Does authenticity matter? How and when employees’ attributions of CSR motives influence their green innovation behaviors: Empirical evidence from Albania

Background Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become a central component of contemporary business strategy, aiming to reduce environmental externalities through eco-friendly operations and employee engagement. While existing research suggests that employees often perceive and respond positively to CSR, there is a limited understanding of how employees attribute the underlying motives behind CSR initiatives and how these attributions influence their outcomes. Objective Drawing on Affective Events Theory (AET), this study's objective is to examine how employees’ attributions of CSR motives influence their green innovation behaviors, with environmental passion and environmental commitment serving as sequential mediators, and environmental empathy acting as a boundary condition. Methods An online survey was conducted in two waves to collect data from employees of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Albania. Responses from 423 participants were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) in SmartPLS 3.5 to assess the measurement and structural models. Additionally, Hayes PROCESS Macro was used to examine the hypothesized moderated-mediation effects. Results The results indicate that substantive CSR has a positive impact on green innovation behaviors. In contrast, symbolic CSR exerts a negative impact on these behaviors. Additionally, environmental passion and environmental commitment partially mediate the positive effect of substantive CSR on green innovation behaviors, and the negative effect of symbolic CSR on these behaviors. Furthermore, environmental empathy strengthens the positive indirect effect of substantive CSR on green innovation behaviors via environmental passion and environmental commitment, and simultaneously amplifies the negative indirect effect of symbolic CSR on green innovation behaviors. Conclusion For resource-constrained SMEs, authentic CSR is not merely ethical but a strategic necessity for securing long-term sustainable competitive advantage. Accordingly, our study offers several implications for theory and for practitioners.