The influence of inclusive leadership on team performance in the entrepreneurial context

Promoting entrepreneurial team performance has been an important research topic for scholars. However, the relationship between inclusive leadership and entrepreneurial team performance has rarely been studied. This study constructed a model to uncover the mechanism by which inclusive leadership affects entrepreneurial team performance. The empirical results revealed that inclusive leadership was positively related to entrepreneurial team performance. Inclusive leadership positively predicted team engagement and inclusive climate, which, in turn, facilitated team feedback seeking and ultimately enhanced entrepreneurial team performance. Moreover, leader team representativeness strengthened the positive relationship between inclusive leadership and team engagement. The theoretical implications are that inclusive leadership is essential in promoting members’ engagement and inclusive climate for better performance, which provides more comprehensive insight into entrepreneurship literature. The practical implications are that greater attention should be paid to cultivating inclusive leadership.