Every Rose Has Its Thorns - How Exemplars Manage the Tensions in Inclusive Leadership

Kim, Jenni e Y.; Ka k, Roni ; Zheng, Wei
A icle — Published Ve sion
E e y Rose Has I s Tho ns- How Exempla s Manage he
Tensions in Inclusi e Leade ship
Jou nal o Business E hics
Sugges ed Ci a ion: Kim, Jenni e Y.; Ka k, Roni ; Zheng, Wei (2025) : E e y Rose Has I s Tho ns- How
Exempla s Manage he Tensions in Inclusi e Leade ship, Jou nal o Business E hics, ISSN 1573-0697,
Sp inge Ne he lands, Do d ech , Vol. 202, Iss. 2, pp. 417-437,
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Jou nal o Business E hics (2025) 202:417–437
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ORIGINAL PAPER
E e y Rose Has I s Tho ns‑ How Exempla s Manage heTensions
inInclusi e Leade ship
WeiZheng1 · Jenni e Y.Kim2· Roni Ka k3,4,5
Recei ed: 5 May 2024 / Accep ed: 19 Ma ch 2025 / Published online: 30 Ap il 2025
© The Au ho (s) 2025
Abs ac
In ou inc easingly pola izing wo ld, inclusi e leade ship p ac ices ha aim o os e belongingness and uniqueness o
all o ganiza ional membe s become essen ial o indi idual and o ganiza ional h i ing. Howe e , acco ding o op imal
dis inc i eness heo y, inclusi e e o s may in ol e managing he ension be ween mee ing he needs o belongingness
and uniqueness, which can be compounded in con ex s wi h di e se ep esen a ions o subg oups. This ension has ecei ed
limi ed a en ion in he concep ualiza ion o inclusi e leade ship, which cons ains u he heo y de elopmen . To be e
unde s and his issue, we in e iewed 39 exempla y inclusi e leade s o iden i y how hey expe ience and manage po en ial
ensions unde lying inclusi e leade ship p ac ices. Ou indings e eal h ee ensions unde lying he pull owa d di e si ica ion
and ha owa d in eg a ion, as expe ienced by hese exempla s o inclusi e leade ship: (1) seeking di e gence s. seeking
simila i ies, (2) p o iding di e en ial suppo s. p o iding equal suppo ; and (3) encou aging subg oups s. encou aging
connec ions ac oss subg oups. This esea ch p o ides a new lens ha iews inclusi e leade ship p ac ices as he managemen
o ension- illed p ac ices ha celeb a e di e se people and pe spec i es while seeking simila i ies o ally membe s, ha
co ec dispa i ies among subg oups while ensu ing suppo o e e yone, and ha p o ide com o able encla es o simila
people while connec ing dissimila people ac oss subg oups. Based on ou indings, we p o ide heo e ical implica ions o
u u e heo e ical ex ensions, e inemen , and measu emen o inclusi e leade ship, as well as p ac ical implica ions on how
o de elop inclusi e leade s.
Keywo ds Inclusi e leade ship· Inclusion· Di e si y· Tension· Leade ship· Quali a i e
In oduc ion
E hical ac ions by o ganiza ions con e “bene i s o a ious
s akeholde s in he o m o equi y and social jus ice, pe -
sonal de elopmen o o ganiza ional membe s, and imp o ed
o ganiza ional pe o mance” (Be ns ein e al., 2020, p. 396).
Di e si y, equi y, and inclusion (DEI) ini ia i es in o gani-
za ions ha aim o inc ease ep esen a ions o people om
di e se backg ounds and p o ide equi able dis ibu ion o
oppo uni ies and esou ces o all indi iduals a e key le e s
o ealizing hese bene i s. Howe e , in he Uni ed S a es,
DEI ini ia i es ha e been lumped oge he and a e acing
unp eceden ed backlash, as some pe cei e hem as ben-
e i ing ce ain g oups o e o he s (Depa men o Educa-
ion, 2025; Schneid, 2025; The Whi e House, 2025). Such
an app oach o DEI is inconsis en wi h esea ch. S udies
ha e shown ha di e si y, equi y, and inclusion ini ia i es
each ha e dis inc ocuses (Be ns ein e al., 2020; Robe -
son, 2006). Among hese, inclusion is speci ically aimed a
* Wei Zheng
wei.zheng@s e ens.edu
Jenni e Y. Kim
Jenni e _Y[email p o ec ed]
Roni Ka k
[email p o ec ed]
1 School o Business, S e ens Ins i u e o Technology, 422
Babbio Cen e , 1 Cas le Poin Te ace, HobokenNJ07030,
USA
2 Tu s Cen e o  heS udy o D ug De elopmen , Tu s
School o Medicine, 145 Ha ison A e, Bos on, MA02111,
USA
3 Depa men o Psychology, Ba -Ilan Uni e si y,
5290000Rama -Gan, Is ael
4 Business School, Uni e si y o Exe e , S ea ham Cou ,
Rennes D i e, Exe e EX44PU, UK
5 Ins i u e o Ad anced S udy (TUM-IAS), Technical
Uni e si y o Munich, Ga ching, Ge many
418 W.Zheng e al.
aluing and empowe ing all people in he wo kplace, ega d-
less o hei backg ounds (Fe dman & Deane, 2014).
Di e en om leade ship ha p ima ily aims o inc ease
di e si y (i.e., he ep esen a ions o di e en social
g oups in he o ganiza ion, Robe son, 2006), inclusi e
leade ship cap u es leade beha io s ha aim o os e all
indi iduals’ expe ience o belongingness, uniqueness,
and au hen ici y, con ey an in i a ion and app ecia ion o
di e se con ibu ions, and in ol e o he s in discussions and
decisions (Jansen e al., 2014; Nembha d & Edmondson,
2006; Panicke e al., 2017; Randel e al., 2018). Such
leade ship beha io s a e epo ed by 72% o employees
expe iencing high le els o wo kplace inclusion e sus
only 2% o employees expe iencing low le els o i (Bou ke,
2018), and hese beha io s help os e a jus , ca ing,
and e hical en i onmen (Li & Peng, 2022; O’Lea y &
Wea hing on, 2006; Qi & Liu, 2017).
Howe e , making all people eel included, especially
hose om di e se backg ounds, is no an easy ask. Majo
ensions ha e been documen ed in ele an li e a u es. Fo
example, op imal dis inc i eness heo y, which has se ed
as he basis o a p ominen concep ualiza ion o inclusion
as bo h a sense o belongingness and a sense o uniqueness,
has posi ed ha he d i e o belongingness and ha o
uniqueness wo k in opposi e di ec ions. While people can
expe ience bo h belongingness and uniqueness in he same
g oup (Be encou e al., 2006; Ho nsey & Je en, 2004),
balancing hem can c ea e ension: When one need is
ul illed, he need o he o he is d i en up (B ewe , 1991;
Leona delli e al., 2010).
Fu he mo e, al hough belongingness and uniqueness a e
uni e sally needed by all people, wha i akes o people
o expe ience belongingness and uniqueness di e s ac oss
si ua ions and ac oss indi iduals. In pa icula , his o ically
ma ginalized membe s a e mo e igilan han dominan
g oup membe s in de ec ing cues ha sugges whe he hei
iden i ies a e de alued o alued wi hin a gi en en i onmen ,
due o hei li ed expe ience dealing wi h s e eo ypes,
disc imina ion, and de alua ion (Eme son & Mu phy, 2014;
Mu phy e al., 2007; Pu die-Vaughns e al., 2008; S eele &
A onson, 1995). Such di e ences may engende di e en
eac ions o ma ginalized and dominan g oup membe s o
he same leade ship beha io s (Nishii & Le oy, 2022), as
has been shown in hei di e en ial eac ions o di e si y
managemen p ac ices and app oaches (Do e e al., 2016;
Plau e al., 2011, 2018). How leade s manage o ind he
op imal dis inc i eness ha balances he belongingness and
uniqueness needs o di e en subg oups in he con ex o
di e si y has no been adequa ely add essed.
Gi en hese ensions ela ed o inclusion, which
a e ine i ably en angled wi h leade ship p ac ices, an
in-dep h look a how leade s na iga e hese ensions
would be c i ical o de eloping a iche , mo e ealis ic
and e hical unde s anding o inclusi e leade ship. In his
s udy, we ake a ension lens o empi ically examine wha
po en ial ensions may be in ol ed in inclusi e leade ship
p ac ices and how leade s manage hem.
