Authenticity at WorkAuthenticity and work engagement in

the customer service context

Authenticity & Work Engagement

• Personal engagement (Kahn, 1990) emphasises authenticity

Research questions: Authenticity & work engagement? Deep acting / surface acting, work engagement?

Procedure• 140 mass-service workers: petrol stations,

supermarkets, general retail, fast-food outlets

• Quantitative survey: authenticity, surface acting, deep acting, personal accomplishment, self-efficacy, work engagement

• Analysis: correlations, moderated relationships

Results / Implications• Authenticity is related to work engagement (.62)

• Surface acting is strongly negatively related to a sense of authenticity (-.60) and to work engagement (-.59)

• Deep acting is not authenticity, it is weakly related to engagement (.23)

• Personal accomplishment is strongly related to engagement (.76)

• Maintain a sense of authenticity and cultivate a sense of personal accomplishment… this may require a balance between authenticity and behaviour that achieves role-expectations

Implications: surface acting

• Avoid surface acting BUTsurface acting may protect workers in unpleasant interpersonal interactions

• If surface acting is unavoidable: work to build a sense of personal accomplishment

Questions?