Acceso usuarios
Marta Riera, María Iborra Juan
Purpose– The aim of this article is to highlight the major part played by executives in the escalation of corporate social irresponsibility (CSI). Based on the upper echelons theory, the authors developed a model whichshowstheessential role of CEOs inexplaining CSI. Theauthorsproposed that the keypersonality traits of CEOs—narcissism—, as well as their power, could explain the degree of CSI. Design/methodology/approach–DuetothesignificantmethodologicalchallengeswheninvestigatingCSI, the authorsexploredanovelmethodformeasuringCSIinordertoassessthedegreeofirresponsiblebehaviors. TheauthorsbuildaCSIscalebasedontheperceptionsof keyinformants,i.e. experts withdiverse professional backgrounds. The authors apply CSI scale in a sample of 84 Spanish companies that were involved in CSI. Findings– The results of the authors’ empirical study show the positive and significant influence of CEO narcissism and CEO power on the degree of CSI. Research limitations/implications– On the one hand, corporate irresponsibility scandals have relevant social consequences and practical implications. On the other hand, narcissism is a natural feature of managers in top positions that is increasing in societies. Practicalimplications–Theauthors’findingsmayhelpCEOs,TMTsandcorporateboardstoacknowledge potential sources of CSI decreasing its likelihood through counterbalancing CEO’s power and considering the dark side of narcissism. Social implications– On the one hand, corporate scandals have relevant social and practical implications. On the other hand, narcissism is a natural feature of managers in top positions that is increasing in societies. Originality/value–Inthis paper,theauthorshighlighttherole ofCEOscharacteristics and theirfirms as the key actors for explaining and understanding the degree of CSI. Keywords Corporate social irresponsibility, CEO, Narcissism, Power, Upper echelons theory Paper type Research paper
