psych leader

12 INCLUSIVE LEADERSHIP

Donna Chrobot-Mason

Quinetta Roberson

DESCRIPTION

Although the term  inclusive leadership is relatively new, scholars have been advising leaders for quite some time to be prepared to address the challenges of a more diverse workforce (Roberson, Ryan, & Ragins, 2017). A now famous report from 1987 titled  Workforce 2000 predicted that for organizations to remain competitive in the future, they must find ways to integrate and support women and people of color in the workplace (Johnston & Packer, 1987). Cox and Blake (1991) further reinforced the value of diversity in organizations, arguing that diversity can create a competitive advantage if managed effectively such that all employees are contributing to the best of their abilities and at their highest potential.

In the years following the  Workforce 2000 report, numerous scholarly and practitioner publications touted the need for effective diversity management (see Dass & Parker, 1999; Ivancevich & Gilbert, 2000; Kalev, Kelly, & Dobbin, 2006; Yang & Konrad, 2011).  Diversity management incorporates programs and practices designed to “(a) improve interaction among diverse people; and (b) make this diversity a source of innovation and increased effectiveness rather than miscommunication, conflict, or obstacles to employees’ performance, satisfaction, and advancement” (Hays-Thomas, 2017, p. 5). The concept and practice of diversity management has quickly evolved, and today researchers and practitioners emphasize inclusion and inclusive leadership as central elements of successful diversity management.

Initially, approaches to diversity management within research and practice included formalized human resource practices focused on improving opportunities for historically marginalized groups or organizational initiatives to promote and value all types of differences among employees (Linnehan & Konrad, 1999). While many organizations primarily approached diversity in terms of increasing the number of members of underrepresented groups within their workforces and maintaining legal compliance consistent with equal employment opportunity legislation (Thomas & Ely, 1996), more systemic approaches focused on leveraging the benefits of diverse knowledge, perspectives, and skills to facilitate organizational learning and growth were developed (Ely & Thomas, 2001). Such approaches were shown to require environments in which all employees feel valued, able to fully utilize their perspectives and talents, and that they have an opportunity to commit and contribute to organizational objectives (Davidson & Ferdman, 2002; Ely & Thomas, 2001). As such, they highlighted inclusion as critical to valuing and leveraging diversity in organizations (Mor Barak & Cherin, 1998).

Since the beginning of the millennium, the concept of inclusion has emerged as a key psychological construct for realizing the benefits that diversity can bring to the workplace. Ferdman (2014) contends that a focus on inclusion not only promotes the reduction of negative and problematic processes grounded in discrimination and oppression, but also fosters a positive vision of what might replace these undesired behaviors, policies, and systems. Despite this shift toward clarifying a vision of what the workplace should be like in order to fully engage a diverse workforce, scholarly contributions to the inclusion literature have largely progressed without a clear theoretical foundation and have primarily focused on construct definition. Additionally, strategies for creating more inclusive organizations, including the importance and role of leaders, have been largely missing from the literature.

What has become clearer over time is that the demand and need for inclusive leadership has come at a moment when leaders’ plates are already full. Today’s leaders are finding themselves responsible for guiding others in an increasingly global and complex marketplace, fulfilling the role of boundary spanner, linking and creating direction, alignment, and commitment across individuals, teams, and networks (Ernst & Chrobot-Mason, 2010). In addition, leaders are tasked with driving the transfer of knowledge and resources across organizations to enhance collaboration and support innovation (Corsaro, Ramos, Henneberg, & Naudé, 2012). As technological advances have made work less bound by geography and time and characterized by more diverse customers, suppliers, and employees, leaders play a critical role in facilitating coordination and learning across groups, organizations, and cultures (Arnett & Wittmann, 2014; Carter et al., 2020; Miles, Snow, Fjeldstad, Miles, & Lettl, 2010). Given the complexities and challenges that global markets, geographic dispersion, rapid advances in technology, the influence of social media, the rapid pace of change, and diversity bring, more is expected of leaders than ever before.

In today’s multifaceted and multicultural organizational environment, leaders must be able to identify or create opportunities for growth and competitiveness. As such, they must be able to create environments in which differences are valued and can be incorporated into the main work of an organization to enhance strategies, processes, and overall effectiveness (Ernst & Chrobot-Mason, 2010; Ferdman, 2014; Thomas & Ely, 1996). While organizational policies and human resource practices may help create an infrastructure to foster this type of environment, leaders are the primary drivers of organizational culture. Accordingly, leaders who can create a sense of inclusion among followers and leverage the benefits of diversity are needed in organizations.

This chapter explores the nature of inclusive leadership, beginning by defining inclusion by drawing on both the diversity and the leadership literature. It will then examine an inclusive leadership model that describes the antecedent conditions, behaviors, and outcomes of inclusive leadership, followed by a discussion of how inclusive leadership works, its strengths and criticisms, and how it can be developed. Finally, case studies and a leadership instrument will provide an opportunity to evaluate inclusive leadership practices in a variety of contexts.

Inclusion Defined

To understand the role inclusion plays in diversity management, it makes sense to first explore what is meant by inclusion. More than a half-century ago, Schutz (1958) posited that inclusion (along with control and affection) is a basic human need that people experience in their interpersonal relationships. Schutz argued that people express their need to be included by how they communicate with others. He contends that people experience less anxiety if their need to be “in the group” matches the degree to which they want others to “include them.” This suggests that it is beneficial for leaders to open their arms to include all followers, but not to the extent that the individual differences of others get smothered or lost in the process.

In the leadership literature, some researchers view inclusive leadership as a particular form of  relational leadership, which focuses on the relationship between a leader and follower as the unit of analysis. From this perspective, inclusiveness is enacted and socially constructed through leader–follower interactions (Uhl-Bien, 2006). In effect, inclusive leadership is driven by the two-way influence process between leader and follower (Hollander, 2009). Rather than leaders directing followers, inclusive approaches establish norms of active consultation and participation, which drive shared decision making within a team or organization.

Despite its participative qualities, however, inclusive leadership differs from  participative leadership (defined in  Chapter 6, “Path–Goal Theory”) in that it is applicable to situations in which members’ statuses vary according to the degree to which they are considered insiders and incorporate behaviors to include those whose perspectives and opinions might otherwise be ignored. By inviting and appreciating the contributions of all individuals, an inclusive leadership approach helps people feel they are genuinely valued members of a team or organization (Tyler & Lind, 1992). Accordingly, inclusive leadership is fundamental to relational leadership, as it focuses on interpersonal relationships and drives followers’ perceptions that leaders are fair, accountable, and attentive to their needs.

Given research that shows that individuals from a variety of social and cultural groups are often excluded from networks of information and opportunity in organizations (Ibarra, 1993; Pettigrew & Martin, 1989), inclusion has also been used to describe worker participation and empowerment. For example, Mor Barak and Cherin (1998) define inclusion as the extent to which individuals can access information and resources, are involved in groups, and have the ability to influence decision-making processes. Rather than emphasizing difference as an organizational commodity, inclusion is focused on the degree to which individuals feel they are a part of critical organizational processes(Roberson, 2006). While it encapsulates diversity in its various forms, including characteristics that are both observable and unobservable within a social system, and recognizes such diversity as a means for achieving collective goals, inclusion requires that all individuals feel able to fully and meaningfully contribute to shared goals regardless of group memberships and to do so without assimilating to established norms or relinquishing any part of their identity (Ferdman, 2014).

