Inclusive Organizational Practices and Employee Engagement: A Conceptual Model Based on Social Exchange Theory

Engaging employees has become an important determinant of organizational performance and most organizations are yet to achieve high levels of employee engagement despite the adoption of diversity and inclusion programs. Inclusive organizational practices encompassing the concepts of fair treatment, participation, belongingness, and supportive leadership have been identified as the key factors of positive employee outcomes. Nevertheless, the mechanisms that underlie the role of inclusive organizational practices in the process of employee engagement are not sufficiently investigated. Relying on the Social Exchange Theory, this research will form a conceptual framework to understand the association between inclusive organizational practices and employee engagement. In particular, the research hypothesis states that inclusive organizational practices are socio-emotional resources that promote the engagement of employees, both directly and indirectly, via mediation of the perceived organizational support. Moreover, the model adds the trust climate as the moderating variable that reinforces the correlation between the inclusive organizational practices and employee engagement. The researchers use a conceptual research design as it has been conducted through a thorough review and synthesis of existing literature published in the period between 1990 and 2025. The proposed study will add value to the literature by not only expanding the scope of the Social Exchange Theory to the context of employee engagement in terms of inclusive organizational practices but also by incorporating the elements of mediation and moderation into one conceptual framework. The suggested paradigm can be beneficial to any organization that aims to improve the involvement of employees by incorporating inclusivity in the workplace. The results indicate that inclusive, supportive working conditions are highly strategic in enhancing motivation programs among employees, relational commitment, and organizational performance.

Inclusive organizational practices, employee engagement, social exchange theory, perceived organizational support, trust climate, inclusion.

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