ABSTRACT
The possibility of living authentically at work is consistent with career prospects that have greater significance and meaning to people, in alignment with their values and aspirations. Authenticity, or authentic behavior, involves a way of living and expressing themselves that is consistent with beliefs and personal experiences. Adult interactions in society impose, however, limits to authentic behavior. Since the culture of an organization influences the behavior of its professionals, the objective of this study was to investigate the relationships between cultural types and authentic living of people in organizations. For this, a survey was carried out with a sample of 199 professionals working in different companies and hierarchical levels. Data collection was conducted through questionnaires applied to graduate and undergraduate courses in business administration. The survey results indicated that certain profiles of organizational culture (clan culture and innovative culture) are positively related to authenticity at work, tending to favor the expression of authenticity. Other profiles of organizational culture (results culture and hierarchical culture) are negatively related, and can inhibit the expression of authenticity. It was also observed that the position of leadership is associated with higher scores of authenticity at work, regardless of the type of organizational culture. The study offers a theoretical and empirical contribution by exploring the relationship between organizational culture and authenticity, placing the first as antecedent of latter. It also brings important considerations for organizations and managers indicating how certain firm characteristics may impact the authenticity of the people. It also proposes useful insights for professional in general, with regard to the identification of the types of companies that best align with their aspirations to authentic living at work. However, some limitations of this study should be remembered. A first aspect to mention is the composition of the sample, which could be expanded; in addition, the fact that the sample was not random, does not permit any generalization of the results obtained. Further studies could also test the combined and interactive action between cultural types and the mediating effect of personal characteristics.
Organizational culture; Cultural types; Authenticity at work; Careers; Authentic behavior