We ad ance he li e a u e on inclusi e leade ship in
se e al ways. Fi s , we explica e speci ic inclusi e lead-
e ship p ac ices, especially hose ha may incu ension,
en iching ou unde s anding o inclusi e leade ship. P io
s udies ha e heo ized ensions embedded in inclusion and
inclusi e leade ship (Fe dman, 2017; Waldman & Spa ,
2022; Yang & Zheng, 2020), bu we do no know wha and
how ensions mani es in he li ed expe ience o inclusi e
leade s, and how leade s manage hem. Insigh s in o hese
ques ions can help build heo e ical cons uc s and ela ion-
ships ha in o m he con en , an eceden s, and ou comes o
a ious aspec s o inclusi e leade ship, hus ad ancing he
heo e ical de elopmen o inclusi e leade ship, a ela i ely
new a ea o esea ch.
Second, al hough di e si y and inclusion a e in ica ely
connec ed in p ac ice, in schola ly wo k, he e is a pauci y
o heo izing ha connec s employee di e si y o inclu-
si e leade ship (Nishii & Le oy, 2022). Mo e speci ically,
al hough he social iden i y and di e si y li e a u es ha e
es ablished he in luence o people’s social iden i ies on hei
indi idual expe iences as well as g oup dynamics (B ewe
& Ga dne , 1996; Lau & Mu nighan, 1998; Tu ne e al.,
1994), hese linkages ha e no been subs an i ely inco po-
a ed in o he inclusi e leade ship li e a u e. Ou empi ical
wo k gi es oice o exempla y inclusi e leade s in di e se
se ings, which can o e insigh s in o how social and pe -
sonal iden i ies may ac o in o inclusi e leade ship wo k.
These insigh s can help shed ligh on he con ex ual and
dynamic aspec s o inclusi e leade ship, pa ing he way
o iche heo iza ions o inclusi e leade ship’s con ingen
e ec s in u u e esea ch.
Thi d, ou indings dis up a halo e ec o inclusi e leade -
ship, simila o he halo e ec iden i ied in se an leade ship
(B ewe & Ga dne , 1996; Lau & Mu nighan, 1998; Tu ne
e al., 1994). We poin ou he isks and ensions o leading
inclusi ely, p o iding iche insigh s in o he ealis ic dilem-
mas and s uggles o p ac icing inclusi e leade ship. Such
indings ha e impo an implica ions o he de elopmen
and aining o inclusi e leade s. In addi ion o delinea ing
inclusi e leade ship beha io s, ou indings a ound ensions
can app ise aspi ing and e ol ing inclusi e leade s o he
oadblocks ha lie ahead and in o m hem wi h s a egies o
na iga e hem. The ocus on he cul i a ion o mindse s and
skills o ha ness common ensions on he oad o inclusion
can help leade s adop a lexible and con ex ualized app oach
o add ess he dynamics o di e se membe s and g oups.
419E e y Rose Has I s Tho ns- How Exempla s Manage heTensions inInclusi e Leade ship
Theo e ical Backg ound
Inclusi e leade ship is buil a ound he concep o inclusion,
which, om a psychological pe spec i e, e e s o he
indi idual’s expe ience o belongingness and uniqueness
(Sho e e al., 2011) o belongingness and au hen ici y
(Jansen e al., 2014), and om a unc ional pe spec i e,
e e s o indi iduals’ in ol emen in wo k g oups,
pa icipa ion in he decision-making p ocess, and access
o in o ma ion and esou ces (Mo -Ba ak & Che in, 1998).
Based on hese de ini ions, inclusi e leade ship has been
de ined as leade ship beha io s ha acili a e indi iduals’
eeling pa o he g oup (belongingness) and main ain
hei sense o indi iduali y (uniqueness) (Randel e al.,
2018). Mo e speci ic o he ype o beha io s in ol ed,
inclusi e leade ship encompasses beha io s ha “exhibi
openness, accessibili y, and a ailabili y in hei in e ac ions
wi h ollowe s” (Ca meli e al., 2010. p. 250), leade s’
con eying an in i a ion and app ecia ion o dispa a e and
di e se con ibu ions, and including o he s in discussions
and decisions (Nembha d & Edmondson, 2006; Panicke
e al., 2017). Mo e sys ema ically, Randel e al.’ s (2018)
concep ualiza ion in ol es leade ship beha io s ha
acili a e belongingness, including suppo ing indi iduals
as g oup membe s, ensu ing jus ice and equi y, sha ing
decision-making; as well as leade ship beha io s ha alue
uniqueness, including encou aging di e se con ibu ions,
and helping g oups membe s ully con ibu e.
Cen al o cu en concep ualiza ions o inclusi e leade ship
a e he dual demands o add essing he need o belongingness
and he need o uniqueness among o ganiza ional membe s
(Randel e al., 2018). P emised on op imal dis inc i eness he-
o y, indi iduals a e d i en by wo compe ing needs: he need
o belong and he need o be unique (B ewe , 1991). A sense
o belongingness cap u es he ex en o which one sees onesel
as being simila o and a pa o a ce ain social g oup (Hogg,
2001), whe eas a sense o uniqueness encompasses he ex en
o which one di e s om o he s ega ding one’s unique cha -
ac e is ics (Banaji & P en ice, 1994). These wo d i es wo k
in opposi e di ec ions bu a e also ela ed: When indi iduals
expe ience high uniqueness, he d i e o belongingness in en-
si ies; con e sely, when hey expe ience high belongingness,
he d i e o uniqueness becomes s onge ; bu indi iduals also
seek o and can achie e a balance be ween he wo (B ewe ,
1991; Leona delli e al., 2010).
T ansla ed in o he con ex o inclusi e leade ship, en-
sions exis be ween os e ing belongingness – he abso p ion
o indi iduals in o he g oup – and celeb a ing indi iduals’
dis inc i e con ibu ions (Jonsen e al., 2020; Sho e e al.,
2018). Fo example, on he one hand, leade s can p omo e
inclusion by aluing he uniqueness o employees om ma -
ginalized social iden i y g oups (Ely & Thomas, 2001; Sho e
e al., 2011). Howe e , p ima ily eeling unique a wo k
may pose a challenge o ma ginalized employees, because
i can elici eelings o isola ion and hei expe ise may be
na owly pe cei ed and limi ed o iden i y- ela ed domains
(Ely & Thomas, 2001; McCluney & Rabelo, 2019). Fu -
he , leade ship p ac ices ha suppo ma ginalized g oups
may incu nega i e pe cep ions and backlash om dominan
g oup membe s, such as Whi e men, o whom hese ini ia-
i es may be seen as p e e en ial ea men and un ai (Wind-
scheid e al., 2017). On he o he hand, leade ship p ac ices
ha p omo e simila i ies can lead ma ginalized g oup
membe s o downplay hei uniqueness o assimila e in o
he dominan cul u e (Robe s, 2005), which dampens hei
sense o uniqueness and au hen ici y (McCluney & Rabelo,
2019). As such, ensions can unde pin a ious leade ship
p ac ices ha p omo e ei he uniqueness o belongingness,
c ea ing challenges o leade s who s i e o acili a e bo h.
Rela edly, esea ch on di e si y p ac ices sheds ligh
on he po en ially a ying eac ions di e en indi iduals,
especially hose om di e en social s a us g oups, may
ha e owa d inclusi e leade ship p ac ices (Nishii & Le oy,
2022). Al hough inclusi e leade ship is ocused on includ-
ing e e yone, di e si y is an in eg al pa o o ganiza ional
li e, and leade s a e inex icably in ol ed in add essing he
dynamics o igina ing om di e si y, in en ionally o unin-
en ionally (Jin e al., 2017; Mo Ba ak e al., 2022). On
he one hand, iden i y-blind p ac ices ha ensu e ha each
indi idual is ea ed he same ega dless o hei subg oup
membe ships, may in oke me i oc a ic ideals, bu mini-
mize subg oup di e ences and igno e inequi able ea men
o nondominan g oups (Kon ad & Linnehan, 1995). This
can pe pe ua e biases and disc imina ion (Amis e al., 2020;
DiTomaso e al., 2007; Leslie, 2019) and dampen ma ginal-
ized g oups’ expe ience o inclusion (Nishii & Le oy, 2022).
