The Myth of Authenticity in Organizational Life Image Management and the Performance of Self

In this provocative and interdisciplinary study, David M. Kopp dismantles the widely held belief that authenticity is a stable, ethical ideal in organizational life. Drawing on leadership theory, organizational behavior, sociology, and ethics, this work argues that what organizations celebrate as “authenticity” is often nothing more than strategic image management. Introducing the concept of authenticity leaks, Kopp explores how curated professional personas collapse when private selves surface—revealing the fragility of trust built on selective visibility. Through archival case studies of public figures and a critique of popular leadership frameworks, the book exposes the contradictions between transparency rhetoric and the institutional pressures that demand concealment. This work reframes authenticity not as inner coherence but as a socially conferred label, sustained through performance, audience recognition, and organizational validation. It challenges readers to reconsider the ethics of leadership, the role of compartmentalization, and the limits of disclosure in professional settings. Essential reading for scholars and students in leadership studies, organizational ethics, HRM, and sociology, as well as reflective practitioners in leadership and human resources, this book offers a bold new vocabulary for understanding how trust, credibility, and moral legitimacy are constructed, and how they unravel.