Authentic leadership, group cohesion and group identifi cation in security and emergency teams

Resumen Background: Authentic leadership (AL) is a kind of leadership that inspires and promotes positive psychological capacities, underlining the moral and ethical component of behavior. The proposed investigation studies the relations among AL, cohesion, and group identifi cation in security and emergency teams. Method: A cross-sectional research design was conducted in which participated 221 members from 26 fi re departments and operative teams from the local police of three Spanish provinces. The following questionnaires were administered: Authentic Leadership (ALQ), Group Cohesion (GEQ), and Mael and Ashford’s Group Identifi cation Questionnaire. Results: A direct and positive relation was found between AL, cohesion, and group identifi cation. An indirect relation was also found between AL and group cohesion through group identifi cation, indicating the existence of partial mediation. Conclusions: The utility of the proposed model based on AL is considered; this model can be employed by those in charge of the fi re departments and operative groups in organizations to improve workteams’ cohesion. Both AL and group identifi cation help to explain group cohesion in organizations committed to security and emergencies.