Patterns of Corporate Social Responsibility Perceptions Across Five Stakeholder Dimensions

Abstract

Prior research examining the influence of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) and counterproductive work behaviors (CWBs) has typically conceptualized CSR to be unidimensional or analyzed the CSR dimensions in isolation. Such an approach has obscured critical details regarding the CSR-OCB and CSR-CWB relationship. Thus, we use a person-oriented approach, suggesting that employees holistically evaluate CSR activities in various stakeholder dimensions. Relatedly, we advance the notion that specified patterns of CSR will be differentially associated with employee outcomes. Incorporating concepts from signaling theory and theorizing on optimal distinctiveness, we posited that employee OCBs would be highest and CWBs lowest when there is divergence between scores in five CSR dimensions. In a sample of 583 employees, results from a latent profile analysis indicated that employees engaged in more OCBs and fewer CWBs when: (a) there were inequalities in the amount of CSR directed toward various stakeholders and (b) CSR to employees was comparatively high. The pattern effect of the CSR dimensions accounted for 9.53% of the variance in OCBs and 19.46% in CWBs. These findings provide evidence of what we label an optimal divergence effect, challenging the notion that interdimensional CSR consistency leads to positive employee outcomes.