On he o he hand, iden i y-conscious managemen p ac ices
acknowledge and a emp o add ess he dispa i ies expe i-
enced by ma ginalized g oup membe s due o pas injus ices
and p esen inequi ies (Kon ad & Linnehan, 1995), which
may ac i a e he iew ha ma ginalized g oup membe s a e
less compe en o need help (Leslie, 2019), and incu pe -
cep ions o un ai ness and pushback om dominan g oup
membe s (Kon ad & Linnehan, 1995), lowe ing dominan
g oup membe s’ expe ience o inclusion. Empi ical esea ch
has ound ha dominan g oups end o espond mo e posi-
i ely o iden i y-blind p ac ices, whe eas ma ginalized
g oups p e e iden i y-conscious p ac ices ha acknowl-
edge and alue g oup di e ences (Do e e al., 2016; Plau
e al., 2011, 2018). Al hough ecen esea ch shows ha
bo h iden i y-blind and iden i y-conscious p ac ices can be
implemen ed o o ganiza ional e ec i eness (Kon ad e al.,
2021), i is no clea how leade s achie e a balance be ween
hese wo in hei day- o-day ope a ions.
To cas ligh on his ques ion, we examine inclusi e
leade ship om a ension pe spec i e. Exis ing esea ch
420 W.Zheng e al.
has p o ided some heo e ical insigh s in o he ensions in
inclusion and inclusi e leade ship, such as hose be ween
sel -exp ession and iden i y (i.e., belongingness s. dis-
inc i eness), bounda ies and no ms (i.e., s able no ms s.
shi ing no ms), and sa e y and com o (i.e., au hen ici y
s. openness o change) (Fe dman, 2017); hose ela ed o
in o ma ion (i.e., encou aging in o ma ion he e ogenei y s.
de eloping sha ed men al models), iden i y (i.e., os e ing
a supe o dina e iden i y s. a i ming subg oup iden i ies),
and s a us (i.e., p omo ing equali y s. p o iding di e en ial
ea men ) (Yang & Zheng, 2020); as well as hose be ween
di e si y (i.e., di e ences) and uni y (i.e., sameness in he
pu sui o common goals, pu pose, and alues) (Waldman
& Spa , 2022). These heo e ical insigh s p o ide a gene al
pic u e o he po en ial ensions unde lying inclusi e leade -
ship p ac ices, bu we do no ha e a conc e e pic u e o wha
and how inclusi e leade s expe ience ension when ca ying
ou hei e e yday leade ship unc ions, and how hey man-
age he ensions.
Me hods
To induc i ely unco e wha and how ensions may a ise
when leade s p ac ice inclusion and how leade s manage
he ensions, we chose a quali a i e, in e p e i e me hod o
da a collec ion and analysis (Glase & S auss, 2009). We
used a g ounded heo y app oach, examining he da a as we
consul ed ele an li e a u es o de i e meaning and de elop
an unde s anding o how leade s expe ience and manage en-
sions in hei inclusi e leade ship (Gioia e al., 2000, 2013).
Responden s
Exempla s’ expe ience helps us unde s and how a complex
concep wo ks and e ol es a an in ense and ad anced le el
(B onk e al., 2013). Because ou s udy aimed o su ace
he ensions expe ienced by hose who a e deeply engaged
in inclusi e leade ship, we need exempla s as in o man s.
Based on his easoning, we bounded ou sample o exem-
pla y inclusi e leade s—de ined as leade s who we e nom-
ina ed o awa ded a na ional o local DEI awa d o we e
pee -nomina ed as exempla y inclusi e leade s. We i s
iden i ied and ec ui ed awa dees o DEI awa ds in he US
ha ecognized leade s who championed DEI e o om
2017 o 2022. Examples o such awa ds included Di e si y
Jou nal’s Di e si y Leade Awa d, Mode n Heal hca e’s Top
Di e si y Leade s in Heal hca e, Di e si y Leade Alliance’s
Di e si y and Inclusion Leade Awa ds, Mogul’s Di e si y,
Equi y, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) Leade s, and so on.
The c i e ia o he awa ds a ied bu cen e ed on leade s’
ocus on p omo ing a di e se and inclusi e en i onmen in
one’s o ganiza ion. This p ocess esul ed in 23 pa icipan s.
To enla ge ou sample size and inc ease pa icipan
a ie y, we ex ended ou sea ch o pee -nomina ed inclu-
si e leade s by asking Human Resou ces (HR) p o ession-
als om a la ge a ie y o o ganiza ions o ecommend
in e nal leade s who we e ega ded by hei colleagues
as ole models o inclusi e beha io s, ega dless o ank
o job unc ion. Using a comme cial ma ke ing compa-
ny’s da abase, ou sea ch a ge ed HR manage s wi hin
o ganiza ions ha had a leas 500 employees ac oss all
indus ies. This esul ed in 16 addi ional pa icipan s. A
his poin , because he esponses s a ed o show subs an-
ially simila con en , we hal ed ou sea ch o addi ional
pa icipan s. The whole p ocess esul ed in a inal sample
o 39 esponden s – 26 women and 13 men, who we e
41% Black, 28% Whi e, 13% Asian, 10% La ino/a, and 8%
mixed ace. They held jobs in gene al managemen (44%),
DEI (33%), and o he unc ions (see Table1).
Table 1 Pa icipan backg ound In o ma ion
N = 39
Demog aphic a iable Numbe (%)
Gende
Woman 26 (67%)
Man 13 (33%)
Race
Black 16 (41%)
Whi e 11 (28%)
Asian 5 (13%)
La inx 4 (10%)
Mixed ace 3 (8%)
Func ional A ea
Gene al Managemen 17 (44%)
Di e si y Equi y and Inclusion 13 (33%)
Human Resou ces 4 (10%)
Ma ke ing 2 (5%)
Design 1 (3%)
In o ma ion Technology 1 (3%)
Legal 1 (3%)
Indus y
P o essional, Scien i ic, and Technical Se ices 9 (23%)
Manu ac u ing 7 (18%)
Finance and Insu ance 6 (15%)
In o ma ion 6 (15%)
Public adminis a ion 3 (8%)
Adminis a i e se ices 2 (5%)
U ili ies 2 (5%)
Educa ional se ices 2 (5%)
O he se ices 1 (3%)
Accommoda ion and Food Se ices 1 (3%)

421E e y Rose Has I s Tho ns- How Exempla s Manage heTensions inInclusi e Leade ship
Da a Collec ion
Da a collec ion was done ia i ual semi-s uc u ed
in e iews conduc ed by he i s wo au ho s. We asked
he pa icipan s o sha e examples abou how hey: buil
inclusion in hei eams and o ganiza ions; os e ed
belongingness, au hen ici y, and uniqueness; andhandled
he challenges hey aced while enac ing inclusi e leade ship
(see Appendix A). In e iews occu ed o e he phone o
zoom be ween July 2022 and Oc obe 2023, and las ed
app oxima ely one hou each. In o med consen was
ob ained a he beginning o he in e iew. All in e iews
we e audio- eco ded and ansc ibed e ba im. Gi en ha
he de ini ion o inclusi e leade ship can a y om pe son
o pe son, du ing he in e iews, we pu pose ully e ained
om de ining “inclusi e leade ship” o he esponden s o
allow o hei subjec i e in e p e a ion and unde s anding
on wha inclusi e leade ship is and how hey enac inclusi e
leade ship p ac ices. In p esen ing ou indings, we omi ed
o ganiza ional names and used pseudonyms o indi iduals.
Da a Analysis
We adop ed a g ounded heo y app oach o da a analysis,
e e encing he Gioia me hod whe ein heo y is buil h ough
se e al i e a i e and e ol ing s ages, om open coding o
axial coding, and hen o selec i e coding (Gioia e al., 2013;
Glase & S auss, 2009). Th oughou he da a analysis p o-
cess, om coding o heo y gene a ion, he wo i s au ho s
kep memos o ou insigh s, hough s, and e lec ions, and
sha ed hem du ing bi-weekly mee ings o e se e al mon hs,
whe e we discussed eme gen codes and compa ed ou no es.
When disc epancies be ween he au ho s eme ged du ing his
p ocess, he ele an na a i es we e e isi ed and discussed
un il he wo au ho s eached consensus on in e p e a ion. Fu -
he , hese s ages we e nei he linea no mu ually exclusi e.
Fo ins ance, he au ho s s a ed o explo e he da a ega ding
inclusi e leade ship p ac ices which igge ed ques ions and
coding a ound how leade s deployed esou ces and suppo ed
ma ginalized e sus dominan g oup membe s. As pa e ns
eme ged ha igge ed new ques ions, we e u ned o he da a,
and ecoded ele an da a based on hese eme ging hemes.
