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The impending demographic shift in the United States (Vespa et al., 2020) will require leadership educators to reexamine the relationship between diversity and inclusive leadership. Our literature review revealed inclusive leadership has historically not been viewed with a diversity perspective. To better understand the link between diversity and inclusive leadership, we reviewed how leadership scholars, researchers, and authors have described the attributes and impacts of inclusive leaders. Through inductive coding, we identified seven attributes (i.e., characteristics and actions) of inclusive leaders. When these attributes are acted upon, inclusive leaders create various impacts on followers. These impacts are applied to Shore et al.’s (2011) inclusion framework. Both the attributes and impacts are presented to provide information and tools to better equip leadership educators with the knowledge to foster classroom inclusion in diverse classroom environments.

Inclusion is of critical importance to creating healthier workplaces, if the ongoing dynamic of workforce diversity is taken for granted. The purpose of this paper is to designate the role of spiritual leadership in fostering more humane and inclusive workplaces.

The authors review the extant literature on two distinct research streams, inclusion and inclusive leadership, and spiritual leadership, elaborate a mediation model, identify antecedents and outcomes, and articulate a set of propositions reflecting key findings.

The authors advance a conceptual model according to which inclusive practices founded on spiritual values will mediate the positive relationship between spiritual leadership and a climate for inclusion. They argue that calling and membership as components of spiritual wellbeing will reinforce employees’ experience of both uniqueness and belongingness, thus affecting their perceptions of inclusion and inducing multi-level beneficial outcomes.

Spiritual leadership assumes a preeminent role in embracing and valuing diversity: it embodies a potential for positioning inclusive ideals more strategically, in view of enabling employees unfold their genuine selves and experience integration in work settings.

Spiritual leadership helps inclusive goals to be situated in their societal context; inclusion is thus viewed as both an organizational and societal good, embedded in social contexts, and pertinent to corporate vision, mission and philosophy.

The paper examines spiritual leadership as a predictor of climates for inclusion. Drawing on spiritual values, spiritual leaders display a strong potential for inclusion, facilitating diverse employees to experience feelings of both belongingness and uniqueness in work settings that assume high societal relevance.

This study aims to analyse the relationship between diversity practices and employee engagement in the specific context of a telecommunications company.

Using simple and multiple linear regressions, the authors test the mediating effect of the perception of inclusion and the moderating role of inclusive leadership, as well as whether this style of leadership promotes the perception of inclusion among employees.

The results are based on a sample of 238 responses and show that a positive correlation exists between the perception of diversity practices and engagement which is mediated by the perception of inclusion. However, inclusive leadership fails to moderate this relationship, although it does positively influence employees’ perception of inclusion.

The study emphasises: the importance of employees’ perceptions of diversity and inclusion as a strategic priority of their organisations and the importance of its embeddedness in the organisational culture and daily practices and the role of inclusive leaders in shaping employees’ perceptions, as this leadership may have significant implications for their engagement and performance.

This research offers a better understanding of what contributes to an inclusive workplace and the role of inclusive leaders in building up employees’ perception of inclusion that, thus, enhances their engagement.

Neste estudo analisamos a relação entre práticas de diversidade e engagement dos colaboradores no contexto específico de uma empresa de telecomunicações.

Mediante regressões lineares simples e múltiplas, avaliamos o efeito mediador da perceção de inclusão e o papel moderador da liderança inclusiva, bem como se este estilo de liderança promove a perceção de inclusão dos colaboradores.

Os resultados têm por base uma amostra de 238 respostas e mostram que existe uma correlação positiva entre a perceção das práticas de diversidade e o engagement, mediada pela perceção de inclusão. A liderança inclusiva não modera, porém, aquela relação, embora influencie positivamente a perceção de inclusão dos colaboradores.

Este estudo enfatiza: (a) a importância da perceção de diversidade e inclusão dos colaboradores como prioridade estratégica nas suas organizações e a importância da sua incrustração na cultura organizacional e práticas quotidianas; e (b) o papel dos líderes inclusivos na modelação das perceções dos colaboradores, dado que este estilo de liderança tem implicações significativas ao nível dos seus níveis de engagement e desempenho.

Esta pesquisa oferece uma melhor compreensão sobre o que contribui para um ambiente de trabalho inclusivo e o papel dos líderes inclusivos na construção da percepção de inclusão dos colaboradores, que, por seu turno, melhora o seu engagement.

En este estudio analizamos la relación entre las prácticas de diversidad y el engagement de los trabajadores en el contexto específico de una empresa de telecomunicaciones.

Mediante regresiones lineales simples y múltiples, evaluamos el efecto mediador de la percepción de inclusión y el rol moderador del liderazgo inclusivo, así como si este estilo de liderazgo promueve la percepción de inclusión de los trabajadores.

