Maturidade em inovação sustentável e em responsabilidade social corporativa: implicações no desempenho empresarial

Abstract

Sustainable Innovation is strategically associated with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), integrating the economic, social and environmental dimensions in a joint and integrated manner. As a way of verifying this association and its implications for business performance (BP), the models of Maturity in Sustainable Innovation (MSI) and Maturity of Corporate Social Responsibility (MCSR) allow us to identify how companies are evolving in a certain area and, from there, create business value and gain competitive advantage. Based on Resource-Based Theory, the present study examines the influence of MSI on MCSR and the mediator effect of MCSR on the relationship between MSI and BP. The analysis is based on Structural Equations Modeling, considering a sample of 58 companies based in the Amazon region, Brazil. The results indicate a strong relationship between MSI and MCSR; that MCSR positively influences BP; and that MCSR exerts a positive mediator effect on the relationship between MSI and BP. These results allow us to advance our strategy studies, providing mechanisms for managing sustainability-related practices as possible sources for analyzing value generation and promoting competitive advantages for companies.