Efectos de la responsabilidad social empresarial sobre la identificación organizacional de los empleados: Autenticidad o falacia

Greenwashing implies the predominance of the fallacious application of the corporate social responsibility (Symbolic CSR) over its authentic practice (Substantive CSR). It represents, by definition, a conceptual conflict, worth it to observe in light of its impact on the organizational identification of employees. This work examines this impact by carrying out a cross-sectional investigation and analyzing it through structural equation modeling. The study is applied to a sample of two hundred and twenty professional employees in Colombia. Results obtained are mainly in line with the theory; they show a positive effect of Substantive CSR on employees’ organizational identification, as well as a futile character of Symbolic CSR on this same attitude. However, the study also finds a direct correlation between Symbolic CSR and Substantive CSR, which suggests a possible tacit acceptance of greenwashing as a valid organizational practice. This work contributes to enhance the theory, given the fact that a recently proposed conceptual model was academically tested for the first time ever. Likewise, at a practical level, results suggested that the decision-making process when related with CSR is under continuous scrutiny by employees, in function of its sense of authenticity and therefore with consequences that may affect their behavior.