Unveiling the impact of inclusive leadership on innovative behavior among female employees with two children: evidence from China

Abstract For female employees with two children, societal stereotypes and organizational barriers frequently hinder career progression and diminish proactive work attitudes, including a reluctance to engage in innovative behaviors. Consequently, it is imperative for organizations to strategically fo...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Shuyu Man, Jianpeng Fan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-05-01
Series:Scientific Reports
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-01311-9
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850268812116492288
author Shuyu Man
Jianpeng Fan
author_facet Shuyu Man
Jianpeng Fan
author_sort Shuyu Man
collection DOAJ
description Abstract For female employees with two children, societal stereotypes and organizational barriers frequently hinder career progression and diminish proactive work attitudes, including a reluctance to engage in innovative behaviors. Consequently, it is imperative for organizations to strategically focus on fostering their innovative behavior. This research is grounded in social identity theory and social exchange theory. Using Mplus 8.0, we meticulously analyzed and processed data from 528 questionnaires. Through this approach, this research examined the underlying mechanism connecting inclusive leadership with innovative behavior among female employees who have two children. The findings revealed five pivotal insights: (1) Inclusive leadership was positively associated with the innovative behavior of female employees who have two children. (2) Relational identity mediated the relationship between inclusive leadership and the innovative behavior of female employees with two children. (3) Organizational identity also mediated this relationship. (4) Relational identity and organizational identity jointly played a chain mediating role between inclusive leadership and the innovative behavior of female employees with two children. (5) The organizational innovative climate exerted a moderating effect on the relationship between inclusive leadership and the innovative behavior of female employees with two children. The study’s conclusions elucidated the transmission mechanism between inclusive leadership and the innovative behavior of female employees with two children, offering valuable reference for enhancing the efficacy of human resource management within organizations.
format Article
id doaj-art-1dfd506a03ac4672902657eb8c39f6f4
institution OA Journals
issn 2045-2322
language English
publishDate 2025-05-01
publisher Nature Portfolio
record_format Article
series Scientific Reports
spelling doaj-art-1dfd506a03ac4672902657eb8c39f6f42025-08-20T01:53:22ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-05-0115111210.1038/s41598-025-01311-9Unveiling the impact of inclusive leadership on innovative behavior among female employees with two children: evidence from ChinaShuyu Man0Jianpeng Fan1School of Economics Management, Pingdingshan UniversitySchool of Economics Management, Pingdingshan UniversityAbstract For female employees with two children, societal stereotypes and organizational barriers frequently hinder career progression and diminish proactive work attitudes, including a reluctance to engage in innovative behaviors. Consequently, it is imperative for organizations to strategically focus on fostering their innovative behavior. This research is grounded in social identity theory and social exchange theory. Using Mplus 8.0, we meticulously analyzed and processed data from 528 questionnaires. Through this approach, this research examined the underlying mechanism connecting inclusive leadership with innovative behavior among female employees who have two children. The findings revealed five pivotal insights: (1) Inclusive leadership was positively associated with the innovative behavior of female employees who have two children. (2) Relational identity mediated the relationship between inclusive leadership and the innovative behavior of female employees with two children. (3) Organizational identity also mediated this relationship. (4) Relational identity and organizational identity jointly played a chain mediating role between inclusive leadership and the innovative behavior of female employees with two children. (5) The organizational innovative climate exerted a moderating effect on the relationship between inclusive leadership and the innovative behavior of female employees with two children. The study’s conclusions elucidated the transmission mechanism between inclusive leadership and the innovative behavior of female employees with two children, offering valuable reference for enhancing the efficacy of human resource management within organizations.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-01311-9Inclusive leadershipRelational identityOrganisational identityOrganisational innovative climateInnovative behaviour
spellingShingle Shuyu Man
Jianpeng Fan
Unveiling the impact of inclusive leadership on innovative behavior among female employees with two children: evidence from China
Scientific Reports
Inclusive leadership
Relational identity
Organisational identity
Organisational innovative climate
Innovative behaviour
title Unveiling the impact of inclusive leadership on innovative behavior among female employees with two children: evidence from China
title_full Unveiling the impact of inclusive leadership on innovative behavior among female employees with two children: evidence from China
title_fullStr Unveiling the impact of inclusive leadership on innovative behavior among female employees with two children: evidence from China
title_full_unstemmed Unveiling the impact of inclusive leadership on innovative behavior among female employees with two children: evidence from China
title_short Unveiling the impact of inclusive leadership on innovative behavior among female employees with two children: evidence from China
title_sort unveiling the impact of inclusive leadership on innovative behavior among female employees with two children evidence from china
topic Inclusive leadership
Relational identity
Organisational identity
Organisational innovative climate
Innovative behaviour
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-01311-9
work_keys_str_mv AT shuyuman unveilingtheimpactofinclusiveleadershiponinnovativebehavioramongfemaleemployeeswithtwochildrenevidencefromchina
AT jianpengfan unveilingtheimpactofinclusiveleadershiponinnovativebehavioramongfemaleemployeeswithtwochildrenevidencefromchina