Understanding employees’ motivation to engage in CSR: A grounded analysis

Abstract

Employees’ participation in corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a channel that not only helps corporations convey their social responsibility messages but also, in the long run, enhances stakeholder-organization relationships and builds the corporate image. However, current literature and theories of motivation do not clearly present the internal and external aspects that motivate employees to engage in CSR. To narrow this gap and deepen the knowledge of the drivers behind employee participation, this research contributes to the literature by building a theory of employees’ motives for volunteering in CSR activities based on both the intrinsic and extrinsic sides. More specifically, we use grounded theory to investigate the underlying mechanisms that motivate employees to get involved in organizational CSR by interviewing 30 employees from different departments and various industries. In addition, this research takes Mirvis’s (2012) model a step further by looking into intrinsic and extrinsic factors that drive employee participation in organizational CSR. Interestingly, we find that religious influence and work-life balance have the effect of promoting employee engagement in CSR activities as intrinsic and extrinsic motives respectively. Finally, theoretical and managerial implications are offered.