See Fig.1 o he esul ing da a s uc u e. Below, we explain
each s age in mo e de ail.
S age 1: Open Coding
In his s age, he i s wo au ho s ead an ini ial se o 12
ansc ip s, and gene a ed and discussed in i o codes
(i.e., codes ha con ain key ph ases in he pa icipan s’
own wo ds, Glase & S auss, 2009). In his s age, he wo
au ho s no iced di e ences in hei indi idual coding, such
as au ho 1 using mo e de ailed codes whe eas au ho 2
using b oade codes. A e discussions abou his wi hin he
au ho ship eam, we ag eed o use he mo e de ailed codes,
cap u ing pa icipan s’ wo ding as much as possible and
e aining om gene alizing hem. This helped us iden i y
speci ic p ac ices, such as aligning people o o ganiza ional
mission and aluing and celeb a ing di e en holidays. This
ini ial p ocess las ed a ew weeks du ing which he au ho s
Seek di e ences:
•Seek di e se inpu
•Lis en o e e yone e en hose who ha e a di e en way o hinking
•Celeb a e di e en holidays
Ca ego ies
Suppo disad an aged membe s di e en ly:
•Se e as oice o unde ep esen ed membe s
•P o ide addi ional ime o unde ep esen ed membe s
•Pe suade execu i es o o e emo e wo k o unde ep esen ed membe s
Tension 3: Sepa a e People
s. Connec People
Tension 2: Suppo People
Di e en ly s. Suppo
E e yone Equally
Themes
Tension 1: Seek Di e ences
s. Seek Simila i ies
Di e si ica ion &
In eg a ion
Agg ega e Theme
Seek simila i ies:
•Align people o o ganiza ional mission and alues
•Inclusion is wi hin ou i e cul u al pilla s
•Inclusion is pa o ou business s a egy
Suppo e e yone:
•Open communica ion o suppo people
•Open-doo policy
•Ha e egula check-ins wi h all employees
C ea e subg oups o make people eel sa e and com o able:
•C ea e ERGs
•Encou age people o pa icipa e in ERGs
•C ea e e en s o unde ep esen ed people
C ea e connec ions ac oss g oups and indi iduals:
•Connec ERGs based on syne gy
•In i e men o join women’s g oups
•Help people unde s and o he s
Fig. 1 Da a S uc u e
422 W.Zheng e al.
me egula ly o compa e no es and discuss meanings o
he codes. Once a common unde s anding o he coding
was achie ed, he emaining 27 ansc ip s we e di ided
be ween he wo au ho s who independen ly ead he
ansc ip s o gene a e mo e open codes (Co bin & S auss,
2007), ocusing on esponden ’s hough s, mo i a ions, and
beha io s ha e ol ed a ound inclusi e leade ship. In his
p ocess, he au ho s con inued o hold egula discussions
o ensu e coding consis ency, and sha ed wi h each o he
all coding iles, including codebooks and coded ansc ip s.
S age 2: Axial Coding
This s age in ol ed he c ea ion o second-o de ca ego ies
by consolida ing he as numbe o i s -o de codes in o
abs ac ed hemes (Gioia e al., 2013). In his s ep, he i s wo
au ho s g ouped codes ela ed o inclusi e leade ship p ac ices
oge he based on simila i ies. Th oughou his p ocess, he
wo au ho s egula ly compa ed he ca ego ies hey indepen-
den ly gene a ed and econciled he di e ences. Fo example,
au ho 1 independen ly agg ega ed he leade ship p ac ices
in o 14 ca ego ies while au ho 2 agg ega ed hem in o 19
ca ego ies. The ca ego ies in he wo lis s we e simila , wi h
some combined o di ided in o mo e speci ic p ac ices in one
lis compa ed o he o he . De ailed con e sa ions we e held
by he wo au ho s o unde s and each ca ego y and c ea e a
common se o ca ego ies. Fo example, we me ged codes
ela ed o "seeking di e se inpu om employees” and “cele-
b a ing di e en holidays” in o he la ge ca ego y o “seeking
di e ences among people and pe spec i es” ha cap u es he
idea o seeking, celeb a ing, and aluing a iances in people’s
backg ound and hinking. Th ough his p ocess, we ag eed on
16 ca ego ies o leade ship p ac ices.
S age 3: Selec i e Coding
Du ing he p ocess o abs ac ing, we no ed ha some ca e-
go ies we e a odds wi h ano he ca ego y, which highligh ed
ensions o pulls ha he leade s had o na iga e while
building inclusion wi hin hei o ganiza ion. Fo example,
he ca ego y o “suppo ing disad an aged membe s di e -
en ly” con as ed wi h he ca ego y o “suppo ing e e yone
equally.” We hen conduc ed close examina ions o seem-
ingly con adic o y ca ego ies in andem, along wi h hei
codes and quo a ions. All h ee au ho s engaged in egula
discussions o compa e possible amewo ks ha bes i he
da a. Th ough his p ocess, we consul ed ele an li e a u es
o unde s and he heo e ical implica ions o ou eme gen
amewo ks. We de eloped mul iple amewo ks o o ganize
he ca ego ies, including ini ial a emp s a a quad an model
and a ou - heme amewo k cap u ing he ensions, which
e en ually e ol ed in o h ee common hemes o ension
unde one uni ying heme ha unde pinned ou pa icipan s’
inclusi e leade ship: he dual emphasis on di e si ica ion
and on in eg a ion. Addi ionally, while iden i ying hese
ensions, we also explo ed leade s’ s a egies o managing
hem as well as he ou comes o hese inclusi e leade ship
p ac ices.
Findings
An o e a ching heme ha eme ged om ou da a is ha
inclusi e leade ship p ac ices e ol ed a ound holding on o
bo h di e si ying people and pe spec i es (i.e., di e si ica-
ion) and building uni y and connec ion (i.e., in eg a ion) in
o ganiza ional li e. Mo e speci ically, ensions eme ged in
he ollowing h ee se s o inclusi e leade ship p ac ices: (1)
di e si ying and homogenizing: seeking ou and highligh -
ing di e gence among people and pe spec i es, and seek-
ing ou and highligh ing commonali ies among people, (2)
di e en ia ing and equalizing: p o iding ailo ed suppo ,
esou ces, o oppo uni ies ha add ess unique needs o
membe s, especially hose om ma ginalized g oups, and
p o iding he same suppo o e e yone, and (3) sepa a -
ing and connec ing: sepa a ing people in o subg oups and
connec ing people ac oss subg oups. We elabo a e on he
leade s’ expe ience and managemen o each ension below.
Please see g aphical illus a ions o he ensions in Fig.2 and
a isual ep esen a ion o ou indings in Fig.3.
Managing heTension Be ween Di e si ying
andHomogenizing
The i s ension a ises om leade ship p ac ices ha seek
ou and highligh he e ogenei y among people, and hose
ha highligh commonali ies among employees. See Table2
Sec .1 o sample quo a ions.
Di e si ying On he one hand, leade s emb aced and high-
ligh ed di e ences due o social g oup membe ship and
ela ed expe iences o employees and p oac i ely encou -
aged di e en pe spec i es and iewpoin s in o ganiza ional
li e. A equen ly men ioned example by he esponden s was
celeb a ing all cul u al holidays, such as Diwali and Kwan-
zaa, as well as hono ing di e en social g oups h ough
e en s such as Women’s His o y mon h and LGBTQ P ide
Mon h. Unde pinning hese celeb a ions was a ocus on
e ealing and spo ligh ing he he e ogenei y among people
and helping o ganiza ional membe s lea n o emb ace di -
e ences. Fo example, Ha y, an A ican Ame ican CEO o
a consul ing i m, celeb a ed a wide a ie y o holidays, “we
would se aside ime o lea n when he e we e di e en he -
i age mon hs… I would o en imes be on panels o I would
in e iew ce ain olks jus o b ing my leade ship suppo
423E e y Rose Has I s Tho ns- How Exempla s Manage heTensions inInclusi e Leade ship
o i .” Simila ly, William, an Asian Ame ican ice p esiden
o a la ge inancial se ices i m, illus a ed his p ac ice:
Fo example, my amily is qui e adi ional. We jus
had he Au umn Moon Fes i al - I b ough in moon
cakes. I encou age e e yone o b ing in hei own
cul u al delicacies i hey eel com o able. I ha e
someone on my eam ha is Muslim, and we equen ly
alk abou eligion and going o mosque.
Aside om celeb a ing di e en holidays ha accen u-
a e di e ences among people, leade s p oac i ely looked
o di e si y among hei employees and hei pe spec i es.
