Drawing on organizational identity and neo institutional theory, this article investigates the practices and strategies performed by CSR managers when they initiate processes to reframe the CSR identity of the company. To do so, we draw on qualitative data from a research conducted within ASICS, a multinational firm headquartered in Japan. We show how local European CSR teams engaged into sensemaking and action to both make CSR compatible with the Japanese context and to transform the headquarter approach to CSR. Our findings uncover the dialectic work of CSR managers, balancing three types of practices: 1) anchoring CSR within organizational routines and culture, 2) disrupting existing managerial practices by promoting new vision, collaboration tools and innovation, 3) engaging internal and external stakeholders.
