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)

Khanna, Sanaya; Prusty, Twinkle Article 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) Cogent Business & Management Provided in Cooperation with: Taylor & Francis Group Suggested Citation: Khanna, Sanaya; Prusty, Twinkle (2024) : 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), Cogent Business & Management, ISSN 2331-1975, Taylor & Francis, Abingdon, Vol. 11, Iss. 1, pp. 1-19, https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2024.2377768 This Version is available at: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/326432 Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen: Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden. 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If the documents have been made available under an Open Content Licence (especially Creative Commons Licences), you may exercise further usage rights as specified in the indicated licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Cogent Business & Management ISSN: 2331-1975 (Online) Journal homepage: www.tandfonline.com/journals/oabm20 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) Sanaya Khanna & Twinkle Prusty To cite this article: Sanaya Khanna & Twinkle Prusty (2024) 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), Cogent Business & Management, 11:1, 2377768, DOI: 10.1080/23311975.2024.2377768 To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2024.2377768 © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Published online: 18 Jul 2024. Submit your article to this journal Article views: 1334 View related articles View Crossmark data Citing articles: 2 View citing articles Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=oabm20 ManageMent | ReseaRch aRticle Cogent Business & ManageMent 2024, VoL. 11, no. 1, 2377768 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) sanaya Khanna and twinkle Prusty Faculty of Commerce, Banaras Hindu university, Varanasi, india 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 selfstructured research instrument was used employing several scales, derived from the ‘inclusion and Belonging assessment scale’, with items ranging from stronglyagree 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. 1. Introduction the changing global landscape, demographic changes, and rapid transformations pose increasing diversity challenges for organizations, underscoring the need to develop organizational capacity to tackle this issue efficiently (holck, 2016; holck et al., 2016). also, in recent years, the desire for social justice has made it imperative for corporate leaders to speak out for what is right and to foster diversity of individuals and viewpoints (lyons, 2020). this understanding of workforce diversity is even more crucial in the case of cross-cultural settings (green et al., n.d.). a leader’s capacity to manage diversity and carry out ever-more complicated company plans is essential to maintaining globalization’s competitive edge in the twenty-first century’s cutthroat economic environment (Kulik, 2014). global leaders must adapt to cross-cultural trends, understand leadership significance, and develop effective strategies for long-term change for sustainability in leadership (Rahman, 2019). in light of this ambition, leadership is now seen as crucial to creating an organizational culture and a reaction to tackle these challenges, and has been quantitatively researched in several sectors and countries (Do & Mai, 2020). Diversity-oriented leadership © 2024 the author(s). Published by informa uK Limited, trading as taylor & Francis group. CONTACT sanaya Khanna sanay[email protected] Faculty of Commerce, Banaras Hindu university, Varanasi, 221005, india. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2024.2377768 this is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. the terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent. ARTICLE HISTORY Received 25 september 2023 Revised 24 May 2024 accepted 3 July 2024 KEYWORDS Diversity-oriented leadership; employee advocacy; symmetrical internal communication; work engagement; hayes process macro-model version 4.0; mediation; fortune indian firms REVIEWING EDITOR Pablo Ruiz, Universidad de castilla-la Mancha, spain SUBJECTS leadership; Organizational communication; Personnel selection, assessment, and human Resource Management; Work & Organizational Psychology 2 s. Khanna anD t. PRUstY has thereby evolved as a critical component of establishing a diverse and vibrant organization in today’s fast-changing corporate landscape and is regarded as an ‘aid to trade’ in employee performance in the corporate environment (Rahman, 2019). it involves more than just including different people on leadership teams like fostering an atmosphere where everyone feels appreciated, valued, and empowered to contribute their own viewpoints and thoughts. the strategic leadership theory also suggests a framework for managing diverse people to provide performance gains, with a particular emphasis on senior leaders’ roles in diversity leadership inside their organizations (Martins, 2020). employee advocacy has been a popular issue in recent years, creating a lot of talk in business, public relations, and marketing circles today (thelen, 2020). Public relations experts have stated that employee advocacy is the true test of a company’s connection with its employees (thelen & Men, 2023) and is linked to better levels of brand recognition, popularity, growth, and revenue (thomas, 2020). however, there isn’t yet a consensus on