Fo example, he leade s commonly desc ibed consciously
in i ing a wide a ie y o people in o hei con e sa ions.
G ace, a Whi e Ame ican head o a public sa e y o ganiza-
ion, made su e ha she pu oge he wo k g oups ha we e
no all om dominan o ma ginalized g oups when making
wo k assignmen s. The spi i o hese di e si y-seeking p ac-
ices is encapsula ed in he commen made by Sa a, a La ina
Ame ican execu i e om a p o essional se ices i m:
How can ou alen pool be di e se? How can ou cli-
en base be di e se? A e we ollowing ou DEI ini ia-
i es o he yea ? Is ha supplie o he company a
mino i y-owned business?... I 's no only ha we wo k
wi h ou candida es om di e en cul u al and gende
backg ounds, bu we also wo k wi h clien s om di -
e en backg ounds. And we make su e ha all aspec s
in he wo kplace a e oscilla ing.
Leade s also ocused on deepe -le el di e si y, such
as encou aging di e en wo ks yles, pe sonali ies, and
leade ship s yles. Ma y, an A ican Ame ican execu i e
a a inancial se ices company, o example, sha ed ha
she welcomed indi iduali y, saying “[people] can show up
as hemsel es and no ha e o con o m in o a speci ic s yle
o leade ship…We’ e he ype o o ganiza ion ha wan s
o ha e…naysaye s…no jus looking o olks who hink,
walk, alk, exac ly like [e e yone else].” K is in, an A ican
Ame ican execu i e a a heal hca e o ganiza ion, sha ed a
eam building ac i i y ha she called a “BioBook” whe e
employees sha ed non-wo k- ela ed hings abou hemsel es,
hei amily, and hei his o y, highligh ing he unique
backg ound ha each employee b ough .
Howe e , celeb a ing and looking o di e ences alone
can back i e, as Ge y, an A ican Ame ican adminis a o
in a highe educa ion ins i u ion, poin ed ou , “a lo o people
hink di e ences mean con lic .” An ex eme example
was he con lic be ween wo g oups in he company o
Danielle, an A ican Ame ican chie di e si y o ice in
a echnology company, whe e one g oup ad oca ed ha
he company ly he P ide lag (a symbol o suppo o
Fig. 2 G aphical Illus a ions o Inclusi e Leade ship Tensions and Tension Managemen
424 W.Zheng e al.
LGBTQ + communi ies) while ano he g oup ehemen ly
opposed i .
Homogenizing Leade s also engaged in homogenizing
p ac ices ha highligh ed and c ea ed simila i ies among
people o uni y hem agains a common backd op a he
han emain in disco d. Examples o his p ac ice included
conscien iously allying employees behind he company’s
mission, co e alues, o business need. One common p ac-
ice was p esen ing inclusion as a co e alue o d i e busi-
ness, a concep ha was illus a ed by Joeling, a mul i acial
HR head in a manu ac u ing i m, “we ha e i e o hem
[company alues such as achie e oge he , in i e di e si y,
e c.]…All i e o he pilla s a e ela ed o inclusion…We
ain all o ou manage s on he cul u al pilla s.” Leade s
also allied hei employees by emphasizing he business
impe a i e. Fo ins ance, Danielle sha ed ha :
A he end o he day, he wo k ha we do is o d i e a
be e expe ience o ou employees o come o wo k,
o deli e in hei jobs ha we hi e hem o . F ankly,
we' e no a nonp o i , we' e no he e o jus suppo
employees’ desi es. We’ e doing his o he good o
ou hea s. Yes, i ’s a mo al impe a i e, bu i ’s also a
business impe a i e.
O he ways o homogenizing in ol e appealing o he
pe sonal alues ha employees sha ed. Ma y, o exam-
ple, sha ed how he shi o wo king om home du ing he
pandemic changed he company cul u e o a mo e “ elaxed
en i onmen ” whe e employees el mo e com o able no
wea ing “co po a e a mo ,” and how his uni ied employees
o c ea e a cul u e a ound au hen ici y whe e people could
sha e mo e o hemsel es, such as pos ing pho os o hei
child en on LinkedIn o sha ing who hey we e ou side o
wo k.
Jus as a singula ocus on di e ences can back i e, a sin-
gula ocus on simila i ies can also ha e unin ended nega-
i e consequences. Fo example, Ge y explained, “I ha e
he ‘I don’ see colo ’ [saying], because ha ’s saying ha
you don’ see who I am. [Bu ] ha ’s pa o my li e. Tha ’s
pa o my walk.” E ana, an Asian Ame ican head o DEI
in a manu ac u ing company, ecognized ha because peo-
ple usually ca y speci ic lens wi h assump ions ha can be
dange ous, solely ocusing on simila i ies can e lec “only
ou own iew, and kind o an echo chambe .”
In eg a ing Di e si ying andHomogenizing To inco po a e
bo h di e si ying and homogenizing, leade s sha ed hei
pa -whole in eg a ion o emb ace bo h. Fo example, Ea l,
a Whi e Ame ican ounding pa ne o a p o essional se -
ices i m, explained ha he he e ogenei y among people
Tension 1: seek
di e ences s. seek
simila ies
Tension 2: suppo
di e en ly s.
suppo equally
Tension 3: sepa a e
s. connec
Tension 1 Managemen
S a egy: pa -whole
Tension 2 Managemen
S a egy: means-ends;
e aming
Tension 3 Managemen
S a egy: c oss-collabo aon;
s uc u ed connecon
Me a S a egies
•Accep dissas acon
•Focus on lea ning and p og ess o e ideal ou comes
•Focus on con ollables o e uncon ollables
In ape sonal: s ess,
p ide, peace o mind
Employee: inclusi e
expe ience, beha io ,
pe o mance
Tension Managemen S a egies
Tensions in Inclusi e Leade ship
Ou comes
Fig. 3 Visual Rep esen a ion o Findings
431E e y Rose Has I s Tho ns- How Exempla s Manage heTensions inInclusi e Leade ship
The second way is o o mally achie e a ype o con-
nec ed sepa a ion whe e leade s p o ided sys emized s uc-
u e o solidi y connec ions among ERGs. Fo example,
A a, an Asian Ame ican senio execu i e in an in o ma ion
echnology company, sha ed, “e e y ERG has a leade ship
eam, and e e y leade ship eam has an allyship lead. And
he job o his pe son is li e ally o build allyship wi h o he
ERGs and majo i y g oups.” Simila ly, Amy’s o ganiza ion
c ea ed a council s uc u e o os e connec ions be ween
ERGs, “E en hough we ha e he di e en ERG g oups,
hey ac ually wo k oge he on some o hose ini ia i es and
ha ’s why we ha e he ac ual Council as well, because he
Council ac ually o e sees he ull company goals and hose
a e cascaded down o he g oups.” By o mally and in o -
mally c ea ing s uc u es and p ac ices ha enabled he o -
ma ion o subg oups wi h simila iden i ies while os e ing
collabo a ion and connec ion be ween hem, leade s helped
acili a e ue inclusion ha p o ides space o subg oups
o main ain hei dis inc i eness while building connec i e
issues be ween dis inc subg oups.
Pe sis en Tensions andLeade s’ Me a‑Managemen
S a egies oRemain Resilien
In summa y, o enac inclusion, he leade s na iga ed he
ensions embedded be ween di e si ying and homogenizing,
di e en ia ing and equalizing, and sepa a ing and
connec ing. Fu he , such ensions a e no empo a y, bu
appea o pe sis on he leade s’ oad o inclusion. The
leade s acknowledged he ensions as con inuous e o s o
mee e e yone’s needs, o en wi hou de ini i e esolu ions.
Fo example, Linda sha ed, “i ’s he ull spec um—we’ e
doing oo much… o we’ e no doing enough… I ’s he
ull gamu o people who hink we’ e doing exac ly he
igh hing, a he igh pace, and oo slow, and oo as ,”
highligh ing he di icul eali y aced by many inclusi e
leade s whose ac ions may ace backlash om dominan
g oup membe s, and a ying deg ees o suppo e en wi hin
ma ginalized g oup membe s. The impossibili y o mee ing
he needs and expec a ions o all indi iduals a he same
ime may be one o he easons why inclusi e leade ship
oles can be emo ionally demanding and may con ibu e o
leade bu nou .
