Increasing Workplace Inclusion: The Promise of Leader-Member Exchange

With increased workforce diversity, human service organizations are recognizing the need to create inclusive workplaces; yet little is known about how leaders can enhance workplace inclusion. We collected data at three time points in 6-month intervals from a public child welfare organization (n=363). Using latent change score models, we analyzed whether leader-member exchange influenced how inclusion changed over time. Results indicate that favorable perceptions of leader-member exchange are associated with increased feelings of inclusion 6 and 12months later. Findings highlight the importance of improving leadership interactions with their employees to increase workplace inclusion.