Corporate Social Responsibility: Micro Foundation Framework for High Employee Performance in a Developing Country

CSR is a strategy to realize sustainability. CSR needs to be understood based on a priority scale and objectives to build a solid organizational structure and ensure sustainable CSR implementation. In this regard, CSR implementation at the micro and macro levels needs further explanation. The study aims to analyze the effect of CSR on employee performance through assessment and job satisfaction using the micro foundation framework. This causal study surveyed 382 state-owned enterprises’ non-manager employees in Indonesia. The results demonstrate employees’ responses to internal and external CSR. Internal CSR, which primarily aims to improve employee performance, was found to improve employee satisfaction and engagement and lead to better performance more significantly than external CSR. Internal CSR had a higher effect on employee performance than external CSR. Compiling a scale of top priorities for corporate stakeholders became the leading choice to encourage long-term performance. The originality of this study is that the foundation of long-term performance ensures the corporation’s performance, and CSR lies in the strength of the microstructure at the individual level. The implementation of CSR based on the legal system requires paying attention to the scale of priorities based on the internal function of CSR in strengthening a corporation’s microstructure.