My research journey in work psychology began with my interest in individual differences, particularly authenticity and personality, and how they relate to important issues at work such as well-being. This article for the International Society for the Science of Existential Psychology provides an overview of some of my work in this area.
I've also conducted studies into the effects of self-awareness training at work: answering the question of whether it is better to know ourselves well or whether "ignorance is bliss".
One of our challenges in studying concepts like self-awareness and personality is how we can measure them appropriately. So as part of my research I've worked to develop questionnaires, which you can read about and download.
Ultimately, with all of these interconnected studies, my aim is to find ways we can improve our experiences in and of work.
Most of my papers are available as free open-access publications, but if you hit a paywall, you can also try downloading them directly from my university profile using the button below or just emailing me.
AWEsome work: Authenticity, Well-being and Engagement
One of the main themes of my research is around what it means to be authentic at work and how authenticity is related to our well-being and engagement.
Here's a short blog piece on the subject and a couple of relevant publications. The first is a meta-analysis that brought together the research in this area and the second explores how authenticity works similarly to our other personal resources (known as psychological capital) at work.
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Sutton, A. (2020). Living the good life: A meta-analysis of authenticity, well-being and engagement. Personality and Individual Differences, 153, 109645. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2019.109645
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Sutton, A., & Roemer, A. (2024). A-HERO: Integrating Authenticity into the Psychological Capital Model. International Journal of Applied Positive Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41042-024-00171-4
Authenticity at Work and Personality Differentiation
How different are we at work and home? One of the questions that fascinates me is how personality may change over time and in different situations, and whether these changes can make us feel more or less authentic. I did a meta-analysis to draw together findings in this area and I've also conducted studies to test the relationship between authenticity and personality change.
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Sutton, A. (2024). Changing Ourselves: How Does Personality Change Relate to Well-Being and Authenticity? Journal of Individual Differences, 45(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1027/1614-0001/a000408
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Sutton, A. (2018). Distinguishing between authenticity and personality consistency in predicting well-being: A mixed method approach. European Review of Applied Psychology, 68(3), 117–130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erap.2018.06.001
Well-being at Work
I'm always looking for ways we can improve our well-being at work and the various factors that influence it, from Human Resource Management practices to individual personality. The role of self-awareness in well-being is of particular interest to me, especially questions around how we can develop self-awareness and how this might influence our well-being.
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Sutton, A., & Atkinson, C. (2023). Performance at the cost of well-being? Testing the multi-level effects of HR practices on organisational performance via employee experiences and well-being. Evidence-Based HRM: A Global Forum for Empirical Scholarship. https://doi.org/10.1108/EBHRM-12-2022-0299
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Sutton, A., Evans, M., Davies, C., & Lawson, C. (2016). The development and longitudinal evaluation of a wellbeing programme: An organisation case study. International Journal of Wellbeing, 6(1), 180–195. https://doi.org/10.5502/ijw.v6i1.487
Self-awareness at work
Many workplace development activities, from mindfulness training through team building and coaching, seek to improve our self-awareness. Self-awareness is also crucial to many leadership development programmes. Measuring how self-aware someone is can be challenging though. One strand of my research aims to identify how we can improve self-awareness at work as well as develop ways to measure self-awareness.
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Sutton, A., & Crobach, C. (2022). Improving self-awareness and engagement through group coaching. International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring, 20(1), 35–49. https://doi.org/10.24384/dqtf-9x16
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Sutton, A. (2016). Measuring the effects of self-awareness: Construction of the Self-Awareness Outcomes Questionnaire. Europe’s Journal of Psychology, 12(4), 645–658. https://doi.org/10.5964/ejop.v12i4.1178
The Enneagram Personality Typology
The enneagram describes personality in terms of nine types, each with a distinct worldview and associated traits, values and motives. For me, the strength of this model of personality is in its potential to aid self-awareness and development. My research has helped to establish the scientific validity of the model and demonstrate the ways it can be used in work.
If you would like to find out more, I also offer workshops and training using the enneagram.
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Sutton, A., Williams, H. M., & Allinson, C. W. (2015). A longitudinal, mixed method evaluation of self-awareness training in the workplace. European Journal of Training and Development, 39(7), 610–627. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJTD-04-2015-0031
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Sutton, A., Allinson, C., & Williams, H. (2013). Personality type and work-related outcomes: An exploratory application of the Enneagram model. European Management Journal, 31(3), 234–249. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2012.12.004
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Sutton, A. (2012). “But Is It Real?” a Review of Research on the Enneagram. Enneagram Journal, 5(1), 5–19. https://e-space.mmu.ac.uk/583471/