Brewer (1991) links inclusion to  optimal distinctiveness theory. According to this theory, individuals strive to balance their basic human need to be part of larger social groups with their need to maintain a distinctive self-concept. People want to belong, feel accepted, and be connected to others, but not to the extent that they lose their sense of self as unique individuals. Inclusion means feeling like you are a full member of the group, but at the same time maintaining your own sense of self.

Following the theoretical tenets of optimal distinctiveness theory (Brewer, 1991), Shore and colleagues (2011) define inclusion as “the degree to which an employee perceives that he or she is an esteemed member of the work group through experiencing treatment that satisfies his or her needs for belongingness and uniqueness” (p. 1265). Further, they put forth an inclusion framework proposing that groups that allow members to feel like insiders while retaining their sense of uniqueness generate feelings of inclusion while providing opportunities for improved group outcomes. This framework, depicted in  Table 12.1, illustrates how varying levels of  belongingness (i.e., the desire to be included) interact with  uniqueness (i.e., the desire to maintain one’s own identity) and result in four outcomes:  exclusion,  differentiation,  assimilation, and  inclusion.

Table 12.1 Inclusion: Combination of Uniqueness and Belongingness

	Low Belongingness	High Belongingness
Low Uniqueness	Exclusion Individuals are not treated as organizational insiders with unique value in the group, but there are other members or groups who are insiders.	Assimilation Individuals are treated as insiders in the group when they conform to organizational/dominant culture norms and downplay uniqueness.
High Uniqueness	Differentiation Individuals are not treated as organizational insiders in the group, but their unique characteristics are seen as valuable and required for group/organization success.	Inclusion Individuals are treated as insiders and allowed/encouraged to retain uniqueness within the group.

Source: Shore, L. M., Randel, A. E., Chung, B. G., Dean, M. A., Holcombe Ehrhard, K., & Singh, G. (2011). Inclusion and diversity in work groups: A review and model for future research.  Journal of Management,  37(4), 1266.

The upper left quadrant of  Table 12.1 is  Exclusion, which is characterized by low levels of both belongingness and uniqueness. Individuals in this quadrant feel excluded in their group or organization; they do not feel a part of the environment, and they do not feel valued. Exclusion occurs when organizations fail to see and value the unique qualities of individual members and fail to accept them as organizational insiders. An example might be a young female vice president of a bank whose ideas are discounted by her male counterparts and who is seldom invited to corporate planning meetings. In effect, exclusion represents a complete failure to deal with matters of diversity.

The  Differentiation quadrant (lower left), characterized by low belongingness but high uniqueness levels, describes individuals who feel unique and respected but who also feel left out and not a part of the in-group. Differentiation occurs when organizations accept and value the unique qualities of members who are different but do not treat these individuals as full members of the organization. For example, this might occur when a customer service center hires several Spanish-speaking representatives because the center is working with more Spanish-speaking customers. Yet, those representatives are not asked for their input on organizational issues, such as the scripting they use for complaint calls or process improvements. In terms of diversity, differentiation goes halfway—it recognizes differences among individuals, but does not fully accept them.

The  Assimilation quadrant (upper right), characterized by high belongingness but low uniqueness levels, represents people who feel they are insiders and in the organizational in-group but whose unique characteristics are not really valued by the organization. An example of assimilation could be a Jewish college student who is accepted and involved in various student groups but is criticized for missing meetings scheduled on Jewish religious holidays. In effect, this student’s religious background is not acknowledged by the other students, who expect the Jewish student to ignore that background and adopt dominant group norms. In terms of diversity, assimilation represents an attempt by organizations to open their arms and bring everyone in; however, the same organizations can be faulted for failing to acknowledge the uniqueness of their members—they accept different individuals, but do not fully value the unique perspectives and experiences they bring.

Finally, the  Inclusion quadrant (lower right), characterized by high levels of both belongingness and uniqueness, describes individuals who feel they belong and are valued for their unique beliefs, attitudes, values, and background. This quadrant represents the optimal way to address diversity. It means, in short, accepting others and at the same time valuing them for who they are without requiring them to give up valued identities or cultural features (Ferdman, 1992). For example, inclusion occurs when a professor is informed that because a student who is hearing-impaired will be taking an online course next semester, the closed captioning and automatic transcript features on the teaching platform must be enabled. The professor makes these accommodations but also changes the syllabus to require all students to offer their comments and questions using the chat features. In doing so, the professor recognizes the student’s disability and incorporates such differences into the norms for class participation so that all students can fully engage and interact in course discussions.

Conceptualizing inclusion as seen in  Table 12.1 is useful for understanding ways to address inclusion because it illustrates an integration of two factors: (1) an individual’s connectedness (i.e., belonging) to others and (2) a person’s individuality (i.e., uniqueness). These factors combine to create a dynamic system that is prescribed by the values, policies, and practices of an organization and enacted by people at all levels, including supervisors and coworkers (Ferdman & Davidson, 2002). Still, because a leader’s values, processes, and decisions influence member experiences within groups and organizations, research shows that leaders are essential to facilitating inclusion (Ferdman, 2014). As such, inclusive leaders are critical for creating and maintaining environments in which employees feel valued and are capable of fully utilizing their perspectives and talents to contribute to organizational objectives (Davidson & Ferdman, 2002; Ely & Thomas, 2001).

Despite being a relatively new construct in leadership studies, the literature provides strong rationale to suggest that inclusive leadership has three goals: (1)  to create a shared identity among group or organizational members such that everyone feels a sense of belonging, (2)  to reduce status differences and ensure that each individual is treated with respect and concern, and (3)  to facilitate the participation and involvement of all so that everyone has equal voice and input in making important decisions.

A MODEL OF INCLUSIVE LEADERSHIP

In contrast to many of the leadership approaches covered in this book (e.g., leader–member exchange theory, transformational leadership, or servant leadership), inclusive leadership has not been extensively researched, nor has the research on inclusive leadership been clearly organized around a common theme or framework. This section presents a “working” theoretical model of inclusive leadership, outlining the factors that influence inclusive leader behaviors and the outcomes of such behaviors.

As illustrated in  Figure 12.1, the process of inclusive leadership consists of three major components:  antecedent conditions,  behaviors, and  outcomes. Each component has multiple subcomponents, which collectively capture and explain inclusive leadership.

Description

Figure 12.1 Model of Inclusive Leadership

Antecedent Conditions

The first component in the Model of Inclusive Leadership ( Figure 12.1) is  antecedent conditions, which are preceding factors that affect the development of and use of inclusive behaviors by leaders. As suggested by prior research, such factors may be  characteristics of the leader,  group cognitions, or  organizational policies and practices.