what exactly employee advocacy entails. some scholars define advocacy as good word-of-mouth, while others say that it also entails defending an institution against criticism in addition to speaking favourably about it (lee & Kim, 2020). it speaks of the voluntary extra-social behaviour of employees (De Kerpel & Van Kerckhove, 2023) which aids an organization in promoting its value among the stakeholders (Yeh, 2014). Volunteering, promoting the company as a place to work, spreading corporate information, supporting the welfare of the company, and making proposals to strengthen and protect the company are all examples of employee advocacy activity (De Kerpel & Van Kerckhove, 2023); thelen, 2020). Present-day organizations are investing in identifying strategies to promote this conduct as they become more conscious of the significance of workers as brand ambassadors and the increasing importance of this behaviour (thelen, 2020; Walden & Kingsley Westerman, 2018). employee advocacy on behalf of the company can also aid in luring highly qualified personnel (Wilden etal., 2010), and according to statistics, may result in 48% bigger agreements and 16% higher win rates (Kunsman, 2021). also, the employee advocacy market at the global level is anticipated to rise at an exceptional rate between 2023 and 2030 (linkedin, 2024). empirical research has demonstrated the effectiveness of internal communication in establishing company culture (Macmillan et al., 2021). it has been a key concept in the study of communication and public relations (Kang & Park, 2017) and is regarded as a crucial element for the success of any institution (gomes et al., 2023). it focuses on formal communication in an organization, which is generally conveyed from management to employees via different mass communication methods (lee & Yue, 2020). in particular, leadership-level motivating language usage and organizational-level symmetrical internal communication serve as antecedents of a healthy emotional culture (Yue etal., 2021). symmetrical internal communication is an ethical perspective that organizations use while interacting with their stakeholders (Kang & Park, 2017) and the study of how this communication affects various employee outcomes has exploded in recent years (lee & Yue, 2020). the sic models, as described by the ideas of openness, reciprocity, negotiation, and tolerance for disagreement between organizations and their employees, are used by enterprises to give workers more authority in decision-making so they may arrive at solutions that are acceptable to both parties (Kang & Park, 2022; lee & Yue, 2020). coming to the concept of work engagement, although it has been around for a long time, there have sometimes been debates over what it truly means (Macey & schneider, 2008). there have been several academic studies on the subject (albrecht etal., 2018; hakanen etal., 2019; lee etal., 2019; Park & Ono, 2017; salanova etal., 2005; Xanthopoulou etal., 2013), but no single accepted definition of what constitutes employee engagement in the academic community. Yet researchers believe that engagement is a distinct notion that contrasts with or is connected to other ideas (Mazzei, 2018). some scholars evaluate work engagement as a multidimensional phenomenon (schaufeli et al., 2002) while others treat it as a one-dimensional metric (Maslach & leiter, 1997). the earliest definition of work engagement was the ‘harnessing of organizational members’ to perform their respective job duties (Kahn, 1990). later, in 1997, Maslach and leiter offered a strategy that saw We as the ‘antipode’ of burnout, as determined by the Maslach Burnout inventory (MBi) (Maslach et al., 2001). another definition of work engagement treated it as a two-dimensional concept that involves focus and concentration while working (Rothbard, 2001). Presently, engagement is regarded as a positive-motivational attitude of energy coupled with high levels of devotion and a strong concentration on the task (schaufeli & Bakker, 2010). employee engagement has been proven to be strongly correlated with high levels of innovation, task performance, cOgent BUsiness & ManageMent 3 organizational citizenship behaviour, and customer happiness, making it extremely desired for modern public and commercial businesses (abdulrahman etal., 2022). thus, with clear, understandable goals and increased responsibility, leaders and managers may inspire people’s confidence and provide them with decision-making authority, increasing their engagement levels (sabekti & setiawan, 2023). the aim of this study is to comprehensively analyze the connections between diversity-focused leadership, symmetrical internal communication, work engagement, and employee advocacy. additionally, the study seeks to validate the mediation model that explains how diversity-focused leadership influences employee advocacy, with the help of symmetrical internal communication and work engagement. this aspect of the study is expected to be groundbreaking. this study will aid managers and leaders in pinpointing and tackling issues that impact employee performance and morale, allowing them to implement positive changes that enhance employees’ overall commitment and success of the company. 