O no e, he leade s demons a ed s a egies o manage he
emo ional labo ha accompanied he need o con inuously
os e inclusion o all indi iduals. To make peace wi h he
pe sis en ensions, leade s used in e nal me a-s a egies o
sus ain hemsel es, which included acknowledging ha hey
canno please e e yone, and a he han being discou aged
by his, hey d ew s eng h om ocusing on lea ning and
p og ess, howe e , inc emen al, o e ideal ou comes. They
did so by i s exp essing hei accep ance ha no e e yone
is going o be happy wi h he ac ions o an inclusi e leade
o suppo he leade ’s e o s, as Peach pu i , “I’m no going
o ge e e ybody on boa d, and I jus ha e o accep ha .”
Likewise, Ea l commen ed, “you can’ make e e ybody
happy. I wan ed pa ne s on he D&I commi ee. Beyond me,
I wan ed o he pa ne s. Bu wi h 150 people, no e e y hing
is going o esona e wi h e e ybody.”
Based on he accep ance, a s ance o con inuous lea ning
and g ow h eme ged, which p io i ized p og ess o e
immedia e ou comes, as illus a ed by E an who emphasized
ha a g ow h mindse is he ounda ion upon which inclusi e
compe encies can be buil . Simila ly, Linda commen ed:
DEI is no some hing ha is going o look he same
oday as i will look in 10 yea s…So i ’s eally jus
ensu ing ha I mysel am coming o a place o
cu iosi y and an empa hy a ound wha ou employees
a e going h ough, and how do I c ea e o ums o hem
o be able o exp ess hemsel es i i is impac ing hem,
and hen we can kind o come o a place o lea ning
and g ow h om ha .
The lea ning s ance goes hand in hand wi h a ocus on
p ocesses ha build up inclusion ha a e wi hin, a he han
ou o hei con ol. Fo example, A a alked abou s aying
ocused on he objec i es a he han ac ual ou comes, “Ha e
we sol ed e e y hing? No. Bu we’ e shown he company
by alking abou allyship a an o g wide le el. Tha is eally
impo an .” Co espondingly, Denise, a Whi e Ame ican HR
execu i e a a law i m, oiced he same hough , “we’ e no
going o sol e acism in Ame ica. Bu we can keep hese
issues op o mind and gi e e y speci ic calls o ac ion in
you nex mee ing… We will con inue o make p og ess
yea o e yea and mo e in a way ha eels au hen ic o
us as an o ganiza ion.” By using hese me a-s a egies,
acknowledging ha no all ma e s will be esol ed wi hin
hei ajec o y and aking he lens o accep ance, lea ning,
and p og ess, he leade s we e able o sus ain hemsel es
while na iga ing he challenges o inclusion wo k.
By pe sis en ly in e wea ing di e si ica ion and in eg a-
ion, he leade s epo ed bene icial employee ou comes,
such as hei eeling “suppo ed,” “ alued,” “com o able
speaking up,” and “being hei ue au hen ic sel es.” As
a esul , employees would “open hei minds,” “ad oca e
o hemsel es and o he s,” “collabo a e be e ,” “gi e you
100% a he han 30% o hei wo k,” be “loyal,” “ge hings
done,” “come up wi h c ea i e s a egy,” and p oduce “g ea
p oduc s and se ices,” hus achie ing “a win–win o all.”
The leade s also sha ed ha hei inclusi e e o s esul ed in
in ape sonal bene i s, including a sense o “p ide” in hei
wo k and being “a peace” wi h wha hey had accomplished.
We wan ed o no e ha while mos pa icipan s na iga ed
hese ensions, i was no he case o all leade s. Some

432 W.Zheng e al.
exp essed a igue and discou agemen in hei inclusi e
leade ship wo k. Fo example, Kelly, a senio manage
a a la ge pha maceu ical company, no ed ha p ac icing
inclusion wo k was “ha d” and a imes made he eel
“exhaus ed,” no ing ha “people don’ ealize how much
wo k goes in o i … he e’s no ime o .” Simila ly, G ace
acknowledged ha “i [add essing majo i y and mino i y
conce ns] was e y us a ing—i ’s like ying o do s u
o di e en g oups, and hen i kind o back i ed on me…
We’ e been able o accomplish a lo o [ou colleagues],
bu hey can be e y unapp ecia i e— hey complain
abou e e y hing.” These examples illus a e he s ess
and us a ion ha can accompany inclusi e leade ship
p ac ices.
Discussion
Ou s udy e eals ha p ac icing inclusi e leade ship
igge s ensions be ween di e si ica ion and in eg a ion,
which mani es s in h ee speci ic pai s o p ac ices: (1)
di e si ying and homogenizing: seeking ou di e gence
among people and pe spec i es and seeking ou simila i ies
among people, (2) di e en ia ing and equalizing: suppo ing
ma ginalized membe s di e en ly and suppo ing e e yone
equally, and (3) sepa a ing and connec ing: sepa a ing
people in o subg oups and connec ing people ac oss
subg oups. Leade s manage hese ensions by using ension-
speci ic s a egies such as seeking di e ences in pa s while
homogenizing he whole, di e en ia ing be ween means o
suppo ing indi iduals and goals o equalizing oppo uni ies
o e e yone, e aming opposi ion in o syne gy (e.g.,
suppo ing ma ginalized indi iduals helps e e yone),
encou aging c oss-g oup connec ions (e.g., encou aging
people o join ERGs beyond hei own iden i ies), and
le e aging supe o dina e s uc u es o sepa a e and connec
people (e.g., o ming subg oups and a council o connec
subg oups).
Theo e ical Implica ions andFu u e Resea ch
Di ec ions.
Ou indings ca y se e al heo e ical implica ions.
Fi s , ou empi ical explo a ion o inclusi e leade ship
p ac ices sheds new ligh on ou unde s anding o inclusi e
leade ship. Speci ically, ou indings e eal ha inclusi e
leade ship p ac ices, whose de ining ea u e is o os e
bo h belongingness and uniqueness be ween which ensions
lie, may necessi a e a balancing ac o di e si ica ion and
in eg a ion o leade s who aim o include e e yone.
Ex ending p e ious induc i e indings o inclusi e
leade ship om p ac i ione accoun s ha ocus p ima ily
on di e si ying (e.g., encou aging and aluing di e se
wo k s yles and con ibu ions, in i ing disag eemen and
deba e, and encou aging employees o oice hei opinions
and sha e eedback in di e en ways) (Robe son & Pe y,
2021), ou indings e ealed a b oade ange o inclusi e
leade ship beha io s ha also ocus on in eg a ing as well as
he ensions esiding be ween di e si ying and in eg a ing.
Ou s udy also en iches he inclusi e ensions heo ized
by schola s (Fe dman, 2017; Waldman & Spa , 2022; Yang
& Zheng, 2020) by shedding ligh on he mani es a ions o
he ensions be ween di e si ica ion and in eg a ion in he
li ed expe ience o inclusi e leade s. Speci ically, leade s’
pu suing di e si ica ion can play ou in h ee g oups o
beha io s: seeking di e se people and pe spec i e, p o iding
di e en ia ed suppo o ma ginalized membe s, and c ea ing
sepa a e subg oups. Co espondingly, pu suing in eg a ion
mani es s as leade ship beha io s ha seek simila i ies
among people, p o ide equal suppo o e e yone, and
c ea e connec ions ac oss subg oups. Ou speci ica ion
o hese leade ship p ac ices can aid u he heo e ical
ex ension on he di e si ica ion–in eg a ion ension
expe ience by inclusi e leade s, especially in a di e se
se ing. Fo example, building on ou indings, one di ec ion
esea che s can pu sue is o de elop scales ha cap u e
he di e en aspec s o di e si ica ion and in eg a ion,
and es hei co-occu ence in leade s who a e pe cei ed
o demons a e high, medium, o low inclusi eness. Such
e o can help en ich ou unde s anding o how and o
wha ex en inclusi e leade ship beha io s associa ed wi h
he di e si ica ion–in eg a ion ension may be uni e sal o
con ingen on con ex .
Fu he , ou indings a e in line wi h he sepa a ion o
belongingness p ac ices and uniqueness p ac ices as Randel
e al. (2018) concep ualized (e.g., belongingness p ac ices
include suppo ing indi iduals as g oup membe s, e c.,
and uniqueness p ac ices included encou aging di e se
con ibu ions, e c.). We ad ance hei hinking by connec ing
speci ic pai s o p ac ices ha add ess belongingness and
uniqueness whe e ension may eside. By spo ligh ing
he ensions and ways o managing hem, ou s udy calls
a en ion o he in e ela ions o inclusi e leade ship
p ac ices and opens a whole new a enue o u u e esea ch.
