Chapter 5: Inclusive Leadership: The Roots of an Emerging Theory

As the workplace continues to grow more diverse, new leadership practices and theories are required. While leadership theories continue to devote attention to issues surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion, inequities persist. Inclusive leadership is an emerging theory that addresses some of the gaps in theory and practice surrounding diversity and inclusion in organizations. Inclusive leadership as a framework addresses both the demands of such a complex workplace and puts diversity and inclusion at the center of practice. In human resources (HR), inclusive leadership fills a gap in HR practices and policies that often fail to create inclusion within the workplace. As the theory of inclusive leadership emerges, defining both leadership and inclusion is elusive. This chapter seeks to move towards a more holistic definition of inclusive leadership and explores the dynamics of inclusive leadership through leadership of the self, others, and the organization. The chapter explores inclusive leadership’s roots in diversity as a positive organizational benefit and its confluence with other leadership theories such as adaptive leadership, LMX and relational leadership, and specifically authentic leadership. Finally, it proposes inclusive leadership as a root leadership construct and makes recommendations for future study.