Editorial: A sensemaking perspective on corporate social responsibility: introduction to the special issue

In a time when corporate governance seems to be rooted in detailed control systems, where codes of conduct are perceived to give meaning to daily activities and where a global organization parallels a unified actor, it might seem odd to approach CSR from a sensemaking perspective. Still, we believe that much can be learned from such an approach. Research has proven over and over again that a one-sided structure-based approach of stimulating responsible behaviour is missing its goal. Our understanding of CSR can gain considerably from a sensemaking perspective, because it attracts attention to some dubious assumptions behind CSR that are too often taken for granted. For example, it is often stated that CSR is based on shared values, without questioning by whom these values are shared or how a shared meaning of values originates in an organization.