Using Mixed Methods to Uncover Inclusive Leader Behaviors: A Promising Approach for Improving Employee and Organizational Outcomes

Abstract

Although inclusion is a promising approach for enhancing workplace outcomes, limited studies have examined how leaders create inclusive workplaces. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether transformational leadership (TFL) fosters a climate for inclusion. Mixed methods were used to triangulate quantitative and qualitative data from participants in an urban hospital. Data revealed that some TFL characteristics were helpful in fostering inclusion, whereas other TFL characteristics were not, thereby only partially supporting TFL as an inclusive leadership approach. New insights are uncovered around more and less inclusive leader behaviors, providing a foundation for future research in building inclusive leadership theory.