This conceptual paper examines how managers, acting as organisational agents, can influence their firm's level of engagement in corporate social responsibility (CSR). With CSR considered as a strategic choice, this paper undertakes to model the largely under-studied processes through which managers proactively pursue the enactment of their identity – their self – and their social role in their position of power in the firm's management team. The study offers a new framework connecting these multilevel influences, suggesting that firms present the highest level of CSR when led by managers who intrinsically value CSR, who perceive their social role as a salient identity, and who have the ability to exercise power in their management team. Implications for managers and researchers complete this article.
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