Authentic leadership in a developing economy: a study of Nigerian oil companies

This thesis is a study of authentic leadership, an emergent and valuable leadership approach in the oil sector of a developing economy context. It is mainly focused on the experiences of both leaders and followers, providing valuable insights into the dynamics of the leadership approach within a specific setting. Consequently, the study aimed to examine authentic leadership within a developing economy context, identify its components, the challenges authentic leaders encounter, and illuminate the process of becoming authentic. The dearth of research that explores the qualitative understanding of authentic leadership necessitates the undertaking of this study.At a theoretical level, the study draws on two main perspectives: an ideal leadership approach and a four dimensional construct as they form the core of the issue. The thesis also draws on a complementary perspective of it being a root construct as it presupposes an understanding of authentic leadership located within social and institutional contexts. At the empirical level, a qualitative approach guided the investigation of 46 oil industry participants. Through semi-structured interviews, the findings reveal rich qualitative data which exposed the contextual factors influencing authentic leadership and its implications for leadership effectiveness. The results of the study uncovered six distinct components of authentic leadership: clarity of purpose, follower development, relational transparency, self awareness, internalised moral perspective, and concern for people. This finding was critical as it extends the current conceptualisation of the four prevalent components of authentic leadership within extant literature. Secondly, family structure, beliefs and convictions, leadership, and legacy emerged as key factors that inspire authentic leadership development. Thirdly, the study identified four challenges namely, financial constraints, inadequate governance and regulation, economic difficulties, and leadership complexities that authentic leaders encounter. These challenges cast light on the contextual challenges and internal contradictions faced by authentic leaders on their path to leadership.Finally, giving followers a voice, facilitating follower growth, and demonstrating consistency and transparency were highlighted as key actions that shape perceptions of authentic leadership. In the context of a developing economy, these actions play a crucial role in influencing how followers perceive and respond to authentic leadership.This thesis concludes with a model that empirically incorporates the components, factors, challenges, and actions associated with authentic leadership within a developing economy. The findings contribute to the existing corpus of knowledge on authentic leadership and provide practical insights for leaders, organisations, and policymakers. This is in response to the growing concern that authentic leadership should be understood from the context in which it occurs.