and embarks on academic programmes


authentic because his mindset is not

fixed

Embracing diversity

When reflecting on

life experience In all situations

The individual has had a

positive life experience

The individual has lived in many different

countries

This has allowed the individual to grow and to be

themselves

Embracing diversity

When dealing with others

from different backgrounds

At work

The individual believes in recognition

despite background

The individual fights for people to get recognized

based on their contribution, not their

background

The individual is a better leader

Embracing diversity

During a changing South

Africa At work

The individual hired different people from

different backgrounds in

his business

The individual has learnt more about

himself and about his relationships in a

diverse world without borrowing the values ot

others


Embracing diversity When living

and working in In all situations The individual is

fortunate enough to be able to

The individual feels South Africa has a

culture of respect for


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MBA Research Report

South Africa work here diversity which allows him to be himself

Embracing diversity

When working in teams At work

The individual is genuinely

interested in other cultures

The individual uses these differences to be

more productive


Embracing diversity

When choosing who to

surround herself with

In all situations The individual is curious about life

The individual surrounds herself with

people who are different to her and has many

diverse interests

The individual follows her true

heart

Embracing diversity

When moving around the

world In all situations

The individual has lived in

many different countries

The individual has embraced parts of many

different cultures and could learn a lot about

themselves through this

The individual’s authenticity is

based in different cultures

Escapism When growing up In all situations

The individual started

withdrawing because of the expectations of

others

The individual withdrew and became

silent



When writing the CLL

assignment In all situations

The individual was forced to look at his life because of the

assignment

The individual looked back and realized his

mother was domineering and that he was doing the same to

his wife

The individual is learning more about himself


When journeying into

the past In all situations

The individual would like to

know where his journey is taking

him

The individual looks back at his life to learn

about himself



When being on the Narcotics Anonymous programme


had to tell his life story in NA

The individual sat down with a sponsor and put his life story down on

paper

The individual has defined his values

and beliefs


When analyzing oneself

In all situations

The individual constantly thinks

about his authenticity

The individual tries to analyse his values and compare them to his

behaviour


authentic

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After the individual’s

illness In all situations

The individual has a greater

understanding of him/herself after the last few years

During the individual’s illness friends got to know him/her a lot

better and the individual has looked back at this

time



When making career choices In all situations

The individual is grateful for the

choices they have made

The individual addressed certain

choices, particularly career-wise which have

allowed him/her to grow

The individual is following what

he/she really wants to do

Expressing feelings

When expressing

his/her ‘African-ness’

In all situations This is who the individual is

The individual sings a song that he/she is an

African

The individual is able to balance

intrinsic and extrinsic

motivation

Expressing feelings


The individual is not a rational controller of

emotions

The individual always expresses what she

thinks

The individual can sometimes offend others, but is also

authentic

Expressing feelings

When dealing with people In all situations


motivation for authentic leaders

stems from difficulty in life

The individuals make use of these situations to give them meaning

The individuals discover their

passion

Expressing feelings


The individual’s display of

emotion is very high

The individual displays a lot of emotion

The individual can influence others

Expressing feelings

When dealing with others on the same level or on the level below him/her


feels comfortable with this group

The individual is not afraid to show his

incompetence and does not hide anything

The individual can be authentic with

these people

Expressing feelings

When dealing with others In all situations The individual is

too emotional

The individual lets her emotions direct

behaviour, no matter what the situation is

The individual is sometimes seen as something she is

not

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Family and friends When spending time with the

family In all situations

The family has changed the individual’s

values

The individual spends less time on the sports field and more with his

family

The individual realized that

winning is not everything but that participation and others values are

Family and friends When growing up In all situations

The individual’s parents instilled a

code of ethics into him/her

The individual has been taught values like kindness, respect,

consideration for others

The individual lves by his/her values

Family and friends When living

with grandparents

In all situations

The individual’s grandparents

taught values and how to make

choices without the influence of

others

The individual learnt how to make decisions

without being influenced too much

from his grandparents

This allowed them to be authentic

Family and friends

When parents respected the individual’s

wishes

In all situations

The individual’s father respected their choice of career change

The individual was empowered by his

parents to make his own decisions

The individual could be authentic

Family and friends When

socializing with family

In all situations

The family allows the

individual to practice his

Sunnah lifestyle

The individual implements the Sunnah lifestyle in his family

environment

The individual can be true to his

beliefs

Family and friends When ‘flying high’ In all situations

The individual’s parents remind her of her roots

The individual is reminded of where she

came from when achieving new things


Family and friends When growing up In all situations

The individual’s family instilled

being true to self and others in the

individual

The individual was brought up strictly to be true to self and others

The individual is authentic in this

way

Family and friends When spending

time with family

In all situations

The individual’s siblings

overshadowed him

The individual withdraws when with

his family because they are all older and look

down on him

The individual is inauthentic with his

family

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Family and friends

When dealing with his

girlfriend’s child from

another man

In all situations The individual hates changing

diapers

The individual started changing diapers even though it went against

what he wanted

The individual thinks his values

might have changed

Family and friends

When his father told him

that he was homosexual

At home

The individual was extremely shocked by his

father’s admission that he was homosexual

The individual appreciated his father’s

authenticity after the initial shock

The individual’s family provides strong support to live out what he

believes in

Fear of being judged

When participating in social networks

In all situations

The individual is afraid of being

judged but wants to be part of a social network

The individual conforms to the network

because he wants to belong and is too afraid

of being judged

The individual does not always behave

authentically

Fear of being judged

When growing up In all situations

The individual has found it

challenging to deal with criticism

The individual avoids painful moments

The individual wants to learn to

deal with emotions

Fear of conflict When dealing with others In all situations


accepted

The individual is not true to himself in order

to avoid conflict


Fear of hurting others

When wanting to be all things to all people

In all situations

The individual cannot be

himself when overly concerned

for others

The individual will not be himself in order not

to hurt others

The individual cannot be authentic

when in this context

Fear of loss of income

Growing up in extreme

poverty in a war torn jungle

In all situations

The individual does not want his

family to ever have to live the way he had to

The individual will conform to the

individual who pays his salary

The individual is not true to his inner

self and puts his family first

Fear of making mistakes

When growing up in the military

In all situations

The individual was verbally and

physically abused for

growing and learning from

mistakes

The individual would not want to make

mistakes

The individual is very tolerant of

others’ mistakes as a result

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Fear of rejection When wanting to be accepted In all situations

The individual wants to be accepted in

society

The individual compromises his

authenticity in order to be accepted


Fear of rejection

When experiencing

drastically changing

environments

In all situations

The individual experienced

culture shock in their own culture and had negative

experiences

The individual built up defensive walls and

does not show their true self


authentic

Fear of rejection

When with others whose opinion the individual

values

In all situations

The individual does not want to lose their respect or feel the pain

The individual only offers one moment of vulnerability to test

others


Fear of rejection When in a social situation In all situations The individual is

afraid

The individual does not stand up for what he

believes in

The individual’s true self is emerged

Fear of repercussions

When buying out his

business partner

In all situations

The individual was terrified of

telling the partner but did

not want to make a loss

The individual told the business partner that he wanted to buy him out

The individual was able to be authentic by buying him out

Fear of repercussions

When making career choices In all situations

The individual is afraid of not

having financial security

The individual has made career choice that they did not really want

to make

The individual was not able to follow

their true path

Fear of vulnerability

When wanting to open oneself

up to others In all situations


inspirational and trusted

The individual wants to try and open up to

others

The individual wants to be more

authentic

Fear of vulnerability When at work In the workplace

The individual was afraid of

ridicule

The individual suppressed his/her

personality

The individual was not authentic at

work


When dealing with people the individual does not think have his interests at

In the workplace and on a

personal level

Being vulnerable makes the

individual feel weak

The individual always changes and has to try and remember what he

said


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MBA Research Report

heart


When being away from home and

being black in a class

dominated by whites

In all situations

The individual fears that if he is

vulnerable he will be in trouble

The individual is overly defensive



When growing up as an inferior

sportsman compared to

his brother and going to boarding school

In all situations

The events that happened to the individual led

him to create an appearance of strength and

control

The individual created an image of

invulnerability




The individual was popular as a teenager and had

a misplaced sense of having a

reputation to uphold

The individual hides behind other people and

things to hide his vulnerability




The individual had a stiff upper lip upbringing

The individual hides behind a cool, passive

image



When in a group that the

individual does not trust


wants confidentiality

The individual will not open up in a group like

this

The individual will not be authentic


When being attacked by

colleagues who were trying to create a divide

At work

The individual joined their

agenda because he did not want

to look vulnerable

The individual joined the others against what

he believed in

The individual resigned because it

was not what he stood for


When at an all boys high

school At school

The individual was often persecuted

The individual became quiet and introverted

The individual became inauthentic

Fear of When in syndicate

At university The individual felt he should be The individual became The individual was

