Authentic leadership: a systematic literature review

This paper provides an overview of the current state of the authentic leadership domain. It identifies the factors that inspire authentic leadership development, provides a description of the followers' perception of the construct, and explores how these perceptions shape authentic leadership. To this end, 80 articles issued between 1970 and 2021 were methodically identified and analysed. The review shows that authentic leaders develop in phases which may be the missing link that connects the two differing views on the development of self. Also, findings reveal that the followers' perception is crucial to the development of authentic leadership, however, these perceptions have not been examined adequately, as scholars have focused on the bidirectional nature of these perceptions that is; how leaders influence the perceptions of followers in the attainment of organisational outcomes and how follower perceptions impact authentic leader effectiveness. This neglects the iterative role that the followers' perceptions play in the developmental process of authentic leadership. Finally, the review highlights the dominance of specific regions evident in the conceptualisation, thereby limiting the understanding of the construct across diverse contexts. The relevance of this review is not in doubt as it presents the justification for further investigation by researchers and provides the necessary evidence for policymakers and practitioners.