Bridging leadership and performance: insights from psychological mechanisms and socio-contextual boundary conditions

Purpose This study aims to examine the impact of inclusive leadership (IL) on employees’ job performance (JP). In addition, it investigates the mediating roles of organizational pride (OP), psychological ownership (PO) and organizational identification (OI) in relations to job performance. In addition, the study explores the moderating influences of both an informal social capital factor [workplace friendship (WF)] and a sociodemographic characteristic (employee gender). Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 305 employees across diverse industries and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling. Findings The results of this study revealed that IL significantly enhances JP, both directly and indirectly, through OP, PO and OI. Moreover, WF strengthens the relationship between IL and JP, whereas employee gender does not significantly moderate this relationship. Originality/value This study uniquely integrates multiple mediators and a moderator to unravel the mechanisms linking IL to performance, offering actionable insights for fostering inclusive cultures and collaborative work environments.