Diversity-oriented leadership (DOL) as a predictor of employee advocacy (EA) in select fortune Indian companies: mediating effects of symmetrical internal communication (SIC) and work engagement (WE)

Abstract

Rising globalization, changing labour-market demographics, and fast-paced continuous transitions have increased the necessity of diversity-oriented leadership in appreciating people of varied origins and traits and, to some extent, addressing these organizational difficulties. The study aims to investigate the impact of diversity-oriented leadership on the advocative behaviours of employees working in selected companies, using the social exchange theory framework. Furthermore, it aims to evaluate the mediation effects of symmetrical internal communication and work engagement, as well as covariates/control variables like age, gender, educational qualifications, and the chosen company, on the association between diversity-oriented leadership and employee advocacy. The current study uses the Post-Positivism Philosophy to evaluate the cause-and-effect relationship between selected constructs. A sample size of 413 individuals was drawn from the employee bases of the chosen Fortune Indian companies using proportionate random sampling method. A self- structured research instrument was used employing several scales, derived from the ‘Inclusion and Belonging Assessment Scale’, with items ranging from strongly- agree to strongly disagree. The study uses the Hayes Process Macro-Model Version 4.0 in SPSS 20.0 to examine the effect of diversity-oriented leadership on employee advocacy. It also takes into account the mediating roles of symmetrical internal communication and work engagement, as well as covariates like age, gender, educational background, and the chosen company. The results indicate that both symmetrical internal communication and work engagement partially mediate the relationship between diversity-oriented leadership and employee advocacy, and the mediation is complementary. Additionally, the company was found to be a significant covariate affecting employee advocacy and work engagement but had an insignificant impact on symmetrical internal communication. © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.