DEFINING CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE LEADERSHIP IN DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION MANAGEMENT: AN EXAMINATION OF SOCIOCULTURAL FACTORS ON PERCEPTIONS AND EXPECTATIONS OF LEADERSHIP

Author

Aarren Anthony Minneyfield, Southern Illinois University CarbondaleFollow

Date of Award

5-1-2024

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Lee, Yueh-Ting

Abstract

The expansion of workplace demographics in response to globalization and intersectionality has resulted in the workplace becoming increasingly diverse. Research indicates that there are both positive and negative consequences for having diverse workplaces, and the positively inclined studies emphasize how workplace diversity can provide a strategic advantage to organizations when managed effectively. Thus, scholars and organizational decision-makers have diverted their efforts towards understanding leadership and the ways that leaders manage diversity and inclusion to facilitate a climate for inclusion in the workplace. The present study aimed to identify the differences in expectations and perceptions of workplace fairness, effective leadership, and the management of diversity and inclusion between different sociocultural groups to see if they led to the applicability of various leadership behaviors in diversity-related situations. Using a multi-method design, this research assessed the perceptions and expectations of leadership and the management of diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Study One utilized an online survey design to measure the extent to which a leader was expected to be culturally responsive, a manager of diversity and inclusion, and effective. Study Two utilized a quasi-experimental design that exposed participants to DEI-related leadership scenarios where they assessed the leader’s behavior. Both studies collected the sociodemographic information of the participants. Results for Study One (N = 290) suggested that sociodemographic differences play a role in expectations of effectiveness and social justice and equity for managers, leadership effectiveness expectations for managers increase as social justice and equity expectations for managers increase, and culturally responsive leadership expectations for managers play a role in the extent that employees expect leaders to manage diversity and inclusion. Study Two (N = 448) results determined that cultural humility positively influences the relationship between leadership styles (i.e., transformational leadership, Daoist leadership, transactional leadership, and Machiavellian leadership) and the perception of leadership effectiveness. Machiavellian leadership was perceived as less socially just, culturally humble, and effective than the other leadership styles (i.e., transactional leadership, transformational leadership, and Daoist leadership); sociodemographic information was found to be mostly related to perceived leadership effectiveness; and perceived cultural humility and social justice are positively associated with leadership effectiveness. Ultimately, this study revealed the empirical significance of culturally responsive leadership behaviors in the workplace, provided evidence to show the distinct contributions of positive leadership in DEI-related situations, and emphasized the importance of considering the expectations and the demographic distribution of employees when leading to ensure organizational compliance among followers.