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Introduction
Following a number of high-profile corporate scandals, there has been a renewed interest in recent years on more transparent and positive leadership approaches (Avolio and Gardner, 2005). In addition, the current globalized economy has created the need for expanded perspectives on the applicability of leadership models. Authentic leadership (AL) is a contemporary leadership model, which focuses on the transparency of the leaders’ integrity and active concern for viewpoints of followers and their development (Avolio and Gardner, 2005; Fields, 2007). Although the theory is still considered to be in its infancy (Gardner et al., 2011; Klenke, 2007), it has received favorable interest given that three special issues of academic journals have been devoted to AL and multiple alternative measures of the construct and its components have been developed (Jensen and Luthans, 2006; Walumbwa et al., 2008; Ladkin and Taylors, 2010). However, the relationship of AL behaviors with employee outcomes such as organizational commitment (OC) and perceptions of a leader’s effectiveness have been subject to limited empirical examination.
Previous studies of the nature and effectiveness of AL studies have primarily used data obtained in the USA and Europe (Walumbwa et al., 2008; Pulls, 2011; Leroy et al., 2012; Peus et al., 2012; Valsania et al., 2012) and more recently China (Walumbwa et al., 2008; Wang et al., 2014). While the results of these studies provide valuable frameworks for understanding and applying the AL model, there is still need to examine this approach in other cultures. Scholars have emphasized the importance of evaluating the effectiveness of alternative leadership models in diverse contexts (House et al., 2004; Vogelgesang et al., 2009) in order to better understand the extent to which these models are endorsed by followers across cultures (Vogelgesang et al., 2009) as well as identify the contextual factors that may contribute to or hinder enactment. Although ethnic and linguistic differences are present in Africa, “there are underlying commonalities in cultural values that can inform the practice of leadership and management” (Walumbwa et al., 2011, p. 428). Therefore, testing AL in Nigeria may provide evidence-based insights for leadership practices suited for organizations operating in Nigeria and other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (Javidan et al., 2006).