Inclusion values, practices and intellectual capital predicting organizational outcomes

Abstract

Purpose

This study examines whether inclusion values predict organizational outcomes through mediating effects of inclusive HR practices and investigates whether intellectual (human and social) capital serves as a contingency variable in moderating the relationship between practices and outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach

Organizational-level data were collected from 79 senior-level executives. Hypotheses were examined via regression analyses and the product-of-coefficients approach was used to test for indirect and conditional indirect effects.

Findings

This study found a positive relationship between inclusion values and inclusive HR practices and between inclusive HR practices and organization-level outcomes. Inclusive HR practices mediated the relationship between values and outcomes and intellectual capital moderated the relationship between practices and outcomes, such that inclusive HR practices played a greater role in augmenting outcomes for organizations with lower intellectual capital.

Practical implications

Alignment of inclusion values and inclusive HR practices is important for organizational effectiveness, and inclusive HR practices are likely to play a particularly important role when an organization is relatively weak in intellectual capital.

Originality/value

This paper broadens the inclusion literature by using a macro-level lens to understand how organizational inclusion values and practices may relate to organizational outcomes. It also shows the importance of intellectual capital as a contextual variable in the inclusion practice to outcome relationship.

Citation

Chung, B.G., Dean, M.A. and Ehrhart, K.H. (2021), "Inclusion values, practices and intellectual capital predicting organizational outcomes", Personnel Review, Vol. 50 No. 2, pp. 709-730. https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-07-2019-0352