Corporate Social Responsibility and Organizational Psychology - Free Paper Sample

Introduction

Corporate social responsibility (CSR), according to Glavas (2016), refers to caring for other people and the environment with the intention of adding to the business value. The concept of corporate social responsibility was introduced in the 1950s. It is integrated into the organizational strategy and operations and eventually enhances the company’s relationships with the major stakeholders, its employees, the customers, and the natural environment. Evidently, the implementation of CSR could significantly improve the operations at Teton Grand, an organization whose primary purpose is to educate people on various aspects of the environment and how to sustain, live in, care for, and appreciate the environment and nature. The employees at Teton Grand work directly with large groups of people. The organization could benefit from CSR not only by enhancing employee outcomes but also in achieving some of its dreams, such as improving the experience of enrolled individuals. This paper reviews various articles on CSR and includes a proposal that identifies three significant aspects that would help Teton Grand.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

Article Review

Approximately 93% of the biggest organizations in the world in terms of revenue have integrated corporate social responsibility into their reports. CSR is essential in that it potentially influences all aspects of organizations, including the daily routines, the stakeholders, and organizational strategy. There is extensive research on CSR at the organizational and institutional levels. However, recent research on CSR addresses its impact on an individual level, that is, its impact on employees. Psychology scholars, such as industrial and organizational psychologists have studied the topic and provided more information on organizational trust, perceived support, identity, and job opportunities. This research is intended to shed light on employee involvement in CSR and the impact on employee outcomes. Glavas and Radic (2019) state that recent psychology-based research on CSR focuses on three significant trends that are, to investigate whether CSR has a positive influence on economic performance, whether CSR is normative, and whether its role in society extends beyond financial profit. These trends affect employee perception of CSR and promote the study of various topics in industrial and organizational psychology, including the importance of career development, alignment of values, employee purpose, and self-concept.

Based on the available research on CSR, there are some challenges while measuring CSR, especially the varying nature of employee perception on CSR and the impact on their behavior and work attitude. Organizational psychologists can promote CSR and help employees understand their role bearing in mind that the experience of enrolled individuals depends solely on the attitude of the employees. Additionally, CSR seeks to improve various aspects of an organization by recognizing the forms of responsibility in play. It intends to define the role of corporate responsibility in society and measure business performance. Glavas (2016) reviewed various literature and empirical research on CSR. This literature highlighted its impacts, such as organizational commitment, organizational identity, organizational citizenship, and improving the relationships among employees. In other words, CSR helps develop a culture that appreciates and promotes the importance of healthy relationships within the organization and with the clients and stakeholders.

Geva (2008) describes a three-dimensional model based on the categories of CSR. These categories are discretionary, ethical, legal, and economical on the first dimension, pro-action, accommodation, defense, and reaction on the second dimension, and social issues such as product safety and environment on the third dimension. Based on the article, corporate social performance plays an essential role by acting as the guiding framework that outlines the considerations in CSR evaluation. Three basic CSR models, that is, the concentric circles, the intersecting circles, and the pyramid are reviewed, and the managerial implications, methodological tools, and conceptual structures are compared. However, the typical outcome is the growing relationship and importance of the financial role of the organization and the societal role.

The Proposal

The primary objectives of the Teton Grand rely on the employees. The key to improving the experience of the students and creating engaging and fun sessions is making sure that the employees are content with their roles in the organization. Research shows that a positive employee attitude allows healthy interactions with the students, thus allowing them to understand their goals and needs. A positive employee attitude affects customer service and eventually increases profit for the business. Therefore, the only way to ensure that the students remain happy and provide a suitable environment and engaging sessions is to keep the employees satisfied and happy. Based on this argument, the three key issues to be targeted at Teton Grand are employee satisfaction, ergonomics accommodation, career development, and employee training.

Employee job satisfaction enhances workplace productivity and employee motivation. A motivated employee who enjoys his work is more likely to engage his students and learn more about their needs. Employee satisfaction also provides a sense of organizational identity whereby the employees find common ground between the organizational goals and personal goals. The research on the relationship between CSR and organizational identity is still ongoing, but fostering organizational trust and support is essential to maintaining positive employee attitudes and employee satisfaction.

Ergonomics refers to the study of employee interactions with the workplace, products, and systems. The implementation of procedures to help the employees familiarize themselves with the defined objectives of the organization is recommended. This allows them to master the context of the program, foster confidence, and enhance employee performance. Teton Grand should provide products and systems to help the employees perform their duties better. Some of these products may include a system with a summarized version of the program that actively allows the employees to study the content. This system would boost employee confidence and promote trust with the students.

Career development and employee training are essential. As in many organizations, each employee is assigned different tasks. On an individual level, the employees should be trained based on their individual skills and short- and long-term career development goals. Each employee should be assessed individually, and their role analyzed in relation to the company. There should be ongoing training programs, especially if the course material changes over time. The training program also provides room for active career growth. Employees could train and prepare for various roles within the organization, thus allowing flexibility, professionalism, and mastery of the course material.

Corporate citizenship and corporate responsibility are enhanced by implementing the above actions. Rather than focusing on the financial impact and social implications of the organization, corporate citizenship addresses issues on the performance of Teton Grand in terms of the employees, stakeholders, and the environment. Employee performance influences corporate citizenship. Since the above-proposed actions seek to improve employee attitude, foster trust, and healthy relationships with the students, and eventually place the main focus on the goals and needs of the students, corporate citizenship is enhanced. Also, this concept of corporate citizenship is essential since it helps in the integration of stakeholder and employee relationships into the company operations, thus making it a priority at Teton Grand.

The mission at Teton Grand is to educate people on the best ways to survive in nature and sustain it. Based on this mission, the organization is tasked with the responsibility to teach students to take care of the environment. This could be considered a social responsibility on its own. Therefore, ensuring that the employees are adequately trained and motivated enough to engage their students is essential to impact the environment positively.

Conclusion

In summary, Teton Grand could benefit from CSR not only by enhancing employee outcomes but also by achieving some of their dreams, such as improving the experience of enrolled individuals. Based on the articles reviewed in this paper, CSR not only focuses on the economic impact of an organization but also on the well-being of the employees and the social implications of business operations. Therefore, as an industrial and organizational psychologist, I would recommend three courses of action to enhance employee performance and improve the experience of the students. These actions include employee satisfaction, ergonomics accommodation, and career development, and employee training. The proposal also addresses corporate citizenship and social responsibility.

References

Geva, A. (2008). Three models of corporate social responsibility: Interrelationships between theory, research, and practice. Business and Society Review, 113(1), 1-41.https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8594.2008.00311.x

Glavas, A. (2016). Corporate social responsibility and organizational psychology: An integrative review. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 144.https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00144

Glavas, A., & Radic, M. (2019). Corporate Social Responsibility: An Overview From an Organizational and Psychological Perspective. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Psychology.https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190236557.013.90