Positive Links Speaker Series
Authenticity on One’s Own Terms
Patricia Faison Hewlin
December 12, 2019
4:00-5:00 p.m.
Free and open to the public.
Michigan Ross Campus, Ross Building, 701 Tappan, Robertson Auditorium, Ann Arbor
Patricia Faison Hewlin
Associate Professor of Organizational Behaviour
McGill University
About the talk
The exhortation to be true to oneself is often intended to empower, but it can actually promote apprehension because instructions are rarely provided. Thus, many shy away from what is true to self, take on inauthentic behaviors to fit into their work environments, or at worst, turn to harsh transparency, alienating those around them. In this session, Hewlin will share how people can be authentic “on their own terms” by identifying their thresholds of authenticity as well as personal values that can be integrated into the workplace to: increase work engagement, foster positive relationships, and enhance overall personal well-being.
About Hewlin
Patricia Faison Hewlin is the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs, and Associate Professor in the Desautels Faculty of Management at McGill University. She is also a visiting professor at Southwestern University of Finance and Economics in Chengdu, China. Prior to joining academia, she was a Vice President for Citi, where she managed financial centers in New York City.
Hewlin conducts research on how organization members and leaders engage in authentic expression, as well as factors that impede authenticity in the workplace. Her research has primarily centered on employee silence, and the degree to which members suppress personal values and pretend to embrace organizational values, a behavior she terms as “creating facades of conformity.” Her most recent research explores authenticity from a cross-cultural perspective, and how organizations, particularly leaders can leverage diverse and divergent authentic self-expressions among followers, while promoting positive work interactions and productivity.
Hewlin is published in several academic journals including Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Organization Science, Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, and Journal of Chinese Management. She has also contributed to the Globe and Mail, Huffington Post, Getting Smart, and Harvard Business Review.
On a personal note, Hewlin enjoys traveling, solving puzzles, and quiet moments with her family.
Host
Jane Dutton, co-founder of the Center for Positive Organizations; Robert L. Kahn Distinguished University Professor Emerita of Business Administration and Psychology
Sponsors
The Center for Positive Organizations thanks University of Michigan Organizational Learning, Sanger Leadership Center, Tauber Institute for Global Operations, Samuel Zell & Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies, Lisa and David (MBA ’87) Drews, and Diane (BA ’73) and Paul (MBA ’75) Jones for their support of the 2019-20 Positive Links Speaker Series.
