By drawing on the social exchange theory, this paper suggests a mediation model to examine the role of workplace happiness (i.e., work engagement, job satisfaction, and affective organizational commitment) in the relationship between inclusive leadership and Gen Z employee adaptive performance. Data were collected from 305 Gen Z employees in the Greek telecommunications industry and their supervisors in three sequential phases. The research findings suggest that workplace happiness partially mediates the relationship between inclusive leadership and Gen Z employee adaptive performance. The results indicate that should leaders and managers manage to positively influence Gen Z employees’ work engagement and job satisfaction by employing inclusive strategies and procedures, they will increase their adaptive performance during change. Relevant suggestions are made.

Purpose: By drawing on the need to belong theory, the paper aims to propose a moderated mediation model to examine the role of workplace belongingness and meaning-making in the positive relationship between inclusive leadership and employee change participation.Design/methodology/approach: Participants were 155 employees from 31 teams from a branch of a multinational pharmaceutical company located in an EU country. The company faces constant legal, regulatory and technology-related changes after the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic outbreak. Data were collected in three waves, approximately three weeks apart between March 2020 and May 2020. To test the mediating effect of workplace belongingness were performed first – a series of regression analyses – and second, bootstrapping to assess the statistical significance of the indirect effect (Preacher and Hayes, 2008).Findings: Workplace belongingness mediates the relationship between inclusive leadership and employees change participation. Further, the research findings provide support that meaning-making moderates the relationship between workplace belongingness and change participation as well as the indirect relationship between inclusive leadership and change participation through workplace belongingness such that the positive relationships are stronger when meaning-making is higher.Practical implications: The results indicate that should leaders and change management practitioners manage to influence positively employees' workplace belongingness by employing inclusive practices and procedures; leaders and change management practitioners will increase the level of participation during change and further the results note from an applied perspective the importance of mean-making as a facilitating factor during change in organizational settings. Relevant suggestions are made.Originality/value: The findings provide new insights into how inclusive leadership and workplace belongingness can affect employees' change participation. Further, the research findings note the significant moderating role of meaning-making regarding both the relationship between workplace belongingness and change participation as well as the indirect relationship between inclusive leadership and change participation through workplace belongingness.

Purpose: Drawing from uncertainty reduction theory and uncertainty management theory, the aim of the research is to investigate the influence of positive change orientation (i.e. change self-efficacy, positive attitudes toward change, perceived control) on the perceived change uncertainty and behavioral change support (i.e. compliance, cooperation and championing) relationship.Design/methodology/approach: The paper hypothesizes that employees' positive change orientation partially mediates the relationship between perceived change uncertainty and behavioral change support. The research data were collected from employees and their supervisors in three sequential phases. The research model was tested with the use of Structural Equation Modeling.Findings: The research findings suggest that employees' change self-efficacy and attitudes toward change partially mediates the negative relationship between perceived change uncertainty and behavioral change support.Practical implications: The results support that change management practitioners will benefit significantly if they manage to influence their employees' positive change orientation as well as to decrease the perceived uncertainty to provoke change supportive behaviors. Relevant suggestions are made.Originality/value: The originality of this study lies in the finding that employees' change self-efficacy as well as their attitudes toward change partially mediates the relationship between perceived change uncertainty and behavioral change support. Further, the research findings add to the uncertainty reduction theory and uncertainty management theory as well as other related notions.

By drawing on the social exchange theory, the article suggests a moderated mediation model to examine the role of employee creativity and work engagement in the relationship between inclusive leadership and employee adaptive performance. Data were collected from 305 Gen Z employees in the Greek telecommunication industry and their supervisors in three sequential phases. The research findings suggest that employee creativity mediates the relationship between inclusive leadership and employee adaptive performance. Additionally, they provide support that work engagement moderates the relationship between employee creativity and adaptive performance, as well as, the indirect relationship between inclusive leadership and employee adaptive performance through employee creativity; such that the positive relationships are stronger when work engagement is higher. The results indicate that should leaders and change management practitioners manage to positively influence (Gen Z) employees’ creativity by employing inclusive strategies and procedures; they will boost their adaptive performance during change.

Purpose: By drawing on the perceived organizational support (POS) theory and the extended job demands-resources model (JD-R model), the aim of this study is to investigate the influence of different levels of organizational support during change (i.e. organizational level, supervisory level, coworker level) on firm financial performance and to explore the role of employee work engagement.Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected during the second outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in two waves, approximately 2 weeks apart. A total of 291 employees in the Greek telecommunication industry completed questionnaires examining the POS during change and consequently, their supervisors evaluated their work engagement. The research model was tested with the use of structural equation modeling.Findings: The research findings note the importance of different levels of organizational support during change; they describe how each level influences employees' work engagement as well as they confirm that employee work engagement mediates the relationship between POS during change and firm financial performance. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.Practical implications: The results indicate that should firms manage to influence positively employees' work engagement by providing support at all levels during change, they may boost their financial performance.Originality/value: The research findings provide new insights into how POS and work engagement may influence firm financial performance. The originality of this study lies in the finding that employees' work engagement mediates the relationship between POS during change and firm financial performance. Further, the study was carried out in the Greek telecommunication industry during the second outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In today’s rapidly evolving and competitive business settings, sustaining work engagement has become a strategic imperative for organizations across sectors. Although work engagement research has traditionally emphasized individual and leadership factors, less is known about how specific dimensions of organizational climate shape work engagement, particularly in industrial contexts. This study examines the relationship between organizational climate and work engagement in the Greek manufacturing sector—an underexplored setting characterized by labor-intensive operations, and economic volatility. Grounded in the Job Demands–Resources (JD–R) model and using the Organizational Climate Measure (OCM), data were collected from 151 industrial employees. Findings revealed that perceptions of employee welfare, supervisory support, and integration were positively associated with work engagement, with welfare showing the strongest zero-order association. In multivariable models, no single facet independently reached significance, yet their combined contribution explained a small but meaningful share of variance in engagement. Furthermore, work engagement moderated the relationship between supervisory support and perceived integration, indicating that highly engaged employees are better able to translate support into collaborative behaviors and stronger alignment. These results highlight the strategic value of promoting supportive climates and integrating well-designed, work engagement-focused interventions within fundamental organizational practices.