Los resultados se basan en una muestra de 238 respuestas y muestran que existe una correlación positiva entre la percepción de las prácticas de diversidad y el engagement, mediada por la percepción de inclusión. El liderazgo inclusivo no modera, sin embargo, esa relación, aunque influye positivamente en la percepción de inclusión de los trabajadores.

Este estudio enfatiza: (a) la importancia de la percepción de diversidad e inclusión de los trabajadores como una prioridad estratégica en sus organizaciones y la importancia de su incrustación en la cultura organizacional y las prácticas diarias; y (b) el papel de los líderes inclusivos en la configuración de las percepciones de los trabajadores, ya que este estilo de liderazgo tiene implicaciones significativas para su engagement y desempeño.

Esta investigación ofrece una mejor comprensión de lo que contribuye a un ambiente de trabajo inclusivo y el papel de los líderes inclusivos en la construcción de la percepción de inclusión de los trabajadores, que, a su vez, mejora su engagement.

While prior research has emphasized the importance of diversity management for the betterment of future workforce, the role of managerial actors in leading the diversity management movement has not been substantiated. The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of managers in practicing diversity management and the extent to which inclusive leadership affects employee performance.

The study draws on a large survey data (n=415,696) with a representative sample of employees in federal government in the USA.

The quantitative results show that diversity policy alone predicts performance less strongly for employees of racial minority than for whites. In contrast, the study finds that inclusive leadership predicts performance more strongly for nonwhites.

The embodied approach to diversity management proposed in this paper expands the understanding of diversity management research by exploring the interaction effect between diversity policy and diversity leadership.

The paper is unique in proposing an interaction effect between diversity policy and diversity leadership in managing diversity.

Previous studies in the literature surprisingly neglected to take into account the role of leader behavior in managing diversity. As the study shows the significant moderating role of diversity leadership in diversity management, organizational leaders are encouraged to critically assess and provide training for those team leaders and middle level managers to promote diversity in the workplace.

This is the first empirical study to distinguish and examine the relative impact of diversity policy and inclusive leadership on employee performance in the public sector.

The purpose of this study is to develop a theory that explains how organizations can create a more inclusive atmosphere on the individual, organizational and societal levels. The consequences of an inclusive environment were subsequently developed and explored.

Constructivist grounded theory methods were used to collect and analyze data from interviews with 20 hotel executives and their company websites.

The findings of this study produced a theoretical framework for inclusion in hotel leadership, leadership inclusion theory (LIT). The LIT states organizations must address individual differences, organizational policies and culture and societal norms to develop an inclusive environment. Equity follows inclusion as the value for individual differences makes equitable treatment easier. Finally, diversity increases through increased inclusion and equity.

The LIT describes steps for managers to take to develop an inclusive environment, establish equitable practices and increase diversity within an organization.

The LIT highlights several unintended exclusion practices and generational attitudes that are common among organizations. By making conscious efforts, managers can take deliberate actions to establish a perceived environment of equality.

The LIT is a seminal theory-building effort grounded in hospitality. It explains the when and why of several phenomena related to inequality in the hotel industry and how to overcome such imbalances.

This paper aims to examine the barriers that act as a hindrance and are the reason behind the struggles for the successful practice of diversity and inclusion. It also provides suggestions that organisations across the Asian region can adopt to have a conducive work environment to flourish diversity and inclusion.

Qualitative data were collected from 21 in-depth semi-structured interviews, where the male and female interviewee ratio was 6:4. The interviewees were diversity and inclusion leaders, diversity and inclusion consultants and human resources (HR) experts from Asian countries such as India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, UAE, Singapore, Bangladesh and Nepal. The interviewees belonged to varied industries, including information technology, automobile, manufacturing, engineering, logistics and independent consultants. Every interview recorded was transcribed, and an inductive content analysis technique was used using NVivo. Broad themes and several antecedents were identified which hinder the successful practice of diversity and inclusion.

There exists a patriarchal mindset in society as the main reason; that is why Asian countries are finding it difficult and are struggling to embrace diversity and inclusion successfully. There is a lack of awareness amongst managers about how inclusive gender diversity impacts the company’s financial status. Reports show that companies that have female board members have better profit margins in comparison to those that do not.

This study was conducted within one industry setting, the service sector; therefore, the findings may not apply to other industries because of the different organisational cultures and HR policies.

This study offers managerial implications that can help the organisation foster and embrace diversity and inclusion by overcoming the barriers.

There should be fair and equitable inclusivity of females in the workplace. Female employees should be heard without biases and discrimination and allowed to speak up with equity. Females should not be seen differently during organisational decision-making, participation and empowerment.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is one of the few to explore the challenges faced by Asian region organisations to embrace diversity and inclusion by empirical evidence. The study shows how the Asian region struggles to go beyond gender diversity and move away from patriarchal hegemony, which is the study’s unique contribution.

