Compassion and Diversity: A Conceptual Analysis of the Role of Compassionate Leadership in Fostering Inclusion

Recent work on workplace diversity and inclusion has emphasized the need for further studies to reveal the factors that promote workplaces characterized by high inclusiveness and respect for differences (Holmes et al., Journal of Management 47(6), 1357–1382, 2021). Drawing on this need, the present study attempts to understand the role of compassionate leadership in fostering a sense of inclusion among diverse employees. Consistent with Randel et al.’s (Human Resource Management Review 28(2), 190–203, 2018) conceptualization, this study focuses on inclusive leadership practices that simultaneously satisfy employees’ needs for belonging and being unique. Accordingly, a conceptual framework is proposed to address the potential of compassionate leadership components, which are integrity, accountability, presence, authenticity, and dignity (Shuck et al., Human Resource Development Quarterly 30(4), 537–564, 2019), for increasing the tendency of leaders to engage in inclusive leadership practices that ultimately promote inclusion perception. Specifically, compassionate leaders are suggested to be more likely to notice distress, suffering, and pain experienced by employees with diverse identities, feel an emphatic concern for removing such negative experiences and improving the well-being of diverse employees, and respond by taking positive actions that promote inclusion and affirm the value of diversity.