5.2.1 Inclusive Leadership Model, Carmeli et al. (2010)
Purpose
Inclusive leadership study is the central part of relational leadership studies. It argues that not only the interaction between the leaders and followers is critical to better understanding the consequences of leadership but also the process in the contextual relationship background does matter. The inclusive leadership model developed by Carmeli et al. (2010) sheds light on how the mediator variable – psychological safety- enhances inclusive leadership to subordinates’ creativity at the workplace. It argues that inclusive leadership defined as openness, accessibility, and availability fosters psychological safety. Psychological safety elicits employees’ active participation and engagement in creative work. This model is helpful to researchers and practitioners interested in how relational leadership’s effectiveness contributes to maintaining organizational competitiveness in an uncertain, knowledge-intensive, and complex social environment.
Description
This inclusive leadership model is developed by Carmeli et al. ( 2010). It aims to examine the link between inclusive leadership and employee creativity at work mediated by psychological safety. Data were collected by Likert-type questionnaires. The construct of inclusive leadership is composed of three dimensions, i.e., openness, accessibility, and availability. The result of factor analysis produced one factor, The Cronbach alpha for the inclusive leadership construct is .94. The Cronbach’s alpha for the psychological construct is .74. The Cronbach’s alpha for employment involvement in creative work is .89. The three hypothesized factors model fit the data better than one-factor and two-factors model. The mediated model was tested where psychological safety as a mediator that enhances the relationship between inclusive leadership and employee involvement in creativity work. Results show there are significant relationships between inclusive leadership and psychological safety, psychological safety and employee involvement in creativity work, but there is no significant relationship between inclusive leadership and employee involvement in creativity work. But, the significant relationship is shown between inclusive leadership and employee involvement in creativity work when it was mediated by psychological safety.
However, there are some limitations calling for attention. For example, it is difficult to infer the causal-effect relationship, the common method bias (self-assessment), and other mediating variables that affect the relationship between inclusive leadership and employee involvement in creative work.
Access
The instruments may be accessible via academic journals and research databases, including in the relevant articles listed in the references section. Prior to usage, permission from the authors or copyright holders may be necessary. Contact the authors directly or consult the articles for more information on the availability and permissions.
Reference
Carmeli, A., Reiter-Palmon, R., & Ziv, E. (2010). Inclusive leadership and employee involvement in creative tasks in the workplace: The mediating role of psychological safety. Creativity Research Journal, 22(3), 250–260. https://doi.org/10.1080/10400419.2010.504654
Hughes, D. J., Lee, A., Tian, A. W., Newman, A., & Legood, A. (2018). Leadership, creativity, and innovation: A critical review and practical recommendations. The Leadership Quarterly, 29(5), 549-569.
Choi, S. B., Tran, T. B. H., & Park, B. I. (2015). Inclusive leadership and work engagement: Mediating roles of affective organizational commitment and creativity. Social Behavior and Personality: an international journal, 43(6), 931-943.
