Contextualizing Motivating Language to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): How Leader Motivating Language Affects Employees’ CSR Engagement and Employee–Organization Relationships

Yafei Zhang,Andrea M M Weare,Song Harris Ao,Chuqing Dong

doi:10.3390/su132313357

Abstract

Drawing on motivating language theory (MLT), this paper aims to demonstrate the effects of strategic leader speech in the context of internal corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication. Specifically, the study (1) examines how leader motivating language strategies used in CSR communication influence employees’ CSR engagement and employee–organization relationships (EORs) and (2) identifies the mediator explaining the underlying psychological mechanism of the effects. Structural equation modeling was performed on a sample of 406 participants who are full-time and part-time employees in the U.S. The results showed that leader motivating language was positively associated with employees’ CSR engagement and EOR quality. Such relationships were significantly mediated by person–organization (PO) fit. This study advances CSR research and practice by explicating the impact of leaders’ oral communication in constructing employees’ CSR experiences and relationships with the employer.

Highlights

Published: 2 December 2021Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become a core corporate value demanded by the younger generation of the workforce [1,2]
Previous studies argued that corporate social responsibility (CSR) offers a pathway to build organization–public relationships [10,11], but less is known regarding how CSR communication contributes to employee–organization relationship management
Rooted in the conceptual framework of motivating language, the present study examined leaders’ oral communication in CSR and its connection with employees’ CSR

Summary

Introduction

Published: 2 December 2021Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become a core corporate value demanded by the younger generation of the workforce [1,2]. Previous research has suggested that employees’ positive perceptions of and involvement in companies’. CSR activities can facilitate employee morale [4], enhance job satisfaction, foster positive attitudes towards the employer [5], and increase employee–organization identification and organizational commitment [6,7]. Given the importance of engaging employees in CSR, a more urgent and practical question would be how to better motivate employees in organizational CSR activities [8]. Factors contributing to employee CSR engagement is still a relatively understudied area [9]. Despite recognizing the importance of employee CSR engagement, previous studies rarely examined the role of leaders’ use of rhetorical skills and language in motivating employees’ CSR engagement and fostering

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Results

Conclusion