Leader Characteristics

Randel et al. (2018) propose that a leader’s  pro-diversity beliefs—the degree to which a leader sees diversity in groups as beneficial and is able to recognize each person’s differences as strengths—are influential to the leader’s propensity to engage in inclusive leadership. For example, a CEO for a nonprofit that coordinates after-school programs for marginalized youth not only sees the value in having representatives of those marginalized communities on the organization’s board of directors, but also recruits members with business, health care, and educational backgrounds to serve on the board but who aren’t from the marginalized communities. The CEO believes differing perspectives can inform all members of the board and the organization, allowing for better decision making in regard to effective programming for youth.

Randel et al. (2018) also suggest that a leader’s  cognitive complexity, or the capability for seeing and analyzing situations in different ways, enhances a leader’s ability to recognize member differences as strengths as well as ways to incorporate them into work processes. For example, some leaders may see only one specific way to complete a task and perceive other approaches to be “wrong.” In contrast, a leader with greater cognitive complexity is capable of seeing multiple “right” ways of approaching a task and encourages diverse approaches and ways of thinking.

Finally,  leader personality factors, such as agreeableness and openness to experience, have also been shown to influence individuals’ diversity orientation and, subsequently, their contextual performance as leaders (see Strauss & Connerley, 2003). While there are many individual differences that may influence a leader’s style and behavior, those related to a leader’s capacity for valuing individual identities and contributions within a group while simultaneously emphasizing the group’s identity and goals will increase the likelihood that a leader will engage in inclusive leadership.

Group Diversity Cognitions

Research also suggests that  diversity cognitions within the group may influence inclusive leadership. Individuals’ beliefs in the value of diversity as well as their  multicultural beliefs can positively influence their propensity to make use of diversity within groups and to enhance engagement of underrepresented groups (see van Knippenberg, Homan, & van Ginkel, 2013). For example, groups with positive diversity cognitions hold a collective view that differences in perspectives, experiences, values, and ways of working can enhance the overall performance of their group.

At the same time,  psychological climates, or the perceptions of an organization’s values and human resource policies and practices such as its climate for diversity (Kossek & Zonia, 1993) or climate for inclusion (Nishii, 2013), may also drive inclusive leadership. For instance, although an organization may have an explicit statement on its website stating that diversity is a corporate value, organizational members may perceive the climate quite differently such that there is a mismatch between stated and enacted values. However, when the organization not only has a policy against harassment but also enforces a zero-tolerance approach to harassment and terminates violators of such a policy, members perceive a strong positive diversity climate. Studies highlight the effects of such perceptions on behavioral intentions concerning diversity as well as behaviors to enhance the success of organizational diversity initiatives (see van Knippenberg et al., 2013). Although there may be other diversity-related beliefs and attitudes that influence leader behavior, those that support a leader’s ability to recognize and incorporate diversity into a group or organization’s work will enhance the leader’s propensity for inclusive leadership.

Organizational Policies and Practices

A third antecedent condition, an  organization’s policies and practices, may also motivate inclusive leadership. Specifically, research suggests that certain groups of practices may facilitate the participation of all employees and leverage the effects of diversity in organizations. Roberson (2006) found diversity among all stakeholder groups, fair treatment initiatives, collaborative work arrangements, and conflict resolution processes to be supportive of inclusive organizational environments. Similarly, Nishii (2013) highlights the importance of fairly implemented employment practices and diversity-specific practices to eliminate bias as critical to establishing positive climates for diversity and inclusion. One example of this is ensuring that job applicants are interviewed by multiple interviewers and all applicants are asked the same set of questions that pertain directly to job duties. Standardizing task-based questions asked during an interview and using multiple interviewers are two hiring practices that help to eliminate bias during the interview process (Levashina, Hartwell, Morgeson, & Campion, 2014). While other policies and practices may capture the extent to which diversity is considered to be an important resource that should be utilized to enhance an organization’s functioning, those that facilitate leaders’ capacity for valuing and integrating diverse perspectives and approaches into organizations will be more likely to facilitate inclusive leadership.

Inclusive Leadership Behaviors

A second component of the Model of Inclusive Leadership ( Figure 12.1) addresses specific behaviors by leaders that can facilitate inclusive leadership. Foundational research on inclusive leadership behaviors was developed by Edmondson (1996, 2003) and based on qualitative insights taken from the study of health care teams. Using data from operating room and intensive care unit teams, researchers explored leader approaches to creating  psychologically safe environments, or cultures with a shared belief that members are safe to engage in interpersonal risk-taking and will not be subjected to negative repercussions, such as embarrassment or rejection, for speaking up within those teams (Edmondson, 1999). The findings showed that nurse managers and surgeon team leaders who acknowledged and proactively invited others’ input, regardless of those individuals’ professional roles or status relationships, helped team members to feel greater psychological safety (Edmondson, 1996, 2003).

Based on this evidence, Nembhard and Edmondson (2006) put forth the concept of  leader inclusiveness, which represents behaviors engaged in by leaders to include opinions and contributions of those who might be otherwise excluded from certain deliberations and decisions. While considered to be related to participative decision making and effective facilitation of group processes, inclusive leadership is particularly relevant in situations characterized by status or power differences, which constrain the ability of some group members to express themselves and feel their contributions are valued. Therefore, inclusive leaders are characterized by behaviors that  encourage divergent viewpointsand  genuinely appreciate the views and contributions of all followers regardless of status or power.

Edmonson (2004) proposed additional inclusive leader behaviors for encouraging individuals to be themselves in their organizational environments and feel comfortable raising divergent viewpoints. First, she speculated that leaders who are  available and accessible both physically and psychologically to followers may help to create a climate of approachability, which reduces barriers to voice and input. Second, she reasoned that because leaders model appropriate behavior within teams,  inviting input from others and  sharing decision-making responsibilities may help to create a climate of trust and learning.

Diversity researchers view inclusive leadership as behaviors that create the psychological experience of feeling included within a team or organization. Randel et al. (2018) describe a set of behaviors that facilitate individuals’ perceptions of belonging to a group and of being valued for their uniqueness that can result in positive group outcomes. For example, inclusive leadership behaviors to  ensure the fair treatment of all group members,  make everyone feel comfortable and supported, and  share decision making are considered to facilitate perceptions of belongingness. At the same time, leader behaviors to  solicit different perspectives and approaches and  fully incorporate members’ knowledge, skills, and abilities into the group’s work help to facilitate feelings of uniqueness.

Outcomes

As depicted in the Model of Inclusive Leadership ( Figure 12.1), there are a number of positive organizational outcomes that result from the facilitation and implementation of inclusive leadership. Research suggests that leader inclusiveness makes others—particularly low-status individuals—feel supported and valued as members of a team (Nembhard & Edmondson, 2006). As such,  psychological safety and  work engagement tend to be higher in teams with inclusive leaders (Choi, Tran, & Park, 2015; Nembhard & Edmondson, 2006). Inclusive leadership is also positively related to employee  well-being, including positive emotional states and quality relationships with others (Choi, Tran, & Kang, 2017).

