Corporate Social (Ir)Responsibility and Family Firms: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Family firms increasingly allocate more resources to corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices, driven by their idiosyncratic values, governance structures, and stakeholder pressures. However, such practices often vacillate between substantive CSR efforts and symbolic CSR. Utilizing bibliometric mapping, we conducted a systematic literature review (SLR) on CSR within family firms, analyzing 193 peer-reviewed articles from esteemed journals. Our findings reveal that CSR practices within family firms are influenced by both strategic and ethical motivations, with many of them leveraging CSR to preserve socioemotional wealth and reputation and comply with institutional pressures. However, we also unveil that these drivers may create tensions that define how CSR is adopted and executed. Specifically, such tensions can fuel forms of corporate social irresponsibility. In particular, this “dark side” is notably salient in succession uncertainty, entrenched leadership, and economic downturns, where CSR may be deprioritized or pursued symbolically. To advance the field, we pose questions and propose a future research agenda at the heart of CSR practices, family firms’ mechanisms, and the challenges of an uncertain global environment.