Poster presented at Academy of Management Annual Meeting
Copenhagen, Denmark. July 2025.
earned authenticity
as an indicator of
identity freedom
queen jaks, PHD
what is earned authenticity?
earned authenticity refers to the process through which individuals, particularly those from marginalized groups, navigate organizational environments to express their authentic selves. in contexts where authenticity is not immediately permitted, individuals must often "earn" the right to be genuine by first adapting to dominant norms, accumulating credibility, and achieving positional or social capital. this concept challenges the notion that authenticity should be conditional, highlighting how power structures restrict identity freedom and impose additional labor on underrepresented individuals.
five stage framework
stage 1: identity scoping
assess your own social identities and evaluate the organization’s culture to determine what aspects of self can be safely expressed.
stage 2: identity selection
select which identities to emphasize, often engaging in strategic self-presentation to align with perceived organizational rewards.
stage 3: identity creation
the selected identity is shaped through ongoing interactions with others in the workplace, becoming co-constructed by organizational feedback and social dynamics.
stage 4: identity activation
enact your chosen identity through daily behavior, often involving code-switching to navigate dominant norms while minimizing bias and stereotyping.
stage 5: identity freedom
after gaining sufficient credibility or power, individuals may feel freer to express their authentic selves with less fear of professional penalty. however, this freedom is still shaped by systemic organizational power structures.
model
poster