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vulnerability groups able to answer all the questions that could be thrown

at him

stressed because of this not being authentic


When dealing with those

around him/her In all situations

The individual feels

vulnerability could render

them powerless

The individual tries to control the environment

as much as possible

The individual loses authenticity and trust in who

they are


When in relationships In all situations

The individual was dumped

when he was 13

The individual built barriers for himself

The image of the individual was

distorted

Feedback from others

When friends criticized the

individual In all situations

The individual wants to receive feedback about their personality and behaviour

The individual was stubborn in accepting it but tried to change later

The individual builds self

awareness through feedback



The individual wants to be more open to criticism but is not always

The individual becomes very defensive when

getting negative feedback



Growing up in a traditional

Chinese family In all situations

The individual was raised not to give or receive

feedback directly in the workplace

The individual would not simply give

feedback as is common in the US

The individual is not that open to

feedback

Financial freedom

When trying to cut down on costs with a

partner

In all situations

The individual wants to explore other options and not be tied to a

paycheck

The individual moved from an expensive

property to her partners’ mother’s property to cut

costs

The individual has more flexibility to

be authentic

Focusing on positive traits

When around others In all situations

The individual can distinguish himself from

others

The individual always smiles because he

knows he feels better


authentic



The individual had a lot of

energy but his mother refused to listen to anyone who said he had

The individual believed his mother when she

said there was nothing wrong with him and that he was just like

Superman

The individual was able to be true to

himself

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ADD


When taking care to respect the authenticity

of others

In all situations To benefit society

By adhering to morals, values and ethics

Society benefits from consistent

adherence to these values

Freedom When making choices In all situations

The individual believes choices are dependant on their history and

upbringing

The individual believes they are free to choose but also that they are

bound by history

The individual is partly authentic

Having low self-esteem

When making decisions In all situations

The individual second guesses

their initial decision

The individual asks others for another

opinion

The individual ends up making

decisions they did not want to make

and therefore becomes

inauthentic


When in a situation in which the

individual is insecure

In all situations

The individual has esteem

problems about her body and

weight

The individual defers to a lesser image of herself

The individual loses her sense of

worth and her authenticity



The individual is driven by a need

for validation

The individual agrees with others’ expectation

of them

The individual is opened up to manipulation

Hiding aspects of oneself


The individual is ambitious and

wants to maintain an

image of success

The individual tries to hide failures instead of

asking for advice

The individual thinks failure is not

an option and is thus not authentic

Hiding aspects of oneself


The individual struggles

between real change and

pleasing people

The individual only shows certain parts of

himself to certain people

The individual is still trying to figure

out who he is

Honesty When lying

about benchpressing

At school The individual

was embarrassed and lazy

The individual lied about his progress at

benchpressing

The individual was really embarrassed and was not honest

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Honesty

When telling her husband she was not

happy anymore

At home

The individual had overcome her pride and fear of failure

The individual told her husband that they needed to go their

separate ways

The individual is more true to herself

Honesty When dealing with others In all situations

The individual feels honesty means one is dedicated to

one’s values and principles

The person tries to be honest

The person is living according to

their values

Honesty When

recognizing weaknesses

In all situations The individual has the courage

to report the truth

The individual tells the truth and talks directly

to others

The individual is able to maintain their authenticity

Inability to ask for assistance


The individual had to fight his own battles for many years that robbed him of

the skills to approach others

The individual lulls himself into thinking he

has it under control when he does not

The individual does not get the best out

of situations

Inability to be open about one’s

feelings


The individual does not express

how he feels because he is not

ready for the challenge it will

bring

The individual will hide his thoughts, anger,

sadness and frustration



feelings

When dealing with certain

friends In all situations

There is no real trust or intimacy

in these relationships

The individual will only talk about topics like

sport and hide his feelings



feelings

When being a junior

employee At work

The organizational setting caused him to be quiet

The individual became completely reserved and

quiet



feelings


The individual is scared of hurting others or being

vulnerable

The individual is unable to reveal his feelings

and be frank


Inability to be open about one’s When dealing In the

individual’s The individual cares so much

The individual is unable to be open with his

The individual loses girlfriends

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feelings with others personal life what people think of him that

he becomes closed up

girlfriends and the cannot get to know him

and is unable to be true to himself


feelings

When in a relationship In all situations

The individual is very guarded at the beginning of

relationships

The individual does not open up in relationships

The individual does not open himself

up and is inauthentic


feelings

When in relationships

In the individual’s personal life

The individual’s heart was broken by her boyfriend

The individual struggles to open up and becomes

aggressive when she feels she is

compromising too much

The individual cannot be fully

authentic


feelings

When attending her graduations

In all situations

The individual trivialized her

achievements in order to be

modest

The individual told her family they did not need

to be there at the graduation

The individual won the top student but was lonely because nobody was with

her because she did not express how much it meant to her to her family

Inability to be true to self

When choosing what to study At university

The individual was too proud to

change his course

The individual studied computer science and worked in that field

even though he knew he was not being true to

himself

The individual was living a false

identity


When rushing life away In all situations

The individual was too busy with life and

work to realize who he was

The individual was working, making deals

and catching planes that he did not have time to

reflect

His girlfriend of 3 years left him and

he was not authentic


When dealing with his sexuality

In his personal life


accept his sexuality

The individual simply denied his sexuality and never told anyone about

it




The individual did not have a father figure

The individual blocked his own interests to

please others

The individual became inauthentic

Inability to be true to self When trying to

identify his In all situations The individual

does not know what his values

The individual will start to action for example

singing lessons to fulfil

The individual hopes to become more authentic in

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values are his artistic need this way


When talking to a colleague In all situations

The individual asked a colleague

who she really was underneath all the material

goods

The colleague did not want to confront this questions and became

aggressive

The colleague remained

inauthentic


When trying to meet

professional expectations

At the workplace The individual

does not want to be vulnerable

The individual put up a façade despite not

believing in his abilities as a senior manager

The individual could only be authentic with

people outside of his division


When thinking when

something has happened, I

will be happy

In all situations

The individual is critical about

themselves and is constantly

worrying what others think

The individual thinks when they have

achieved their MBA or when their relationship is all that they want it to be, they will be happy. In fact, they are happy

already

The individual cannot just enjoy

who they are

Inability to listen authentically

In dealing with others


The individual finds it difficult

to take a hermeneutic approach to

communication

The individual does not listen, or only listens to

provide a solution

The individual is inauthentic in this

regard


When in conversations

with others In all situations The individual

gets bored

The individual thinks he knows what others are going to say and loses

interest in the conversation

The individual does not engage people


When in a one on one

situation In all situations

The individual believes in his

own techniques and does not

want to listen to those of others

The individual believes he is right and does not

want to accept other people’s suggestions

The individual does not value diverse opinions, which

could have strengthened the

solution


When talking to others In all situations The individual

loses focus

The individual loses focus and stops

listening to others

This is a deviating force with regards

to authenticity

Inability to listen When being youth

In all situations The individual tended to identify

The individual tried to see things from the

The individual learnt that meeting

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authentically chairperson at church

more with the group that had a

similar background to

himself

other group’s point of view

each other halfway is the only feasible

outcome

Inability to self regulate in a

stressful environment

When under intense

pressure In all situations

The individual does not know

themselves well and thinks there could be reasons for feeling like this in stressful

situations

The individual gets completely swept off her feet and cannot do

anything positive

The individual feels that she does not know herself well enough to be

authentic

Inability to trust When dealing with others In all situations

The individual has been failed many times in

the past

The individual struggles to trust people and let

go


Inability to trust When dealing with others In all situations

The individual has been betrayed

The individual is cynical and it takes

them a long time to trust certain people

The individual is not fully authentic

Inability to trust When dealing with her friend

In personal circumstances

The individual was betrayed by

her friend

The individual remains guarded and has not

forgiven her friend for what she did in high

school


Inability to trust When delegating In all situations

The individual is scared the people will not be able to fulfil the task

The individual struggles to delegate tasks to

others


Inability to trust When in relationship In all situations

The individual was betrayed,

scarred and hurt in a previous relationship

The individual held back his feelings

The individual did not emotionally

connect with others

Incongruence between words

and deeds

When dealing with others In all situations The individual

finds it difficult The individual does not do what he says he will

The individual is not an authentic

leader

Integrating one’s life

When choosing a career path In all situations


study the degrees predetermined by

The individual asked his father if he could do something else and

The individual was able to integrate the need to provide for

his family with

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his father ended up on the MBA what he wanted to do in life

Integrating one’s life When at work At the workplace

The individual has a different

persona for work and at home

The individual is unable to integrate the two

different personas she has

The individual endures inauthentic

identities

Integrating one’s life

When choosing a life in the

sciences

At the workplace and with family

The individual chose science as a career so that he would not

have to focus on values

The individual cannot integrate his career with

his family life


Integrity

When the class wanted to go shark cage

diving

In all situations The individual is against harming

animals

The individual refused to go shark cage diving because it goes against

what she believes in

The individual was able to be authentic

Irreconcilable desires

When becoming a

father


The individual wants to be a

great father, but also wants to

avoid responsibility

The individual will constantly have to make

a choice between the two

The individual feels he cannot be completely true to

himself

Knowing oneself When looking at himself In all situations

The individual has just ignored his authentic self

The individual does not know who he is


Knowing oneself When looking at himself In all situations

The individual does not know

who he is

The individual wants to know who he is through reflection and by being

vulnerable

The individual is not authentic yet

Knowing oneself When coming

out of rehabilitation

In all situations

The individual had to embark on a process to get to know himself

The individual started writing down his life

story

The individual is closer to becoming

authentic

Knowing oneself When looking at him/herself In all situations

The individual was brought up

with strong values

The individual uses contemplative practices

to get to know themselves

The individual is able to remain true

to themselves

Knowing oneself When in the process of

In all situations Being in the army sparked the The individual started The individual is

