Breaking Organizational Silence: The Mediating Role of Psychological Safety in the Relationship between Inclusive Leadership and Employee Silence

This study aims to examine the effect of inclusive leadership on employee silence and to investigate the mediating role of psychological safety in this relationship. The increasing diversity and competitive pressures faced by contemporary organizations have heightened the importance of employees’ ability to freely express their opinions and suggestions. However, many employees choose to remain silent due to fears of punishment or negative evaluation, which in turn undermines organizational learning, innovation, and the quality of decision-making processes. Within this context, the study focuses on inclusive leadership as a leadership style that may effectively reduce employee silence. Inclusive leadership is conceptualized as an approach that acknowledges employees’ individual differences, values their contributions, and encourages open expression of ideas. By fostering an environment of trust and openness, inclusive leadership enhances employees’ perceptions of psychological safety, thereby diminishing silence behaviors. The research was conducted with a sample of 260 employees working in the service sector in Türkiye. The data were subjected to analysis using SPSS and AMOS software. The findings indicate that inclusive leadership has a significant negative effect on employee silence and a significant positive effect on psychological safety. Moreover, psychological safety was found to partially mediate the relationship between inclusive leadership and employee silence.