Authentic Leadership Communication: Nonprofit Leaders and the Constituted Self

Authors

  • Curt Gilstrap Drury University
  • Zachary M. White Queens University
  • Alyssa Spradlin Drury University

Keywords:

nonprofit leadership, authentic leadership, leadership communication, nonprofit communication

Abstract

Nonprofit organizations depend upon leaders who embody value propositions to further nonprofit mission. Because these leaders are vetted and evaluated according to their abilities to communicate authentic connection to the values associated with mission, we examined how nonprofit leaders communicate the general idea of authenticity as well as how authentic leadership is understood within the third sector. Responding to semistructured interview schedules, nonprofit leaders spoke from experience about role fluidity, mission identity, authenticity as product, transparent communication style, and community impacts to authentic leaders within their organizations. These themes square to a certain extent with previous authentic leadership theses derived from for-profit research, though the unique experiences of nonprofit leaders also give insight into how individuals constitute themselves amidst organizational communication.

Published

2015-03-26

Issue

Section

Articles