The virtue paradox: how perceived organizational social responsibility and organizational shame fuel resistance to change among motivated public servants

Public organizations increasingly adopt corporate social responsibility frameworks, yet little is known about how employees react emotionally when their organization falls short of its professed standards. Drawing on appraisal theories of moral emotion, we examine whether organizational shame links perceived organizational social responsibility (OSR) to resistance to change, and whether public service motivation (PSM) moderates this process. Three-wave data from 113 French local government employees show that lower perceived OSR is associated with greater shame, especially among high-PSM employees, and that shame relates to greater resistance to change. Paradoxically, responsibility initiatives may fuel resistance among the most committed public servants.