2. Literature review and development of hypotheses 2.1. Theoretical support the current study examines the impact of diversity-oriented leadership on employees’ advocative behaviours using the social exchange theory framework. social exchange theory (set) is one of the main theories of social interaction in the social sciences, an influential conceptual paradigm in organizational behaviour (cropanzano & Mitchell, 2005), and its primary proponents were (homans, 1958), (Blau, 1964), and (emerson, 1976). in fact, it is regarded as one of the benchmarks for analyzing behaviour in the workplace (cropanzano & Mitchell, 2005). Rooted back in the 1920s by Malinowski and Mauss, the theory has been used in a variety of fields since its inception in the 1950s-1960s like management of communication and knowledge, sustainability, human resource management and governance, organizational citizenship behaviours, supervisory and organizational support, employee commitment and relationships in the workplace (Bishop etal., 2000; chernyak-hai & Rabenu, 2018; ladd & henry, 2000; Wang & Zhang, 2019). according to the theory, when one person does something for another that is of some value to them, they are expected to provide them with something similarly valued in return (Blau, 1968), and offers a conceptual framework for the results of inclusion (shore et al., 2018). as per the theory, a manager’s use of energizing language and creating an atmosphere where staff members feel safe, meaningful, and available can serve as socioemotional resources that may motivate them to engage in voluntary behaviours like advocating for their organization in return (Blau, 1968; gouldner, 1960; Kacmar et al., 2011). thus, the way that subordinates are treated influences how they perceive social exchange when it occurs between employees and their immediate superiors (carnevale et al., 2019; chen et al., 2019; hinkin & schriesheim, 2015; Wayne et al., 1997). numerous studies have shown how leadership affects employees’ work-related behaviours and outcomes (Belschak et al., 2018; Brown & treviño, 2006; garba et al., 2018; Zhu et al., 2016). Many academics of public relations have also used the theory to explain why organizational and internal communication methods, such as transparent, symmetrical, and employee-centered internal communication, are so important in motivating workers to engage in advocacy behaviour (lee & Kim, 2020; thelen, 2020; Walden & Kingsley Westerman, 2018). Furthermore, the theory has also been used on the subject of work engagement in several researches (Birtch et al., 2016; cross & Dundon, 2019; saks, 2006a). 2.2. Diversity oriented leadership (DOL) and symmetrical internal communication (SIC) internal communication may be seen as a part of leadership and governance geared at reaching a particular company’s purpose and objective (Dahlman & heide, 2020). employees are more likely to see their company’s commitment environment as open and symmetrical when leaders act and communicate in an inclusive, fair, and equitable manner to all workers, regardless of their identities, positions, and experiences. Diverse leaders promote group cooperation by giving feedback and explanations, enticing staff to participate in shared decision-making, and giving subordinates the power to make decisions (nishii & Mayer, 2009). Using structural equation modelling on active workers during the cOViD-19 epidemic period, it was discovered that diversity-oriented leadership had a substantial favourable impact on symmetrical internal communication (Martaningsih & tjahjono, 2022). similar results were obtained on 4 s. Khanna anD t. PRUstY full-time employees across various industry sectors in the United states (tao et al., 2018) and on a purposive sample of respondents from different industries in indonesia (angawati & Kurniawati, 2022). in accordance with the results of the studies and previously laid theories, the following hypotheses can be laid down: h1: there is a significant relationship between DOl and sic in selected Fortune indian companies. 2.3. Diversity oriented leadership (DOL) and work engagement (WE) the relationship between leadership and engagement is a significant theme in the literature, and although research on the relationship between transformational leadership and engagement is fairly common (Breevaart et al., 2014; Yasin ghadi et al., 2013), research on the relationship between diversity-oriented leadership and work engagement is few. By being transparent, approachable, and accessible, diversity-oriented leadership delivers valuable resources to employees (Fang et al., 2019). Diversity leaders encourage employees to contribute more to their organization, leading to increased work engagement and a more dedicated work environment (Fang et al., 2019). Work engagement is greatly influenced by the work environment, leadership style, job features, and personality (de Mello e souza Wildermuth & Pauken, 2008) as the leader’s diversity-focused approach fosters respect, appraisal, and enthusiasm among employees, resulting in a positive work environment and increased engagement (amabile etal., 2005; avery et al., 2007). a survey of employees and their managers from several manufacturing industries in Vietnam found a favourable correlation between employee job engagement and diversity-focused hR policies (luu etal., 2019). several other studies have also confirmed the relationship between the two constructs (Fang et al., 2019; li et al., 2018). the following hypothesis can be developed in light of the vast majority of studies and the social exchange theory: h2: there is a significant relationship between DOl and We of employees in selected Fortune indian companies. 