Nineteenth International Conference on Knowledge, Culture, and Change in Organizations

Abstract

The aims of the present study are to determine first if there is a link between responsible leadership and CSR in Luxembourg, and second Luxembourg’s specifics in the field of CSR. This study is the combination of research about responsible leadership and CSR in Luxembourg in connection with Hofstede’s cultural dimensions: high Long-Term Orientation (LTO), high Uncertainty Avoidance (UA), and high Collectivism (low Individualism). This is a qualitative study. 64 semi-structured interviews were conducted from January to August 2017 using four culturally different samples, namely: Luxembourgers with Luxembourgish Nationality (Lux.Nat.), foreigners who reside in Luxembourg (Lux.Foreigner), cross-borderers, and the rest of the world (World). Results were formed in three groups: Euphoric respondents who said it is the authenticity of the leader and his modelling role in lived CSR, second, moderate respondents, and, third, critical respondents, denying any link and claiming for change and innovation accusing the high Uncertainty Avoidance Index. In their opinion, there is an urgent need for managers to learn responsible leadership and CSR. Research implications are that this article contributes to the discussion on change and innovation in the field of leadership theory, first with particular emphasis on responsible leadership following Michael Maccoby, second on multilingual and multicultural Luxembourg in the middle of Europe, following Geert Hofstede and Edgar Schein, and third on CSR following Thomas Maak and Nicole Pless.