Channeling Employees’ Positive Moral Emotions in CEO Activism: The Role of Care-Oriented Leadership Communication

Abstract

CEO activism has the potential to inspire employees’ activism and engender a broad societal impact. Yet, few studies have provided empirical evidence exploring the impact of CEO activism on employees’ cognition, emotion, and behavior. Drawing on multidisciplinary insights from moral psychology theories, signaling theory, social learning theory, and build-and-broaden theory of positive emotions, we theorize a conceptual framework that delineates how CEOs’ communication stressing the moral value of ethics of care triggers employees’ other-directed positive moral emotions of gratitude, admiration, and elevation, which in term enhance employees’ perceived organizational virtuousness and their advocacy behavioral intentions in accord with the CEOs’ stances. The framework was supported by an online survey with 575 full-time U.S. employees. Our study sheds light on how CEOs can unleash the power of their activism in promoting a moral climate within their organization and producing a collective impact among their followers to enhance societal well-being.

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