2.4. Diversity oriented leadership (DOL) and employee advocacy (EA) Modern corporate leaders are becoming more and more aware of the value of flexible, agile, and responsive organizational cultures (Denning, 2013). as a result, scholars are starting to focus on the newest diversity-focused leadership styles rather than only defined, formal, and role-based forms of leadership (caulfield & senger, 2017; Yammarino et al., 2012). Many public relations researchers who have studied the causes of employee advocacy have discovered that corporate leadership has an impact on this behaviour (lee & Kim, 2020; thelen et al., 2022; Walden & Kingsley Westerman, 2018; Yeh, 2014; Yue, 2021). studies on the association between various leadership behaviours (transactional, transformational, empowering, participatory, and shared leadership) and ea behaviours have been conducted (sağnak, 2016; Vigoda-gadot & Beeri, 2012). however, there is a scarcity of research on how diversity-oriented leadership affects employees’ behaviour. as DOl is a new requirement for leaders and managers to change the diversified environment (Deloitte University Press, 2015), it is also an important condition for the emergence of advocative behaviours in employees (Wang & Zhang, 2019). still, some studies have been conducted on the association between diversity-oriented leadership and employee advocacy (Downey et al., 2015). For example, in a study of racial minority employees in the United states, diversity-oriented leadership was found to indirectly improve employee advocative behaviour. Further, in an online poll of participants from the United states and india, the motivating language used by leaders was shown to be positively associated with employee advocacy (thelen et al., 2022). Based on the conducted studies and adopted theory, the following hypothesis can be formulated: h3: there is a significant relationship between DOl and ea in selected Fortune indian companies 2.5. Symmetrical internal communication (SIC) and employee advocacy (EA) employee advocacy is frequently regarded as a broader behavioural outcome of internal communication (thelen & Men, 2023). numerous studies have demonstrated a positive correlation between sic and ea cOgent BUsiness & ManageMent 5 (lee & Kim, 2020; Yue, 2021). For many firms, developing engaged frontline staff and subsequently creating a feeling of ea is crucial since higher levels of engagement result in happier, more productive frontline employees who later become brand ambassadors for the company (Wieman, 2021a) and symmetrical internal communication, in the opinion of Kang and sung, may play a significant role in creating the right conditions to motivate employee advocacy behaviour (Kang & sung, 2017). While increasing employee advocacy necessitates coordinated efforts from multiple organizational functions, balanced internal communication has a distinct function in encouraging communication openness, transparency, positivism, and a culture that not only recognizes and praises employee actions but also legitimizes workers’ demands and concerns, all of which can lead to increased employee advocacy (thelen et al., 2022). Results of an online poll with full-time employees in the Us also revealed that increased empowerment and open communication from direct supervisors were both beneficial for ea (lee & Dong, 2023). consistent with the majority of studies and the adopted theory, a significant relationship between symmetrical internal communication in organizations and employee advocacy is anticipated and adopted in the formulation of the following hypotheses: h4: there is a significant relationship between sic and ea in selected Fortune indian companies 2.6. Work engagement (WE) and employee advocacy (EA) the connection between work engagement and employee advocacy is clear through shared elements like contribution, transparency, recognition, and satisfaction (segal, 2016). in order to implement the best employee advocacy program, organizations must first have a high level of employee engagement since effective employee advocacy depends on an engaged workforce that buys into a credible narrative about the company (Wieman, 2021b). engaged employees willingly put in extra effort to improve their organization (ahmad et al., 2022) and they do not consider the organization a place to provide them with paychecks and promotions, they are emotionally associated with the organization (sabekti & setiawan, 2023). employee engagement is a crucial factor in promoting positive communication behaviour among employees. this behaviour can be compared to employee advocacy, as both involve employees actively promoting the goals and values of their organization. By fostering employee engagement, companies can create a culture of collaboration and mutual support, which can lead to increased productivity, innovation, and overall success (Kang & sung, 2017). an engaged employee is committed to promoting their organization and acts as a defender of the external community (Men & Bowen, 2016). inspired by this approach, a positive link between employee engagement and advocacy behaviour was observed in some studies (lee, 2021; tsarenko et al., 2018), and a positive link between work engagement and employee advocacy may be proposed: h5: there is a significant relationship between We and ea in selected Fortune indian companies 2.7. Mediating effects of symmetrical internal communication (SIC) Diversity-oriented leaders welcome and value the contributions of team members from different backgrounds (nembhard & edmondson, 2006) and can help employees and the firm communicate better (Pološki Vokić etal., 2020). When employers are open and considerate of their staff members’ needs, they will be more inclined