Abstract
Research applying institutional theory to corporate social responsibility (CSR) has experienced remarkable momentum. Institutional theory-based CSR research illustrates the role of values in guiding both agentic choices for CSR and the influence of institutional structures on CSR agency. Although values have been explored in this literature, systematic studies of values that seek to gain insights into the mutual relationship between agentic choices and structures are lacking. Such insights are crucial for exploring whether and how CSR is enabled or constrained. We thus ask two interrelated questions: (1) What is the role of values in institutional theory-based CSR research? (2) How and along which avenues should future institutional theory-based CSR research that focuses on values be mobilised? Based on our analysis of this line of literature from 1989 until 2021, first, we take stock of established institutional theory perspectives on CSR and disentangle what role values have played in this literature. Second, we outline how to mobilise values in future institutional CSR research based on four promising but under-investigated areas. From our literature analysis, two central functions emerge (which we label ‘bridging’ and ‘referencing’) that values can perform in the institutional analysis of CSR. Based on these two functions, our values-focused framework will help scholars examine the moral foundations that inform business–society interactions as well as understand how companies can responsibly manage those interactions with societal stakeholders.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 3-23 |
| Number of pages | 21 |
| Journal | International Journal of Management Reviews |
| Volume | 25 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Early online date | 19 May 2022 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jan 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The authors thank Associate Editor Jonathan Pinto for his excellent support during the review process and three anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments. Previous versions of this paper have been presented at the Academy of Management Annual Conference 2019 and the European Group for Organizational Studies Colloquium 2019. In the case of the last conference, we have very much benefited from discussions in the context of “Sub-theme 25: Institutional Theory and Problem-driven Research: The Challenge of Normativity.” Our research also highly benefited from feedback on earlier versions of this article by Bruce Barry, Caroline Gatrell, Emilio Marti, Jonathan Schad, and Roy Suddaby. Open access funding provided by Berner Fachhochschule.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Authors. International Journal of Management Reviews published by British Academy of Management and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Funding
The authors thank Associate Editor Jonathan Pinto for his excellent support during the review process and three anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments. Previous versions of this paper have been presented at the Academy of Management Annual Conference 2019 and the European Group for Organizational Studies Colloquium 2019. In the case of the last conference, we have very much benefited from discussions in the context of “Sub-theme 25: Institutional Theory and Problem-driven Research: The Challenge of Normativity.” Our research also highly benefited from feedback on earlier versions of this article by Bruce Barry, Caroline Gatrell, Emilio Marti, Jonathan Schad, and Roy Suddaby. Open access funding provided by Berner Fachhochschule.
