How does corporate social responsibility promote innovation? The sequential mediating mechanism of employees’ meaningfulness of work and intrinsic motivation

Abstract

Based on group creativity framework, our research investigates how corporate social responsibility (CSR) promotes innovation of firms by revealing sequential mediating mechanisms of employee’s meaningfulness of work and intrinsic motivation. By applying a multi-level approach, this study examines the internal processes of micro-level variables between two macro-level variables (i.e., CSR and innovation). Utilizing a 3-wave longitudinal data from 4,178 organizational members in 502 branches as well as objective CSR records from one of the largest Korean commercial banks, we found that employee’s meaningfulness of work and intrinsic motivation sequentially mediate the CSR-innovation link. The results suggest that CSR functions as a powerful driver of innovation through enhancing employees’ perceptions and attitudes toward their job.