Inclusive leadership has also been shown to have direct effects on follower  creativity and innovative work behavior (Choi et al., 2017; Choi et al., 2015; Javed, Naqvi, Khan, Arjoon, & Tayyeb, 2017; Qi, Liu, Wei, & Hu, 2019). Leader openness to, and respect for, new ideas and feedback facilitates a supportive climate in which followers feel comfortable to offer alternative perspectives and to experiment. Subsequently, followers are more strongly motivated to engage in innovative activities. Similarly, leader inclusiveness has been shown to interact with psychological diversity climates, or individual perceptions of the degree to which an organization promotes and maintains a diversity-friendly environment, to positively influence followers’ behavior (Randel, Dean, Ehrhart, Chung, & Shore, 2016). Leader inclusiveness within the context of a positive diversity climate was found to be related to follower  helping behaviorsdirected at both the leader and other group members.

Feelings of psychological safety resulting from leader inclusiveness have been linked to followers  learning from errors and failures (Hirak, Peng, Carmeli, & Schaubroeck, 2012; Ye, Wang, & Li, 2018). Inclusive behaviors help to create a safe work environment in which followers feel comfortable experimenting, examining the results of their actions, and developing improved work processes and approaches (Ye et al., 2018). Consequently, inclusive leadership has also been shown to positively impact  unit performance (Hirak et al., 2012; Mitchell et al., 2015).

Overall, the Model of Inclusive Leadership ( Figure 12.1) highlights factors that influence relevant behaviors and the resultant outcomes of such behavior. Based on extant research, it identifies leader, group, and organizational characteristics that may influence specific inclusive leadership behaviors. It also depicts the effects of these behaviors on a variety of follower outcomes, including positive emotional states, behaviors that enhance group functioning, and both individual and team performance.

HOW DOES INCLUSIVE LEADERSHIP WORK?

Although inclusive leadership theory and research derive from the leadership and diversity literatures, a few common elements have emerged from these literature streams that together illustrate how this approach to leadership works.

First, inclusive leadership incorporates a sense of  shared identity among group members. According to leadership research, information regarding an individual’s value to the group is communicated by the leader (Tyler & Lind, 1992), who is seen as a representative or prototype group member that establishes behaviors that group members should adopt. Accordingly, leader behaviors that invite and appreciate others’ contributions help all members feel like they are part of the in-group, thereby facilitating a common identity within the group. Similarly, the diversity literature highlights the importance of satisfying individuals’ belongingness needs in order for them to feel treated like insiders within groups and for leaders to act in an inclusive manner.

Inclusive leadership within the leadership and diversity literatures also incorporates behaviors to  reduce status differenceswithin groups. From a leadership perspective, inclusiveness involves behaviors to solicit and integrate viewpoints and opinions from those whose input into decision-making processes may not typically be valued. Further, it involves being approachable and reachable to all members of the group, which helps to reduce potential barriers to interaction and information exchange, particularly among those who might typically be considered outsiders. As such, inclusive leaders attempt to eradicate cliques and other status boundaries within the team. This reduction of status distinction is also an important component of inclusive leadership from a diversity management perspective. Inclusiveness encompasses actions to ensure equity and justice within the group, which reduces the likelihood of bias or differences in treatment based on a member’s value to the team.

Existing theory and research also underscore the importance of follower  participation and involvement in decision processes. Leadership researchers posit leader inclusiveness to be a relational approach that operates according to norms of input and shared decision making, even when members’ contributions may be divergent from those of the leader or others on the team. Likewise, diversity researchers emphasize the importance of group members each having a sense of uniqueness, such that their distinct characteristics and contributions are considered to be valuable to the group’s success. Yet, rather than simply acknowledging members’ individuality, leader inclusiveness takes action to ensure that decision-making power is distributed across group members and members have a say in how the group’s work is done.

STRENGTHS

In this chapter, we have outlined a working model of inclusive leadership drawing from literature in the areas of diversity, diversity management, inclusion, and inclusive leadership. The literature summarized in the present chapter has three strengths.

First, inclusive leadership emphasizes the involvement and engagement of everyone in the group. While certain group members may be more likely to perceive and experience exclusion (e.g., members of historically marginalized groups), the aim of inclusive leadership is to create an organizational environment in which  everyone feels a sense of belonging while also feeling valued for their unique attributes.

Second, inclusive leadership is consistent with and enhances other relational leadership theories such as leader–member exchange and transformational leadership. Each of these theories places value on developing positive relationships with followers, recognizing each follower’s unique strengths and interests, and fostering a positive and affirming organizational environment. Although the specific behaviors and expected outcomes of these relational leadership theories are different, valuing and developing relationships with followers are fundamentally at the core of all three.

Finally, inclusive leadership is a shared responsibility of everyone in the group. This is a strength for two reasons. First, it is consistent with emerging paradigms that define leadership as a socially constructed and shared phenomena. Second, it means that no single person is solely responsible for creating an inclusive environment; all organizational members play an important role in doing so. In other words, everyone both creates and benefits from inclusive leadership.

CRITICISMS

Despite an existing body of literature that provides insight into the core elements of inclusive leadership, there are several limitations to such insight. First, while researchers have attempted to conceptualize inclusive leadership, it has to some degree been used as an all-encompassing construct for any approach to leadership that incorporates behaviors to form quality-based interpersonal relationships with followers and to show appreciation and support for their efforts(Javed et al., 2017). As a result, findings regarding antecedents and outcomes of transformational, charismatic, participative, servant, ethical, and other forms of leadership have been confounded with those of inclusive leadership. Similarly, given its conceptual focus on high-quality relationships between leader and follower, inclusive leadership has also been used interchangeably with leader–member exchange (Nishii & Mayer, 2009).

Second, there are also challenges associated with the measurement of inclusive leadership. For example, some researchers have used measures for assessing leader inclusiveness that ask employees to provide such ratings for their direct manager, supervisor, or other organizational authority responsible for directing others’ efforts (see Carmeli, Reiter-Palmon, & Ziv, 2010; Nembhard & Edmondson, 2006). The problem with this approach to measuring inclusive leadership is that it may not adequately capture variability in member experiences of inclusiveness or differences in the quality of relationships between the leader and individual members of the team. In other words, using this approach, leaders may be considered inclusive yet only rate highly on inclusive leadership measures for some members of their group. Thus, it is important to develop more nuanced and multifaceted ways to measure inclusive leadership than currently exist to capture the experiences and perceptions of everyone in the group.

Lastly, although prior research has identified core components of inclusive leadership, few studies to date have attempted to reconcile these components across the leadership and diversity literatures. We have attempted to do so in providing the Model of Inclusive Leadership ( Figure 12.1), yet more research is needed to empirically examine the relationships between the antecedent conditions, leadership behaviors, and outcomes outlined in the model. Perhaps the greatest need is to determine the relative importance of key leadership behaviors in creating an inclusive environment. For example, some researchers emphasize the extent to which a leader invites and appreciates others as contributing members to the work product (see Nembhard & Edmondson, 2006) while others focus on a leader’s invitation and openness, availability, and accessibility (see Carmeli et al., 2010). Still others emphasize actions to create a sense of belonging and uniqueness (see Randel et al., 2018). Though all of these leadership behaviors may play an important role in fostering inclusion, additional research is needed to link specific behaviors to outcomes.

