Abstract: This study aims to examine the impact of authentic leadership as an independent variable on work stress as a dependent variable, within the context of organizational behavior and human resource management in business administration. The Iraqi private banking sector, which faces increasing economic and regulatory challenges, provides an appropriate environment to investigate this relationship, as preliminary local surveys indicate that approximately 65% of branch and department managers experience high levels of work stress.Based on Walumbwa’s (2008) authentic leadership model—comprising self-awareness, relational transparency, balanced processing, and an internalized moral perspective—and the Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) model (Demerouti et al., 2001), the study seeks to assess how authentic leadership contributes to reducing work stress by enhancing psychological support and affective commitment.The study adopts an applied descriptive-analytical research design. The study population consists of 2,500 managers working in private banks across Iraqi governorates: Baghdad (45%), Babylon (15%), Erbil (20%), Basra (15%), and Nineveh (5%). A stratified random sample of 200 respondents was selected. Data were collected using an electronic questionnaire distributed via Google Forms, comprising 40 items based on the Authentic Leadership Questionnaire (ALQ, α = 0.91) and the Work Stress Scale (WSS, α = 0.89), measured using a five-point Likert scale. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS, including descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation (r = −0.42, p < 0.01), and linear regression analysis (β = −0.35, R² = 0.28).The results indicate a moderate level of authentic leadership (3.2/5) and a high level of work stress (3.8/5), with the highest stress levels observed in Baghdad (4.1/5). The findings reveal a statistically significant positive effect of authentic leadership in reducing work stress by approximately 35%, particularly through the dimension of relational transparency (r = −0.48). Geographical differences were also identified, as work stress levels in Erbil were 22% lower than in Baghdad, attributed to a more favorable organizational climate.These results highlight a gap in Iraqi empirical studies and support practical recommendations, including the implementation of authentic leadership training programs covering 70% of managers annually, and the establishment of psychological support mechanisms aimed at reducing employee turnover rates by 15– 20%. The study contributes to talent retention in human resource management and provides a framework for enhancing organizational performance in the banking sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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