Inclusive leadership in a new reality of work : A qualitative study with leaders in hybrid settings

Abstract: Research within the field of inclusive leadership solely derives from insights from leaders practicing inclusive leadership in physical settings. Building on previous research of e-leadership in virtual settings, the purpose of this study is to make a theoretical contribution to the area of inclusive leadership by incorporating the experiences and perspectives of leaders practicing inclusive leadership in hybrid settings. In addition, a practical contribution is to provide guidance on how leaders can adapt their leadership practices to be suitable for a hybrid way of working. The research is based on a qualitative interview study with an abductive approach and collected data from semi-structured interviews with fourteen formal leaders in a wide range of industries practicing inclusive leadership in a hybrid setting. The results show that inclusive leadership is influenced when practiced in hybrid settings and the key finding of this thesis concerns that shared decision-making incorporates additional features for inclusive leaders in hybrid settings to take into consideration.