Inclusive leadership and work-from-home engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic: a moderated mediation model

Abstract

PurposeThe current study proposes a moderated mediation model to predict work-from-home engagement during an emergency such as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic based on the integration of well-known concepts, including inclusive leadership, organizational support and perceived risk theory.Design/methodology/approachAn online questionnaire on the Google Forms platform was designed and distributed to Vietnamese employees using a convenience sampling method. A total of 794 valid questionnaires were used for data analysis. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed to test the proposed model and hypotheses. The instrument's validity and reliability were tested and ensured.FindingsThe study found that inclusive leadership has direct and indirect effects on work-from-home engagement through the separate and serial mediating roles of perceived organizational support and employee motivation. The present study also revealed that the effects of perceived organizational support and employee motivation on work-from-home engagement are strengthened by employee risk perception. Moreover, the study showed that perceived organizational support and employee motivation performed the lowest of the four elements that were considered, while the importance of these two factors was the highest.Practical implicationsThese findings suggest that in an emergency such as COVID-19, contextual factors should be given more attention. Based on these findings, several theoretical and practical implications for human resource management are highlighted.Originality/valueBy integrating inclusive leadership, organizational support and perceived risk theory to explore employees' engagement in working from home during an emergency, the present study demonstrated that in addition to traditional factors, leadership and contextual factors should be considered for studies on working from home in an emergency such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study established that these factors might encourage employees' work-from-home engagement.

Navigating Uncharted Waters: Exploring Leaders’ Challenges in the Era of COVID-19 and the Rise of Telework

“…In a similar manner, empathetic, transformational and inclusive leadership seem to have a favorable impact on job satisfaction, motivation, and job creativity, according to . Inclusive leadership and supportive motivation seem to improve attitudes towards working from home among employees [70,71].…”

“…Nguyen and Tsang 2023 [70] The present study posits a moderated mediation model for anticipating work-from-home engagement in times of emergency, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, by incorporating established concepts such as inclusive leadership, organizational support, and perceived risk theory.…”

Remote Work admist the Covid-19 outbreak: Insights from an Ensemble Community-Based Keyword Network Analysis

“…On the one hand, the Covid-19 pandemic contributed to advance crisis leadership research (Balasubramanian & Fernandes, 2022) and put on the foreground the relevance of some leadership styles, such as transformational and charismatic, that are particularly valuble in crisis context (Wu et al, 2021b). On the other hand, the new work organization fostered a research interest in the role of inclusive leadership behaviours (e.g., Nguyen, & Tsang, 2023). Future research could delve into the intersection of crisis situations, such as the pandemic, and the imperative of effectively managing a remote workforce, which present unprecedented challenges to leaders.…”

Remote Work Admist the Covid-19 outbreak: Insights from an Ensemble Community-Based Keyword Network Analysis

“…On the one hand, the Covid-19 pandemic contributed to advance crisis leadership research (Balasubramanian & Fernandes, 2022) and put on the foreground the relevance of some leadership styles, such as transformational and charismatic, that are particularly valuble in crisis context (Wu et al, 2021b). On the other hand, the new work organization fostered a research interest in the role of inclusive leadership behaviours (e.g., Nguyen, & Tsang, 2023). Future research could delve into the intersection of crisis situations, such as the pandemic, and the imperative of effectively managing a remote workforce, which present unprecedented challenges to leaders.…”