APPLICATION

Because inclusive leadership is defined as a set of behaviors, it follows that inclusive leadership can be both learned and developed. However, there is limited insight into the specific skills and competencies that must be learned as well as the most effective strategies for developing into an inclusive leader. Booysen (2014) provides a helpful comparison of the differences between more traditional approaches to leadership and an inclusive approach to leadership. Her work highlights the fact that developing inclusive leaders requires a shift in the use of power deriving from position and control to a more distributed approach characterized by high levels of empowerment of followers. Rather than a conventional “direct, tell, and sell” approach to decision making, inclusive leaders elicit and facilitate dialogue. They view themselves as part of the collective and focus on fostering perceptions of “we and all” rather than a more traditional view of leadership as a formal position that considers “me, us, and them” and strives to achieve uniformity. Further, inclusive leaders strive to both pursue and value differences of followers, including capabilities, viewpoints, and opinions (Booysen, 2014). Learning to be a more inclusive leader requires a  change in mindset,  a shift in values, and  the adoption of a new style of interacting with others.

The process of inclusive leadership development can be illustrated using the assessment-challenge-support (ACS) model (Van Velsor, McCauley, & Ruderman, 2010) developed by scholars at the Center for Creative Leadership based on decades of data collection to determine how leaders grow and develop leadership skills. The ACS model describes the three critical elements of leadership development— assessment,  challenge, and  support. Although the ACS model is based on research conducted on leader development experiences (Van Velsor et al., 2010), to our knowledge it has not yet been applied specifically to inclusive leadership. Thus, in the sections that follow, we consider each element of the ACS model in relation to inclusive leadership development and provide examples of each.

Assessment

The first step in leadership development work,  assessment, involves an evaluation of strengths and opportunities for development as it relates to creating an inclusive organizational environment. This should involve understanding and reflection on one’s identity, ethnocentrism, biases, stereotypes, prejudice, and privilege (Chrobot-Mason, Ruderman, & Nishii, 2013; Northouse, 2018, pp. 201–205; Wasserman, 2014). For instance, leaders should consider their memberships in dominant or majority groups as well as the nondominant, minority, or stigmatized groups to which they belong, as such reflection may provide insight into experiences of exclusion. Similarly, the identification of sources of advantage or circumstances in which leaders have benefited from their identity or group memberships may provide perspective on entitlement and privilege that exists in their organizations, and what needs to be done to create more inclusive environments in which all followers have access to key resources and opportunities for involvement and success.

One example of this type of identity work is illustrated by Ferdman and Morgan Roberts (2014). They present an activity in which participants list their multiple social identities (ethnicity, education, life experiences, birth order, nationality, professional affiliation, etc.). Participants then reflect on the impact of these identities by addressing questions such as “How/why are these identities important to you?” and “How do they or can they make a difference for you and others at your organization?”

Another useful activity for assessment is to complete a privilege worksheet. One such worksheet, the White Privilege Checklist, based on work by Peggy McIntosh (1988; available at  https://teacherworksheets.co.uk/sheets/privilege), focuses on white privilege and asks respondents to agree or disagree with a series of statements. For example, statements on the worksheet include “I can arrange to be in the company of people of my race most of the time” and “I am never asked to speak for all of the people of my racial group.”

Some scholars and practitioners suggest that it is only by acknowledging and recognizing the biases, stereotypes, and privilege they have as a result of their upbringing, past experiences, media influence, societal values, and any number of other sources that people can mitigate the impact of such mindsets and enhance their interactions with others (Nkomo & Ariss, 2014; Offermann et al., 2014). Accordingly, many organizations offer diversity training sessions, workshops, and seminars to help leaders uncover their implicit biases and understand how such biases influence decision making (Church, Rotolo, Shull, & Tuller, 2014).

Other strategies for assessing leaders’ mindsets related to diversity and inclusion are tools that measure personal attitudes and beliefs, such as the popular Implicit Association Test ( https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html; Greenwald, McGhee, & Schwartz, 1998), or organizational support for diversity and practices that integrate diverse followers into the organizational environment (see Mor Barak, Cherin, & Berkman, 1998). Regardless of the tool, uncovering one’s thoughts and assumptions about others and the value of their contributions to work processes and output can help leaders to better understand how and why they make decisions and take actions to do so more inclusively.

Challenge

While self-awareness of one’s diversity-related attitudes and beliefs is important to becoming an inclusive leader, it is equally as important to understand one’s level of behavioral skill. Thus, the next step in developing an inclusive leadership style and skill set is to identify one’s gaps and developmental needs across various diversity and inclusion competency areas and then formulate an action plan to facilitate skill building. Consistent with the ACS model (Van Velsor et al., 2010), this behavioral feedback process illuminates  challenges for leaders to overcome and enhances motivation to develop and strengthen skills needed to create inclusive organizational environments.

For example, as inclusive leadership involves strong communication skills, a leader should develop the capacity for listening to diverse viewpoints, diagnosing the core issues of a problem between individuals and groups, and serving as a boundary spanner or liaison to facilitate cross-group interactions. Accordingly, a leader may attempt to practice these skills during team meetings, such as seeking followers’ opinions or inviting debate on a specific topic. Alternatively, if after determining that all team members’ voices are not being heard in brainstorming sessions, a leader may try a nominal group technique, which encourages contributions from everyone and prioritizes ideas with input from the entire group ( https://asq.org/quality-resources/nominal-group-technique).

In general, breaking with conventional leadership strategies will help leaders adapt their current approaches to create more diverse organizational environments and develop new capacities for inclusiveness. Seeking out such challenges often forces leaders outside their comfort zone; yet this is exactly what must happen for them to become more confident and capable of fostering inclusion.

Support

Because challenges push leaders to go beyond what they have been comfortable with in the past and try new approaches, they need  support to successfully deal with such challenges. For inclusive leaders, this means having an infrastructure and relationships that help to reinforce behaviors learned, as suggested by the ACS model (Van Velsor et al., 2010). For example, colleagues, mentors, and significant others often serve as sounding boards for leaders, offering affirmations and feedback as leaders struggle through the challenges of being more inclusive and adopting new behaviors to lead inclusively. The organization itself may also play a significant role in offering support to leaders attempting to create a more inclusive environment by providing accountability structures, diversity councils or advisory boards, a diversity and inclusion mission statement and strategies, and zero-tolerance policies toward discrimination, which can all positively impact the climate for diversity (Roberson, King, & Hebl, 2020). Support may also come in the form of coaching and mentoring, which are often included as components of many leadership development programs to help leaders develop personal accountability for creating and promoting diverse and inclusive workplaces.

CASE STUDIES AND SELF-ASSESSMENT

The following case studies ( Cases 12.1,  12.2, and  12.3) offer an opportunity to apply inclusive leadership concepts introduced in the chapter as well as inclusive behaviors identified in the Inclusive Leadership Reflection Instrument on page 346. The first case involves a situation where group members stereotype another member based on race, whereas the second case examines group members who seem to hold back from participating in group discussions. The final case is derived from an interview with the vice president for equity, inclusion, and community impact at the University of Cincinnati, Dr. Bleuzette Marshall, who found inclusive leadership critical in helping the institution to navigate a very difficult and traumatic time.

