Ideals and practices in CSR identity making: the case of equal opportunities

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to report on a qualitative research illustrating how equal opportunity ideals as part of a corporate CSR identity project are practiced on the local level. Design/methodology/approach – Investigating the practice of CSR identity making, an ethnographic fieldwork methodology relying on longitudinal participant observations and semi‐structured interviews has been applied. Findings – The authors argue that the practice of equal opportunities should be understood as a process of local interpretation of generally formulated ideals. By viewing the content of CSR identity as a socially negotiated process, it is suggested that a dynamic approach to the concept is required. The practice of equal opportunity is a continuously negotiated process of identity making and of locally relating ideals to practice in the negotiation between different stakeholders. Research limitations/implications – The article is based on a single case study with a limited number of informants. Practical implications – This paper has implications for managers who work with CSR initiatives and corporate identity. The authors suggest that policies should be developed in close interaction with the different organizational members. This is necessary in order to manage the mutual expectations. To reach the best results in terms of managing corporate identity, it is necessary to consider CSR as a participative process. Originality/value – Earlier studies on CSR have described corporate identity in static terms, independent of the local practices and interpretations. By applying a process‐oriented theoretical perspective combined with an iterative data collection, new insights into the actual practice of CSR initiatives are provided.