Rethinking authenticity

These days we’re often urged to bring our ‘whole self’ to work, to be more ‘authentic’ in how we engage with our co-workers in order to be our ‘best self’ and make connections with others at work. Be your true authentic self, the idea goes, and you’ll be happier and more engaged with your work. You’ll waste less energy concealing important parts of your identity and have more energy for work. Benefits flow both to the individual, whose career productivity rises, and to the companies.

To organisations looking for a competitive edge this is an appealing idea: let managers be themselves and watch returns flow. Individuals like the sound of it too: to be fully ourselves at work without the need to hide our idiosyncrasies, quirks and bad habits sounds like a relief. We can stop pretending, stop holding our tongues, and just be ourselves.

Even more, the idea that we should be our authentic selves appeals to our deep hope that we can be fully accepted—warts and all—by our colleagues and bosses, true to ourselves without fear of rejection. But not so fast.

Consider how women are encouraged to ‘lean in’ to advance their careers. Might this deny what is authentic behaviour for many women, to have balance between their work and their family? Another example: To feel fully authentic at work, LGBTQ employees may wish to display photos of their partners and spouses, or invite their families to client outings. Can they bring their whole selves to work in this way?

And how much authenticity can religious people experience when meetings are scheduled at times when they are observing their religious traditions? Can ethnic minorities feel authentic when they are discouraged from wearing traditional dress at work? Should people who ‘code switch’ at work abandon this and just communicate in whatever way feels most comfortable?

Is authenticity such a great idea?

Drawing on 50 years of research on person-organisation fit, we suggest that the more your authentic self dovetails with the values and expectations of the office, the more acceptable it is and the more benefits accrue to both you as an individual and your organisation.

But research on identity suggests that expressions of authenticity that deviate from what the majority assumes is typical are riskier. Majority group members whose ‘authentic’ behaviour is rather closely aligned with the values of Western global businesses will likely experience little risk in being authentic. Others may experience something altogether different.

Social psychologists have proposed that each of us has multiple ‘identities’ that are connected to the roles that we play. Take a senior marketing manager as an example. Wendi is likely to have multiple identities; she is a marketer and a group head, but also a mother, the eldest child of sick parents, a singer in her church choir and a board member of her local theatre company.

According to identity theory, when we are in situations that cue a particular identity—when she is leading a meeting of her subordinates, her ‘group head’ self takes over—we behave consistently with the demands of that identity. Most of us struggle to reconcile all of our roles and identities at the best of times—suggesting that work is the place where they will all coalesce and create a coherent ‘self’ is a tall ask.

Find your fit or try new behaviours

We’re not denying that when you can bring more of yourself to work you are likely to feel more comfortable and be more productive – authenticity and workplace connections with colleagues make a positive difference.

But organisations don’t always promote the most productive people. They promote people who are productive and represent the core values of the organisation. If you don’t ‘fit’ in the organisation, you are unlikely to gain influence.

This suggests a negotiated process. From the organisation’s perspective, does this individual ‘fit’ well enough to gain acceptance and effectively exercise influence? From the individual’s perspective, does this organisation allow me to be enough of myself to be comfortable and productive?

Historically, individuals did all of the adjusting to fit. More recently, organisations have been more willing to adjust to accommodate a more diverse workforce. But workplaces are not infinitely flexible. Values are central to business success, and to attracting the modern worker.

So how do we make workplace authenticity work? As individuals, we should seek out those organisations that represent our personal values. When we do, we can be more of ourselves at work. Look also for organisations that are more open and accommodate a greater diversity of styles and values.

Where the fit isn’t perfect, do not let ‘inauthenticity’ be a barrier to trying new behaviours. Actions that you see as inauthentic may simply be those that are unfamiliar. When you practise these new behaviours, they can begin to feel comfortable and familiar, and thus will come to feel more authentic.