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getting to know himself

question of what he believed in

reading and traveling able to be authentic

Knowing oneself When

embarking on the MBA

In all situations

The individual wanted to start the MBA for

external reasons and pursuit of

goals

By doing the MBA, the individual got feedback and time for reflection on how their life was

shaped

The individual got to know their true

self better

Knowing oneself

When meditating and

doing psychoanalysis


wanted to know himself better

The individual went through psychoanalysis

to get through childhood scars

The individual is more true to

himself

Knowing oneself When in certain

situations In all situations

The individual has a good self-

knowledge

The individual has the ability to adapt to the requirements of the

situation without losing his authentic identity


Knowing oneself When moving overseas In all situations

The individual was free from

always pleasing their father

The individual got to know themselves better

The individual was more authentic

Knowing oneself When growing In all situations

The individual has had the

chance to know themselves a bit better over the

years

The individual is often pensive and thinks

about life and death, themselves and others

This allows the individual to be more authentic

Knowing oneself

When remembering

where she came from


grew up in Soweto

The individual is proud of her heritage and what

she stands for

The individual knows herself and

is able to be authentic

Knowing oneself

When understanding what energises

her

In all situations The individual is

motivated by self-knowledge

The individual acknowledges what

parts of her personality are engaged in certain

situations

The individual is able to understand

herself better

Knowing oneself When starting

to explore himself

In all situations

The individual had always been

to scared to explore himself

The individual has started to get to know himself by shining a

light on himself

The individual is starting to make the

choice to be himself

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Knowing oneself When

reflecting on behaviour


understands their character

The individual knows their strengths and

weaknesses

The individual is able to have a more

meaningful and individual life

Knowing oneself

When in a relationship

with a younger man

In her personal life

The individual broke up three

times because of social pressure

The individual decided to listen only to herself

and stay in the relationship

The individual got to know herself

better through this experience

Knowing oneself When studying In all situations

The individual embarked on the MBA to find out

more about themselves

The individual is studying to find out what truly motivates

them

The individual is able to be more

authentic

Knowing oneself When making sense of own experiences

In all situations The individual had a traumatic

childhood

The individual is doing an MBA to rediscover

themselves

The individual will open up options

outside of engineering

Knowing where you stand on moral issues


The individual’s mother taught them morals

The individual was taught that littering is

wrong and has accepted these teachings and learnt sound values

The individual is true to themselves


When speaking up against the

MD At work

The individual has a strong sens of what is right

and what is wrong

The individual explained to the MD

that certain actions were not right and that they

were not prepared to go along with them

The MD changed his mind and the

individual was able to be more authentic



Morality is the core of the

individual’s soul

The individual voices his disdain against immoral behaviour



When going through their teenage years

In all situations

The individual had a strong

sense of right and wrong

The individual chose not to smoke and drink despite losing out on

acceptance in this way

The individual remained true to

themselves

Knowing your purpose

When going through his matriculate

year

In all situations

The individual was not

interested in pre-determined career paths

The individual stood up to his father and said he did not want to follow

the career path


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When becoming a Christian

In all situations

The individual had many

material things but still felt

empty

The individual became a Christian and his

purpose was to follow God and serve Him and

others

The individual was able to find his

purpose


When a mentor gave advice In all situations

The individual realized he has everything to

give and nothing to lose

The individual stopped milking every situation for himself and started giving back to others

The individual has grown as a person


When learning authentically In all situations

The individual wants to align

himself authentically

The individual wants to learn authentically to

find moral dimensions and their true purpose

The individual will have conviction of

his true self

Knowing your purpose In life In all situations To become an

authentic leader By knowing their

purpose The individual will be more authentic

Lack of confidence

When having a domineering

boss At work

The individual’s boss liked

exerting power over him until the individual

lacked all confidence

The individual consulted his boss about

every little thing

The individual was becoming a slave

to power and eventually resigned because he could not be true to his

values

Lack of confidence

In life in general In all situations

The individual is not assertive

enough

The individual has times when they have no confidence and do

not speak up


Lack of confidence


The individual has low self-

esteem and a fear of being hurt

The individual comes across as aggressive

because of their inner struggles


Lack of confidence

When in large social

gatherings In all situations

The individual acts in a way not aligned with their

beliefs

The individual adopts another personal to feel

comfortable


Lack of inner vision

When deciding on career paths In all situations

The individual has so many varied wide

interests

The individual chose to combine some interests (business and science)

The individual has only now become a

step closer to overcoming his lack of vision

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Lack of inner vision In life In all situations

The individual is unsure what

questions need to be asked

The individual has difficulty in focusing on

his inner self

The individual has not managed to

achieve self-awareness

Lack of meaningful

relationships


The individual does not trust

others

The individual will not let himself be

vulnerable towards people

This results in not being authentic

Lack of meaningful

relationships

When moving on in his career In all situations

The individual moved around a

lot with his career

The individual used his career as a reason for not continuing with

relationships

The individual realized that he

acted inauthentically in is

decisions

Lack of passion When setting

goals and dreams

In all situations

The individual feels they have a lack of passion to

explore their authenticity

The individual believes they are capable to

make changes, but the do not because of a lack

of passion

The individual is not able to fulfil their potential

Lack of purpose When

searching for meaning

In all situations

The individual struggles with

the fact that they are not the same person every day

The individual has traveled, moved,

changed careers and studied to try to find it

The individual still has no direction

and is therefore not authentic

Lack of purpose When trying to

live authentically

In all situations

The individual thinks finding

their purpose is a deep process

The individual is still trying to find their

purpose

The individual believes they can be authentic while trying to find their

purpose

Lack of reflection In life In all situations

The individual has been used for

other people’s benefit

The individual has never given themselves

time for reflection


Lack of reflection

In the last two years and during the

MBA

In all situations The individual does not have

time

The individual does not reflect on himself


Lack of reflection When in the workplace At work

The individual was so busy with operational tasks that they just fell

The individual just carried on working


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MBA Research Report

asleep after work

Lack of reflection When asking

the meaning of life

In all situations

The individual experiences inner

conflict when they do

introspect

The individual avoids introspection

The individual feels lost

Lack of reflection In life In all situations

The individual wants to take

stock of himself more

The individual currently fools himself


Lack of reflection When working At work

The individual is defined by a comfortable

organizational role

The individual did not make time to reflect and chose to go back to his

old job to fall into a familiar role

The individual was not being authentic

Lack of role models When working At work

The individual does not have a good support

network at work

The individual cannot get support from his

colleagues

The individual is not able to be an authentic leader

Lack of self-awareness

When not in the arts

environment In all situations

The individual is no longer in the

creative arts

The individual cannot express herself through

art anymore

The individual has fewer avenues to express herself authentically

Lack of self- awareness

When wanting to fit in In all situations

The individual is confused

between their true self and

public persona

The individual projects a public persona


Lack of self-awareness In life In all situations

The individual has not been able

to define his values

The individual had no interest in the past to try

and find their values

The individual has not been able to be

authentic

Lack of self-awareness In life In all situations

The individual does not know a

lot about themselves

The individual went on a leadership course in

Mauritius

The individual is still trying to find out more about

himself

Lack of self-awareness When in a

session with In all situations The individual

realized that he knew what he

The individual tried to invent a person that the world would think was

The individual could not find

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MBA Research Report

his coach wanted to be but not who he

wanted to be

important meaning in his life

Lack of self-awareness

When in certain

circumstances In all situations

The individual is aware of others but cannot pay attention to her own processes

The individual let circumstances dictate the next move instead

of doing it herself

The individual was not able to be

authentic

Lack of self-discipline In life In all situations

The individual is struggling to

motivate themselves to do

anything

The individual has created a person he is

not happy with


Learning and education

When doing an MBA At university

The individual wants to learn

and grow

The individual chose to study

The individual is learning about herself in the

process



The individual gains

understanding

The individual acquires new knowledge

The individual can grow


When acquiring

authenticity In all situations

The individual believes one

acquires moral dimensions

through education

The individual embarked on an MBA

The individual is exploring their

being


When wanting to be authentic In all situations


education is the key to

enlightenment

The individual started and MBA and is

learning from classmates

The individual is leveraging their personal growth


When trying to overcome a

fixed mindset In all situations

The individual does not want to

get stuck

The individual reads, travels and studies

The individual expands his

exposure to new fields



The individual believes it is a

value based process

The individual embraces learning and sees it as a means of

establishing values and morals

The individual is able to live by their

values

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When obtaining tertiary

education

At university It unearths new aspects of the

individual’s self

The individual wants to learn something new

every week and continue learning

The individual is able to know himself better


When doing the MBA At university

The individual saw it as a means to make money

The individual’s friend warned him not to lose

himself to money

The individual was careful not to fall

into the trap

Learning and education When at school At school

The individual feels the Dutch

education systems gave him space for free thinking

The individual became informed which

increased his self confidence

The individual was able to be more

authentic


When at university At university

School was constricting for the individual,

but tertiary education was

not

The individual could explore his being doing

the MBA


authentic


When experiencing

life In all situations

The individual has unlearnt some habits

The individual is always willing to try new

adventures

The individual will better himself


When validating

oneself In all situations

The individual feels genuine

when as a result of good

education

The individual continuously seeks

learning

The individual validates himself


When going through life In all situations

The individual has a lot more to

learn

The individual always learns

The individual develops his values


When going through life In all situations

The individual feels education

gives her a moral dimension

The individual has taught her to appreciate

books

The individual has been able to

explore the essence she s


When losing their father In all situations

The individual believed their future lay in education

The individual worked extremely hard at

school

The individual learnt moral and religious lessons

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The individual felt a duty to pass on education to

