Causal Pathways of Innovation Orientation, Sustainability, Leadership and Social Performance

Purpose: This article aims to find causal pathways that explain the success of sustainable international companies when their social performance is used as a measure. Design/Methodology/Approach: Using data collected from Polish international companies, a fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fs/QCA) was applied, finding common conditions that can explain the chosen outcome. Findings: The results of the analysis show that international companies can achieve social performance through multiple paths. The only variable included in all configurations is innovation orientation, indicating that this may be a key factor or prerequisite for achieving social performance in international companies. Practical Implications: The main achievement of this research is the discovery of two configurations that lead to high social performance. This result is essential for practice as it gives insight into success while focusing on sustainability. Originality/Value: This paper introduces the factors influencing the social performance of international companies and attempts to find out how the interplay of these different conditions creates pathways to success.