When Fast Change Feels Fake
Picture this: your leader asks for feedback. You share openly. The very next day, they show up with a brand-new behaviour.
You should feel satisfied. Instead, something feels… off.
This is the “authenticity penalty,” a phenomenon explored in new Stanford research. The study reveals that when leaders make changes too quickly, we often perceive them as insincere—even when the intent is genuine. Subconsciously, we equate time and visible effort with authenticity. If change comes overnight, it feels cosmetic.
Why Culture Shapes Authenticity
Here’s the twist: what feels authentic in one culture can feel inauthentic in another.
In direct-feedback cultures like Germany, the Netherlands, or Australia, immediate action is seen as respect. Leaders are expected to hear feedback and act straight away: “You’ve heard me—now fix it.”
In consensus-driven cultures like Japan, Sweden, or Indonesia, quick shifts can signal instability. Change is meant to unfold gradually, after consultation and reflection. Musyawarah in Indonesia, or nemawashi in Japan, are built on this idea—slow alignment equals trust.
In relationship-focused cultures across Latin America or the Middle East, sudden behavioural pivots may feel like “masking” rather than genuine adaptation.
Evidence from global studies reinforces this point. RW3 CultureWizard finds that leaders are often judged not by what they change, but by how they change it. A behaviour that feels authentic in one culture can feel hollow in another—unless leaders learn to flex.
The Leadership Trap
This creates a trap for leaders working across cultures:
- Act too fast in consensus-driven environments, and you risk seeming fake.
- Act too slowly in direct-feedback cultures, and you risk seeming indifferent.
The solution isn’t choosing one speed over the other—it’s adapting how you show authenticity to match cultural expectations, without losing your integrity.
How Leaders Can Avoid the Authenticity Penalty
Adapting to feedback without losing credibility isn’t easy—it’s an instructional design challenge. Leaders need more than good intentions; they need a process.
Here are three strategies that work across cultures:
- Acknowledge Immediately: Signal you’ve heard the feedback. Silence feels like dismissal.
- Narrate the Work: Show the effort in progress: “Thanks for that insight—I’m testing X and Y.”
- Demonstrate Change Over Time: Authenticity isn’t about speed—it’s about consistency. Visible, gradual change builds trust.
This is the essence of cultural flexing: balancing responsiveness with credibility so that change feels authentic across cultural contexts.
Why This Matters Now
Global teams are increasingly diverse. Leaders might be managing Dutch engineers, Japanese partners, and Brazilian stakeholders—all in the same project. Each comes with a different “authenticity code.” When leaders misread these signals, trust erodes—even if the intention is positive. When they read them well, trust compounds, and performance follows.
The Bigger Picture
This isn’t just about leadership behaviour; as Csaba Toth of ICQ Global highlights in his research, the real differentiator lies in how cultural intelligence intersects with psychological safety to shape team performance. Leaders who combine the two don’t just adapt across cultures—they create an environment where people feel safe enough to trust the change process itself.
- If a leader changes too fast, employees may feel manipulated rather than safe.
- If a leader changes too slow, employees may feel ignored.
The balance lies in swift acknowledgment plus gradual demonstration—responding quickly to show care, but pacing change to build trust.
Anyone Can Be the Bridge
We often assume some cultures (like Singapore) are “natural bridges” between direct and consensus-driven norms. And while that’s true geographically, the deeper truth is this:
With cultural intelligence , any leader can be that bridge. Erin Meyer reminds us that culture maps describe norms, not destinies—and cultural agility is a skill anyone can build. Leaders don’t have to choose between responsiveness and authenticity; trust grows when they flex, and psychological safety becomes the multiplier of performance.
How are you helping leaders balance quick responsiveness with authentic, lasting change?
This article was published on Linkedin on 28 August 2025.
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