Moderating effects of collectivism orientations on the impact of incongruent CSR on employees' turnover intention: evidence from China

This study examines how employees' responses to incongruent Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) - where firms prioritize external CSR over internal CSR - are influenced by their collectivism orientations. Specifically, it distinguishes between two forms of collectivism: in-group collectivism, where individuals prioritize the welfare of their immediate group, and institutional collectivism, where individuals prioritize the well-being of the greater collective. Drawing on person-organization fit theory and social identity theory, this study proposes a mediated moderation model. Using survey data of 334 employees from firms in China, the findings reveal that: (1) institutional collectivism weakens, while in-group collectivism intensifies, the positive relationship between incongruent CSR and turnover intention; (2) institutional collectivism's interaction with incongruent CSR boosts organizational identification, whereas in-group collectivism's interaction with it hampers organizational identification; and (3) organizational identification mediates the interactive effects of collectivism orientations and incongruent CSR on turnover intention. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the role of cultural orientations in shaping employees' responses to incongruent CSR and the mechanisms underlying these effects.