Law - Criminal Research Paper: Leadership Philosophy Assignment

Inclusive leadership: Realizing positive outcomes through belongingness and being valued for uniqueness☆

Author links open overlay panelAmy E. Randel a, Benjamin M. Galvin b, Lynn M. Shore c, Karen Holcombe Ehrhart a, Beth G. Chung a, Michelle A. Dean a, Uma Kedharnath d

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Abstract

We introduce a theoretically-grounded conceptualization of inclusive leadership and present a framework for understanding factors that contribute to and follow from inclusive leadership within work groups. We conceptualize inclusive leadership as a set of positive leader behaviors that facilitate group members perceiving belongingness in the work group while maintaining their uniqueness within the group as they fully contribute to group processes and outcomes. We propose that leader pro-diversity beliefs, humility, and cognitive complexity increase the propensity of inclusive leader behaviors. We identify five categories of inclusive leadership behaviors that facilitate group members' perceptions of inclusion, which in turn lead to member work group identification, psychological empowerment, and behavioral outcomes (creativity, job performance, and reduced turnover) in the pursuit of group goals. This framework provides theoretical grounding for the construct of inclusive leadership while advancing our understanding of how leaders can increase diverse work group effectiveness.

Section snippets

Inclusive leadership

Because the construct of inclusion is central to our theorizing regarding inclusive leadership, it is important to clarify what we mean by “inclusion.” We build on the definition of inclusion proposed by Shore et al. (2011, p. 1265) 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.” This definition is theoretically anchored by optimal

Conceptualizing inclusive leadership

During the last decade, researchers have explored how leaders may act in an inclusive manner (e.g., Nembhard and Edmondson, 2006, Nishii and Mayer, 2009). However, there have been few efforts to clearly establish  inclusive leadership as a style of leadership. Nembhard and Edmondson (2006), who appear to have coined the term  leader inclusiveness, defined it as “words and deeds exhibited by a leader or leaders that indicate an invitation and appreciation for others' contributions” (p. 947). They

Specifying inclusive leadership behaviors

We propose categories of inclusive leadership behaviors (three for belongingness and two for uniqueness), which we derived by reviewing and extending theory within the literature on inclusive leadership and on inclusion more generally. For each inclusive leadership behavior category, we consider how inclusive leaders can influence members directly as well as how inclusive leaders can create a context in which members experience a sense of inclusion.

Inclusive leadership vis a vis other leadership styles

Although several existing leadership styles have the potential to incorporate an inclusive component to facilitate buy-in and commitment to a common goal (Yukl, 2013), inclusive leadership both facilitates belongingness and indicates value for uniqueness in ways that are not fully addressed by other leadership styles. We highlight key points of comparison between inclusive leadership and other forms of leadership that could be seen as being conceptually related to inclusive leadership in Table 1

Theory and propositions

In this section, we introduce propositions related to our theoretical model. First, we propose that several leader individual difference factors are related to inclusive leadership. We then present propositions related to outcomes of inclusive leadership and how those outcomes are related to member behavioral outcomes.

Discussion

Our model expands theory and understanding of inclusive leadership in several ways, including identifying individual difference characteristics associated with inclusive leaders and clarifying specific behaviors in which inclusive leaders engage. These specific inclusive leader behaviors are proposed to lead to member perceptions of inclusion (in terms of belongingness and being valued for uniqueness). In turn, inclusion perceptions lead to member work group identification and psychological

Conclusion

As organizations become increasingly diverse, leaders need to understand how to perform their roles in ways that not only take advantage of this diversity and maximize the performance of their work groups, but that also realize these goals through behaviors that are inclusionary of all group members. Encouraging inclusive leadership behaviors holds promise for improving the work experience of all work group members and the effectiveness of their groups and organizations.

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