In addition to answering the discussion questions listed at the end of each case, determine the key issue presented in each case, the underlying causes of that issue, and possible solutions. Using this analysis, consider how you would address the identified issue as an inclusive leader and the actions you might take to create a more inclusive environment going forward.

Case 12.1 Difficult Decision

Sondra is the leader of a nonprofit organization with about 40 full- and part-time employees. She is proud of her organization and its very dedicated staff. Sondra has been with the organization for 10 years, having worked her way up through the ranks into the director role, a position she finds equally challenging and rewarding. She describes her leadership style as highly collaborative and empowering. Furthermore, Sondra views herself as a leader who values diversity and does all that she can to create an environment in which everyone feels comfortable and supported.

Antonio is a Hispanic male employee who has been with the organization just eight months but shows promise as a highly dedicated employee and future leader. However, he has missed the last three days of work, which seems to have caused some speculation among his coworkers about why he has been absent. While walking past a cubicle in the office building, Sondra overhears two of her direct reports (both white) talking about Antonio. One employee, Terry, says, “I heard that Antonio was undocumented, which wouldn’t surprise me.” The second employee, Pat, responds, saying, “Maybe he’s been deported. Or maybe he just left town for fear that he would be deported.” Surprised by what she overhears, Sondra decides to just keep walking by, as it seems no one noticed her.

However, when she returns to her desk, she lets out a sigh and looks out her window. She feels conflicted about what she should do. On the one hand, she considers doing nothing because Terry and Pat were only speaking to one another. On the other hand, she is concerned that other colleagues may be speculating about Antonio’s absence as well and jumping to false conclusions since Sondra knows that Antonio has not been deported but instead is battling an illness. She decides to take a walk to try and clear her head so that she can decide what to do, if anything.

Questions

1. Why do you think Sondra is conflicted in this situation?

2. Do you believe Sondra has a responsibility, as an inclusive leader, to do something? Why or why not?

3. What inclusive leadership behaviors from the Model of Inclusive Leadership ( Figure 12.1) could Sondra use to deal with this situation?

4. Why do you think Terry and Pat jumped to the conclusion that Antonio had been deported? What is your opinion about them discussing this with one another?

5. What do you think Sondra should do, if anything?

Case 12.2 The Extraversion Advantage

Quinn is a midlevel manager who does his best to create an inclusive team environment. He leads a group of seven employees who are diverse along a variety of dimensions. Quinn feels that he does his best to create opportunities for everyone to speak up during their weekly team meetings. He frequently asks for input on issues and decisions and takes the first 5–10 minutes each week to ask his team members to share updates about their personal lives to build trust and comfort among his team members.

Recently, however, Quinn has started to become concerned that two team members are not sharing much during meetings. These team members, Brett and Alex, both come prepared and offer input whenever they are asked directly. In addition, Brett has been leading a project and has been sharing updates on project goals each week very effectively. Still, Quinn has noticed that Brett and Alex are often quiet during the times when the rest of the team engages in a discussion in which team members have very different opinions. Indeed, sometimes these discussions can get a bit heated when people feel passionate about something. Truth be told, Quinn is proud of this and feels like this is an indication that the team is deeply engaged in their work. The conversations are never disrespectful in Quinn’s opinion, just naturally healthy task-related conflict that keeps the team energized.

Quinn decides to ask another team member, Shawn, who seems to have no trouble jumping into the conversations for thoughts on what could be done to better engage Brett and Alex in these debates. Shawn tells Quinn that some members of the team are just “quiet by nature” and could benefit from learning how to be more assertive during meetings. To help them do so, Shawn recommends enrolling Brett and Alex in a public-speaking or other type of communication skills training course.

Questions

1. What do you think is the underlying issue within this team?

2. Based on the leader behaviors identified in the Model of Inclusive Leadership ( Figure 12.1), what should Quinn do to make team meetings more inclusive for everyone?

3. Since inclusion is the responsibility of everyone, not just the leader’s, what can other team members do to help create a more inclusive team environment?

4. This particular case involves only male coworkers. In what ways might your answers change if Quinn were Lynn (a woman) or if Brett and Alex were women reporting to a male supervisor?

Case 12.3 Inclusive Leadership During a Crisis

On July 19, 2015, in Cincinnati, Ohio, Samuel DuBose, an unarmed Black man, was fatally shot by Ray Tensing, a University of Cincinnati police officer, during a traffic stop for a missing front license plate and a suspended driver’s license. In response to the shooting, protestors took to the streets to demonstrate their anger, frustration, and pain. Protests were held both on campus and off campus and included students, faculty, staff, and community members. A student-led movement emerged called the Irate 8, which derived its name from the fact that only 8% of the University of Cincinnati student body was composed of Black students.

In a short period of time, support grew across the university and the broader community for the student-led activist movement. The students demanded to meet with university senior leaders and gave them a list of 10 demands. As vice president for equity, inclusion, and community impact at the University of Cincinnati, Dr. Bleuzette Marshall found herself at the center of this very difficult and traumatic time in the university’s history.

Dr. Marshall describes her role during this time as one of healer and reconciler. “I worked with people so that they could express themselves about how they were thinking and feeling about the institution. It wasn’t just about this particular incident. People were inflamed by the shooting, but other past experiences and practices fueled the anger they were feeling. And I took it,” she said. “I did my best to respond to questions about what the university was doing or not doing, I stood outside among the demonstrators and listened, I worked with our president and vice presidents to consider what changes we could and could not make. I responded to the demands our students made to the university and communicated with them about our progress. It required a lot of time, patience, and listening to both what was said and not said—being able to read others’ emotions was equally important” (Dr. Bleuzette Marshall, personal communication, July 1, 2020).

Multiple groups presented demands to Dr. Marshall’s office, and one of the things she stressed was the need to be real and authentic in communicating with these various constituents. She met with leaders across the university including colleagues from the provost’s, finance, human resources, investments, and admissions offices, as well as the campus police department. She met with various groups about the demands made by student and community activists to determine what the university’s current practices were and what kinds of change were possible. She explained that it was important to not just take the list of demands and disappear, but to offer to involve those making the demands in the change process. She describes how the university practiced inclusive leadership by inviting others to engage in finding solutions.

To address the list of demands from the Irate 8 and practice inclusion, Dr. Marshall invited University of Cincinnati students to develop and offer recommendations for change to the university’s administration. “We created committees of students to have them involved in working on the responses to these demands. For example, to recruit more Black students to the university, our students came up with the idea to partner with Cincinnati Public Schools to create an ambassador program. The goal was to have high school students serve as ambassadors in partnership with university students to educate neighboring high school students about the University of Cincinnati’s application and admissions process and to get them excited about college from fellow students. I’ll always remember their excitement going through the process of meeting with members of our admissions team, putting a proposal together, submitting the proposal to university administration, and then securing funding to run the program” (Dr. Bleuzette Marshall, personal communication, July 1, 2020).

