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“When Doing Good Automatically Invites Suspicion: Implicit Bias in the Social Evaluation of CSR” was the focus of a recent presentation by Professor Pavlos Vlachos, Theodore Papalexopoulos Chair in Sustainability, Professor of Marketing, and Associate Dean of Research at Alba Graduate Business School, The American College of Greece, at the annual symposium of the Oxford University Centre for Corporate Reputation, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.
Research has long reported that individuals explicitly express positive beliefs about corporate social responsibility (CSR). However, self-reported moral beliefs often reflect individuals’ need to appear socially desirable, which can distort the picture. Professor Vlachos’ research goes further by examining implicit CSR beliefs that reveal unintentional biases in how people evaluate socially responsible actions.
Through six Implicit Association Tests (IATs), the study uncovers the existence of an “implicit CSR bias”: individuals unconsciously perceive CSR initiatives as being motivated by self-interest, which reduces trust in firms—even those with strong CSR reputations. Importantly, the findings suggest that explicit and implicit CSR evaluations may diverge significantly, with implicit evaluations being more skeptical.
The research also identifies two remedies to mitigate this bias:
- Cultivating a credible and consistent prosocial track record, as family-controlled firms often do.
- Using counter-stereotypical CSR communications to challenge assumptions and enhance trust.
This joint work, conducted with Antonis Stamatogiannakis (IE Business School) and Jonathan Luffarelli (MBS School of Business), contributes to the broader understanding of the social evaluation of prosocial behavior, showing that evaluations can be simultaneously positive and negative.
Faculty participation in such a prestigious forum underscores both the global relevance of Alba's research and the impact of the Theodore Papalexopoulos Chair in advancing knowledge on sustainability and responsible business practices.
