Leadership talk with Dr. Rudolf Kerschreiter
In this Leadership talk, Dr. Rudolf Kerschreiter will present “Three Levels, Two Needs, One Goal: Extending a Multi-Level Model of Inclusive Leadership Toward a Future Research Agenda".
- Starts:13:00, 23 April 2026
- Ends:13:45, 23 April 2026
- Location:BI - campus Oslo, A2-Red 13 or online via Zoom
- Contact:Federica De Molli (federica.d.molli@bi.no)
Abstract
Inclusive leadership is often seen as a cornerstone for fostering employee inclusion, yet theoretical foundations and behavioral prescriptions remain fragmented. In recent work, we proposed a multi-level framework of inclusive leadership, grounded in Extended Optimal Distinctiveness Theory. The model specifies how leaders can address employees’ dual needs for assimilation and differentiation across three levels of self (individual, relational, and collective), thereby fostering a more integrated sense of inclusion.
In this talk, I will briefly introduce the conceptual model and reflect on the process of its development. Moving beyond the model, I will outline three directions for advancing an empirical research agenda. First, I will discuss an example of how inclusive leadership behaviors can be operationalized in a specific situational context in ways that are valid across the three levels of self. Second, using this example, I will explore designs for testing contingencies, such as leader and team members’ minority/majority status, that may shape the effectiveness of inclusive leadership behaviors. Third, I will propose strategies for capturing dynamic processes, recognizing that inclusion unfolds over time within leader–follower relationships. I will close by opening the floor to discussion, hoping to draw on the audience’s expertise to sharpen, challenge, and enrich this agenda for the benefit of our shared field.
The Leadership Talks series
Leadership Talks is a series of seminars about topics related to leadership, change and sustainability, project management and organizational psychology, hosted by the Department of Leadership and Organizational Behavior at BI Norwegian Business School.
About Dr. Rudolf Kerschreiter
Dr. Rudolf Kerschreiter holds the Chair of Social, Organizational, and Economic Psychology at Free University Berlin and is a Visiting Lecturer in Executive Education at the European School of Management and Technology (ESMT) Berlin. In addition, he serves on several Editorial Boards, including the Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies and Organizational Psychology Review.
Rudolf earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in psychology, as well as his Ph.D. and Habilitation in Social and Organizational Psychology, at Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) in Munich. Before joining Free University Berlin as a tenured full professor in 2011, he served as an assistant professor and interim full professor of social psychology at LMU. He has also been a visiting researcher at Aston Business School (UK), the University of Pittsburgh (USA), and the University of Queensland (Australia). His research focuses on group processes, including leadership, virtual team effectiveness, group decision making, social identity, and social exclusion. His work has been published in leading academic journals such as Academy of Management Review, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Organizational Psychology Review, and the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Since 2020, Rudolf has been Speaker of the Board of the Berlin Leadership Academy within the Berlin University Alliance, where he and his colleagues design and organize seminars, lectures, and coaching sessions to support university professors in their leadership roles. From 2015 to 2022, he directed the Dahlem Leadership Academy at Free University Berlin, and for more than 20 years, he has regularly trained senior executives from business, academia, and public administration.
Join the Leadership talk via Zoom
Join Zoom meeting:
https://binorwegianbusinessschool.zoom.us/j/67931607544pwd=6wwhWv9FC91NHhUh6KJRfW5dFmWsJf.1
Meeting ID: 679 3160 7544
Passcode: 827751