Fo example, ins ead o in es iga ing he addi i e e ec s
o di e en inclusi e leade ship p ac ices, u u e esea ch
can in es iga e how di e en se s o inclusi e leade ship
p ac ices may ha e mul iplica i e e ec s on indi idual,
eam, and o ganiza ional ou comes.
Fu he , pa adox esea ch has e ealed he inhe en and
pe sis ence na u e o ensions in pa adoxes because bo h
poles o a pa adox need o be held on o in o ganiza ions
(e.g., explo a ion and exploi a ion, social missions
and business en u es, Knigh & Ha ey, 2015; Smi h
e al., 2013), which is e lec ed in he ensions be ween
di e si ica ion and in eg a ion in inclusi e leade ship
433E e y Rose Has I s Tho ns- How Exempla s Manage heTensions inInclusi e Leade ship
ha we iden i y. Fu u e esea ch can d aw insigh s om
pa adox managemen li e a u e on how o handle ensions,
such as using “ei he -o ” (i.e., choosing only one o he
wo con lic ing aspec s, Smi h & Lewis, 2011), “bo h-and”
(i.e., ea ing opposi es as insepa able and in e dependen ,
Smi h & Lewis, 2011), and “mo e- han” solu ions (i.e.,
connec ing opposi ional pai s, mo ing ou side o hem, o
si ua ing hem in a new ela ionship, Pu nam e al., 2016).
In ou s udy, he s a egy o di e en ia ing be ween pa s
and whole, means and ends, and connec ing ac oss di e en
subg oups e lec a “bo h-and” app oach, and he e aming
suppo ing ma ginalized g oups as bene icial o e e yone
e lec s a “mo e- han” app oach. A line o u u e esea ch
can sys ema ically explo e he occu ence and impac
o di e en app oaches o managing ensions be ween
di e si ica ion and in eg a ion as used by a wide ange
o leade s in a ying o ganiza ional con ex s. Such e o
can enhance ou unde s anding o how and why inclusi e
leade ship p ac ices a e e ec i e o no .
Second, ou heo izing p o ides a b idge be ween
di e si y and inclusi e leade ship. Nishii and Le oy
(2022) a gued ha he social iden i ies o ollowe s shape
hei expe ience di e en ially and in luence wo k g oup
dynamics, which makes i necessa y ha inclusi e leade s
adap o he pa icula needs o he g oup based on i s
composi ional di e si y and associa ed di e si y dynamics.
Ou indings ein o ce his pe spec i e ha social iden i ies,
as well as indi idual iden i ies, ac o in o exempla y
inclusi e leade s’ deploymen o beha io s and p ac ices.
This is in line wi h he exis ing li e a u e ha sugges ed
ha , while pe sonal and social iden i ies a e indeed dis inc
aspec s o an indi idual’s sel -concep (Tu ne e al. 1987),
hey a e closely in e wined, and social con ex s and social
iden i ies can signi ican ly shape indi idual iden i ies
(Tu ne e al., 1994). When indi iduals, especially hose
om ma ginalized g oups, eel a i med in hei social
iden i ies, hey a e less likely o supp ess hese iden i ies and
ins ead engage in iden i y mani es a ion, which gene a es
g ea e au hen ici y, psychological cohe ence, and wellbeing
(Cha & Robe s, 2019; Jones & King, 2014).
Mo e speci ically, we see a p ominen heme in he
leade s’ inclusi e p ac ices o managing di e gen needs
o people, especially hose o dominan and ma ginalized
g oups ha can di e subs an ially. Inclusi e leade ship
os e s indi idual uniqueness, which akes in o conside a ion
no jus indi idual-based di e ences, bu also subg oup
di e ences, as e idenced p ominen ly in he sepa a ion
heme (i.e., p o iding encla es o ma ginalized indi iduals)
and he di e en ia ing heme (i.e., p o iding di e en ial
suppo o indi iduals, especially hose om ma ginalized
backg ounds). Ou indings sugges a possible heo e ical
ex ension o inclusi e leade ship, o add ess uniqueness
b ough ou by bo h indi idual iden i ies and social
iden i ies. We see he co-mingling o social iden i ies and
indi idual iden i ies in he leade ’s inclusi e p ac ices,
ha is, he in luence o social iden i ies on indi iduals’
needs and leade s’ p ac ices o add ess hese needs. The
exis ing concep ualiza ions o inclusion o en emphasize
indi idual iden i ies and di e ences which may sugges
leade neu ali y ha o e looks how indi iduals’ social
posi ions shape hei expe iences (Nishii & Le oy, 2021).
Thus, ou indings highligh he impo ance o ecognizing
he po en ial in luence o social iden i ies on indi iduali y as
an impo an unde lying dimension o inclusi e leade ship,
especially in di e se se ings. Fu u e esea ch can add ess
ques ions such as, how leade s balance os e ing indi idual
uniqueness while acknowledging he collec i e impac o
social iden i ies, and wha s a egies inclusi e leade s use
o suppo bo h indi idual agency and social g oup-based
belonging.
Fu he , gi en he co e o inclusi e leade ship in helping
all people eel belongingness and uniqueness, inclusi e
leade ship may in ol e mo e complex and adap i e
beha io s han gene ic beha io s ha a e applied ac oss
indi iduals, g oups, and con ex s (Nishii & Le oy, 2022).
In pa icula , ou indings explica e h ee se s o such
complex and adap i e beha io s: balancing di e si ying
and homogenizing, di e en ia ing and equalizing, and
sepa a ing and connec ing. Whe e he balance poin is o
each se o beha io s may a y as a unc ion o he g oup’s
di e si y composi ion, he leade ’s own di e si y p o ile,
and he con ex . Ou h ee se s o leade ship beha io s
p o ide heo e ical ools o u u e esea che s o cons uc ,
measu e, and es he ex en o which ei he pole o each
pai o he beha io s ge s mo e o less a en ion compa ed
wi h he o he , which may dial up o dial down indi idual
and wo k g oup ou comes. Fu u e heo izing can build on
ou speci ica ion o hese beha io s o u he explo e he
dynamism o inclusi e leade ship in g oups o a ying
ex en and dimension o di e si y.
Thi d, ou s udy o e s new insigh s in o he inhe en , pe -
sis en challenges o inclusi e leade ship, complemen ing ou
exis ing unde s anding o i s posi i e po en ial. In ou s udy,
he leade s no ed he un esol ed con adic ions and ambigui-
ies ela ed o he h ee ensions, acknowledging ha no all
p oblems had a clea cu solu ion. The p ac ice o inclusi e
leade ship is ha owing as i is ewa ding. This may shed ligh
on easons why many leade s a e pe cei ed as no inclusi e
(e.g., ocus on equali y while igno ing dispa i ies), and why
some inclusi e leade s expe ience pushback and ail o make
headway in hei o ganiza ions (e.g., ocus on suppo ing dis-
ad an aged membe s while neglec ing o emphasize equal
suppo o e e yone), ul ima ely bu ning ou and lea ing he
ole comple ely. In ac , many o he DEI oles ha e disap-
pea ed h ee yea s a e Geo ge Floyd’s mu de ha inspi ed
hem, and mo e a e expe iencing educ ions o comple e
434 W.Zheng e al.
elimina ions amids poli ical a ge ing o DEI e o s (Som-
me , 2025). The exempla s in ou s udy poin owa ds how
leade s a e able o s ay he cou se wi hou wa e ing o bu n-
ing ou in he ace o cons an se backs and challenges. Fu u e
esea ch in o he pe ils o inclusi e leade ship may be ui ul
o shed ligh on leade de ailmen and success indica o s o
inclusi e leade s.
Rela edly, he me a-s a egies leade s use, he s a egies o
accep ing he impossibili y o pleasing e e yone and ocus-
ing on lea ning and p og ess o e ideal ou comes, ela e o
he lea ning and in eg a ion pe spec i e in Ely and Thomas
(2001). Ely and Thomas (2001) posi ed ha di e si y can
d i e lea ning, inno a ion, and o ganiza ional success when
o ganiza ions encou age ongoing lea ning and adap abili y.
The leade s’ ocus on con inuous g ow h o e immedia e
ou comes in ou s udy pa allels he in eg a ion and lea n-
ing pe spec i e’s ocus on le e aging di e si y as a dynamic
p ocess a he han a ixed s a e. These me a-s a egies may
o m he mic o- ounda ion o wha Ely and Thomas (2001)
a icula ed a he o ganiza ional le el. Fu u e esea ch could
u he explo e how such leade s a egies may in luence
inclusi e cul u e and ou comes a he o ganiza ional le el.