those less fortunate than

himself

The individual’s mind has been opened to the

hardship of others through the MBA


authentic



Education gives the individual courage and prevents him from feeling inadequate

The individual sees education as the

foundation of his life

The individual has the courage to

stand up for what he believes in

Listening intently When talking to his father In all situations

The individual now listens to

understand

The individual listens by trying to understand

the other person’s thoughts

The individual can be more authentic

Listening intently When talking to others In all situations

The individual was a journalist so only asked

leading questions

The individual was only asking leading

questions until the point he could relate it to

himself

The individual was unable to get more

perspectives

Living out your true values

When being a child In all situations The individual

had few friends

The individual did not have sleep overs and

was isolated so was free from influences

The individual could easily live

out his values



The individual was taught the

principle of things

The individual even highlighted the

importance of living by his principles on his

MBA application form

The individual is able to be true to

himself



The individual was brought up with a strong

focus on morals and ethics

The individual has been true to their morals even

under difficult circumstances



When leaving Accenture In all situations

The individual felt they could

not live according to their

values in this organization

The individual left the company

The individual was able to live out their values at

another company

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When working as a

bookkeeper In all situations

The individual could easily have

stolen money

The individual chose not to steal and live

according to his values

The individual was true to himself


When practicing

being a muslim In all situations

The individual was allowed to

practice his beliefs

The individual could practice his values through the Quran



When working with the General Manager

At work

The individual was not going to compromise in

what he believed

The individual worked hard, and would give an honest assessment even

if it was to the individual’s detriment


Living out your true values When working At work

The individual wanted to grow in the company

The individual pursued objectives that were against his values

The individual was unable to live out

his true values


Telling his family he was

gay At home

The individual wanted to make choices based on internal criteria

The individual came out to his family


authentic

Living out your true values When working In all situations

The individual tries to make

sure his words are consistent with his deeds

The individual does slightly tend to conform with behaviours at work

The individual still remains authentic

as he does not conform to the

degree that he loses authenticity



The individual is motivated by his

love of being true to himself and living his

values

The individual sees his being true to himself as

a unique fingerprint which cannot be

replicated anywhere else

The individual hopes to be more

authentic



The individual realized that he

wore masks with people

The individual is now aware that he is wearing

masks and questions why he does something



When working as a General Manager at a private renal care clinic

At work

The individual made a choice

between company profit and saving a life

The individual went against the board’s policy and treated a

patient on credit

The individual was true to his values

and beliefs

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When living life

When at university

The individual wants to gain a higher level of contentment

The individual wants to make a concerted effort

to revisit and accept values that govern his

belief system

The individual will stay true to his

values and beliefs

Living up to self-imposed

expectations

When trying to fit in In all situations

The individual had a skewed

perception

The individual thought he was being crippled by the organization but realized it was he who

was imposing these expectations on himself

The individual took action and built

healthy relationships

Making a positive difference in the lives of others

When volunteering at the Red Cross

In all situations It gives the individual fulfillment

The individual volunteers for the Red

Cross

The individual makes an authentic contribution to the

lives of others


When in leadership positions

In all situations

People are interested in empowering

others

They desire to serve others

They are more authentic leaders


When making sacrifices In all situations

So that the lives of others may be transformed for

the better

The individual started Engineers for a

Sustainable World and gave up a big salary for

it


Material wealth When living life In all situations


distracted by wealth

The individual loses sight of who he is


Material wealth When living abroad At work

The individual wants to earn the

salary

The individual did routine work which they

did not enjoy because they earnt a lot

The individual was not being authentic

Material wealth When being an accountant In all situations

The individual likes material

things

The individual buys cars, ipods and a nice

house

This prevents him from doing another

job that is more fulfilling and which could allow him to be more authentic

Meditation and reflection

When meditating In all situations The individual

can increase self-

The individual uses this to “quiet” their mind


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awareness

Meditation and reflection When in nature In all situations

The individual does not want to be the person she

thinks a man wants

The individual walks on the beach and will buy a

diary



When applying for the MBA In all situations

The individual had to take a look and see

where their life is at for the

application essays

The individual realized they do not take enough

time to reflect

The individual is not as authentic as

they could be


When in the daily routine In all situations

The individual starts to think about their life

during quiet times

The individual walks in open fields or runs or cycles and is able to

reflect



As often as possible In all situations

The individual can understand

his world through testing

assumptions

The individual tries to reflect as often as

possible


authentic


When the individual’s

producer gave them a book

In all situations The space the book provided

felt safe

The individual had space to meditate by

using the book

The individual could find themselves


When trying to find a life

calling In all situations

The individual realized he was

not happy

The individual started an MBA

The individual understood himself

better



The individual wants to discover

the reasons behind his

actions

The individual reflects often

The individual knows himself

better



It allows the individual to test

assumptions

The individual tries to reflect


authentic

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The individual wants to express herself and deal

with the past

The individual has a diary that she constantly

writes things into

The individual knows herself

better



The individual wants to be authentic

The individual practices a lot of introspection

The individual becomes more self-

aware


When in high school In all situations

The individual got to understand what they really

thought

The individual wrote in a journal


authentic


In times of crisis In all situations

These situations force the

individual from his comfort zone

The individual is tested and challenged

The individual learns something

new about himself



The individual can see whether his life is real

The individual keeps a journal

The individual understands

himself a lot better


When living life In all situations It exposes his life

The individual has written a mini autobiography

It has led to the individual knowing

himself


When on holiday In all situations

The individual has not made

time for reflection

The individual thinks about things during

holidays but would like to reflect a lot more

The individual will learn to align values then


As often as possible In all situations

The individual tries to reconcile

words and actions

The individual tries self-reflect as often as

possible

The individual cannot reconcile

the differences and learns about

himself



The individual wants to enhance his authenticity

The individual takes time out of his schedule

to reflect on his competency gaps

His authenticity is enhanced



To enhance authentic behaviour

The individual has a weekly reflection and a

gratitude journal


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The individual does not practice

any reflection

The individual wants to start reflecting

The individual should become more authentic



The individual must assess the

relevance of their values

The individual must take time out of their

busy lives

The individual should be more

authentic



We need to understand why we behave in a

certain way

The individual wants to take time out to reflect




The individual wants to get to know himself

better

The individual wants to read biographies and

reflect


authentic


When in the East In all situations


in the East, where a lot of

reflection takes place

The individual reflects constantly



When spending time alone In all situations

The individual feels this is of immense value

The individual will reflect on intricacies,

challenges and joy and then perhaps share these with those close to him


Meditation and reflection After a breakup In all situations

The breakup prompted writing

in a diary

The individual wrote the diary which forced

her to reflect more deeply


authentic



The individual is looking for a

way out of the fight

The individual wants to reflect more

The individual hopes to live their authenticity with

serenity


When living life At university


more authentic

The individual took time, once a week, to reflect on experiences

The individual noticed that they

were a major contributor to

group discussions

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The individual believes it is

important

The individual takes time out to reflect

The individual can be true to who he is


When experiencing

negative thoughts or emotions

In all situations

The individual finds it beneficial

towards authenticity

The individual writes in a book and identifies

why they are feeling a certain way and to

identify whether there is something they can do

about it

The individual attains a greater

level of authenticity


When sitting in the ‘holy chair’ In all situations

The individual wants to make meaning of his

world

The individual sits in his ‘holy chair’

