Chapter 5: The Value of Innovative Leadership Practices on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

From the Book: The Refractive Thinker®: Vol. VII: Social Responsibility

Summary

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become an increasingly important aspect of organizational strategy as a result of increased competition, globalization, increased public pressure for environmentally friendly business operations, labor standards, and need for corporate transparency and accountability. The presence of these influential factors has made leadership practices and corporate social responsibility a budding nuance of organizational complexity and assessment. The complex nature of organizations often makes the efficient engagement in CSR challenging, as the amount of differentiation that exists within assorted interdependent systems constituting the organization, including its intermediaries, staffs, customers, and stakeholders. Organizations triumphant with CSR usually engage in leadership behaviors that are innovative, collaborative, adaptive, and change-oriented. This chapter reviews literature and influential business cases on CSR and instigates some discussion on challenges in implementing CSR as well as how effective leadership activities can influence the process through selecting moral leaders. In addition, a new type of business model that calls for the strategic implementation of corporate social responsibility is also discussed.