In talking about lessons learned as a result of her experiences following the DuBose shooting, Dr. Marshall noted how important it is for leaders to be humble and always be open to learning. “I learned that when assuming a leadership role there is always going to be some type of challenge that I call the ‘welcome to leadership moment,’ because it comes unexpectedly and it is not at all clear what you should do. It’s nothing that you could have ever planned for. The right answer is not written in any manual that you can simply look up to figure out how to navigate this challenge. Instead, you have to rely on your own sensibilities, your own strategic and creative thinking, and evolving skill set to be able to navigate” (Dr. Bleuzette Marshall, personal communication, July 1, 2020).

She shared another “welcome to leadership” moment involving a student group that staged a demonstration outside her office protesting the university’s handling of sexual assault on campus. The group informed local media who were also present to film the group marching to the administration building with their mouths taped. Group members then proceeded to sit on the floor in a circle outside of Dr. Marshall’s office.

“The first thing I did was take a deep breath when I heard the students were outside. I came out of my office and told them that I was ready to talk to them whenever they were ready to speak with me. They texted me to say they would be ready in 15 minutes. So I set my watch for 15 minutes, walked out, and immediately sat down in their circle to listen to their concerns and personal stories. Some concerns I could address right then and there, but some I could not, so I encouraged the students to schedule some time with me to deal with the lingering issues, which they did, and we worked together to implement changes” (Dr. Bleuzette Marshall, personal communication, July 1, 2020).

In her role as the vice president of equity, inclusion, and community impact at a large urban university with nearly 50,000 students and over 15,000 employees, Dr. Marshall says she continues to learn and grow her inclusive leadership skill set. She describes her leadership style as participatory, because she invites people who are important to the process and encourages them to stay involved. She is also boundary spanning in the sense that she works across campus to infuse inclusive practices in any and all areas of the university. Another example of how Dr. Marshall practices inclusive leadership is that she begins a meeting by asking everyone in the meeting to share something with the group such as a movie or book they recently enjoyed, or a favorite quote. The topic is not important; what is important is allowing everyone in the room to speak and share because the goal is to create a foundation in which everyone in the room has exercised their voice. She finds this simple practice can make a big difference as it tends to open up subsequent conversation and makes it easier for people to feel comfortable speaking up later in the meeting.

For aspiring inclusive leaders, Dr. Marshall recommends they first and foremost become good at self-reflection. She says it is important to spend time understanding who you are as a person, what you appreciate about other people, what your shortcomings are, what you are doing to try to be a better person, how you do or do not connect with others, and what your hot buttons are and how to manage them. She also suggests that inclusive leaders must make a concerted effort to expand their circle of friends so they can be exposed to different ideas, opinions, and perspectives. Surrounding yourself with people who hold different opinions than you enhances your cognitive complexity and allows the opportunity to know yourself better by understanding how your upbringing and experiences differ from others. Finally, she encourages those attempting to be more inclusive to remember not to fight fire with fire, but instead fight fire with water. She has learned that during heated and difficult situations she continually reminds herself that in some way, shape, or form, those expressing their anger are frustrated and hurting, and they are coming to her and the university for relief.

“The only way I can really help is to know the full extent of what’s going on—so if it means you need to fuss, then fuss; if it means you need to cuss, then cuss to get it out so that we can fully dissect what’s going on. Only then can we determine what changes can be made” (Dr. Bleuzette Marshall, personal communication, July 1, 2020).

Questions

1. What inclusive leadership behaviors as identified in the Model of Inclusive Leadership ( Figure 12.1) does Dr. Marshall exhibit in her role?

2. In what ways do you practice these inclusive leadership behaviors in your interactions with others? In what ways could you practice these behaviors in the future?

3. Active listening is an important theme in this case. Dr. Marshall mentions the importance of listening and learning from others multiple times. Why is it often difficult for us to really listen and understand others?

4. What one thing can you do moving forward to enhance your active listening skills?

Leadership Instrument

To measure inclusive leadership, researchers have primarily utilized the Inclusive Leadership Scale developed by Carmeli et al. (2010). This 9-item scale assesses leaders on the dimensions of availability, accessibility, and openness. More recently, Chung and colleagues (2020) developed a 10-item scale, structured around the dimensions of belonging and uniqueness, to assess perceptions of individuals’ experiences within their immediate work environment that help them to feel included.

This section includes a self-assessment instrument to help you reflect on your own inclusive leadership. It is based on the most recent research as well as best practices from organizations engaged in diversity and inclusion efforts. The instrument provides a list of inclusive leadership behaviors in which you may (or may not) be engaging. Because inclusiveness may feel different in different situations, the instrument also highlights inclusive leadership behaviors in a variety of settings, including one-on-one meetings, team meetings, and mentoring sessions. Based on this assessment, leaders can learn more about inclusive behaviors that can be incorporated into their daily activities and interactions as well as recognize areas for future development.

Inclusive Leadership Reflection Instrument

Purpose: The purpose of this questionnaire is to reflect on your inclusive behaviors and challenge yourself to exhibit inclusive behaviors in your daily interactions.

Instructions: The following instrument is a checklist designed to encourage you to reflect on the inclusive behaviors you exhibit in a variety of settings: meeting one-on-one with individuals, facilitating a team meeting, participating in a team meeting, and mentoring someone less experienced. In each case, you are encouraged to place a check mark in the  Yes column or  No column.

Types of Interactions	Inclusive Leadership Behaviors	Yes	No
One-on-One	I begin our interaction by showing interest in the other person (e.g., asking questions, sharing something personal, and inviting the other person to share as well).
	I make eye contact with the person.
	I face the individual I am speaking with.
	I put away all distractions such as my cell phone.
	I eliminate physical or technological barriers between us, such as sitting behind my desk and/or keeping my camera off.
	I ask open-ended questions to learn about the other person.
	I regularly designate time for people to come and talk to me.
	I treat each and every person with respect and dignity.
	I recognize and reward employees/people according to their individual motivations.
Teams (as leader)	I identify unique skill sets of team members.
	I use the full range of talents on my team to achieve work objectives.
	I ask everyone on the team for input and through different means (in person, via email, pulse checks, etc.).
	I ask everyone on the team what and how they want to contribute.
	I configure project teams to include people who do not regularly interact with one another.
	I provide different members of the team with leadership opportunities.
	I seek feedback from others and make changes based on that feedback.
Teams (as facilitator)	I prepare an agenda and send it out ahead of a meeting so that people can prepare and better participate.
	I utilize a process in which everyone gives feedback and input at times (e.g., nominal group technique, round-robin discussion, online real-time data collection tools).
	When possible, I ask team members to provide updates rather than being the only one to speak.
	I adapt physical arrangements such as seating and/or technology that allows people to interact with one another.
	When someone new joins the team or when a team is forming, I ask for everyone’s preferred names, pronunciations, and pronouns.
	I encourage conflicting views and/or dissension within team discussions.
	I create “airtime” limits so that outspoken people do not dominate the conversation.
Teams (as participant)	We rotate roles in team meetings each time (time keeper, note-taker, action item capturer, etc.).
	If a colleague is interrupted by someone, I will say that I would like to hear the colleague finish the thought, prompting the group to go back to let that person finish speaking.
	I come prepared to share my thoughts and ideas.
	If a colleague has been silent during the meeting, I will encourage the colleague to share by saying something like “I would love to hear what you are thinking about this issue.”
Mentor/Protégé	I ask my protégé about preferred work style and communication cadence.
	I discuss and develop a list of expectations with my protégé such that we are both able to clarify expectations of one another early in the relationship.
	Rather than assume I know what is best, I start meetings with my protégé by asking how our time together can be most useful for the protégé.

