The Effect of Inclusive Leadership on the Work Engagement: An Empirical Study from Turkey

Abstract

Motivating employee work engagement, which has emerged as one of the most significant drivers of high performance and achievement in today's dynamic environment, has become essential in gaining a sustainable competitive advantage. As widely known, leadership is a primary factor affecting work engagement. This is also directly related to a specific style of leadership exercised. Leadership styles affect the work engagement levels of the employees. The distracting nature of leadership type can have adverse impacts on individuals' behaviors. To provide a comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon, this article draws on social interaction theory and social exchange theory to investigate the potential effects of inclusive leadership on work engagement within the workplace, and the mediating role of psychological safety on the relationship between inclusive leadership and the work engagement. Here, psychological safety is needed by employees to avoid and manage negative feelings. SPSS and AMOS software was applied to survey data obtained from (n = 373) employees. Results revealed that inclusive leadership is a strong predictor for work engagement, and psychological safety partially mediates the link between inclusive leadership and work engagement. Implications for theory and practice alongside limitations are discussed.