THE ROLE OF AUTHENTIC LEADERSHIP SKILLS IN MANAGING STRESSFUL SITUATIONS

Tinatin Dzotsenidze

E-mail:tinatindzotsenidze5@gmail.com

PhD student, Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University

Tbilisi, Georgia

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8747-0782

Abstract: Authentic leadership skills are fundamental in the modern, rapidly changing world. It is worth emphasizing that the accelerated lifestyle, increasing globalization, and competition significantly increase each employee's stress. The study was conducted using a questionnaire survey that included two self-assessment tools. These consisted of an assessment of authentic leadership skills based on the Wilmington University questionnaire and a scale for self-assessment of problem-solving and resilience. The findings were processed using the SPSS statistical package. During the data analysis, significant hypotheses were developed: Hypothesis 1: Balance in actions affects coping with stressful situations (Str1), distraction from stressful situations (Str2), and adaptation to stressful situations (Str3); Hypothesis 2: Relational Transparency significantly affects coping with stressful situations (Str1), distraction from stressful situations (Str2), and adaptation to stressful situations (Str3); Hypothesis 3: Self-awareness significantly affects coping with stressful situations (Str1), distraction from stressful situations (Str2), and adaptation to stressful situations (Str3); Hypothesis 4: Moral perspective significantly affects str1 coping with stressful situations, str2 distraction from stressful situations, and str3 adaptation to stressful situations. The study focuses on commercial banks and other financial organizations functioning in Georgia. Managerial and non-managerial personnel from the aforementioned organizations' headquarters and branches in Tbilisi (the capital) were interviewed. In total, 1004 respondents participated in the study. The study aims to determine the impact of authentic leadership skills on managing stressful situations. The study discovered a correlation between all four authentic leadership skills and the ability to cope with stress, also known as resilience. However, not all four skills affect stress management skills equally. We determined that the most significant relationship is with moral perspective and balanced actions.

Keywords: Authentic leadership, Coping, Distraction, Adaptation, Stressful situations

JEL classification: M120