Becoming an Impactor: How Do Leaders Empower the Poor?

Abstract

Prior research has proposed several explanations for inclusive leadership and the inclusion of skilled employees but has neglected research on the unskilled, low income individuals. By studying leaders who employ the poor and marginalized into their social businesses, we develop a novel theoretical framework for understanding how leaders may effectively include the poor in their businesses. Based on Amartya Sen’s capability approach, we contribute a granular understanding of how leaders foster inclusion by exploring leaders’ mental schema processes. Going beyond the current development of inclusive leadership theory for work group effectiveness, we provide a fresh perspective of inclusive leadership for the poor and marginalized.