mornings and evenings and thinks about what happened in the day

The individual can make sense of his

world

Meditation and reflection In daily life In all situations

The individual realizes it is important to

understand who we are

The individual reflects on this


authentic

Meditation and reflection In daily life In all situations


reflection is a hindrance

The individual over-reflects and dwells on

the past too much

This prevents him/her from being

authentic

Mind is stronger than body When eating In all situations

The mind overpowers the

body

The individual decides her taste buds will not like certain food if it is

not healthy

The individual questions her

authenticity if her mind is not able to listen to her body

Mindfulness

When doing the

mindfulness exercise in

class

In all situations

The individual is not sure how many other

sensations the mind does not

allow their body to feel

The individual wants to practice mindfulness

and let their body experience the present


Mindfulness When doing the MBA In all situations

The individual was skeptical

about mindfulness but

wanted to increase

The individual has attempted to set time

aside each day to practice this

The individual can step back and

reflect on their life

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awareness

Moral guidance When trying to stay grounded At work

The individual played out a power role

instead of being himself

The individual asked his brother for moral

guidance

The individual was able to use his

brother as a moral sounding board

Moving away from a comfort

zone

When in a comfort zone In all situations

The individual realizes his life

becomes robotic and void of stimulation

The individual decided to leave his comfort

zone and embark on an MBA

The individual will hopefully gain

more knowledge about himself


zone

When the sheriff

repossessed their house

In all situations The individual is forced to face his

demons

The individual faced the reality that he was not defined by his family’s

possessions

The individual was enabled to become

more authentic


zone

When on the EMBA In all situations

The individual was forced to

understand their reaction to new

stimuli

The individual had to mix with different personalities from different cultures

The individual’s awareness of self

was increased


zone

When the individual

thinks about settling down

At home

The individual wants to give his family stability

after moving four times

Having a stable upbringing for his

children while embracing change

People burn out with a lot of change

Non-conformance When choosing what to study In all situations

The individual wanted to prove to her family that

she was smart enough to get an

engineering degree

The individual stuck to what she thought was

right for her

The individual was successful

Non-conformance When being a teenager In all situations

The individual always

challenges himself to be

aware of who he is

The individual chooses not to smoke and drink


Non-conformance When growing up In allf situations

Conformance was not a

condition of being loved in

The individual is strongly non-conformist

The individual is able to be authentic

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the individual’s household

Non-conformance When living life In all situations

The individual relies on what he finds acceptable

in himself

The individual disregards how others

might see his behaviour


Non-conformance When living life In all situations The individual is

very independent

The individual realized their happiness comes before pleasing others

The individual has freedom of choice

and can be authentic

Non-conformance When living life In all situations

The individual is honest in their

behaviour

The individual ‘walks the talk’ and is not

afraid to enter into a conflict with someone

they disagree with


Not being afraid of being judged When in class At university

The individual is not afraid to

speak up

The individual raised an idea in class about

teleportation

The class laughed at him but he stood true to his values

Not being afraid of being judged

When with family In all situations

The individual is not standing to judgement, she

knows her family will catch her if

she falls

The individual is not afraid of being herself

The individual is true to herself

Not knowing oneself


The individual does not feel that he knows himself

The individual believes his identity is dynamic and that he will never

fully know himself

The individual is on a constant quest

for authenticity

Not knowing oneself

After university In all situations

The individual realized those

people he admired were not always right or

successful

The individual realized he does not know

himself well

The individual was not able to be true

to himself

Not knowing oneself


The individual has been

grappling with the question of who they are

The individual feels society frowns upon

people who ‘just think’

The individual has realized that he wants to get to know himself

better

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Not knowing oneself

When moving commitment

from the private into the

public realm

In all situations

The individual realized he did

not know himself and does not

understand his motives

The individual started on a road to stop and look inside himself

The individual will project the most

accurate picture of himself once he

understands himself

Not telling the truth


The individual has considered

the ramifications of pushing the

truth

The individual sometimes is guilty of

this when filling in application forms but his saving grace is his

faith

The individual wants to examine

this part of himself more deeply


On a regular basis In all situations

The individual thinks it makes their life easier

The individual deceives himself



When creating images of ourselves

In all situations In order to gain sympathy

The individual’s wife’s friend lied about

growing up in a poor family

The person becomes

inauthentic


When telling schoolmates about a non-

existent father

In all situations In order not to appear abnormal

The individual told stories about a father

she did not have


Not understanding one’s purpose

When working on an

emergency radio project

At work

The individual did not

understand his purpose in the

job

The individual got too involved in the

technical detail and did not manage to keep a good overview of the

financial side

The company lost a lot of money


When embarking on a

career in finance

At work

The individual thought he

wanted to work in finance

because he was trying to emulate

his father

The individual realized this is not what makes

him happy

The individual fooled himself


When doing the MBA At university

The individual struggles to

understand his purpose

The individual cannot define a strategic life

plan

The individual only vaguely knows

where he wants to go

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Open-mindedness When living life In all situations

The individual wants to set

goals for dreams to emerge

The individual plans excessively for the

future

The individual realized this

inhibits her ability to live in the ‘now’

Openness in relationships


The individual is genuinely

interested in others

The individual lets others know that their

ideas are valuable

This consolidates the relationship


In her relationship

with her mother

In all situations The individual is only truly open with her mother

The individual always holds something back in

relationships with people other than her

mother

The individual only has one authentic

relationship


In his work experience At work

The individual believes it

creates openness and more tolerance

The individual is open and honest in explaining

who he is and why he reacts in specific ways

This creates an open atmosphere


When with friends In all situations

The individual gets to reflect on

life

The individual gets friends together for a

coffee or a glass of wine and nurtures friendships

The individual gets to reflect on his life

and theirs



The individual finds that trust results when he

is open

The individual finds trust comes when he is

open with friends, family or wife but

struggles to be completely open

The individual realizes if he is not open and trusting

of others, they will not trust him



In all situations


relationships are important in harnessing meaning

The individual believes in open relationships

and networks

This harnesses authenticity



In all situations

Leaders who are open share a

greater connection in values to their

followers

The individual prefers to follow Mandela, who is open, to Clinton, who

is persuasive

Followers will recognize

similarities with their leaders

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The individual believes honesty is the cornerstone

of a good relationship

The individual is always open to others, showing

trust

This is an enabler for authenticity


When in a culture of

information sharing

At work

The information sharing grows

the competencies of all through

shared problem solving

The individual is open on a professional level

The business benefits



The individual can nurture

courage

The individual speaks his mind




The individual grew up with a strong family

bond

The individual is open and honest





Telling the truth lets people about

the real individual

The individual told his fiancée about slapping his girlfriend who had

cheated on him when he was 16

The truth explains some of his behaviour




The individual believes healthy behaviours are

reinforced through feedback from significant

relationships

The individual gives of himself honestly and

deeply

The individual can improve his

authentic development


When in a relationship with her life

partner

In all situations The individual’s partner helped develop this

The individual discusses her day with

her partner

This allows her to surface emotions

and reflect on them



The individual has genuine

interest in others

The individual is open and honest which

enables them to gain the trust of others



When dealing with others In all situations Since dating his

wife he has become more

The individual can let his feelings go The individual can

express himself

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open better



The individual thinks being

open is critical

The individual had an open door and did not

pretend to know everything

This gave her a lot of credibility


When dealing with family and friends

In all situations

The individual knows she can trust them and they will not

judge her

The individual is open and honest


Openness in relationship

When growing up in a

community where lying

was unacceptable in the community

In all situations

The individual grew up where

lying was synonymous to stealing, which was punishable

by death by public thrashing

The individual tells the truth even if it means exposing himself and would be in pain if he

thought he was not giving all the facts

The individual has a high level of trust

in strangers


When in a relationship

with his wife In all situations

The individual does not open up easily, but when he does, nothing

is unturned

He has been completely open with his wife

She knows the authentic individual



The team would confide in the

individual

The individual would go out of his way to

help his team

Trusting relationships were

built

Organisations with conflicting values

to yours

When developing leadership

At work

The individual is not sure whether he can develop leadership in authenticity

The individual has had conversations with his

manager

The individual is not sure whether he

can do this in the organization


to yours

When ordered to commission a substandard Midshipman

who had failed continuously

At work

Staying in the navy would have

meant the complete

destruction of what it meant to

be that individual

The individual left the navy

He vowed to never again work in an environment that betrays his set of

values


to yours

When dealing with

organizations At work

Challenging values is seen as

non-patriotic

The individual conforms by the rules so that they can keep their job or climb the

This results in stabbing oneself in the back and in a

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ladder lot of unhappiness


to yours


The individual wanted to live up to expectations

The individual has given in to pressure from her superiors

The individual was defined by her job


to yours

When in the insurance industry

At work

The individual cannot express

themselves artistically in this

environment

The individual needs to try and work on their

artistic side



to yours

When retrenching 700

people At work

The individual followed

management mandate

The individual told his staff in a cold business like way that they had

lost their jobs

The individual was inauthentic and had formed inauthentic

relationships


to yours


The individual has difficulty working in a constantly changing

environment

The individual wants consistent personal values that do not

change

The individual displays ‘false authenticity’


to yours

When in a succession

battle at work At work

Both MDs have spoken about

retiring, which has caused the

more junior directors to go

off on a competitive

streak

The individual hides their authentic self in the hope of getting a

promotion


inauthentic


to yours

When working with people who flout dishonesty

At work This is ethically unacceptable

The individual does not enjoy working with

people like his dishonest director

This has undermined respect

for the director


to yours

When playing the game At work

The individual was not raised to

do this

The individual has seen many advance at the expense of someone

else

These individuals are not always true

to themselves


to yours

In organizational

culture At work

The individual has a fear of

violating cultural norms

The individual makes decisions at work he would not normally make because that is what the organization


