The mediating role of organizational identification between corporate social responsibility dimensions and employee opportunistic behavior: Evidence from symmetric and asymmetric approach triangulation

Hospitality studies on corporate social responsibility (CSR) have largely examined its role in stimulating positive behaviors but overlooked its role in preventing negative behaviors among employees. Drawing from social identity theory, the present study addresses this gap by investigating four CSR dimensions' impact on employee opportunistic behavior. The joint use of covariance-based structural equation modeling (SEM) and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) supported examining the research model. Using two-wave data from 281 U.S. hospitality employees, SEM findings reveal that legal and philanthropic dimensions of CSR serve as a valuable shield against opportunistic behavior. Moreover, organizational identification (OI) fully mediates the effects of economic, legal, and ethical CSR on opportunistic behavior, whereas philanthropic CSR exerts no effect through OI. This study advances CSR studies by examining the CSR–opportunistic behavior nexus using combined symmetric and asymmetric approaches. FsQCA findings make a methodological contribution to the net effects of CSR, by determining two configurations that explain opportunistic behavior.