Employee CSR perceptions and organisational identification

: an examination of novel antecedents, processes and boundary conditions

Abstract

The relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) perceptions of employees and organisational identification (OI) has received a lot of attention in the literature given the importance of the OI construct in influencing the effectiveness of an organisation. However, little is known about factors that play a role in this relationship. Also, although employee CSR perceptions have been associated with positive employee outcomes, mainly OI, there is not much known about what leads to the formation of these perceptions. Therefore, this research aims to examine moderators and mediators in the relationship between employee CSR perceptions and OI as well as determine antecedents of these CSR perceptions, thus, creating processes that lead to OI. A meta-analysis of the relationship between employee CSR perceptions and OI is conducted and shows that tenure and national context moderate this relationship. A systematic review on antecedents of CSR perceptions and a review on CSR in the context of this research, the MENA region, are also presented. Additionally, two studies where data is collected from employees in SMEs in three countries in the MENA region and analysed using structural equation modelling and PROCESS macro are conducted. The findings from the sequential mediation model of the first empirical study show that pride in membership mediates the relationship between employee CSR perceptions and OI and that participative leadership is an antecedent of internal CSR perceptions of employees. The findings from the moderated mediation model of the second empirical study show that moral meaningfulness strengthens the relationship between employee CSR perceptions and OI and that servant leadership is an antecedent of employee internal CSR perceptions. This research, therefore, offers several contributions to the CSR, OI, and leadership literatures. It has several practical implications for managers that aim to attain OI from employees considering its powerful influence on the organisation’s success.

Date of Award	25 Jun 2019
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	The University of Bristol
Supervisor	Xiaojun Wang (Supervisor) & Robin P Klimecki (Supervisor)