Feeling good about responsible product innovation: Why and how managers commit

This study examines why and how managers commit to responsible product innovation (RPI) opportunities. Despite increasing interest in RPI, the responsible innovation literature has yet to explicate the emotional microfoundations that affect managerial commitment. We employ a qualitative multiple-case study of 26 firms pioneering RPI initiatives to address that gap. We develop a framework of four distinct regulatory foci that combine managers' sense and scope of responsibility which explains why and how managers commit to RPI opportunities based on their holistic feeling of making the right or wrong choice. Our findings reveal that commitment is not only based on rational evaluations but is also strongly influenced by emotions arising from socially situated appraisals. This study extends regulatory focus theory by introducing the dimension of responsibility scope and shows how an emotional conviction that one is “doing right” fundamentally shapes decision-making in responsible innovation contexts. The results highlight the importance of fostering managers' emotional engagement with broader social and environmental considerations to enhance commitment to responsible innovation. • Explains why and how managers commit to responsible product innovation under uncertainty • Reveals emotional microfoundations shaping socially situated innovation appraisals • Multiple-case study of 26 pioneering firms engaged in responsible innovation initiatives • Extends regulatory focus theory by adding responsibility scope to explain commitment • Shows feelings of “doing right” drive decisions beyond rational cost–benefit analysis