Professional aspirations as indicators of responsible leadership style and corporate social responsibility. Are we training the responsible managers that business and society need? a cross-national study

Abstract

The relationship between responsible leadership (RL), identified from achievement expectations, and the importance attached to corporate social responsibility (CSR) was analyzed. In a survey of 1,833 business management undergraduates in six Ibero-American countries, factor analysis identified three approaches to stakeholder relations, behaviors, and professional aspirations: a relational style associated with the intention to collaborate with others; a pragmatic style geared to attaining personal and organizational objectives; and an individualist style informed by a drive for personal achievement. Regression analyses confirmed the relationship between relational and pragmatic styles and CSR geared to stakeholder well-being, protection of social and natural environments, and ethical management. Both were associated with regard to the responsibilities that ensure business survival (such as meeting customer needs), while the individualist style was aligned with hostility toward those dimensions of CSR. These findings suggest that the relational and pragmatic styles lead to more effective CSR management

Se analiza la relación entre estilos de liderazgo responsable (LR), éste último identificado a partir de las expectativas profesionales de logro, y la importancia atribuida a la responsabilidad social corporativa (RSC). Contamos con 1,833 participantes de seis países iberoamericanos que cursaban estudios universitarios relacionados con gestión empresarial. Un análisis factorial identificó un estilo de LR relacional orientado a colaborar con otras personas, un estilo pragmático asociado a logros personales y organizacionales y un estilo individualista orientado a intereses personales. Los análisis de regresión mostraron una relación positiva entre los estilos relacional prágmatico y la valoración de la RSC que busca el bienestar de la comunidad, de stakeholders internos y externos, la protección del medioambiente y el comportamiento ético, a la vez que asegura la sostenibilidad de organización, aspectos todos ellos valorados negativamente desde el estilo individualista. Los datos sugieren que en el contexto socio-económico actual los estilos relacional y pragmático serían más efectivos para implementar la RSC