Grounding managerial values towards social responsibility on an ideological framework

Abstract

Purpose The literature on corporate social responsibility (CSR) neglects the link between values and their ideological underpinnings. This paper aims to fill this void by grounding the managerial values towards CSR on an ideological ground by following the Schwartz’s (1994) value framework. Design/methodology/approach This paper provides a theoretical construct that builds the ideological stances of different managerial values towards CSR. Findings The study proposes that ideologically liberal managers might be involved in CSR based on their openness to change values, whereas their conservative counterparts are likely motivated by the conservative values such as security, conformity and tradition. On the other hand, egalitarian managers can engage in CSR based on their self-transcendence values, while non-egalitarian managers might involve in CSR based on their self-enhancement values as achievement and power. Practical implications The study can provide to all stakeholders a new perspective and a sound reference point to understand and monitor the socially responsible behaviours of managers. Originality/value The proposed bases of managerial values to CSR deepen the understanding on the antecedents of CSR. Based on the study, the future studies can configure out the role of diverse values on CSR in line with their ideological roots.