Leading with purpose: Uncovering the impact of inclusive leadership and meaningful work on work passion

Abstract

Work passion is a critical driver of employee wellbeing, engagement, and performance; however, organisations often struggle to cultivate it effectively. Understanding what fosters work passion is essential because it not only deepens insight into employee motivation but also enables organisations to enhance passion and its positive outcomes. Despite growing interest, research has primarily focused on individual traits, leaving the role of organisational and leadership factors under-explored. To bridge this gap, we extend the Employee Work Passion Appraisal (EWPA) framework by examining how inclusive leadership and meaningful work influence employees’ work passion and whether the psychological authenticity climate mediates these relationships. Using a two-wave, time-lagged survey of 385 full-time Australian employees, our findings reveal that inclusive leadership indirectly fosters work passion by creating a psychological authenticity climate in which employees feel safe to express their true selves. Meaningful work also emerges as a strong predictor of work passion, underscoring its role in shaping positive work experience. By integrating self-determination theory with leadership and contextual factors, this study advances the theoretical understanding of work passion formation and offers practical insights for organisations seeking to build inclusive, meaningful, and authentic workplaces that spark passion. JEL Code: M12.