The Authenticity Thing
These days, no word gets more play--in business and in politics--than authenticity.
In management theory, authenticity is what consumers (of products or leaders) naturally seek and, more important, select when available. Therefore, businesses (and politicians) must somehow cultivate or create authenticity.
Of course, that sounds oxymoronic. Authenticity by its nature seems like something you have or you don't. Creating authenticity is like manufacturing love. What's more, what's deemed authentic is largely determined by outside forces. One's only as authentic as the audience believes he or she is.
That's what makes the conversation about Sarah Palin's authenticity so fascinating. Is she authentic, and can she recalculate her authenticity quotient the way celebrities try to affect their Q rating. I thought Sarah Palin would retreat to Alaska, but so far, it looks like she's here to stay, at least until things heat up in 2011.
More worthwhile reading today:
- Bail Out GM!
- Confessions of an Unrepentant BlackBerry Addict
- The Wisdom of Geeks; The Madness of Crowds
By
Scott Berinato
|
November 17, 2008; 11:49 AM ET
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Posted by: juliemanga | November 21, 2008 10:56 AM
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I find your understanding of authenticity curious. We all have the capacity for authenticity -- Authenticity has to do with one's being "real" -- that is not trying to be something that you are not (not false or copied; genuine; real -- per the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), not pretending. So authenticity cannot be "faked". Sooner or later others will sniff it out. As Daniel Goleman and others point out, our nervous systems sense one another. And, we have radar for what's fake. Over time, authenticity shows up as a naturalness vs. scripted-ness.
What you describe is a calculated creation of a public identity, not authenticity.