Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has evolved from a discretionary luxury to a strategic driver of organizational resilience and performance. This study examines how CSR initiatives, combined with disruptive innovation, influence firms’ adaptive capacities and outcomes, while assessing the moderating roles of R&D investment and competitive intensity. Analyzing survey data from 435 firms across 19 industries through structural equation modeling and contingency theory, the research reveals that proactive CSR engagement strengthens organizational resilience during crises, enhancing performance metrics such as return on assets and sales growth. Disruptive innovation mediates this relationship, with R&D intensity amplifying CSR’s positive effects, particularly in highly competitive environments. Both young and mature firms demonstrate accelerated recovery and sustained performance when integrating CSR with innovation strategies. The findings underscore CSR’s dual function as a risk mitigator and value creator, offering managers and policymakers actionable insights for aligning CSR investments with resilience building priorities. This study advances stakeholder and contingency theories by positioning CSR as a critical lever for sustainable economic development in volatile markets.
Hasan et al. (Wed,) studied this question.