Corporate social responsibility and employee constructive deviance: the roles of calling and attribution

Purpose This study aims to examine whether and how corporate social responsibility (CSR) impacts employee constructive deviance. Design/methodology/approach This study tested the hypotheses using a two-wave survey with 281 full-time employees in China. Additionally, an experiment (reported in the Online Supplementary Materials) was conducted to further examine the hypotheses. Findings CSR was positively related to employee constructive deviance, and calling mediated this relationship. The positive effects of CSR on calling and subsequent constructive deviance were stronger when employees attributed CSR to intrinsic motives and weaker when they attributed it to extrinsic motives. Practical implications This study provides guidance for organizations to leverage CSR practices to motivate employee behaviors that benefit the organization in unconventional ways. Originality/value By examining the mediating effect of calling, this study provides a novel perspective grounded in signaling theory to explain how CSR impacts employee outcomes. By examining the moderating role of CSR attribution, this research enhances understanding of how employees' interpretations of CSR impact the signaling effectiveness.