Inclusive Leadership Fosters Challenge-Oriented Organizational Citizenship Behavior: Mediating role of Inclusive Climate

Employee’s challenge-oriented organizational citizenship behavior (COCB) has gained high potential in the recent era of innovations and amplified competition. Accordingly, to grow and lead the market, firms prefer employees who exhibit creative behavior in workplace. Based on optimal distinctiveness theory (ODT) this study aims to investigate how inclusive leadership (IL) stimulates employee’s challenge-oriented organizational citizenship behavior (COCB) and to determine the mediating role of inclusive climate (IC). To assess the study hypotheses, data were collected from 398 employees working in small size IT firms operating in Pakistan. A cross-sectional survey-type questionnaire was designed and distributed among employees in their natural workplace. Initially using Amos-23, CFA his established the prominence of variables used in this particular study. AMOS-SEM results revealed that IL stimulates COCB in work unit, and IC partially mediates the association between IL and employee’s COCB. This study significantly contributes to both leadership and challenge-oriented organizational citizenship behavior literature, as in the past studies little attention was given to the impact of inclusive leadership to envisage employee’s COCB directly and via mediation of inclusive climate. Moreover, theoretical and managerial implications are also discussed in detail.