Employee Engagement in Corporate Social Initiatives (CSIs)

Akwasi Opoku-DakwaDepartment of Management & Global Business

Rutgers UniversityWith Chao C. Chen (Rutgers) and Deborah E. Rupp (Purdue)

Employee engagement in Corporate Social Initiatives (CSI)

Research question: • How do the characteristics of CSR programs affect employee

engagement in those programs

MotivationsExplore the• active role of employees in CSR• role of CSR initiative characteristics in shaping employee

engagement in CSR• role of impact (vs. social identity and exchange)

Presentation goals

• Share – theoretical model / conceptual paper– study design

• Solicit feedback

Employee engagement in CSIs

Key definitions / constructs• Corporate Social Initiative (CSI)

– Organizational programs of specific duration that are associated with a social issue and that have as a focal goal a positive social outcome not easily measured in terms of economic benefit to the organization

– E.g. eco-initiatives, volunteering programs, reporting and transparency initiatives

• CSI engagement– Voluntary engagement (attention) in CSIs

Background

• Prior work examining the effect of CSR on employees has focused on how attributions and rankings of organization-level CSR influence employee attraction, commitment and identification (cf. Jones et. al, 2014; Gully et. al, 2013; Kim et. al, 2010; Brammer et. al, 2007; See Booth et. al, 2009; Caligiuri et. al, 2013 for exceptions)

• Relationships explained using – Social identity theory - employees want to be members of responsible

companies– Social exchange theory – in return for organizations behaving

responsibly, employees are committed, loyal etc.

But…• Employees are not only observers but also actors in achieving

social responsibility (e.g. Bolton et. al, 2011)• Corporate social action occurs at the level of the CSI (Aguinis &

Glavas, 2012; McShane & Cunningham, 2011)

Employee engagement in CSR

Literature reviewOrganizations invest in CSR initiatives to (e.g. Benjamin, 2001; Mirvis, 2012)

1. Develop employees

2. Achieve strategic benefits (e.g. performance, reputation, relationship-building)

3. Achieve social benefits

CSI characteristics

1. CSI Employee-development opportunities

2. CSI strategic alignment

3. CSI Moral intensity

CSI Characteristics

ConstructsCSIs therefore vary in the degree to which they are associated with1. Employee development opportunities

– Opportunities to acquire or apply skills, knowledge and experience; build moral character; develop social capital through meaningful relationships (Clary et. al, 1998; Caligiuri et. al, 2013)

2. Strategic alignment– Alignment of program goals with business economic, financial and

competitive goals (Aguinis & Glavas, 2013)

3. Moral intensity (Jones, 1991)– Magnitude of consequences associated with the social issue being

addressed

Theoretical model: Main effects

CSI content characteristics affect CSI engagement through the mediation of multiple impacts on the community, the employer and the employee

Perceived Impacts

CSI content Characteristics

CSI Engagement

• Employee development opportunities

• Strategic alignment• Moral intensity

On theEmployee,Employer,Community

Initiative level of analysis

Individual level of analysis

Main effects

Theory• Employees have self-interested, relational, and moral motives for

engaging in CSR (Aguilera, Rupp, Williams, & Ganapathi, 2007; Peloza& Hassay, 2006; Peloza et. al, 2009)

• Human motivation is rooted in the perceived impact that actions will have on one’s environment (Bandura, 2001; Hackman & Oldham, 1976)

• CSI employee-development opportunities self-interested motives employee CSI engagement

• CSI Strategic alignment self-interested and relational motives employee CSI engagement

• CSI Moral intensity moral and relational motives employee CSI engagement

• These effects will occur through the psychological mechanism of perceived impacts of the CSI

Main effects

• Proposition 1: CSIs that provide more employee development opportunities will motivate greater CSI engagement through the mediation of perceived CSI impact on the employee.

• Proposition 2: CSIs that are more aligned with a company’s strategic goals will motivate greater CSI engagement through the mediation of perceived positive CSI impacts on the employer.

• Proposition 3: CSIs with greater moral intensity will motivate greater CSI engagement through the mediation of perceived positive CSI impacts on external beneficiaries.

