The social responsibility of organizations: Perceptions of organizational morality as a key mechanism explaining the relation between CSR activities and stakeholder support

Naomi Ellemers*, Tatiana Chopova

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Prior research on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has documented how specific CSR activities relate to responses of relevant stakeholders, mainly examining employees. However, it is as yet unclear whether these findings generalize to other types of CSR activities or to responses of other stakeholder groups. In fact, results from studies to date also show inconsistent effects in need of further explanation. In this contribution we offer a new perspective on this literature. We extend current insights on organizational CSR activities and stakeholder support, by elaborating on the psychological mechanisms that can explain these relations. We draw together recent developments on organizational anthropomorphism with insights on organizational identification, to argue that the impact of CSR activities on a broad range of stakeholder responses depends on perceptions of organizational morality. We connect prior work on organizational ethics, CSR, and stakeholder support, to social psychological theory and research on impression formation, impression management, and impression updating. This new perspective allows us to broaden the current debate on CSR and stakeholder support. Building on this analysis, we propose a new model that offers a roadmap for future research. We explain the impact of organizational CSR on stakeholder responses, by highlighting perceived organizational morality as a key mediating variable. We then proceed to consider likely moderators of this relation distinguishing between (a) characteristics of the organization, (b) characteristics of (communications about) CSR activities, and (c) characteristics of the perceivers. On the basis of this extended model we develop specific predictions, and review initial evidence supporting these prediction.

Original languageEnglish
Article number100156
Pages (from-to)1-17
JournalResearch in Organizational Behavior
Volume41
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2021

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The preparation of this work was supported by a Spinoza grant awarded to the first author by NWO (Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research) grant number 01.80.104.00 .

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Author(s)

Funding

The preparation of this work was supported by a Spinoza grant awarded to the first author by NWO (Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research) grant number 01.80.104.00 .

Keywords

  • CSR
  • Impression formation
  • Morality
  • Social identity
  • Stakeholders

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