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would want him to do


to yours

When closing deals At work

The individual does not always have the courage

to say no

The pressure of closing deals does not always

allow people to think o their values and the

individual lets himself be dragged along



to yours

When unsure where one

stands morally At work

The individual works in an

organization that wants to succeed

at all costs

The individual is not sure of his ethical standing and is not

immune to the company goals

The individual cannot be an

authentic leader


to yours

When in organisations In all situations

People can become

inauthentic, especially in

small communities

The individual believes eg people become more

religious than they would normally be



to yours

When having two separate spheres for

work and life

In all situations

People are trained from the outset that work and life should

be kept separate

The individual believes trying to remain

authentic to two value systems is stressful

People’s trust may falter


to yours

When dealing with his boss At work

The individual had a need to

impress his boss

The individual expressed views or

ideas that were not his own

These actions compromised his

authenticity


to yours

When in unsupportive environments

At work

The individual was the only

Western person and had minority

views on management

practices

The individual adopted local practices

The individual resulted in much lower authentic

behaviour


to yours

When working in the mining

industry At work

The dogmatic and paternalistic

culture determined how the individual

behaved because they wanted to be politically

correct

The individual did not complain about hostel conditions and other things they were not happy about because they would have been

isolated


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Overcoming fear When afraid In all situations

Fear is an underlying

current which limits the individual

The individual wants to justify the fear and decide whether to

ignore it

The individual hopes to be less

limited and reduce fear

Participation in social networks

When participating in

sports In all situations

Competitiveness causes

aggression, participation causes social

networks

The individual now has a family and has

stopped competing so aggressively

The individual can now appreciate

exercise and enjoying

participation without having to

win

Participation in social networks


The individual found his place

in society

The individual practiced authenticity in social

networks like university and the workplace


authentic

Pleasing others When dealing with others In all situations

The individual wants to keep the peace and enjoy

himself

The individual tells others what they want

to hear

The individual conforms to others

Pleasing others When living up to his father In all situations

The individual’s life has always

been overshadowed by

his father

The individual tried to live up to his father and had an panic attack at

16 due to fear of failure

The individual was not being true to

himself

Pleasing others When growing up In all situations

The individuals’ parents wanted

her to take ballet classes and was

afraid of disappointing

them

The individual did it but detested it from the

beginning in order to gain more love

The individual was not authentic to

herself

Pleasing others When

recovering from bulimia

In all situations

The individual did not want to bother others

with her problems

The individual put on a happy face and denied

her feelings

This created more unnecessary

negative feelings

Pleasing others

When contemplating

a career in music

In all situations

The individual feared failure and

parental disappointment

The individual gave up music and denied loving

music

The individual inhibited his authentic self

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Pleasing others When living life In all situations The world has

expectations

The individual questions whether they

want to please the world or themselves

The individual is not truly authentic

Pleasing others When dealing with others In all situations

The individual has an incessant need to please

others

The individual neglects his own wellbeing


Pleasing others When his older brother failed an university

In all situations

The individual did not want to disappoint his

father

The individual did not like what he was

studying but carried on


Pleasing others


friends and family

In all situations

The individual will not say

anything if it can cause harm

The individual compromises and goes

with the flow

The individual is not always as

authentic as he would like

Pleasing others When dealing with others In all situations We have a need

to please The individual does

things to please others This leads to inauthenticity

Pleasing others When dealing with a boss At work

The individual has a fear of ridicule and

wants to be a part of the group

The individual does what the boss wants

instead of what he feels is right


Pleasing others When in relationships In all situations The individual

tried too hard

The individual did not express his feelings

clearly enough

The individual became frustrated

and moody

Pleasing others When his father died In all situations The individual

had to survive

The individual had to walk 5 km at night from

the elder brother’s house so that they

would not forget the elder one

The individual had to suppress his own feelings about his

father’s death

Putting up a façade


The individual does this when surrounded by

dominating people or in an organizational

context

The individual plays a role


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Putting up a façade

When working in a new project

At work


appease the organization

The individual put up a new façade with each

project

The individual did not let people know

who he was

Putting up a facade

When engaging in ‘impression management’

In all situations

This ensures people function

well in a specific environment

People create a valued professional image

This could lead to suppression of the

individual

Putting up a facade


The individual lost control in steering his

destiny

The individual assumes the role of victim

The individual wastes energy

Putting up a facade

When Chairperson for

a Representative

Committee

In all situations


taken seriously by her male colleagues

The individual wore a façade of a hard-nosed

captain


Putting up a facade


The individual does not know the reason for

this

The individual presents themselves to be better

than they are


Putting up a facade

When in important meetings

At work

The individual wants to

counteract his inexperience

The individual dresses smartly, brings in a

leather folder and an expensive pen

The individual takes on a different

‘part’

Putting up a facade


The individual has a strong

narcissistic trait

The individual talked a lot about his successes and tried to make them bigger than they were

The individual compromised his

authenticity

Recognising strengths and weaknesses


The individual has vivid feelings

when he is not authentic

towards himself

The individual knows his strengths and

weaknesses



When looking at oneself In all situations

The individual has a shadow

side they do not like to talk about

The individual does not like to evaluate his

weakness

The individual is on the right track

because he recognizes this

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The individual accepts

themselves

The individual expresses their feelings

with conviction but balances it with

consideration for those around them

The individual is more mature



The individual has been through enough to know

who they are

The individual realized what they were about




Sometimes others know the individual better than they know

themselves

The individual turns to people close to him for

advice

The individual can get to know

himself better


When failing In all situations

The individual is bad at

acknowledging their own

shortcomings

The individual tries to cover up that he failed

rather than acknowledging it

This results in bad self-clarity




reflection is a tool for

authenticity

The individual should understand strengths and weaknesses as a

barometer to measure reactions


authentic

Reflection on the past

When looking at authenticity In all situations

The individual believes there is

a lot they can learn from their

life

The individual reflects on his/her past

The individual can find his/her

authentic self



The individual discovered a void

in his/her life

The individual is not considering how events

have affected him

The individual can start discovering his authentic self


When on the path to

authenticity In all situations

The individual thinks it is

important to learn grow from

past mistakes

The individual sees how he was inauthentic in the past and moves in

the other direction


authentic

Repressing parts When living in In all situations The individual believes

becoming who

The individual wants to get to know himself

better through

This will add another perspective

on how the

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of oneself society you are requires part invention

and part discovery

relationships and reflection

individual approaches another

relationship or a problem

Repressing parts of oneself

When with his father In all situations

The individual could not be

himself around his father

The individual expressed his extrovert personality around his

mother and became shy and introverted around

his father

The individual could not be

authentic around his father


When a small-town

occupational therapist

In all situations

The individual had a perception of what a small

town expected of an occupational

therapist

The individual wore a day time mask at work




The individual’s attempts to

express his inner personality were

violently reprimanded

The individual always acted like the perfect child, suppressing his

feelings and obeying his father



When in the hospitality industry

In all situations

The industry is based on the

belief that the customer is always right

The individual role-plays to please the

clients

This repression contradicts the

individual’s deeper persuasion of self-

display

Revealing different aspects

of oneself

When living life At work

The individual wants to look like a serious professional

The individual brings a smart folder into

meetings

The individual hopes he

counteracts his youthfulness


of oneself

When in positions of leaderships

At work The individual wants to gain acceptance

The individual will reveal different aspects

of their character

The individual will be authentic


of oneself

When with others At work

The individual feels they can connect more with people

The individual shows her responsible and thoughtful side, but

shows her fun side with men

The individual can connect more with

people


When being a manager At work The individual

various aspects of his personality

The individual oscillates between

This allows the individual to be

intuitively

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of oneself appear as the situation demands

leader and subordinate authentic

Role models When living life In all situations

The individual’s role models have

helped them stand up for what

they believe in

The individual is authentic to his values



The individual has been inspired by role models

The individual had a good mix of role

models that he could get advice from

The individual is more ethical


The individual’s role models

taught him to never give up on

his dream

The individual listened to his authentic self


authentic

Role models When

practicing religion

In all situations

The individual these Muslim

icons have become a source

of inspiration

These role models stir curiosity and promote

Muslims in the mainstream media

The individual can be true to himself

Role models When going through an

illness In all situations

The role model gave the

individual courage

The individual uses this role model as a benchmark for

authenticity because she is real

The individual is able to be more real

herself


The individual’s role model

remains true to their values

The individual looks up to their father

The individual is able to be more true to his/her

values

Role models When growing up In all situations

The individual’s mother helped him transform

any aspect into a positive one

The individual was able to be himself

The individual was more authentic

Seeking approval When pursuing

a career in business

In all situations

The individual thought a

business career would legitimize his place in the world to family

The individual chose a career in business over

a career in art

The individual realizes that something is

missing

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and friends

Seeking approval When trying to please his/her

father At home

The individual’s brother died and

after that his father’s demands

on himself translated into

perceived demands of he

individual

The individual constantly tried to win their father’s approval

and felt that if they could just achieve more,

they would be acceptable

The individual never felt good

enough and struggled to be

authentic

Seeking approval When living life In all situations

The individual was not able to

say no to anyone and wanted

approval from people close to

them

The individual was not able to say no to others

The individual felt drained and unable to express their true

self

Seeking approval When living life In all situations

The individual has a need for

continual acceptance and

approval

The individual is unable to say no

The individual compromises

his/herself

Seeking approval When with others In all situations

The individual wanted people to accept him/her

The individual would always try to impress

others


Seeking approval When at work In the work environment

The individual has a single

minded pursuit of recognition

The individual’s actions would only focus on

achievement and resultant recognition

The individual would conduct him/herself in a manner which is

less than authentic

Seeking approval When living life In all situations The individual

loves attention

The individual seeks the approval of those he

admires

The individual loses himself in the

process

Self-acceptance When living life In all situations

The individual believes that

failures must be acknowledged

The individual tries to accept his whole self

The individual feels his

authenticity will be enhanced


The individual sees his path of

self-awareness as one where he

accepts who he

The individual asks himself the important questions he has no

answers to yet

The individual believes this

enables authenticity

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really is


The individual has few things they do not like

about themselves

The individual likes who they are and likes

to respect the views others have

This empowers the individual to be

authentic

Self-awareness When being

put through the fire


was put “through the fire”

The individual spends a lot of energy on being

himself


Self-awareness During tense moments In all situations

The individual finds themselves asking questions

The individual asks “am I being me”?

