Corporate social responsibility needs base philosophy: An integrative multidimensional approach to hospitality employees’ green innovative behaviors

This study addresses a critical research gap in understanding the mechanisms through which corporate social responsibility (CSR) influences green innovative behaviors (GIBs) among hospitality industry employees. Despite increasing recognition of the importance of sustainability, little is known about how CSR initiatives can effectively motivate employees to engage in GIBs. This research aims to explore the conditions under which instrumental CSR (ICSR) and volunteer CSR (VCSR) foster GIBs, with a focus on the mediating roles of meaningfulness (MGF) and positive emotions (PE) and the moderating effect of perceived sustainability policy (PSP). Utilizing a survey method, data were collected from 430 hotel employees to test the proposed multi-level model. The findings reveal that MGF and PE partially mediate the impact of both ICSR and VCSR on GIBs. Furthermore, PSP was found to significantly enhance the effectiveness of CSR initiatives, particularly when initial levels of ICSR, VCSR, MGF, and PE were low. The study offers theoretical implications by integrating self-determination and need satisfaction theories with CSR research, and practical implications by providing a roadmap for hospitality organizations to strategically leverage CSR for sustainability. Future research should consider longitudinal studies and explore the role of cultural factors in CSR-GIB dynamics.