Inclusive leadership: scale validation and potential consequences

PurposeThis study aims both to develop and validate a measure for inclusive leadership and to test some its potential consequences by examining the relationship between inclusive leadership and different dimensions of work performance (proficiency, adaptivity, and proactivity) through the mediating role of the perceptions of inclusion.Design/methodology/approachWe use data generated from an expert panel (n = 20) and two surveys (n = 235; n = 333) to generate items and establish convergent and discriminant validity. Data were gathered from 363 faculty to examine inclusive leadership's consequences.FindingsThe results empirically support Randel et al.’s conceptualization of inclusive leadership and evidence the psychometric properties of the study's scale. The results also empirically support the proposed relationships between inclusive leadership and various work-performance dimensions.Originality/valueWe develop and validate a more comprehensive measure of inclusive leadership and test some of its potential consequences.