Inclusive Leadership Practices Among BARMM Administrators in Tawi-Tawi Province: A Contextual Leadership Development Framework

Abstract. Inclusive leadership has emerged as a critical leadership paradigm for fostering organizational effectiveness, employee engagement, and participatory governance in culturally diverse public institutions. Despite its increasing relevance, empirical evidence on inclusive leadership within autonomous regional governments remains limited, particularly in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), where governance is shaped by cultural diversity, decentralized administration, and unique institutional contexts. This study examined the inclusive leadership practices of BARMM administrators in Tawi-Tawi Province and developed an evidence-based Leadership Development Framework to strengthen inclusive governance and organizational effectiveness. A quantitative descriptive-correlational research design was employed involving 90 employees selected through stratified random sampling from eleven BARMM ministries in Tawi-Tawi Province. Data were collected using a validated structured questionnaire adapted from established inclusive leadership scales. Descriptive statistics, independent samples t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and multiple linear regression were utilized to analyze the data. The findings revealed that BARMM administrators demonstrated high to very high levels of inclusive leadership across all dimensions. Collaborative decision-making, accountability and transparency, and respect for diversity received the highest ratings, reflecting a culture of participation, ethical governance, and inclusivity. Moreover, availability and accessibility and fairness and equity emerged as the strongest predictors of overall inclusive leadership effectiveness. No significant differences were found in participants' perceptions when grouped according to age, sex, educational attainment, and length of service. The study extends Inclusive Leadership Theory by providing empirical evidence from the BARMM context and proposes the BARMM Inclusive Leadership Development Framework (BILDF) as a practical model for strengthening leadership competencies and promoting inclusive, accountable, and participatory public governance. Keywords: BARMM, inclusive leadership; leadership development; organizational effectiveness; participatory governance