The Relationship Between Authentic Leadership, Trust, and Engagement in Library Personnel

Using validated and reliable psychometric instruments, 87 non-manager library employees were surveyed to determine the nature of the relationships between non-manager perceptions of authenticity and trust in two levels of leadership with self-rated engagement. The results provide insights about how non-managers perceive authenticity and trust in both direct managers and senior supervisors, and how those perceptions are related to self-ascribed employee engagement. While perceptions of trust and authenticity accounted for some of the variance found, undetermined variables may explain more of the variance in employee engagement. Recommendations for developing authentic leaders and engaging employees in a library setting are offered.