Perceived Impacts

CSI content Characteristics CSI Engagement

• Employee development opportunities

• Strategic alignment• Moral intensity

On theEmployee,Employer,Community

Perceived Impacts

CSI content Characteristics

CSI implementation Characteristics

CSI Engagement

How do CSI implementation characteristics moderate the effects of CSI content characteristics on perceived impacts?

• Employee development opportunities

• Strategic alignment• Moral intensity

On theEmployee,Employer,Community

• CSI resource commitment• CSI communication

Constructs• CSI Resource Commitment

– the level of resources committed to the initiative– Tangible assets (e.g. financial and logistical support; Booth et al.,

2009; Caligiuri et al., 2013; Ramus & Steger, 2000)– Intangible assets (e.g. managerial attention; O’Reilly, Caldwell,

Chatman, Lapiz, & Self, 2010; Ocasio, 1997)

CSI resource commitment moderates the effects of CSI content characteristics on perceived impacts

Theory• Adequate resources increase likelihood of goal achievement

– Content characteristics reflect only goals / intentions, not outcomes– Mismatch between goals and resources may occur due to managerial

ineffectiveness or lack of commitment

• For CSIs to be perceived as impactful, committed resources must be

– Sufficient (over time) size, variety, duration and consistency of resources (Du, Bhattacharya, & Sen, 2010; McShane & Cunningham, 2011)

CSI resource commitment moderates the effects of CSI content characteristics on perceived impacts

• Proposition 4: CSI resource commitment will enhance the positive effects of CSI content on perceived CSI impacts.

CSI resource commitment moderates the effects of CSI content characteristics on perceived impacts

Literature review• Employees’ perceptions of CSI impact influenced by

communication from external stakeholders, stories, rumors, and individual accounts within the organization (cf. Bentele & Nothhaft, 2011; Chouliaraki & Morsing, 2010; Golob et al., 2013; McShane & Cunningham, 2011)

Construct• CSI communication

– information formally provided by the organization to its employees about the goals and progress of a CSR initiative

CSI communication moderates the effects of CSI content characteristics on perceived impacts

Theory• Communication provides social accounts and representations of

initiative outcomes that employees can further evaluate from their unique perspective (Griffin, Bateman, Wayne, & Head, 1987; Salancik & Pfeffer, 1978; Ihlen et al., 2011; Tost, 2011)

• Higher quality CSI communication should increase correspondence between CSI content and employee perceptions of impact

– Dimensions of quality: comprehensiveness, validity, timeliness• Comprehensiveness – degree to which CSI communication

addresses all the CSI goals• Validity – degree to which CSI communication is fact-based and

consistent with existing facts• Timeliness – degree to which CSI relevant information is

communicated in a timely manner as indicated e.g. by frequency of communication

CSI communication moderates the effects of CSI content characteristics on perceived impacts

• Proposition 5: CSI communication will enhance the positive effects of CSI content characteristics on perceived CSI impacts.

CSI communication moderates the effects of CSI content characteristics on perceived impacts

Perceived Impacts

CSI content Characteristics

CSI implementation Characteristics

CSI Engagement

Individual Differences Moderating the Effects of Perceived Impacts on CSI Engagement

• Employee development opportunities

• Strategic alignment• Moral intensity

On the Employee, Employer, Community

• CSI resource commitment • CSI communication

Employee identity

• Competence-based future self• Organizational identification• Identification with community beneficiaries• Moral identity

Employee’s Competence-Based Future Self will Moderate the Effects of Perceived Impact on the Employee on CSI Engagement

Literature review• Possible selves “represent individuals' ideas of what they might become,

what they would like to become, and what they are afraid of becoming” (Markus & Nurius, 1986:954)

– e.g. future, provisional, ideal, counterfactual and feared (or unwanted) selves (Higgins et al., 1994; Higgins, 1987; Ibarra, 1999; Markus & Nurius, 1986; Obodaru, 2012; Oyserman, Bybee, Terry, & Hart-Johnson, 2004; Petriglieri & Stein, 2012)

Construct• Competence-based future self

– the degree to which personal competence is central to an individual’s future self i.e. a “self-standard” to be adhered to across time and life domains (Crocker & Wolfe, 2001 p.594)

– an ideal involving being capable, imaginative, independent, responsible etc. (Rokeach, 1973; Weber, 1990)

Employee’s Competence-Based Future Self will Moderate the Effects of Perceived Impact on the Employee on CSI Engagement

Theory• Needs, beliefs, and values are more likely to influence intentional action

when they are reflected in future selves that provide cognitive representations of self-fulfillment (Markus & Nurius, 1986).

