Management Dynamics



Management Dynamics

Introduction

CSR (corporate social responsibility) is emerging phenomenon in the business world that has gained attention in academia, as well as among practitioners. This essay examines the role of leader in developing and implementing CSR agenda, evaluate whether Chin, Bambrick and Trevino comments are aligned with the behavioural theories of leadership or contingency theories of leadership, compare the concepts of superficial (unauthentic) CSR and embedded (authentic) CSR, and role of employees in CSR. The discussion is based on two articles by McShane and Cunningham, and Chin, Bambrick and Trevino.

Discussion

Leadership Group Impact on CSR

Leadership has a vital role in the developing, promoting and implementing CSR. Most significantly there are organisational leaders who are responsible for successful development and implementation of CSR as they are ones who communicate the values and beliefs of the organisation among its employees and other stakeholders (McShane and Cunningham, 2012). Leaders are the ones who make efforts to influence employees to take responsibility for what they do. In addition, leaders have a very important role in motivating employees to determine the relative authenticity of CSR agenda of their organisation.

Leadership within the organisation is responsible to gain the commitment of its employees and stakeholders towards CSR agenda by communicating the authenticity of these programs and agenda in the eyes of stakeholders. The successful development and implementation of CSR program is only possible if the top management have an absolute commitment, and ensure consistency and transparency because external and internal customers respond positively to CSR activities, which are driven by the corporate or organisation values.

Leadership group plays an essential role in successful adoption of CSR practices or sustainability agendas by leading and catalysing these efforts, and to promote the agenda of CSR and aims to employees. Leaders support is imperative to ensure that an effort of CSR becomes an organisational aim. In addition, it is the leaders' role to communicate the commitment of organisation to CSR, to encourage employees to participate and to draw out support from employees. Leaders need to integrate external support, lead them, plan efforts from several departments, and empower employees. Briefly, leaders are the ones who create authentic CSR agenda and encourage employees to participate in CSR programs; thus, have to serve as resistance manager, liaison, coach, advocate and communicator.

Chin, Bambrick and Trevino Comments

Without any doubt, the comments of Chin, Bambrick and Trevino (2013) are more aligned with behavioural theories of leadership than with the contingency theories of leadership. The remarks of these researchers are founded on the belief that good leaders are not born but made, and emphasises on the leaders' actions, not on internal states and mental qualities. They argued that people become great leaders by observation and teaching. On several instances, they quoted the experiences of leaders; for example, theory of upper echelons enable for considerable influence of executive while suggests that leaders differs in the personal orientation that has a vital influence on their decisions (Hambrick, 2007).

The emphasis of Chin, Bambrick and Trevino is more ...