Why Do Some Conservative CEOs Publicly Support Liberal Causes? Organizational Ideology, Managerial Discretion, and CEO Sociopolitical Activism.

This article examines the factors influencing chief executive officers' (CEOs) decisions to engage in sociopolitical activism, focusing on liberal activism in particular. It finds that while CEOs' own political ideologies affect their likelihood of activism—with liberal CEOs more inclined to speak out on liberal issues—the prevailing ideological orientation of their employee base (organizational ideology) is a stronger predictor. Notably, conservative CEOs are more likely than liberal CEOs to engage in "begrudging activism," adopting liberal stances when pressured by a predominantly liberal workforce, reflecting a more instrumental, business-case rationale. The study uses data from CEOs invited to sign a 2016 open letter opposing North Carolina's "bathroom bill" and employs political donation records to measure ideologies, supported by a supplemental experiment. These findings highlight the role of organizational ideology as a source of managerial discretion that can compel CEOs to act contrary to their personal beliefs in the symbolic domain of activism.