Inclusive leadership has emerged as a vital approach for fostering diversity, equity, and belonging in today’s organizations. It is not merely about surface-level inclusivity but encompasses deep, systemic engagement across individuals, teams, and organizations.
Two key studies, Nishii and Leroy (2022) and Korkmaz et al. (2022), provide comprehensive frameworks for understanding inclusive leadership. Each offers unique insights into how leaders can create inclusive environments, addressing different levels of leadership influence. This post explores their takeaways, compares their approaches, and concludes with actionable insights for organizations and leaders.
Nishii & Leroy (2022): adaptive, dynamic leadership for inclusion
Nishii and Leroy (2022) present inclusive leadership as a dynamic and adaptive process operating on three interconnected levels—individual, team, and organizational. Their framework emphasizes the need for leaders to adjust their behaviors based on evolving diversity dynamics. Key takeaways include:
Individual level: Leaders must create psychological safety, enabling employees to express themselves without fear of judgment. Authenticity, autonomy, and competence are essential elements at this level. Leaders foster inclusion by building trust-based relationships and actively countering stereotypes.
Team level: Inclusive leaders promote collaborative decision-making and foster team belongingness by mitigating power imbalances and encouraging diverse voices. Leaders ensure equity and create norms that value team members’ contributions, enhancing group cohesion and innovation.
Organizational level: Leaders contribute to shaping organizational culture by advocating for systemic changes that align with inclusive values. They use meta-cognition—a reflective process—to adapt their strategies, fostering climates that sustain diversity and equity.
Korkmaz et al. (2022): Behavioral dimensions of inclusive leadership
Korkmaz et al. (2022) consolidate findings from 107 studies to create a multi-level model of inclusive leadership behaviors. These behaviors are categorized across three interconnected levels:
1. Employee level
Fostering uniqueness: Inclusive leaders recognize individuality, promote diversity, and empower employees to take initiative. They also support employee learning and development through guidance, feedback, and growth opportunities.
2. Team level
Strengthening belongingness: Leaders foster team equity, build strong relationships, and involve team members in collaborative decision-making, ensuring all voices are valued. This creates a cohesive and connected team environment.
Showing appreciation: Inclusive leaders recognize and celebrate individual and team contributions, creating a culture of mutual respect and recognition.
3. Organizational level
Supporting organizational efforts: Leaders align inclusion with the organization’s mission and advocate for systemic changes to promote diverse representation. This involves embedding inclusive values into organizational practices and strategies.
This framework offers practical, behavior-focused guidance for leaders to implement inclusivity comprehensively across multiple levels.
Similarities and differences
Both studies provide invaluable insights into inclusive leadership, but they approach the concept from different angles. Let’s explore their similarities and differences:
Similarities
Multi-level approach: Both frameworks emphasize that inclusive leadership operates across individual, team, and organizational levels. Each level requires distinct but interconnected leadership behaviors to create a cohesive and inclusive environment.
Focus on psychological safety: Psychological safety—the sense of being able to voice ideas and concerns without fear—is central to both frameworks. Nishii and Leroy highlight it as foundational at the individual level, while Korkmaz et al. embed it within dimensions like equity and recognition.
Systemic inclusion: Both studies stress the importance of systemic change at the organizational level. Leaders must challenge inequities, align inclusion with the organization’s mission, and drive lasting cultural shifts.
Relational focus: Building trust-based relationships is a key theme in both studies. Leaders’ ability to foster respect, collaboration, and mutual understanding is seen as critical to inclusion.
Differences
Core focus: Nishii & Leroy focus on inclusive leadership as a dynamic and adaptive process that addresses diversity challenges in evolving ways. Korkmaz et al. emphasize specific, practical behaviors leaders can adopt to implement inclusion effectively.
Individual level: Nishii & Leroy prioritize psychological safety, authenticity, autonomy, and competence as essential to inclusive leadership at this level. Korkmaz et al. focus on empowering employees, supporting their growth, and valuing their uniqueness.
Team level: Nishii & Leroy highlight collaborative decision-making and reducing power hierarchies within teams as crucial practices. Korkmaz et al. include building strong relationships, ensuring equity, and involving team members in decisions as key behaviors.
Organizational level: Nishii & Leroy advocate for systemic changes through meta-cognition and reflective processes to align leadership with inclusive organizational goals. Korkmaz et al. emphasize aligning inclusive leadership behaviors with the organizational mission and fostering cultural inclusivity.
Behavioral dimensions: Nishii & Leroy do not categorize inclusive leadership behaviors into specific dimensions. Korkmaz et al. propose four key dimensions: fostering uniqueness, strengthening belongingness, showing appreciation, and supporting organizational efforts.
In other words
Inclusive leadership is not a one-size-fits-all approach; it is a dynamic, multi-level process that requires both intentional behaviors and adaptive strategies. Nishii and Leroy (2022) underscore the relational and reflective aspects of inclusive leadership, showing how leaders must continuously adapt to the evolving needs of individuals, teams, and organizations. Korkmaz et al. (2022) complement this by providing a behavior-based framework, offering practical steps for fostering uniqueness, belonging, and organizational inclusion.
By combining these insights, we see that effective inclusive leadership requires:
At the individual level: Building trust, ensuring psychological safety, and empowering employees to bring their full selves to work.
At the team level: Fostering collaboration, equity, and shared decision-making to create cohesive and innovative groups.
At the organizational level: Driving systemic change and embedding inclusion into the organization’s culture and strategy.
Organizations and leaders who embrace these principles can unlock the full potential of their diverse workforces, fostering not only performance but also a genuine sense of belonging. Inclusive leadership is more than a strategy; it’s a commitment to equity and a future where everyone feels valued, seen, and empowered to thrive.
References
- Korkmaz, A. V., van Engen, M. L., Knappert, L., & Schalk, R. (2022). About and beyond leading uniqueness and belongingness: A systematic review of inclusive leadership research. Human Resource Management Review, 32(2), 100894. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2022.100894
- Nishii, L., & Leroy, H. (2022). A Multi-Level Framework of Inclusive Leadership in Organizations. Group & Organization Management, 47(1), 24-54. https://doi.org/10.1177/10596011221111505