The individual has a moment of

realization and learning

Self-awareness When living life In all situations


authenticity comes from

understanding one’s emotions

The individual believes authenticity is about

thinking and behaviour



The individual believes people live a superficial

life

The individual believes people just move

mechanically in the roles they play

These people are not authentic


The individual is very

compassionate

The individual is doing an MBA to help South

Africans

The individual knows himself and

who he is

Self-awareness When enjoying one’s heritage In all situations

The individual takes pride in his

traditions

The individual embraces eating

German sausage and Eisbein

The individual does not pretend to be

anyone else

Self-awareness When in

moments of conflict

In all situations The individual questions himself

The individual tries to be critical

The individual is a little more authentic


The individual knows what they

are

The individual spent many hours soul

searching and introspecting

The individual knows his strengths

and weaknesses

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The individual recognizes

himself as a holistic being

The individual practiced reflection for many years and wrote the

CLL essay

The individual has begun to

understand who he truly is

Self-awareness When in uncertain situations

In all situations

The individual considers self-

awareness to be one of the most

important factors in his future success as a

leader

The individual anticipates his reaction in an uncertain situation and adjusts the degree of authenticity in his

behaviour

The individual can adjust his reactions to the world around

him

Self-awareness When in a leadership

session In all situations The individual

was being filmed

The individual saw a lot of things he never

realized about himself and tried to imagine

being filmed and what it would say about him

The individual could discover

more about himself`

Self-awareness When in a marriage In all situations

The individual’s husband accepts her for who she

is

The individual is more confident

The individual is able to accept

herself


The individual has come to

acknowledge who they are

The individual can face and acknowledge their

inadequacies


authentic

Self-awareness When maturing In all situations The individual has matured

The individual is able to be honest with himself and evaluate his morals

and values


Self-awareness When moving

away from home

In all situations

The individual broke the bond

of always trying to please her

father

The individual has developed more into herself by not having

her family look over her shoulder


authentic

Self-awareness When doing the EMBA In all situations

The individual’s feelings

developed to a higher level

The individual understood that they are

driven by fairness

The individual got to know herself

better

Self-awareness When living In all situations The individual is very aware of

The individual will act strongly if he believes it The individual is

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life himself is important true to himself


The individual has the courage to confront his

realities

The individual overestimates the negative effects

The individual does not stay positive


The individual believes in

committing to know your total

self

The individual is aware of strengths and

weaknesses


Self-awareness When doing a

course in Buddhism

In all situations

The individual wanted to work towards his own

experience

The individual did an introductory course in

Bhuddism

The individual added to his

journey of self-discovery

Self-awareness When growing up In all situations

The individual’s confidence was destroyed as a

child

The individual saw his father turn from stable

into aggressive

The individual understands this

changed his outlook on life

Self-awareness When looking at their past In all situations

The individual has identified

what is holding them back and now wants to move forward

The individual wants to go through therapy to

understand what makes them tick

The individual will get to know

themselves better


The individual admits they are

not always authentic

The individual acknowledges the mask

they sometimes wear

The individual has taken a step along

the path of becoming authentic

Self-awareness When starting yoga In all situations


improve their health

The individual started yoga

The individual is now more calm and

self aware

Self-awareness When leading a team At work

The individual wanted to ensure harmony in the group he was

leading

The individual never asked whether he was giving the team room

enough to grow as themselves

The individual can now reflect on his

need for self-evaluation

Self-awareness When living In all situations The individual believes self-

The individual wants to work towards self-

The individual will hopefully become

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life awareness is a capacity that can

be developed

awareness by practicing mindfulness

more aware


The individual believes self-exploration is only possible

through an effort to maintain a healthy life

balance

When the individual is less negative, they are

less ignorant

The individual is able to discover

more and live more freely

Self-deception When dating a man In all situations

The individual thought she

loved this man and bought into his lens of the

world

The individual turned a blind eye towards him even if it meant giving up allowing gay and non-white friends to their house while he

was there

The individual deceived herself

Self-discipline When with others In all situations

The individual considers self-

discipline important for the development of

authenticity

The individual does not give in to temptation to

lead him away from himself


authentic

Showing trust When with others In all situations

The individual is open in

relationships

The individual is open and true to his word

This has a profound effect on the way his friends

see him


The individual has never had

anyone damage his trust

The individual has enormous trust in others

and his future

The individual behaves

authentically


The individual is a trustful person

by nature

The individual trusts easily and has been let

down in the past

The individual is authentic to their

ideals

Showing trust When dealing with others In all situations

The individual finds it very

difficult to trust people

The individual will try to give people the

benefit of the doubt and trust that they will

deliver on their promises


authentic

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Showing trust When

interacting with others

In all situations

The individual believes trust plays a central

role in our dealings with

others

The individual grants more trust to others

Others will grant more trust to the

individual

Showing trust When in


At work

The individual had to manage a

hundred men as a twenty one year old woman and her mentor told her to build up

their trust

The individual gained trust with these men

The individual had the most fulfilling work experience based on mutual respect and trust


The individual feels they would

be more interesting to others if they

opened up more

The individual would want to open up more

and show trust to others

The individual would get more

pleasure

Showing trust When with his wife In all situations

The individual finds it difficult to trust others, but when he

does, he leaves nothing unturned

The individual trusts his wife and opened up to

her completely


Shyness When dealing with others In all situations

The individual was the last of ten children

The individual is very shy and believes this

might have come from his parents

The individual is not sure if that is

their authentic self

Sound values When in the navy At work

The individual was taught that honour, loyalty,

integrity and dignity were key

values

The individual believes his ability to be an

authentic leader is based on his sound values

This has guided the individual through

tough decisions

Sound values When living life In all situations

The individual believes in a healthy value

system

The individual picked his top values which

include nurturing relationships and bringing friends

together

The individual lives this value and is more authentic

for it

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The individual that one needs

confirmation of one’s values

The individual believes that one’s values should

be continuously scrutinized

The individual believes this will

lead to authenticity


The individual has little

tolerance for what he believes

is wrong

The individual does not tolerate wrong and lives according to his values

This enables him to be authentic but

can also cause him to appear arrogant



understanding what he stands

for

The individual wants to understand and act on

his beliefs



The individual was taught strong

values by his parents

The individual practices the values of family life,

caring for others spirituality and

openness

These values prevent the

individual from compromising their

integrity


The individual believes values

should be unwavering

The individuals values do not change according

to the situation and to improve the values

lagging behind the rest

The individual wants to reach their

full potential

Sound values When being religions At work

The individual believes it is

important to take a stand on his

values in terms of religion

The individual stands firm on his religious

beliefs and convictions


Sound values When living a Christian life In all situations

The individual’s religious beliefs enables them to

have a set of values

The individual tries hard to decide where he stands on moral issues



Honesty is important

because it means the individual is

dedicated to maintaining his

values

The individual has gained confidence and

lives by his values


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Sound values When with others In all situations The individual

has solid values

The individual leads with his heart and is

genuine


Sound values When with peers At university

The individual stayed true to his

values

The individual remained chaste, and

did not smoke or drink despite peer pressure

The individual never compromised

his core values


The individual uses his morals as the backbone of his behaviour

The individual keeps a close eye on the values he has developed over

time


Spirituality and religion

When living life In all situations The individual is

grounded

The individual has strong emphasis on

spirituality and family values




The individual believes his

morals and ethics are attributed to his spirituality

The individual is spiritual and thankful for his opportunities



When being brought up religiously

In all situations The individual is a Muslim

When faced with issues, the individual draws on his religion to resolve

them

The individual can act authentically


When becoming a Christian

In all situations

The individual understood that his purpose was to follow God

The individual serves God and others

The individual has a more authentic

life


When rejecting religion In all situations

The individual realized religion divides when he

was taught in Catholic school

that other Chrisitan religious

followers were sinners

The individual recognizes a need to

serve a higher purpose than himself



When trusting God In all situations The individual is

a Muslim Through trusting God

the individual overcomes his fear of


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rejection



The individual was hugely

influenced by the teachings of the Catholic Church

The individual lives according to those teachings, such as having respect for

others



When dealing with sexuality In all situations

The individual’s mother has

transmitted the idea that sex is

taboo

The individual internalized that sex is

reprehensible

The individual ihas problems with her

sexuality


When raised in a Jewish

household In all situations

The individuals parents wanted

him to make them proud

The individual conformed to the Jewish

communities’ values

The individual was not true to his own

values


When being associated with

terrorists In all situations

The individual is a Muslim and is

afraid in a society that associates

Muslims with terrorists

The individual hides or plays down his religious

beliefs


Standing up for what you believe

in

When living life In all situations The individual is

very assertive

The individual always answers honestly when asked for opinions and stands up for what he

believes in



in


The individual has a strong

sense of self and a highly

developed sense of righteousness

The individual became a civil rights attorney to

fight for the rights of the disenfranchised



in

When realizing how short life

is In all situations

The individual believes he

should stick to his guns

The individual is true to himself



in

When choosing what to study In all situations

The individual was a math fundi but did not study

this at first

The individual changed his course to that of

actuarial science


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in

When working for a debt collection

agency

At work

The individual’s boss wanted them to do something technically

illegal

The individual stood up to his boss and refused

to do the task

The individual lived according to

his values


in


The individual’s mother instilled strong morals in

him

The individual is not afraid to voice his

opinions and stand up for what he believes in


Stealing the traits of others

When meeting people In all situations

The individual tried to search for the lesson

from everyone he met

The individual would steal traits from these

people

The individual was left feeling hollow

and lost who he was


When growing up without a

father In all situations

The individual looked for traits

in “father figures”

