TY - JOUR
T1 - Transforming Corporate Social Responsibilities
T2 - Toward an Intellectual Activist Research Agenda for Micro-CSR Research
AU - Girschik, Verena
AU - Svystunova, Liudmyla
AU - Lysova, Evgenia I.
N1 - Published online: November 3, 2020.
PY - 2022/1
Y1 - 2022/1
N2 - In their recent essay, Gond and Moser (2019) have proposed that micro-CSR research has the potential to “matter” and transform business practices as it engages closely with how individuals in companies work with and experience corporate social responsibility (CSR). But can micro-CSR research in its current form realize this transformative potential and serve social justice? Adopting an intellectual activist position, we argue that the transformative potential of micro-CSR is severely limited by its predominant focus on CSR as defined, presented, and promoted by companies themselves, thereby serving to sustain the hegemony of the business case for CSR, promoting narrow interests and maintaining managerial control over corporate responsibilities. We propose that micro-CSR researchers broaden the scope of their research to cultivate the potential of alternative ideas, voices, and activities found in organizational life. In so doing we lay out a research agenda that embraces employee activism, listens to alternative voices, and unfolds confrontational, subversive, and covert activities. In the hope of inspiring other micro-CSR researchers to explore these unconventional paths, we also offer suggestions as to how we can pursue them through empirical research.
AB - In their recent essay, Gond and Moser (2019) have proposed that micro-CSR research has the potential to “matter” and transform business practices as it engages closely with how individuals in companies work with and experience corporate social responsibility (CSR). But can micro-CSR research in its current form realize this transformative potential and serve social justice? Adopting an intellectual activist position, we argue that the transformative potential of micro-CSR is severely limited by its predominant focus on CSR as defined, presented, and promoted by companies themselves, thereby serving to sustain the hegemony of the business case for CSR, promoting narrow interests and maintaining managerial control over corporate responsibilities. We propose that micro-CSR researchers broaden the scope of their research to cultivate the potential of alternative ideas, voices, and activities found in organizational life. In so doing we lay out a research agenda that embraces employee activism, listens to alternative voices, and unfolds confrontational, subversive, and covert activities. In the hope of inspiring other micro-CSR researchers to explore these unconventional paths, we also offer suggestions as to how we can pursue them through empirical research.
KW - Corporate social responsibility
KW - Critical performativity
KW - Employee activism
KW - Intellectual activism
KW - micro-CSR
KW - Corporate social responsibility
KW - Critical performativity
KW - Employee activism
KW - Intellectual activism
KW - micro-CSR
U2 - 10.1177/0018726720970275
DO - 10.1177/0018726720970275
M3 - Journal article
SN - 0018-7267
VL - 75
SP - 3
EP - 32
JO - Human Relations
JF - Human Relations
IS - 1
ER -