The effect of inclusive leadership on employee wellbeing

Employee well-being has increasingly emerged as a central concern for both organizations and society. However, our understanding of how and when inclusive leadership enhances employee well-being remains limited. Based on self-determination theory and the socially embedded model of thriving at work, this study explored the relationship between inclusive leadership, growth need strength, employee thriving at work, and well-being. Data were collected from 62 teams that totaled 337 full-time employees through a three-wave time-lagged questionnaire. Path analysis and Monte Carlo simulations were conducted on data for hypothesis testing. The results showed that inclusive leadership is positively related to employee well-being. Employee thriving at work played a mediating role between inclusive leadership and employee well-being. Growth need strength moderated the relationship between inclusive leadership and employee thriving at work. These findings are expected to provide valuable insights for organizations aiming to enhance employee thriving at work and well-being.