Unleashing the Role of CSR and Employees’ Pro-Environmental Behavior for Organizational Success: The Role of Connectedness to Nature

• Published in: Sustainability Vol. 14; no. 6; p. 3191
• Main Authors: Hongxin, Wang, Khan, Mohammed Arshad, Zhenqiang, Jian, Cismaș, Laura-Mariana, Ali, Mohammad Athar, Saleem, Usama, Negruț, Lucia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.03.2022
• Subjects: Behavior; Climate change; Corporate structure; Data collection; Developing countries; Employees; Environmental behavior; Environmental impact; LDCs; Multivariate statistical analysis; Norms; Organizational aspects; Small & medium sized enterprises-SME; Small business; Social exchange theory; Social responsibility; Stakeholders; Stockholders; Sustainability; Pakistan
• ISSN: 2071-1050; 2071-1050
• DOI: 10.3390/su14063191

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) and an organization’s financial performance are well discussed in the literature. However, the role of employees to spur the financial performance, especially the mediating effect of employees’ pro-environmental behavior between CSR and financial performance, is not well explored. Literature also shows that connectedness to nature can drive the pro-environmental behavior of individuals. However, the role of connectedness to nature in a CSR–financial performance framework has not been realized. Observing the above knowledge gaps, the current study investigates the CSR-financial performance relationship in the SME sector of a developing country with the mediating effect of employees’ pro-environmental behavior. The current study also notes the conditional indirect effect of connectedness to nature in the above-mediated relationship. A self-administered questionnaire (n = 489) with a paper–pencil technique was employed for data collection. Structural equation modeling was considered to validate the hypothesized relationships. The findings revealed that CSR could lead an SME to a higher level of financial performance via pro-environmental behavior. It was also noted that connectedness to nature produces a significant conditional indirect effect. Such findings have seminal implications for the SME sector, which are discussed in detail. One important implication is to realize the importance of employees’ pro-environmental behavior, through CSR and connectedness to nature, to thrive the financial performance of an SME.