The individual attached himself to males that he liked and used them as a

role model

The individual only copied these traits instead of adopting

them


When being around others In all situations

The individual’s managers had a high impact on

him

The individual copied their behaviour

The individual did not have his own

style



The individual pretends to be someone he is

not

The individual copies parts of role models

The individual is not truly authentic

Stewardship When living life In all situations


paying it forward

The individual does not only concentrate on himself but serves

others


Stewardship When in


In all situations

The individual learn that people are more willing to listen if you are humble and

help them

As Head of House at boarding school, the

individual would clean the house with the more

junior boys

The individual could lead better

Strong intuition When in a working

environment At work The individual

wants to work where he can

The individual has a strong intuition which

helps to understand him

The individual can expect what their real intentions are

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apply values what people want

Strong intuition When living life In all situations

The individual has a different

approach to leadership

The individual always lets his heart or gut

determine the decisions he makes


Strong sense of self


The individual developed a positive self

image

The individual saw a counselor, asked for feedback, understood

his addiction and read a great deal




The individual has become

comfortable with herself

The individual believes in herself and aligns her actions with her values




The individual has a strong sense of self

The individual achieved this through introspection




The individual believes finding the true self is a

journey

The individual remains aware of his ‘self’ and

believes it changes




The individual has been told

they do not care about others

The individual only has a few close friends and picks what he needs to

hear from others

Others often distance

themselves from him

Taking risks When living life In all situations

The individual has felt truly

authentic when taking risks

The individual takes productive risks


Telling the truth When living life In all situations

The individual believes telling

the truth is about integrity

The individual did not go shark cage diving

with the class

The individual was true to themselves

Telling the truth When with others In all situations

The individual believes if one is truthful, others

listen

The individual tells the truth regardless of whether it will be

received in a positive or negative way


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Telling the truth When in a relationships At home

The individual does not want his

fiancée to be surprised about

him

The individual told her about the time he

slapped a girl


Telling the truth When growing up In all situations

The individual does not want t disadvantage anyone by not telling them all

the facts

The individual always tells the facts as they are


The ability to adapt and change


The individual has an adaptive

personality

The individual adapts himself to suit the

occasion

The individual grows through this

process

The struggle of maintaining one’s

integrity

When in recovery In all situations

The individual went into

recovery to please family and

management

The individual relapsed time and again because he was not in recovery

for himself

The individual went through a big

learning curve

Times of distress When living life In all situations

The individual believes people

become authentic in times of

distress

The individual believes people are authentic eg

when they are eg hungry or anxious

The individual believes one can

only be truly authentic in these

difficult times

Times of distress When having cancer In all situations

The individual was diagnosed

with stage 2 breast cancer

The individual has been on a process of self

discovery and built her confidence


Times of distress

During the liberation

struggle and colonial legacy

In all situations

The individual was reminded of where he came

from

The individual experienced injustice at

college


because he remembers where

he came from

Times of distress When in the Armed Forces In all situations

The individual was pushed to

the limits of their mental and

physical ability

The individual was deprived of sleep, comfort, rank and

stamina

Without any of these trappings, the

real individual emerged and was

authentic

Times of distress When working in humanitarian

In all situations The individual was often placed

in dangerous

The individual experienced life and

This enabled him to be truly himself

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crisis situations conditions death situations

Tolerance of others


The individual was brought up to be tolerant

The individual has the ability to be tolerant of

others


Tolerance of others


The individual’s boyfriend

cheated on her with her friend

The individual did not forgive her friend even

after 12 years

This does not allow her to be authentic

with her friend

Tolerance of others


The individual needs to

stop making baseless conclusi

ons

The individual needs to stop making

assumptions of others and give them a chance

This will help him t reach his

full potential

Tolerance of others

When working in diverse

groups At work

The individual believes beauty

is skin deep

The individual will not judge others on their appearance and gives

them a chance to prove themselves


Tolerance of others

When in the MBA syndicate

groups At university

The individual has good

experience in working in

groups under pressure

The individual tolerates the imperfections of

others

The individual feels he has the right approach

Transparency When living life In all situations

The individual is not afraid of transparency

The individual is transparent and there is no disconnect between what she really is and

what one sees


Upbringing When living life At university


with strong values

The individual was asked to mention who

in the group had underperformed in a

hearing and did refused to mention any names

The individual was able to be true to

his values

Upbringing When growing up In all situations

The individual had a good

relationship with their parents and

received

The individual talked to his/her parents about their fears and needs

The individual showed his/her true

self to others

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unconditional love


The individual has always seen his family as the most important part of his life

His mother taught him when he was little to put

rubbish in his pocket and not to litter, and the individual still does not

litter

The individual lives according to

his values

Upbringing When growing

up with her grandmother

In all situations

The individual’s grandmother

taught her right from wrong

The individual gained morality from her

grandmother



The individual asked his father for money for a

ruler

The individual bought sweets instead and

received a hiding from his father

The individual learnt the key

values of honesty and integrity

Upbringing When living

with his father and stepmother

At home

The individual’s father and stepmother

discouraged him from doing

anything that would not

impress them

The individual was not able to speak out and

only did things to impress them


Vulnerability When in

meaningful relationship

In all situations

The individual has meaningful

relationships with friends and

mentors

The individual does not wear a mask in front of them and can unpack

experiences


Vulnerability When with others In all situations

The individual fears letting

others see him at his weakest

The individual needs to let go of his ego and be

vulnerable to people and to the universe

The individual will be able to be more

authentic

Vulnerability When working with others At work

The individual was no longer a threat at work

when admitting he did not know

everything

The individual admitted his staff knew more

about a subject than he did

People were eager to talk to him and

he learnt from these conversations

Wanting to fit in When with others In all situations The individual

wanted to fit in and achieve

The individual hid the truth by developing a

The individual behaved

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success persona inauthentically

Wanting to fit in When around others In all situations

The individual wanted to fit in with the crowds

The individual change his accent

The individual was not being his true

self

Wanting to fit in When at the

Red and Yellow School

In all situations The individual did not know how to fit in

The individual tried to be trendy, then

pretended that she could not socialize with her

classmates because she had a serious boyfriend

The individual was unhappy and inauthentic

Wanting to fit in When being an auditor At work

The individual needs to have a good working

relationship with the people he

audits in order to do his job

The individual builds relationships with the managers he audits

The individual is sometimes placed

in challenging positions

Wanting to fit in When in a community In all situations

The individual has a need to be

accepted

The individual abandons his true self

and pretends to be something else


Wanting to fit in When working with others At work

The individual fears being seen as foolish or not

a team player

The individual does not voice his opinions


Wanting to fit in When at UCT At university

The individual’s classmates found his well-spoken façade puzzling

The individual pretended to be a

foreigner and adopted an accent

The individual was confused and

unhappy

Working in an environment conducive to

expressing values

When choosing a workplace In all situations

The individual wants to find a workplace that

fits with his values

The individual will choose a workplace

where he can live his values

The individual hopes to be able to live authentically


expressing values

When applying for a job in

future At work

The individual wants to find a

job where he can check the extent of fulfilling the

role

The individual plans to choose his boss and

companies according to his values

The individual hopes to be authentic

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expressing values

When taking an Authentic

Happiness test In all situations

The individual scored that he

was happier than 90% of

respondents

The individual lives out his values in his work



expressing values

When working with a large

team At work

The individual got a lot of

freedom from their boss

because they would not try to hide mistakes

The individual was true to her values in her

organization

The individual was authentic


expressing values

When in his current job At work

The individual’s and the

company’s values are

aligned

The individual can apply his personal

values in the workplace



expressing values

When in his current job At work

The individual’s values are

aligned with those of the company

The individual lives out his values


Working too much In his current job In all situations

The individual does not take

time to reflect at work

The individual tends to overwork and not take

time to reflect

The individual neglects his

family’s needs

Working too much When living life In all situations

The individual gets so caught up

in the rat race that he forgets

what is important to him

The individual finds himself chasing

something, but not knowing what it is


Working too much

When a friend was in need after a car accident

In all situations

The individual had too many

work pressures to be authentic and provide moral

support

The individual only gave money to his

friend instead of moral support


An Analysis Of The Stumbling Blocks And Enablers Towards...

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