to support the business over the course of time. When staff members feel valued, they become one of the organization’s most valuable resources and engage in advocative behaviours (Ruck & Welch, 2012; saxena & srivastava, 2015). authentic communication about their organizations has been attributed to employees in the past (smudde, 2013) and whether or not employees will defend their organization from criticism is influenced by the level of trust and satisfaction they have towards their organization (Wilcox, 2014). When the culture of an organization lacks ethics, its employees are unlikely to engage in voluntary advocacy behaviours (thelen & Formanchuk, 2022). also, the values, behaviours, and goals of a company and its leaders are described by culture and leadership, which are two interconnected terms that shape the entire organization (herrity, 2022). the results of a survey involving workers across various chilean organizations showed that having an ethical organizational culture is vital in fostering clear communication within the company, and this transparent communication then leads to an 6 s. Khanna anD t. PRUstY increase in employee advocacy behaviours (thelen & Formanchuk, 2022). some studies support the social exchange theory model, which claims that symmetrical internal communication impacted by diversity-oriented leadership may improve employee engagement levels and connections with the company (lee, 2022; lee et al., 2022). according to research on the multicultural workforce in the U.s. Justice Department, organizational justice is primarily influenced by DOl and sic, which in turn affects employee engagement and advocative behaviours (lee et al., 2022). thus, the following hypothesis is proposed: h6: sic significantly mediates the association between the DOl and ea in selected Fortune indian companies 2.8. Mediating effects of work engagement (WE) Previous research has shown that work engagement can act as a mediator for corporate social responsibility (ali etal., 2020; chaudhary & akhouri, 2018). however, this analysis delves into the untested area of work engagement’s role as a mediator between diversity-oriented leadership and employee advocacy. a multivariate correlation study of data from workers in china’s high-tech sectors revealed that inclusive leadership encourages employees to engage in challenge-oriented organizational citizenship behaviours (cOcB) and that this impact is partially mediated by work engagement (chen et al., 2020). cOcB takes on many forms, such as advocacy, responsibility, and activity that is focused on the future and frequently entails contesting the status quo and making challenges to power (Maynes & Podsakoff, 2014; seppälä et al., 2012). another study built on the conservation of resources theory, described the internal mechanisms of the influence of inclusive leadership on employees’ advocative behaviours, using work engagement as a mediating variable, and it showed that the desired behaviours in employees could be attained by giving them the necessary resources (chen etal., 2020). For many firms, developing engaged frontline employees and, in turn, establishing a feeling of employee advocacy is crucial because as a result of a higher level of engagement become brand ambassadors for the company. Based on the aforementioned research, the following hypothesis is proposed: h7: We significantly mediate the association between the DOl and ea in selected Fortune indian companies 3. Methodology 3.1. Research objectives the primary aim of the study is to examine the connections between diversity-oriented leadership, symmetrical internal communication, work engagement, and employee advocacy. additionally, the study seeks to verify the mediation model of how diversity-focused leadership impacts employee advocacy, mediated through symmetrical internal communication and work engagement, as well as covariates like age, gender, educational qualifications, and the chosen company. 3.2. Research design the current study uses the Post-Positivism Philosophy to evaluate the cause-and-effect relationship between selected constructs. this strategy examines a specific issue to clarify the pattern of relationships between variables gathered from a population (guba & lincoln, 1994). 3.3. Participants and procedures the study focuses on the workforce of ten selected Fortune indian companies out of the first fifty top-performing companies on the Fortune 500 india list, based on their total revenue. this list has previously been used in many research studies (Bashir, 2022; Dana & sharma, 2023; Jani et al., 2023; Kumar & aggarwal, 2022; Patowary et al., 2021; tiwari & Raman, 2022), and is a valuable resource for investors, analysts, and business executives seeking information on the indian market. to determine the appropriate sample size for the study, the Krejcie and Morgan table (Krejcie & Morgan, 1970) was utilized. Based on a population of approximately 16,000,000, the table recommended cOgent BUsiness & ManageMent 7 a sample size of at least 384 with a 95% level of confidence and a 5% margin of error. however, to ensure accuracy, a sample size of 400 was implemented. the sample was then divided into employees of specific companies through proportionate stratified random sampling, as detailed in table 1. additionally, the table includes a column with data collected from 413 questionnaires. the data for the study was gathered between the months of January and april, 2023 through a survey questionnaire circulated to the employees of the respective companies on social media platforms like linkedin and Facebook. 