ABSTRACT
The chapters in this volume explore cutting-edge theory, research, practice, and experience on the pivotal role of leadership in fostering inclusion in diverse organizations and societies. Together, they provide a multi-faceted and complex view of inclusive leadership. In this chapter we address four emergent insights about inclusion and their implications for the practice of inclusive leadership. First, inclusion is person-centered, in that it must be recreated in every relationship; thus, inclusive leadership requires adaptiveness and flexibility. Second, inclusion is multi-layered and systemic, requiring a range of skills and practices that span levels of analysis on the part of inclusive leaders. Third, inclusion includes intrapersonal, or within-person elements, requiring particular self-awareness on the part of inclusive leaders. Finally, inclusion is paradoxical, simultaneously incorporating seemingly contradictory elements, and so requires the capacity for complexity and for “both/and” mindsets and practices. We close by summarizing implications for cultivating inclusive leadership and by highlighting the importance of inclusive leadership in the world today and in the future.
