Implementing corporate social responsibility through charitable foundations in professional football: the role of trustworthiness

Rationale/Purpose: Charitable foundations constitute the prime mechanism for the implementation of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in sport. The relationship between the charitable foundation and the founding professional team sport organization (PTSO) is unique. Although extant research has shown that trust can be an instrumental predictor of organizational performance, we know little of the role of its main component, namely trustworthiness, in the context of CSR implementation through charitable foundations. Design/Methodology/Approach: Drawing on the UK’s football setting, an online survey (n = 124) was used to measure (through CFA and SEM and SPSS AMOS 21) the perceived trustworthiness of charitable foundation employees by their counterparts in PTSOs, and their perceived contribution to the PTSO’s performance. Findings: Findings reveal PTSO’s employees perceive their counterparts in the foundations as being trustworthy and that their CSR activities contribute to the PTSO’s performance. Trustworthiness is a key predictor of the perception that the implementation of CSR-related initiatives through foundations contribute to the perceived performance of the PTSO. Practical implications: Managers should facilitate trustworthy behavior between PTSOs’ employees and their counterparts in the foundations. The competence and predictability of employees of the foundation should be enhanced. Research contribution: This study demonstrates the importance of trustworthiness between employees from organizational entities driven by different goals.