• The stronger the competence-based future self, the more perceived opportunities for self-development will lead (through self-interested motives) to the employee committing more time, attention, and energy to participate in the CSI.

• Perceived impact on the employee would therefore have a stronger effect on CSI engagement for those high in competence-based future self-identity.

Employee’s Competence-Based Future Self will Moderate the Effects of Perceived Impact on the Employee on CSI Engagement

• Proposition 6: Employee competence-based future self-identity will strengthen the positive relationship between perceived CSI impact on the employee and CSI engagement.

Employee’s Identification with Affected Groups will Moderate the Effects of Perceived Impacts on CSI Engagement

Constructs• Organizational identification - the perception of oneness with, or

belongingness to, the employing organization• Identification with community beneficiaries - the perception of

oneness with, or belongingness to, the beneficiary group• Identification is a function of degree to which employee perceives shared

characteristics and experiences with members of the group

Employee’s Identification with Affected Groups will Moderate the Effects of Perceived Impacts on CSI Engagement

Theory• The more employees identify with a social group, the more likely they are

to internalize and be motivated to contribute towards the goals of social group (Haslam et al., 2000; Levine & Crowther, 2008; Tajfel & Turner, 1979; van Knippenberg, van Knippenberg, De Cremer, & Hogg, 2004).

• Identification should increase the motivational power of perceived positive impacts on a stakeholder by increasing relational motives for engagement

• Proposition 7: The employee’s organizational identification will strengthen the relationship between perceived impact on the employer and employee engagement in the CSI.

• Proposition 8: The employee’s identification with external beneficiaries will strengthen the relationship between perceived impact on external beneficiaries and employee engagement in the CSI.

Employee’s Identification with Affected Groups will Moderate the Effects of Perceived Impacts on CSI Engagement

Employee’s Moral Identity will Moderate the Effects of Perceived Impact on Beneficiaries on CSI Engagement

Construct• Moral identity - the importance to a person’s self-construal of exhibiting

moral characteristics such as being caring, compassionate, generous, helpful and kind towards others (Aquino & Reed, 2002; Blasi, 1984).

Theory• Perceived CSI impact on external beneficiaries would have greater salience

for employees high in moral identity, because those high in moral identity tend to be more concerned about having positive impacts on others regardless of personal identification (Hannah, Avolio, & May, 2011; Reed & Aquino, 2003; Reynolds, 2008).

Employee’s Moral Identity will Moderate the Effects of Perceived Impact on Beneficiaries on CSI Engagement

• Proposition 9: Employee moral identity will strengthen the positive relationship between perceived CSI impact on external beneficiaries and CSI engagement.

Final theoretical model

Implications and Intended contributions

1. Explain multiple mechanisms underlying CSI engagement2. Emphasize substantive variation (relevant to CSI engagement) in

the content and implementation of CSIs3. Highlight the relevance of impact vs. identification in CSR

engagement4. Expand the notion of engagement at work to include “extra role”

behaviors (Morrison, 1994)

Study design

• Study 1: Experiment– Purpose: Test main effects– Design: 2 (development opportunities) x 2 (strategic alignment) x2

(moral intensity) between subjects– Sample: c. 200 students– Context: University diversity outreach program– Strength: experimental objective manipulation of IV– Limitation: student sample and low face validity

• Study 2: Field survey of recent volunteers– Purpose: Provide additional support and test moderating effects with a

more valid sample– Sample: Recent volunteers sourced on Amazon MTurk– Strengths: Face valid– Limitation: common method / same source bias; cross-sectional

Thank you

• Questions?• Suggestions?