Inclusive leadership (IL) is expected to boost employee well-being and improve patient-focused results, yet research findings within healthcare continue to produce conflicting conclusions. To evaluate the straight-line effects of IL on job satisfaction (JS) and perceived quality of care (PQC), and to determine if climate for inclusion (C4I) and cultural competence (CC) serve as moderating factors in those links. Cross-sectional survey conducted among US healthcare managers who were sourced from a commercial opt-in email database and various professional networks from June to November 2024 (n = 209; complete-case n = 144). JS was assessed using a 2-item brief scale, and PQC using a 10-item instrument, both rated on 5-point Likert scales. The key predictors consisted of IL (8 items), C4I (16 items), and CC (7 reverse-coded items).
Regression analyses provided strong support for H1–H6 (P < 0.001). The three-way interaction of IL×CC×C4I showed marginal significance in relation to JS (H7a; P = 0.064) and reached statistical significance for PQC (H7b; P < 0.001). Internal consistency was strong across all measures: IL (α = 0.950), C4I (α = 0.948), CC (α = 0.930), JS (α = 0.873), and PQC (α = 0.923). Inclusive leadership, together with cultural competence, correlates with elevated levels of JS and PQC, and these relationships intensify notably when a positive inclusion climate is present. Interventions aimed at training inclusive leaders and embedding inclusive practices organization-wide could generate meaningful gains for staff retention and patient care delivery. We collected responses from US healthcare managers regarding their leaders’ approaches, the sense of inclusiveness in their daily work environments, and their views on care quality. Inclusive leadership showed the strongest positive influence in environments where the broader climate felt relatively non-inclusive. Combining leadership development with efforts to create inclusive workplace standards may enhance employee satisfaction and elevate the standard of care patients receive.
