Psychology Commons^™

Authentic Leadership In Sports Teams, Greg Houchin

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Authentic leadership includes a positive moral perspective characterized by high ethical standards that guide decision making and behavior. The measurement of authentic leadership is aimed at a leader’s ability to be genuine. This study identified and analyzed authentic leaders on sports teams. Group cohesion was also assessed. The purpose was to determine whether authentic leadership would lead to performance when mediated by team cohesion and trust. Survey analyses were used to assess several teams. Results indicated that sports teams may benefit from training in authentic leadership. Authentic leadership predicts higher levels of trust, team cohesion, and group performance.