The Influence of Responsible Leadership on Corporate Social Responsibility: The Mediating Role of Affective Organizational Commitment and Organizational Identification

ABSTRACT Currently, organizations are facing unprecedented stakeholder expectations for corporate social responsibility (CSR). To face this challenge, responsible leadership is crucial. However, the mechanisms that explain how these leaders encourage CSR engagement are underexplored, emerging as a critical research priority. Drawing on the Social Identity Theory, this study aims to contribute to this purpose by analyzing the influence of responsible leadership on CSR practices evaluated by the employees. Moreover, the mediating role of affective organizational commitment and organizational identification is analyzed in this proposed relationship. Through a cross‐sectional design and a purposive sampling technique, 818 employees from different sectors in Bogotá, Colombia, answered the online questionnaires during several training programs. PLS–SEM was performed to test the hypotheses. The findings suggest that responsible leadership plays a crucial role in strengthening CSR practices by fostering organizational identification and enhancing employees' affective organizational commitment. Developing models that explain how leaders foster the CSR practices not only contributes to expanding the existing literature but also can be useful to leaders' recruitment and development, enhancing an organizational CSR engagement aligned with current SDG priorities.