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Volume 11 Issue 02

The privilege to be authentic: Positionality and leadership

DOI:https://doi.org/10.24052/IJHEM/V11N02/ART-4 
Published: 05 Oct 2025 Issue:Volume 11 Issue 02 Aug 2025 DOI ready Author details below

Jacob Bucher

Regis University, USA

Suhad Tabahi

Dominican University, USA

Nicki Gonzales

Regis University, USA

Erin Winterrowd

Regis University, USA

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Research summary

This paper pushes the conversation about authentic leadership by introducing the variable of identity. Recent discourse on authentic leadership identifies it as an effective and desirable approach to leadership, but to date the conversation has failed to acknowledge that some in leadership are more able to pursue authenticity given their privileged identities, and others in leadership face more risk in authenticity given their minoritized identities. Using key understandings of privilege and authenticity, along with personal testimonies, we provide recommendations for both those with privileged statuses and those with minoritized statuses on how to effectively embrace and employ authentic leadership.

Article History

Published 05 Oct 2025

How to Cite

Bucher, J., Tabahi, S., Gonzales, N., & Winterrowd, E.. (2025). The privilege to be authentic: Positionality and leadership. International Journal of Higher Education Management, Volume 11 Issue 02. https://doi.org/10.24052/IJHEM/V11N02/ART-4

Citation Context

Archive cited by No internal citing article yet
Reference depth 36 sources listed
DOI record Cross-platform DOI available
Citation signal Citation exports and metadata ready

APA

Bucher, J., Tabahi, S., Gonzales, N., & Winterrowd, E.. (2025). The privilege to be authentic: Positionality and leadership. International Journal of Higher Education Management, Volume 11 Issue 02. https://doi.org/10.24052/IJHEM/V11N02/ART-4

MLA

Bucher, Jacob, et al.. "The privilege to be authentic: Positionality and leadership." International Journal of Higher Education Management, Volume 11 Issue 02, 2025. https://doi.org/10.24052/IJHEM/V11N02/ART-4

Chicago

Jacob Bucher, Suhad Tabahi, Nicki Gonzales, and Erin Winterrowd. "The privilege to be authentic: Positionality and leadership." International Journal of Higher Education Management Volume 11 Issue 02 (05 Oct 2025). https://doi.org/10.24052/IJHEM/V11N02/ART-4

Harvard

Bucher, J., Tabahi, S., Gonzales, N., & Winterrowd, E. (2025) The privilege to be authentic: Positionality and leadership. International Journal of Higher Education Management, Volume 11 Issue 02. https://doi.org/10.24052/IJHEM/V11N02/ART-4

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