The purpose of this paper is to examine if and how diversity management outcomes differ across non-native and native Dutch groups within public sector organizations. The effects of diversity management on the extent employees feel their organizational environment is inclusive and on their attitudes and behaviour, are expected to be dependent on how diversity management is perceived by non-native and native Dutch employees in the organization. Drawing on social exchange theory, the authors expect that employees who positively value diversity management practices will reciprocate through showing attitudes and behaviours that are valued by the organization. Since social exchange refers to a social relationship between the employee and the organization that goes beyond the formal contract alone, the authors analyse affective commitment and organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB) as employee outcomes.

The authors analyse data from a quantitative survey of a sample of Dutch central government employees and use structural equation modelling (SEM) to analyse the consequences of diversity management across non-native and native Dutch employee groups.

Results show that diversity management is associated with higher levels of inclusion which in turn boosts affective commitment and OCB of both non-native and native Dutch employees.

The findings show that higher levels of diversity management is associated with an increased inclusive environment, which in turn boosts employees’ affective commitment and OCB. This effect is equal for social-demographic diverse groups. Public managers should therefore implement diversity management that focus on creating an environment that is inclusive for all employees. The positive employee attitudes and behaviour resulting from this can contribute to achieving organizational goals.

This paper combines theory on diversity management outcomes and social exchange to empirically explore and explain group differences by testing these linkages using SEM.

Despite more than half a century of academic research, relatively few methods have been shown to reliably improve intergroup relations in the real world. This paper aims to use a social marketing approach to design a pro-diversity intervention in a university setting.

We conducted extensive qualitative, quantitative and observational background research to identify elements that would increase the effectiveness of the intervention. Focus groups and surveys allowed us to identify a target audience, target behaviors and the relevant barriers and benefits.

The background research suggested increasing inclusive behavior would have a greater impact than reducing discriminatory behavior. Based on this research, this paper determined an optimal target audience was students who had relatively positive attitudes toward diversity but engaged in few inclusive behaviors. This paper used relevant theories from the behavioral sciences to design an intervention that promoted a small set of inclusive behaviors and that addressed the relevant barriers and benefits. The intervention took the form of a single page of targeted messages that instructors can add to their course syllabi. The page communicates injunctive and descriptive norms, highlights the benefits of behaving inclusively and provides concrete behavioral advice.

The research applies the social marketing approach to a novel domain. This approach represents a new way to advance diversity, equity and inclusion through promoting inclusive and reducing discriminatory behavior.

The different perspectives of diversity have until recently ignored emotional diversity primarily because emotions were discounted as “irrational.” To highlight the need for a broader integrative view of emotions in the workplace, the question addressed in the study was whether inclusive leadership helped emotionally reactive employees improve their performance and whether these employees displayed potential leadership qualities for future roles.

The study was qualitative. This cross-sectional study applied qualitative methods to gather the required information. Sixteen business heads across different sectors in India were purposively chosen for in-depth interviews with respondents. The interviews were semi-structured. The approach of theoretical sampling was adopted. From the initial set of questions, the next set of questions was evolved and the itineration was continued until saturation was achieved.

The results showed that mentoring and empowerment helped emotionally reactive employees improve their performance. On the question of their potential leadership role, the results were mixed.

The follower (protégé) perception, if also taken, can validate whether the person-centered style helped in the performance improvement of the followers. The responses of the leaders were based on their memory and no reports were checked from their office records to corroborate the same.

Researchers have argued that worker behavior and productivity are directly affected by employee affect and emotional states. The study contributes significantly to creating emotionally inclusive workplaces.

The study is focused on the role of diversity of emotions in the workplace impacting productivity. Emotions are vital and affect the workplace significantly. The study focused on what organizations could do to handle emotionally reactive employees at work. The study showed that inclusive leadership through mentoring and empowerment helped in assimilating difficult employees into the mainstream work.

The aim of this paper is to move away from the focus upon the drivers of diversity to consider the drivers of inclusion in the workplace. The research outlined addresses this by considering the views of all employees, not just those who would be considered members of minority groups.

The paper draws on an extensive set of case study data from a range of methodological sources. The case study is of a major high street retailer.

Findings focus upon what leads to employees feeling included in the workplace. In addressing this we explore both the drivers of, and barriers to, inclusion. We argue that inclusion is complex and that individuals may feel included by some aspects of organisational culture whilst simultaneously feeling excluded by others.

The implications of our results for HR practitioners are that organisations need to pay attention to general HR policies as ways of enhancing inclusion, for example development practices, but also pay attention to the different needs of diverse groups.

The paper is original in that in recognising that equality, diversity and inclusion are all closely related, we demonstrate that an understanding of the effectiveness of diversity strategies needs to be fundamentally informed by a consideration of inclusion which can only occur through an engagement with employee's understandings of organisational culture and their place or otherwise within it. Without this employee engagement, many well-intentioned diversity initiatives may go awry. Moreover, the value of the research is that it demonstrates that in order to be successful an inclusion strategy needs to embrace both minority and majority perspectives.