How Inclusive Leadership Can Spark a Drive for Proactive Change: Evidence from County and Township Grassroots Cadres

County and township cadres are bridges between policy implementation and grassroots change, and they play an important role in promoting innovation in social governance. Based on the theory of resource conservation, this study explores the internal mechanisms and boundary conditions of inclusive leadership to promote proactive change in the behavior of county and township cadres. The present study focuses on county and township cadres in District A of Shanghai, based on a total of 212 valid collected questionnaires. Analysis of moderated mediation effects reveals that inclusive leadership has a positive effect on proactive change in the behavior of county and township cadres, with the error management atmosphere playing a mediating role. The positive effect of inclusive leadership on the error management atmosphere is negatively moderated by change in the expectations of superiors, and the positive effect of the error management atmosphere on the proactive change behavior is positively moderated by risk aversion. The study provides useful insights for the development of current leaders in government departments.