The impact of inclusive leadership on task performance: a moderated mediation model of resilience capacity and work meaningfulness

PurposeThis study aims to understand the relationships between inclusive leadership, work meaningfulness, resilience capacity and task performance during a pandemic, thereby providing strategies to address future crises more effectively.Design/methodology/approachData were collected via a survey of 391 healthcare workers from 77 teams in primary hospitals in China.FindingsThe results indicate that inclusive leadership positively drives task performance through resilience capacity, and work meaningfulness amplifies this effect by strengthening the relationship between inclusive leadership and resilience capacity.Originality/valueWorkers face increased work pressure and requirements during a crisis, and understanding how to promote their task performance in such a context is of paramount importance. Although inclusive leadership is theorized to stimulate various positive employee outcomes, little is known about the mechanisms by which inclusive leadership affects task performance. The authors find that resilience capacity is a key mechanism responsible for the effect of inclusive leadership on the task performance of workers in high-stress situations. This positive indirect effect of inclusive leadership on task performance is amplified by a high level of work meaningfulness.