Culture and Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability

Abstract

The cultural context in which organizations and their members are embedded is increasingly being seen as a major factor influencing corporate social responsibility and sustainability (CSR/CS) strategies and practices, as well as organizational members’ propensities to engage in responsible and sustainable behaviors. Despite the potentially critical role of culture in CSR/CS, we know surprisingly little about how cultural values and practices influence the adoption of CSR/CS practices at both individual and organizational levels. In this chapter, we review existing research that has explored the linkage between culture and CSR/CS and “map” this body of research by juxtaposing two perspectives: (1) the extent to which the emphasis is on “doing good” (i.e., the factors promoting the adoption of socially responsible and sustainable practices) or on “avoiding harm” (i.e., the drivers of irresponsible and unsustainable practices); and (2) the extent to which the culture–CSR/CS link is analyzed from a comparative perspective (looking at differences in CSR/CS across cultures) or an intercultural perspective (focusing on the CSR/CS-related challenges facing organizations operating in different cultural contexts). We discuss the implications for research and show how work at the intersection of culture and CSR/CS might advance further.