Scoring

1. There are 30 items contained in the Inclusive Leadership Reflection Instrument. First, count up the total number of check marks you placed in the  No column.

· Total Score ______________

2. Next, count up the number of check marks you placed in the  No column for the various types of interactions:

. One-on-one = 9 total ______________

. Teams (as leader) = 7 total ______________

. Teams (as facilitator) = 7 total ______________

. Teams (as participant) = 4 total ______________

. Mentor/Protégé = 3 total ______________

Scoring Interpretation

Upon completion of this instrument, you will have identified inclusive leader behaviors you should continue to display as well as those you will want to consider using and developing in the future. To interpret your scores, we suggest you consider the following:

1. Examine the total number of check marks you placed in the  No column.

· A score of 0–9 indicates that you exemplify many behaviors of inclusive leaders. You may be able to thus serve as a role model to others and foster inclusive leadership in members of your team and in your colleagues at work.

· A score of 10–19 suggests that you are working to become an inclusive leader. You are likely motivated to foster an inclusive organizational environment but have a somewhat limited number of tactics and strategies that you have utilized in the past. You may need to try out some additional inclusive leader behaviors and seek feedback from others to determine if what you are doing equates to others feeling more included in the organization.

· A score of 20–30 indicates that you either previously were not aware of the value of inclusive leadership or were not motivated to adapt a more inclusive approach to leadership. Hopefully, after reading this chapter, you better understand how and why inclusive leadership may create benefits for your team and the organization as a whole. Additionally, we hope that you are now motivated to try out various inclusive leadership behaviors described in the checklist and seek feedback from others to determine if what you are doing equates to others feeling more included in the organization.

2. Examine the number of check marks you placed in the  No column for the various types of interactions. Circle the types of interactions with the most  No check marks as follows. That is a good place to identify where and how you can make changes and challenge yourself to step outside of your comfort zone to become a more inclusive leader.

· One-on-one

· Teams (as leader)

· Teams (as facilitator)

· Teams (as participant)

· Mentor/Protégé

Summary

The concept of inclusion has emerged as a key psychological construct for realizing the benefits that diversity can bring to the workplace. In today’s multifaceted and multicultural business environment, leaders must be able to identify or create opportunities for growth and competitiveness. As such, they must be able to create environments in which differences are valued and can be incorporated into the main work of an organization to enhance strategies, processes, and overall effectiveness.

Inclusion requires the consideration of belongingness (i.e., the desire to be included) and the extent to which it interacts with uniqueness (i.e., the desire to maintain one’s own identity). An inclusive organization is one in which members’ perceptions of both belongingness and uniqueness are high. In this type of organization, individuals feel they belong and are valued for their unique beliefs, attitudes, values, and background. Inclusive leaders play a key role in creating such an organization as a result of their behavior toward others.

The Model of Inclusive Leadership ( Figure 12.1) offered in this chapter highlights factors that influence relevant inclusive leader behaviors and the resultant outcomes of such behavior. It clarifies the importance of the leader, group, and organizational characteristics that influence the degree to which inclusive leadership behaviors are encouraged and practiced in the organization. It also depicts the effects of inclusive leadership behaviors on a variety of follower outcomes, including positive emotional states, behaviors that enhance group functioning, and both individual and team performance.

Based on inclusive leadership theory and research derived from the leadership and diversity literatures, common elements have emerged to illustrate how this approach to leadership works. First, inclusive leadership incorporates a sense of  shared identity among group members. Second, inclusive leadership incorporates behaviors to  reduce status differences within groups. Third, inclusive leaders foster employee  participation and involvement in decision processes.

Existing research on inclusive leadership has several strengths. The first is that inclusive leadership emphasizes the involvement and engagement of everyone in the group. A second strength is inclusive leadership’s focus on the relational aspects of leadership such as identifying the strengths and interests of each follower and fostering positive relationships with each follower. A third strength of inclusive leadership is that it frames inclusivity as a shared responsibility between leaders and followers and one that does not fall solely on the shoulders of an individual leader.

One criticism of inclusive leadership is that research on inclusive leadership has been confounded with other leadership theories and sets of behaviors. Another criticism is that current methods of measuring inclusive leadership do so in an aggregate fashion such that individual differences in perceptions of inclusion may be lost. Thus, more nuanced and complex measurement strategies are needed in future research. Finally, existing research has not been able to clearly determine links between specific inclusive behaviors and outcomes. In other words, future research is needed to test the Model of Inclusive Leadership presented in  Figure 12.1.

Because inclusive leadership is defined as a set of behaviors, it follows that inclusive leadership can be both learned and developed. Learning to be a more inclusive leader requires a  change in mindset,  a shift in values, and  the adoption of a new style of interacting with others. Leaders who wish to develop a more inclusive style of leading should identify strengths and weaknesses through feedback and assessment tools, identify new and challenging experiences to strengthen their inclusive leadership skills, and seek support from others to stay motivated and positive in the face of change.

As the workforce is projected to become increasingly diverse and organizations continue to operate in fiercely competitive environments, inclusive leadership may be viewed as a strategy to ensure that the potential benefits of a diverse workforce are realized. That is, inclusive leaders play a critical role in creating environments in which different ideas, perspectives, experiences, and values are leveraged to foster greater creativity and innovation as well as more effective problem solving. A key takeaway from this chapter is that practicing inclusive leadership requires both a mindset and everyday behaviors to foster inclusion. An inclusive mindset means constantly being vigilant to recognize bias, discrimination, stereotyping, and exclusion in the words and actions of both oneself and others. Practicing inclusive behaviors means engaging in both proactive and reactive tactics to ensure that everyone feels like they are part of the group, that all members are treated with respect and fairness, and that everyone feels that they can participate fully.

Descriptions of Images and Figures

Back to Figure

Antecedent conditions:

· Leader characteristics:

· pro-diversity beliefs

· cognitive complexity

· personality

· Group diversity cognitions:

· multiculturalism

· climate for inclusion

· Organizational policies and practices

Behaviors:

· Encourages divergent viewpoints

· Appreciates all views and contributions

· Is available and accessible

· Invites input from others and shares decision making

· Ensures justice and equity

· Shows support

· Incorporates members’ knowledge, skills, and abilities

Outcomes:

· Psychological safety

· Work engagement

· Well-being

· Creativity and innovation

· Helping behavior

· Learning from errors/failures

· Work unit performance

Antecedent conditions influence behaviors, which affect outcomes.