Corporate social responsibility climate and participation: a regulatory focus perspective

Purpose Based on regulatory focus theory, this study aims to explore the relationship between perceived corporate social responsibility (CSR) climate and employee CSR participation and to investigate the mediating roles of affective organizational commitment (AOC) and CSR rumination and the moderating role of CSR value congruence. Design/methodology/approach This study collected three-wave, time-lagged field survey data from 353 employees of Chinese firms and used path analysis to test the theoretical model. Findings Perceived CSR climate enhances employee CSR participation through AOC, particularly when CSR value congruence is high; conversely, perceived CSR climate impedes employee CSR participation through CSR rumination, especially when CSR value congruence is low. Originality/value This study enriches the CSR literature by providing empirical evidence of the mediating effects of AOC and CSR rumination on the relationship between perceived CSR climate and employee CSR participation, as well as the moderating effect of CSR value congruence. The findings offer practical insights to help organizations promote the benefits of CSR and mitigate its potential drawbacks.