Towards Inclusive Workplaces: The Role of Identity Leadership in Fostering Inclusion

Abstract

It is important for individuals to feel part of a group and feel accepted for who they are, also in the workplace. Felt inclusion has been linked to an array of positive outcomes, such as harnessing the positive effects of diversity in teams while mitigating their negative effects, therefore making inclusivity a vital aspect of today’s and tomorrow’s diverse workplaces. For fostering inclusion, leadership has been shown to have a big impact on employees’ experiences as well as the general inclusivity climate in an organisation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relation between identity leadership and felt inclusion, and the role that a perceived climate for inclusion plays in this relationship. This study adds to the current literature by using the concept of identity leadership, a newly emerging concept offering a fresh perspective on leadership more in line with current literature, and builds upon a highly relevant angle of social identity in leadership. The final sample consists of 75 working adults. In line with expectations, identity leadership predicted felt inclusion both directly as well as through the climate for inclusion. This means that the perception of a leader’s identity leadership is an important factor in how included employees feel. To increase inclusivity, managers should therefore actively seek to engage in practices that lead their employees to perceive them as ‘being one of us’, ‘doing it for us’, ‘crafting a sense of us’, and ‘making us better’. Theoretical implications, limitations as well as directions for future research are discussed.