As organizations ramp up social responsibility efforts to tackle issues like climate change and inequality, employee buy-in becomes critical—yet not all employees embrace these changes. This research shows that tensions arise when employees’ personal views on CSR clash with their company’s chosen initiatives, leading to deeply varied responses across the workforce.
The core insight: “employee-CSR tensions” stem from mismatches between what employees hope CSR will achieve (for example, moral goals or business-centric outcomes) and what they perceive their organization is prioritizing. Some employees disengage, others comply reluctantly, while some engage selectively or push for organizational change. These reactions are shaped by the type of tension (goal conflicts, implementation methods), employees’ thinking patterns (both/and vs. either/or), and how deeply employees are embedded in organizational contexts.
For business leaders, expecting uniform buy-in is unrealistic—large-scale CSR efforts will naturally generate dissent and selective engagement. Surveys alone won’t reveal the full picture; understanding why employees resist or comply is even more important. Lastly, leadership should recognize that binary “either/or” approaches can sometimes boost engagement in conflict situations—challenging the idea that “both/and” thinking is always best when navigating CSR tensions.