4.1.2 The Authentic Leadership Inventory (ALI)
Purpose
The Authentic Leadership Inventory (ALI) is designed to measure authentic leadership by assessing leaders’ behaviors and qualities across four key domains: self-awareness, relational transparency, internalized moral perspective, and balanced processing. The instrument aims to provide a comprehensive assessment of authentic leadership qualities in individuals. It is also intended to help leaders to identify strengths and areas for improvement and to promote ethical decision-making and integrity in leadership. By using the ALI, organizations and individuals can better understand and enhance authentic leadership, ultimately contributing to more ethical, transparent, and effective leadership practices.
Description
The Authentic Leadership Inventory (ALI) was developed by Linda L. Neider and Chester A. Schriesheim. It consists of 16 items rated on a Likert scale in which test-takers rate their level of agreement with items.
To validate the instrument Neider and Chester conducted three studies using mainly college students. The first involved a sample of 40 undergraduates (juniors and seniors) and 32 executive MBA students. The second included 536 undergraduates (first-year students, juniors, and seniors), who evaluated two authentic political leaders, John McCain and former President Barack Obama. The third used a sample of 38 full-time employed executive MBA students. The ALI has demonstrated acceptable internal consistency reliability, with alpha coefficients of 0.70 or higher. Novaes et al. (2019) validated the ALI and reported a satisfactory internal consistency (α = 0.81). This result aligns with the findings from the original scale study, where consistency indices ranged from 0.74 to 0.85.
Access
The ALI is 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.
References
Neider, L. L., & Schriesheim, C. A. (2011). The Authentic Leadership Inventory (ALI): Development and empirical tests. The leadership quarterly, 22(6), 1146-1164. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2011.09.008
Novaes, V. P., Ferreira, M. C., & Gabardo-martins, L. M. D. (2019). Validity evidences regarding the Authentic Leadership Inventory. Estudos de Psicologia (Campinas) 36, e180058. https://doi.org/10.1590/1982-0275201936e180058
