Corporate Social Responsibility and Organizational Performance: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to provide a comprehensive understanding of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and organizational performance research by identifying its knowledge structure, research trends, evolutionary characteristics, and major research hotspots. Using the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) as the data source, this study employs CiteSpace to conduct a bibliometric analysis of the existing literature, including publication trends, institutional collaboration, keyword co-occurrence, keyword clustering, and timeline evolution. Furthermore, a traditional content analysis is conducted to synthesize the major research themes and reveal the theoretical foundations and development trajectory of the field. The results indicate that research on CSR and organizational performance has experienced sustained growth during 2018–2025, with financial performance, corporate governance, stakeholder theory, sustainable development, environmental performance, green innovation, and organizational performance emerging as the dominant research themes. The findings further reveal that the field has gradually evolved from traditional financial performance and corporate governance perspectives toward emerging topics such as stakeholder engagement, technological innovation, environmental sustainability, and sustainable value creation. Nevertheless, inconsistencies remain in CSR measurement, organizational performance evaluation, and the underlying mechanisms linking CSR to organizational outcomes, highlighting the need for further theoretical integration and empirical investigation. This study provides a systematic overview of the intellectual structure and evolution of CSR and organizational performance research and provides valuable theoretical and practical implications for future CSR research.