Inclusive leadership and organizational commitment in higher education institutions: does job satisfaction matter?

This study explores the impact of inclusive leadership on organizational commitment while assessing the mediating role of job satisfaction. The study employs a quantitative research approach with a descriptive research design where 385 staff members were sampled. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive and inferential statistics (structural equation modeling) with the aid of IBM SPSS (Version 26.0) and SMART PLS (Version 4.0), respectively. The study’s results revealed significant positive relationships between inclusive leadership and the dimensions of organizational commitment (affective, continuance, normative) and job satisfaction. The study further revealed that inclusive leadership had a significant positive relationship with organizational commitment. Additionally, job satisfaction partially mediated the relationship between inclusive leadership and the dimensions of organizational commitment (affective, continuance, normative). This study contributes to the limited research on the relationship between inclusive leadership and the multidimensional constructs of organizational commitment in higher educational institutions. By highlighting job satisfaction as a mediator, the research offers a unique perspective on how leadership practices can strengthen staff commitment and retention in educational settings.