The antecedents, outcomes and mediating role of inclusion at work

• Date: 19 June 2024
• Pages: 1295-1310
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-11-2023-0399
• Published date: 19 June 2024
• Author: Ngoc S. Duong,Trevor N. Fry,Alexander M. DeChurch,Lisa A. Steelman,Jessica L. Wildman

The antecedents, outcomes and

mediating role of inclusion at work

Ngoc S. Duong

Institute for Culture, Collaboration, and Management,

Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Florida, USA

Trevor N. Fry

Pinterest, San Francisco, California, USA

Alexander M. DeChurch

Creative WorQs PLLC, Houston, Texas, USA

Lisa A. Steelman

Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Florida, USA, and

Jessica L. Wildman

Institute for Culture, Collaboration, and Management,

Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Florida, USA

Abstract

Purpose –The current study heeds prior calls to test the hypothesis that perceptions of inclusion mediate the

relationship between inclusive practices and employee outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach –Using responses from 3,367 employees drawnfrom three time-separated

surveys administered between 2020 and 2022 within a large retail fashion chain, structural equation modeling

(SEM) was conducted to examine the mediating role of perceptions of inclusion connecting inclusion’s

antecedents and outcomes. Exploratory multigroup SEM and relative weights analysis was conducted to

examine the relative contribution of each antecedent of perceptions of inclusion across racial/ethnic groups.

Findings –We identified manager support, career support, organizational support, transparency, and

employee recognition as antecedents of perceptions of inclusion, as well as work engagement, organizational

commitment, and intent to stay as outcomes of perceptions of inclusion. Recognition indirectly relates to

employee outcomes via perceptions of inclusion, but we did not find evidence of mediation for the other

antecedents. Exploratory analyses suggest that career support and employee recognition are the most

predictive antecedents of perceptions of inclusion overall. However, there are racial/ethnic group differences

regarding which inclusive practices most contribute to perceptions of inclusion.

Originality/value –Results uncover several directions for future research and suggest that to truly make

employees feel both included and unique at work, organizations should focus on supporting employees’career

development goals and recognizing their valuable contributions.

Keywords Inclusion, Race, Ethnicity, Inclusive practices, Social exchange, Outcomes

Paper type Research paper

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) has gained more prominence in organizations in recent

years. Empirical studies regarding the value of diversity in organizations yield mixed and

inconclusive results (e.g. Bell et al., 2011), possibly due to diversity’s potential to create social

divisions and identity-based differences that can harm workgroup effectiveness (Ferdman,

2013). Inclusion complements diversity to create an environment where people are valued and

appreciated for who they are and what they can contribute. Thus, to truly harness the

advantages of workplace diversity, organizations must foster a sense of inclusivity. However,

Equality,

Diversity and

Inclusion: An

International

Journal

1295

We thank Elena Burkey and Kauyer Lor for their earlier contribution to the work of this project and

Gary N. Burns for his reviews and suggestions for improving our manuscript. In addition, we thank the

two blind reviewers for providing us with insightful comments to improve this manuscript.

The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:

https://www.emerald.com/insight/2040-7149.htm

Received 17 November 2023

Revised 15 March 2024

Accepted 4 April 2024

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:

An International Journal

Vol. 43 No. 8, 2024

pp. 1295-1310

© Emerald Publishing Limited

2040-7149

DOI 10.1108/EDI-11-2023-0399

there is a need to better understand what practices are needed to cultivate inclusion in

organizations.

Inclusion refers to employee perceptions that they are valued and belong (Sabharwal,

2014). Shore et al. (2011) proposed a theoretical model suggesting employee perceptions of

inclusion mediate the relationship between various inclusive practices and desirable

employee outcomes such as job satisfaction and intent to stay. Therefore, inclusion is fostered

through workplace practices and is what organizations must do to reap diversity’s benefits.

Shore et al. (2011) called for additional research to identify the specific practices that enhance

inclusion. Most of the studies on inclusion examine either antecedents or outcomes of

inclusion, but not both (e.g. Bae et al., 2017;Hwang and Hopkins, 2012,2015), and thus few

studies directly examine perceptions of inclusion as a mediator, as proposed by Shore

et al. (2011).

This study heeds prior calls and examines the mediating role of perceptions of inclusion.

To develop our hypotheses, we combine the Shore et al. (2011) model of inclusion with

theoretical assertions based on social exchange theory (Blau, 1964). Inclusive workplace

practices can signal to employees that the organization cares about their well-being and

supports individual differences, thus promoting feelings of inclusion that trigger norms of

reciprocity and subsequent work-related outcomes (Cropanzano and Mitchell, 2005). The

current study makes several contributions to the science and practice of inclusion in

organizations. First, we extend prior studies by testing multiple antecedents of inclusion

simultaneously via structural equation modeling (SEM) and relative weight analysis (RWA)

to provide novel practical information regarding which inclusive practices can influence

feelings of inclusion most (Johnson, 2020). Second, we explore the relative contribution of

inclusive practices to perceptions of inclusion for different racial and ethnic groups,

suggesting that developing workplace inclusion is not one-size-fits-all. Third, our study

utilizes a large sample, three-wave time-lagged survey conducted within a large retail fashion

chain company, thus providing stronger causal inferences regarding the mediating effects of

inclusion as compared to previous cross-sectional survey studies (e.g. Cottrill et al., 2014).

Workplace inclusion

Inclusion reflects the belief that employees of all backgrounds should feel accepted and

valued in an organization (Ryan and Kossek, 2008). In contrast to existing diversity

management approaches, which often focus on integrating minorities into organizations

(Dwertmann et al., 2016;Hicks-Clarke and Iles, 2000;Wolfson et al., 2011), inclusion practices

target all organizational members regardless of their social group (Dobusch, 2021). Thus,

inclusion represents a shift from trying to prevent discrimination to proactively fostering a

thriving environment for all (Shore et al., 2018).

While inclusion has multiple conceptualizations (e.g. Jansen et al., 2014), we leverage the

Shore et al. (2011) conceptualization using optimal distinctiveness theory (Brewer, 1991)to

suggest that the inclusion experience involves satisfying one’s sense of belongingness (e.g.

feelings of acceptance and familiarity with others) and uniqueness (e.g. feelings of

appreciation, recognition, and ability to be authentic at work). Research on inclusion has

also suggested that it is a multilevel phenomenon (Ferdman, 2013). Inclusion climate (i.e. the

shared perceptions betwee n members that the policies, procedures, and actions of

organizational agents are fair and equitable toward members of all social groups, Shore

et al., 2011) can be conceptualized at the organizational (Le et al., 2021b) and/or group level

(Nishii, 2013). Inclusion can also be conceptualized at the interpersonal level, describing

members’behaviors that can make others feel included (Jansen et al., 2014). Here, we examine

inclusion as an individual employee perception because one’s responses to a situation often

depend on how they perceive that situation (Bandura, 1986).

EDI

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