Critical Essay: The reconciliation of fraternal twins: Integrating the psychological and sociological approaches to 'micro' corporate social responsibility. (January 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Gond, Jean-Pascal; Moser, Christine
• Is Part Of: Human relations. Volume 74:Number 1(2021)
• Page Start: 5
• Page End: 40
• Publication Date: 2021-01
• Subjects: Corporate social responsibility -- individuals -- micro-CSR -- microfoundations -- organizational behavior -- organizational theory; Social sciences -- Periodicals; 302
• DOI: 10.1177/0018726719864407
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0018-7267

Abstract

Aguinis and Glavas' call for a deeper understanding of the microfoundations of corporate social responsibility has spurred a growing number of empirical micro-CSR (corporate social responsibility) studies. Micro-CSR scholars share the common goal of developing a clear picture of the microfoundations of CSR—a holistic theoretical and empirical understanding of how individual actions and interactions drive CSR-related activity—but pursue this objective from a variety of angles. Our research suggests that although many scholars work under the same 'micro-CSR' banner, they approach their goal from a wide range of disciplines, use different methodologies, and study different phenomena. In this critical essay, we show that most micro-CSR research can be classified in one of two distinct sub-fields: 'psychological micro-CSR' and 'sociological micro-CSR.' We compare the differences between these orientations (including their distinct empirical approaches, and contributions of both fields of micro-CSR) and explore possible opportunities for cross-fertilization between the psychological and sociological approaches. Finally, we suggest ways in which micro-CSR scholars could exploit the complementarities and eliminate the blind spots common to the two dominant micro-CSR approaches.