Inclusive leadership and work engagement: Exploring the role of psychological safety and trust in leader in multiple organizational context
Corresponding Author
Saeed Siyal
School of Economics and Management, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, PR China
Correspondence
Saeed Siyal, School of Economics and Management, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, PR China.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Saeed Siyal
School of Economics and Management, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, PR China
Correspondence
Saeed Siyal, School of Economics and Management, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, PR China.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
Building on social information processing theory and social exchange theory, this research advances the emerging concept of work engagement and inclusive leadership. Surprisingly, there is no study linking work engagement and inclusive leadership style in the setting of multiple organizations in China. The main purpose of this study is to identify the effective leadership style affecting work engagement directly and indirectly through psychological safety. The trust in leader further moderated the direct relationships. Using multi-source data of 390 responses from leaders-subordinates dyads working in 20 Chinese companies (which include textile, manufacturing, construction, and trading), this study tested how inclusive leadership increased the work engagement of their subsequent subordinates. The mediating role of psychological safety and moderating role of trust in leader therein. The findings introduced an interactive motivational framework that revealed the positive influence of inclusive leadership on the work engagement of subordinates. Further, psychological safety mediated the direct relationship between inclusive leaders and work engagement. The role of trust in leader strengthened the direct relationship of inclusive leadership with psychological safety and work engagement. This is among the first studies to integrate inclusive leadership, psychological safety, trust in leader, and work engagement into a single interactive framework. Further, it provides empirical evidence in the context of predicting and increasing the work engagement of subordinates.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT
Author (s) declares no conflict of interest.
Open Research
PEER REVIEW
The peer review history for this article is available at https://www.webofscience.com/api/gateway/wos/peer-review/10.1111/beer.12556.
DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT
The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy or ethical restrictions.
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