4.1.1 Authentic Leadership Questionnaire (ALQ)

Purpose 

The Authentic Leadership Questionnaire (ALQ) is designed to measure the authentic leadership attributes of individual leaders, as perceived by employees. It measures the four authentic domains of leadership (Walumbwa et al., 2007):

Self-awareness (the extent to which a leader is aware of their own strengths and weaknesses)

Internalized and moral perspective (the leader’s commitment to high moral and ethical standards)

Balanced processing (the leader’s tendency to seek diverse perspectives and consider multiple viewpoints)

Relational transparency (the degree to which a leader promotes openness and transparency in their interactions with others)

The ALQ offers individuals insights into their leadership style, strengths, and areas for improvement. The instrument has also been utilized widely by researchers, organizations, and leadership development programs across different sectors. Organizations may use the results to identify high-potential leaders, tailor leadership development programs, assess leadership effectiveness, and promote a culture of authenticity and ethical leadership.

Description 

Developed by Avolio et al. (2007), the ALQ is a 16-item, 5-point Likert scale instrument. The ALQ is based on a higher order, multidimensional model of authentic leadership. Confirmatory factor analyses support its construct validity. The instrument has demonstrated predictive validity for important work-related attitudes and behaviors beyond what ethical and transformational leadership measures offer. Northouse (2021) stated that the ALQ can effectively assess the four authentic leadership domains (self-awareness, internalized and moral perspective, balanced processing, and relational transparency).

While the ALQ is a well-regarded instrument for measuring authentic leadership attributes, some limitations may exist. These include potential biases in self-reported data and the challenge of capturing the complexity of authentic leadership in a concise questionnaire format. Avolio et al. (2018) advise maintaining the four components of authentic leadership but call for more research on each component’s mediators, moderators, and unique outcome variables. Additionally, they suggest employing new statistical methods and tools, such as dynamical mutualism and network analysis, to model the dynamics of the behavioral, cognitive, and emotional constructs involved in leadership (Avolio et al., 2018).

Access 

The ALQ can be purchased from Mind Garden at https://www.mindgarden.com/69-authentic-leadership-questionnaire. It may also be accessible via academic journals and research databases, including in the relevant articles listed in the references section. Prior to usage, permission from the authors or copyright holders may be necessary. Contact the authors directly or consult the articles for more information on the availability and permissions.

Reference

Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., & Walumbwa, F. O. (2007). Authentic Leadership Questionnaire. Mind Garden. https://www.mindgarden.com/69-authentic-leadership-questionnaire

Avolio, B. J., Wernsing, T., & Gardner, W. L. (2018). Revisiting the development and validation of the Authentic Leadership Questionnaire: Analytical clarifications. Journal of Management, 44(2), 399–4 11. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206317739960

Northouse, P. G. (2021). Leadership: Theory and practice (9th ed.). Sage Publications.

Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure. Journal of management, 34(1), 89–126. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206307308913