The impact of community-oriented social responsibility of small and medium-sized enterprises on their resilience

Abstract

The community functions as a critical stakeholder for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as the survival and development of SMEs are inherently community-based. However, with the expanding role and influence of SMEs, their significance in addressing socially relevant issues—such as boosting employment, driving innovation, and enhancing living standards—has become increasingly prominent. This shift has made the fulfillment of community-oriented social responsibility for SMEs an unavoidable imperative.The primary objective of this study is to examine the impact of community--oriented social responsibility initiatives adopted by SMEs on enterprise resilience, while simultaneously investigating the mediating role of employees’ psychological capital. Building on the existing literature, this study focuses on the theme of “the influence mechanism of SMEs’ community--oriented social responsibility on enterprise resilience” and employs a cross-sectional research design, with data collected from employees of SMEs.The results indicate two key findings: First, community--oriented social responsibility initiatives significantly enhance the organizational resilience of SMEs. Second, employees’ psychological capital plays a full mediating role in the relationship between community-oriented social responsibility and SMEs organizational resilience.Ultimately, prioritizing the implementation of community--oriented social responsibility enables SMEs to achieve a win-win outcome. On one hand, it helps SMEs build a positive public image; on the other hand, it improves employees’ psychological capital—empowering SMEs to develop enterprise resilience and better cope with crises.