VALIDATING A NEW MEASURE OF INCLUSIVE LEADERSHIP IN A U.S. CONTEXT

Abstract

This dissertation validates a new survey of inclusive leadership developed by Al-Atwi and Al-Hassani (2021) in Iraq to determine its relevance in a U.S. context. Based on Randel et al.’s (2018) Theoretical Model of Inclusive Leadership, the survey consists of 25 questions across five constructs: supporting team members, ensuring justice and equity, shared decision-making, encouraging diverse contributions, and helping group members fully contribute. Originally developed in Arabic with a predominantly male sample in Iraq, this study tests the survey in English within a majority female U.S. non-profit organization. Using data from a sample of 206 participants, the findings provide strong support for the 25-item scale’s validity and reliability in English. This research contributes to the field by validating a scale which has more granularity than Carmeli et al.’s (2010) widely used 9-item Inclusive Leadership Measure. The findings also show inclusive leadership’s applicability in both individualistic and collectivist societies.