3.4. Ethical considerations Prior to any field engagements, the appropriate communications and approvals were obtained from relevant authorities and research communities. at the outset of our work, the corresponding author received a research support letter from the Faculty of commerce, Banaras hindu University, and funding support from the indian council of social science Research, new Delhi, with award letter no. (F. no. 3-56/2021-22/ PDF/gen) dated 14.01.2022. Written consent in the form of conversation was obtained from the employees of the selected companies, as their input was sought on general questions related to diversity issues. the assessments involved structured interviews with multiple-choice questions and lasted for 30 minutes. the evaluations were conducted online through google Forms, which were circulated to the employees of the selected companies on linkedin. Regarding ethical clearance for the manuscript, while an ethical board exists in Banaras hindu University in the field of science, no member from the commerce department is part of such a committee. therefore, the primary author was unable to obtain such clearance. the study was of low risk in nature, and the corresponding author exercised due diligence wherever human participants were involved. 3.5. Variables and measurement 3.5.1. Diversity-oriented leadership employees were requested to give their input on four statements to assess diversity-oriented leadership. these statements included ‘My boss is dedicated to representing all sectors of society in the workforce,’ i believe my supervisor manages employees from diverse backgrounds effectively’, ‘My boss treats the views of employees from different backgrounds equally’, and ‘My boss seeks input from employees with various demographics and expertise groups’. these statements gauged employees’ perceptions of their manager’s commitment to representing all segments of society, ability to manage a diverse team, and value for the opinions of all employees. the inspiration for the statements came from the ‘inclusion and Belonging assessment scale” used in a study titled ‘improving Workplace culture through evidence-Based Diversity, equity, and inclusion Practices’ (creary et al., 2021). Responses were rated on a five-point likert scale, ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree. 3.5.2. Symmetrical internal communication to evaluate symmetrical internal communication, a structured scale of two items from the ‘inclusion and Belonging assessment scale’ was used (creary et al., 2021). the scale included the following statements: Table 1. Distribution of the study sample. s. no Company Population Ratio distribution sample size Collected data 1. Company a 2,36,334 400*(2,36,334/16,45,244) 57 59 2. Company B 4,88,649 400*(4,88,649/16,45,244) 119 120 3. Company C 35,927 400*(35,927/ 16,45,244) 9 12 4. Company D 2,59,619 400*(2,59,619/ 16,45,244) 63 64 5. Company e 2,01,665 400*(2,01,665/16,45,244) 49 51 6. Company F 1,68,977 400*(1,68,977/16,45,244) 41 41 7. Company g 1,20,093 400*(1,20,093/16,45,244) 29 31 8. Company H 85,815 400*(85,815/16,45,244) 21 18 9. Company i 21,000 400*(21000/16,45,244) 5 7 10. Company J 27,165 400*(27,165/16,45,244) 7 10 16,45,244 400 413 14 s. Khanna anD t. PRUstY Disclosure statement no potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors. Funding the scholar (sanaya Khanna) is the awardee of the icssR Post-Doctoral Fellowship. this paper is largely an outcome of the Post-Doctoral Fellowship sponsored by the indian council of social science Research (icssR). however, the responsibility for the facts stated, opinions expressed, and the conclusions drawn is entirely of the author. About the authors Sanaya Khanna (assistant Professor, sunbeam college for Women, Bhagwanpur) earned her B.com., M. com (gold-medallist) and PhD in commerce from the Faculty of commerce, Banaras hindu University in 2007, 2010 and 2018, respectively. she is currently working as a post-doctoral research fellow from the same department in the Dei (Diversity equity and inclusion) field, supported by the indian council of social science Research. she has cleared the netJRF exam in labour welfare and human resource management, as well as net in commerce and Management, respectively. her current research interests include human resource management, organizational behaviour, management and business studies. her work has been published in several peer-reviewed journals of repute listed in the Ugc-care journal list and edited books. Twinkle Prusty is currently working as a Professor in Finance (D.litt) at Faculty of commerce, Banaras hindu University. she has published various articles and Research Papers in the areas of accounting and Finance. her areas of interest are corporate governance; Microfinance; and international Finance. ORCID sanaya Khanna http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2551-5716 Data availability statement the data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. References abdulrahman, B. s., Qader, K., Jamil, D., sabah, K., gardi, B., & anwer, s. (2022). Work engagement and its influence in boosting productivity. International Journal of Language, Literature and Culture, 2(6), 30–41. https://doi.org/10.22161/ijllc.2.6.3 ahmad, n., Ullah, Z., alDhaen, e., han, h., ariza-Montes, a., & Vega-Muñoz, a. (2022). Fostering advocacy behavior of employees: a corporate social responsibility perspective from the hospitality sector. 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