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Inclusive Leadership and Attitudes Toward Hiring Workers with Intellectual Disability: The Mediating Role of Autonomy
Aleksandar Plavsic1, Yolanda Estreder1, Leady V Fajardo Castro1
1University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain.
Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
|August 12, 2026
Summary
Worker autonomy mediates the link between inclusive leadership and coworker hiring attitudes. Inclusive leadership boosts autonomy, fostering positive perceptions of hiring individuals with intellectual disability (ID).
Area of Science:
- Organizational Psychology
- Disability Studies
- Human Resources Management
Background:
- Inclusive leadership is crucial for integrating employees with intellectual disability (ID).
- Understanding factors influencing coworkers' attitudes toward hiring individuals with ID is essential for workplace inclusion.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if worker autonomy mediates the relationship between inclusive leadership and non-ID coworkers' attitudes toward hiring individuals with ID.
- To examine the impact of inclusive leadership on the autonomy of workers with ID.
Main Methods:
- Cross-lagged panel design with data from 113 employees without ID across six industries in Spain.
- Inclusive leadership measured at Time 1; autonomy and attitudes assessed at Time 1 and Time 2 (four working days later).
- Mediation analysis using regression-based path analysis with bootstrapped confidence intervals.
Main Results:
- Autonomy at Time 2 fully mediated the relationship between inclusive leadership (Time 1) and coworker attitudes (Time 2).
- Inclusive leadership positively influenced the autonomy of workers with ID.
- Increased autonomy in workers with ID was associated with more positive hiring attitudes from coworkers without ID.
Conclusions:
- Worker autonomy is a key mediator in the relationship between inclusive leadership and coworker attitudes.
- Promoting inclusive leadership can enhance the autonomy of workers with ID, positively influencing workplace inclusion.
- These findings highlight the importance of fostering autonomy to improve hiring attitudes toward individuals with intellectual disability.
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