Las ly, in he b oade con ex o business e hics, ou ind-
ings spo ligh empi ical e idence o no only he iumphs
bu also ibula ions, ha is, he s ess, us a ion, and ba -
ie s o inclusi e leade ship. This deepens ou unde s and-
ing o he po en ial emo ional cos s and s ess ha p ac ic-
ing e hical leade ship can po en ially incu in o ganiza ions
ha business e hics schola s ha e been calling o (e.g., Den
Ha og, as ci ed in Palanski e al., 2021). Fu u e esea ch
can u he explo e he coping mechanisms and esilience-
building s a egies used by leade s who ace challenges in
os e ing inclusi i y, he ole o o ganiza ional suppo sys-
ems (e.g., coaching, men o ship, o men al heal h esou ces)
in mi iga ing leade ship s ess, and how leade ship de elop-
men p og ams can p epa e leade s o he complex demands
o inclusi e leade ship.
P ac ical Implica ions
Ou ension-based pe spec i e ale s leade s o he po en ial
obs acles lying in he pa h o inclusi e leade ship, which
can b ing bene icial ou comes bu also elici bu nou and
exhaus ion. F om his pe spec i e, inclusi e leade ship is
a dynamic p ocess o adjus ing and esponding o di e -
ing and some imes con lic ual needs o di e en g oups o
employees, h ough di e si ying and homogenizing, di -
e en ia ing and equalizing, and sepa a ing and connec ing.
Gi en he dual goals o belongingness and uniqueness, lead-
e s’ e o s a balancing hese p ac ices may be pe pe ual
and equi e delibe a e ac s o ension managemen o ensu e
esponses ha add ess di e gen , and some imes con lic ual,
needs.
Fo leade ship de elopmen p o essionals, i is impe a i e
o cul i a e in leade s a mindse ha emb aces ensions
and con adic ions. I is equally c ucial o os e leade s’
pa icula skillse s o use seemingly opposi e p ac ices, such
as skills o ame inclusion as he coexis ence o di e gence
and simila i ies, communica e why leade suppo is
di e en ia ed bu equi able, and how o encou age subg oups
and c oss-g oup in e ac ions simul aneously. Addi ionally,
he me a-s a egies o acknowledging he impossibili y
o ully mee e e yone’s needs all he ime, ocusing on
lea ning and p og ess o e ideal ou comes, and emphasizing
con ollable p ocesses o e uncon ollable esul s, can be
also help ul o leade s. Wi h hese me a-s a egies, hey
can adop a lea ning and long- e m ame when con on ed
wi h con lic ing demands, which can elease s ess and os e
sus ainable engagemen o leade s.
Limi a ions andFu u e Di ec ions o Resea ch
We add ess ou s udy’s limi a ions and sugges di ec ions o
u u e esea ch. Fi s , gi en he induc i e na u e o ou wo k,
he ensions in inclusi e leade ship p ac ices we iden i ied
om exempla s may no gene alize o all leade s who a emp
o p ac ice inclusion. I may be help ul o de elop a scale o
inclusi e leade ship p ac ices based on ou indings o he h ee
pai s o p ac ices o compa e he ex en o which hey a e used,
and he demog aphic and cul u al con ex s in which hey a e
used. Leade s’ usage o hese p ac ices may be u he exam-
ined in hei impac on di ec epo s’ wo k and li e ou comes.
Second, ou wo k ocused on leade s in di e en indus ies
and may no ha e highligh ed how ce ain leade ship p ac-
ices can di e ac oss indus ies, such as in STEM indus ies
ha a e mo e male-domina ed compa ed o indus ies such
as counseling o educa ion ha a e mo e emale-domina ed.
Indeed, his was illus a ed in he lack o a uni o m de ini-
ion o inclusi e leade ship in he awa d c i e ia ac oss he
di e en awa ding o ganiza ions. Fu u e esea ch may wish o
explo e his by examining wha employees look o in inclu-
si e leade s and whe he his a ies ac oss indus ies, while
also examining o ganiza ion ela ed ques ions, such as how
o ganiza ional cues can ampli y o hinde inclusi e p ac ices.
Las ly, in ou in e iews, we did no p o ide a de ini ion
o inclusi e leade ship, choosing ins ead o allow ou pa -
icipan s o de ine wha inclusi e leade ship mean o hem.
Though his allowed o he eme gence o a ious inclusi e
leade ship p ac ices, he lack o a uni o m de ini ion, which
is also e lec ed in he cu en inclusi e leade ship li e a-
u e, does pose a challenge o de eloping a scale measu ing
inclusi e leade ship p ac ices. Fu u e esea ch can explo e
he de ini ion o inclusi e leade ship p ac ices o leade s
and hei ollowe s, which can in o m how di e gen de ini-
ions may associa e wi h di e en leade ship p ac ices and
ollowe expe iences and ou comes.
435E e y Rose Has I s Tho ns- How Exempla s Manage heTensions inInclusi e Leade ship
Conclusion
Ou s udy challenges an o e ly op imis ic pic u e o inclusi e
leade ship by e ealing he ensions and pushbacks associa ed
wi h inclusi e leade ship p ac ices. Ou indings sugges
ha inclusi e leade ship consis s o managing he ensions
a ising om p ac ices o di e si ica ion and in eg a ion ha
join ly con ibu e o o ganiza ional membe s’ expe ience o
belongingness and uniqueness. We o e a no el pe spec i e
on inclusi e leade ship, no as a se o s a ic p ac ices, bu
as he managemen o dynamic, ension- illed p ac ices ha
celeb a e di e se people and pe spec i es while seeking
simila i ies o ally membe s, ha adap suppo o di e en
needs while ensu ing suppo o e e yone, and ha p o ide
com o able encla es o simila people while connec ing
dissimila people ac oss subg oups. By holding on o bo h
ends o he ensions, leade s can c ea e a sus ainable space
o people o eel espec ed, alued, and suppo ed.
Appendix A
In e iew P o ocol
Backg ound Ques ions
1. Could you ell me abou you cu en ole?
2. In wha ways is you o ganiza ion di e se and no di e se?
3. Could you ell me abou you demog aphic backg ound?
Ques ions onInclusi e Leade ship
4. Wha ha e you been doing o cul i a e an inclusi e
en i onmen in you o ganiza ion?
5. How do you know you uni o o ganiza ion is inclusi e?
How do you gauge he inclusi eness o you uni o
o ganiza ion?
6. Wha do you do o help you o ganiza ional membe s
eel ha hey belong in he o ganiza ion? Could you gi e
a couple o examples?
7. Wha do you do o help you o ganiza ional membe s
eel ha hey don’ need o hide hei di e ences om
o he s and can b ing hei au hen ic sel es o wo k?
Could you gi e a couple o examples?
Ques ions onChallenges o Inclusi e Leade ship
8. Wha a e some ensions and challenges you ha e
expe ienced when leading in an inclusi e way? Wha
ha e helped you mee hese challenges?
9. Ha e you expe ienced pushback om majo i y
membe s on he ini ia i es ha p o ide mo e o
di e en suppo o mino i y membe s? I so, wha a e
hey and how ha e you deal wi h hem? Could you
gi e an example?
10. Ha e you expe ienced demands o complain s om
mino i y membe s ha you uni o o ganiza ion has
no done enough o suppo hem? I so, wha a e hey
and how ha e you deal wi h hem? Could you gi e an
example?
11. How do you add ess he needs o bo h majo i y and
mino i y membe s?
12. Why do some leade s no p ac ice inclusi e leade ship?
Wha makes i di icul o be an inclusi e leade ?
13. Wha ac o s in you en i onmen help you p ac ice
inclusi e leade ship?
14. Wha ac o s in you en i onmen hinde you p ac ice
o inclusi e leade ship?
Acknowledgemen We since ely hank he exempla y leade s who
gene ously sha ed hei expe iences and insigh s, which ha e been
in aluable o his esea ch. We a e also g a e ul o he hough ul and
cons uc i e eedback p o ided by he edi o and e iewe s h oughou
he e iew p ocess.
Decla a ions
Con lic o in e es No con lic o in e es .
Resea ch In ol ing Human and Animal Pa icipan s S e ens Ins i u e
o Technology IRB app o al numbe : 2022–046 (N).
In o med Consen S e ens Ins i u e o Technology IRB app o al num-
be : 2022–046 (N).
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