Employees’ Perceptions of Corporate Social Responsibility and Their Extra-Role Behaviors: A Psychological Mechanism

Abstract

This study examines the mechanisms through which employees’ perceptions of corporate social responsibility (CSR) facilitate their performances of extra-role behaviors (i.e., organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) and creative behaviors). Because we intended to explore employees’ extra-role behaviors in workplaces, we used the survey method and collected the data from 505 employees working in IT companies in South Korea. To test our hypotheses, we conducted a path analysis and a bootstrapping method using SPSS 27.0 and the PROCESS macro. Our results show that CSR perceptions are positively related to both OCBs and creative behaviors. In addition, compassion and positive psychological capital mediate positive relationships. By demonstrating the mechanism through which employees’ CSR perceptions lead to their two forms of extra-role behaviors at work via compassion and positive psychological capital, our results provide a more comprehensive view of their effects at work. Furthermore, in addition to the instrumental benefits of CSR activities, such as their positive effects on corporate performance, our results suggest that engaging in CSR activities is vital for organizations seeking corporate sustainability.