The Micro-Process of Social Responsibility in Organizations: A Bottom-Up Perspective Workshop; April 12 and 13, 2016; Anaheim, California

Purdue University, West Lafayette IN

Investigators

Abstract

Nontechnical Description of Significance and Importance There is more pressure than ever before for organizations to actively evidence their social responsibility. This pressure comes from a variety of stakeholders, including employees, consumers, interest groups, and various industry and regulatory bodies. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) comes in many forms, including corporate philanthropy, volunteerism programs, compliance to voluntary codes of conduct, environmental sustainability initiatives, and personnel practices focused on diversity, fairness, and well-being. CSR has become both ubiquitous and entrenched within firm practices, and therefore represents a major operational consideration for organizations. Despite the omnipresence of CSR within organizations, as well as the increasing demand for CSR among stakeholders, there lacks a robust scientific literature focused particularly on the various multilevel influences involved in CSR decision making, implementation, participation, and evaluation. That is, whereas CSR research has largely focused on the relationship between firm social performance and economic performance, as well as the sociological predictors and outcomes of CSR, far less attention has been placed on the structural characteristics of CSR initiatives, as well as psychological phenomena influencing socially responsible and irresponsible behaviors within organizations. This includes a) the motives of leaders and top management teams in building CSR portfolios; b) the drivers of employee compliance with, advocacy for, and/or participation in CSR initiatives; c) the mechanisms by which firm-level CSR actions influence the attitudes and behaviors of organizational members; and d) the impact of CSR initiatives on society. The rich literatures on motivation, decision-making, pro-social behavior, ethics, program evaluation, etc. can be fruitfully applied to more fully understand CSR phenomena. The purpose of the proposed workshop is to identify key conceptual rifts, integrate diverse perspectives, and develop a research agenda focused on "micro" CSR processes, as well as CSR research that is both multi-disciplinary and multilevel in nature. As CSR activities connect organizations to government agencies and other regulatory bodies, a more integrated and multilevel understanding of CSR can aid understanding and facilitation of relations between the public and private sectors. Discoveries in this area can also help to facilitate diversity, fairness, and health within organizations and society at large. Technical Description The proposed workshop will bring together leading corporate social responsibility (CSR) scholars with scholars from other areas within the organizational sciences (e.g., leadership, individual differences, cross-cultural psychology, human resource management, humanitarian work psychology, occupational health psychology, diversity). The lack of direct communication among these sets of researchers is unfortunate insofar as work from both groups can meaningfully contribute to the other. The focus will be on cross-pollination, as well as the sharing and joint-development of new ideas. The workshop will include keynote presentations, topical presentations, facilitated discussions, group work, multidisciplinary discussant comments, and networking opportunities. A key goal will be the identification of new directions for research in this area, the catalyzing of new collaborative and multidisciplinary projects among scholars who might otherwise remain isolated from one another, and the application of advanced research methodologies that have yet to be applied within this domain. Publically disseminated workshop outcomes will include a) a workshop website, containing the program, speaker bios, and where permitted, presentation materials and recordings; b) a press release with information about the event and the link to all of the corresponding materials, c) an overall report summarizing the conclusions, recommendations, and agenda items generated throughout the workshop.