The imposter in me: Building visibility and organisational support for those experiencing imposter phenomenon

Author: Sherie Bell

Supervisors: Jeremy Taylor Ruth Myers

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15 December 2025

 

Bell, S. (2025). The imposter in me: Building visibility and organisational support for those experiencing imposter phenomenon [Master's thesis, Otago Polytechnic]. Research Bank. https://doi.org/10.34074/thes.7198

 

Abstract

Imposter phenomenon (IP) is complex and impacts individuals in a variety of ways. Kaimahi at Otago Polytechnic (OP) describe IP as a feeling of intimidation, inexperience, insecurity and intellectual phoniness. IP can impact personal sustainability and the efficacy of kaimahi. Those impacted by IP fear their capability is going to be questioned, they overwork and overprepare to make up for their perceived shortcomings. In contrary, some who experience the same intellectual phoniness, use the feeling as a motivator; it can push individuals to take risks and their productivity can increase. The aim of my Master of Professional Practice is to gain a deeper understanding of the impact of IP for OP kaimahi. The literature informing this research has defined the phenomenon and highlights the complexities of it. The literature gave evidence of the likeliness for IP to impact kaimahi working within the tertiary education sector. The methodology for this project is qualitative description (QD) overlayed with autoethnography. Evidence collection involved semi-structured interviews with OP kaimahi alongside my autoethnographic reflective journaling. The evidence collected has provided deep insight into the impact of IP.

Reflexive thematic analysis has been used to identify three themes:

1. Organisational impact on the imposter 

2. The absence of leadership, belonging and connection

3. Bringing the imposter out of the shadows.

The evidence analysis and literature have informed the findings of my research. The findings and recommendations contribute to alleviating the negative impacts of IP from an organisational perspective. Increasing visibility and understanding of IP has been advanced by presenting a blended-delivery workshop to OP kaimahi and rangatira, with a request that this workshop is presented again in the future. Dissemination of my research via presentations to a range of audiences has contributed to highlighting my recommendations with plans to develop these further in the future. Completing this research inquiry has shown me that feeling like an imposter is not a weakness. With awareness and normalisation, IP can be used to improve my effectiveness as a leader and benefits my professional practice. Recognising when IP impacts me has enabled me to increase my personal sustainability. In an organisational context, the recommendations from my research increase belonging and connection for kaimahi and overall social sustainability at OP is improved.

 

Keywords

imposter phenomenon, intellectual phoniness, self-doubt, imposter syndrome, tertiary educators

 

Licence