Inclusive leadership and extra-role customer service behaviours: the mediating role of work adjustment and the boundary conditions of social well-being and perceived service climate

Purpose Service organisations compete on effort they cannot contractually require, and that effort is becoming harder to obtain. This study asks what still leads frontline employees to exceed their formal role, arguing that inclusive leadership (IL) facilitates such behaviour by reducing employees' uncertainty about what an appropriate response requires and how their judgement will be received. Drawing on Social Exchange Theory (SET), it tests work adjustment (WA) as the mechanism is linking inclusive leadership to extra-role customer service (ERS), with social well-being (SW) and perceived service climate (SC) conditioning different stages of that process. Design/methodology/approach Survey data were collected from 344 frontline expatriate employees across five service sectors in the UAE. The measurement model was assessed in AMOS, and the hypothesised relationships were tested using regression-based conditional process analysis. Findings Inclusive leadership was positively associated with extra-role customer service, and this relationship was partially mediated by work adjustment. Work adjustment, therefore, represents one pathway through which inclusive leadership relates to discretionary customer service, although other mechanisms may also operate. Social well-being strengthened the relationship between inclusive leadership and work adjustment, whereas perceived service climate strengthened the relationship between work adjustment and extra-role customer service. Together, these findings suggest that acquiring the capability to exercise discretion and expressing that capability are distinct processes. Research limitations/implications The study used cross-sectional, single-source data, which limits causal inference and may introduce common method bias. Perceived service climate was measured at the individual level and therefore reflects perceived rather than shared climate. Work adjustment was assessed using only three items, which may restrict measurement precision. The non-significant WA–ERS relationship at low service climate should also be interpreted cautiously. In addition, professional-network sampling may limit representativeness, and the data overlap with a separate published study. Finally, cultural distance was not measured, although it may influence how expatriates interpret and respond to service expectations. Practical implications The findings provide several practical implications for managers and HR professionals in multicultural service organisations. Inclusive leadership can strengthen expatriate employees' work adjustment and encourage extra-role service behaviour through clear communication, fair treatment, and cross-cultural support. Organisations should therefore invest in leadership development programmes that enhance listening, inclusion, and conflict-management skills. Ongoing mentoring, social integration activities, and culturally sensitive well-being initiatives can further improve adjustment and trust among employees. In addition, organisations should reinforce a strong perceived service climate by recognising discretionary customer-focused behaviours and encouraging frontline staff participation in service improvement initiatives. Social implications This study also offers important social implications for diverse workplaces and service-based societies such as the UAE. By promoting inclusive leadership, organisations can foster stronger social connection, belonging, and psychological well-being among expatriate employees from different cultural backgrounds. Improved adjustment and inclusion may reduce feelings of isolation and strengthen workplace relationships in multicultural environments. Furthermore, encouraging extra-role service behaviour can enhance customer experiences and improve the quality of interactions between employees and customers from diverse communities. Overall, the findings highlight the broader social value of inclusive and supportive workplaces in promoting cooperation, respect, and positive intercultural engagement. Originality/value The study extends inclusive leadership research beyond internally directed outcomes to behaviour performed for an audience the leader does not control, showing that reciprocity is bounded by behavioural opportunity as well as social obligation. It repositions work adjustment from a psychological end state to an interpretive capability with behavioural consequences, responding to calls in the expatriate literature to examine what adjustment subsequently enables, and distinguishes conditions that create capability from those that allow it to be expressed.