Not just invited to the party, but also asked to dance: how inclusive work practices foster organizational commitment over time

Building on optimal distinctiveness theory and workplace inclusion literature, the present two-year prospective study investigated whether, why, and for whom inclusive work practices can enhance employees’ affective organizational commitment. Specifically, we hypothesized that inclusive leadership and opportunity-enhancing human resources practices (OHRP) help individuals to experience meaningfulness, and, directly and indirectly, foster affective commitment. Additionally, we hypothesized that the relationship between inclusive leadership and OHRP, on the one hand, and meaningfulness, on the other hand, is more pronounced for proactive individuals. To empirically test our research model, we collected data in two waves, with a two-year temporal gap, from a representative sample of 251 Dutch employees. The results of path analyses indicated that both inclusive leadership and OHRP were positively related to meaningfulness. The link between inclusive leadership and meaningfulness was significantly positive for individuals who scored average or high on proactive personality, yet it was non-significant for less proactive individuals. Additionally, both inclusive leadership and OHRP contributed to long-term affective commitment through meaningfulness. We show how and for whom inclusive work practices foster meaningfulness and long-term affective commitment, thereby both integrating and challenging existing assumptions in the inclusion literature.