RESEARCH ON THE INFLUENCE MECHANISM OF INCLUSIVE LEADERSHIP ON EMPLOYEES’ SILENT BEHAVIOR

Abstract

According to the social theory of exchange, we look into how inclusive leadership affects employees' quiet behavior. We also look into how psychological safety, power distance orientation, and active personality play a part in these relationships. The structural equation model analysis of 343 data obtained from three tracking surveys found that: inclusive leaders have a significant negative effect on employee silent behavior; inclusive leadership has a significant positive impact on employees' psychological security; there is a significant negative relationship between psychological security and employees' silent behavior; and psychological security plays an intermediary role between inclusive leadership and employees' silent behavior. The power distance orientation of employees has a negative regulatory effect on the relationship between inclusive leaders and their psychological safety. In other words, employees with a high power-distance orientation experience a weakened positive impact from inclusive leadership on their psychological safety. For employees with a low power-distance orientation, inclusive leadership has a more significant positive impact on employees' psychological safety. The proactive personality of an employee can strengthen the connection between psychological safety and silent behavior. This means that employees with high initiative will experience a greater negative impact from psychological security on silent behavior, while those with low initiative will experience a less significant negative impact.