PurposeThe research has the following objectives: to contribute to a clear understanding of the present social commitment of small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs), analyzing the characteristics of CSR in them; making it easier to identify, develop and spread the instruments suitable to the SME specific demands in the creation of social value.Design/methodology/approachSurveys a set of SMEs, belonging to different industrial fields and operating on the Italian territory in the region Emilia Romagna.FindingsOn the basis of the analysis carried out in the paper, it has been possible to identify the principal managerial instruments used by the companies for the creation of social value and to identify those companies (approximately 63 percent of the reference sample) that adopt an integrated social responsibility approach. The majority of SMEs analysed have therefore perceived the social responsibility concept and welcome it, not only because they have moral or ethical reasons for doing so, but also because they maintain that this contributes to the growth of the company's own value.Practical implicationsAs there is no integrated approach, there exists no model in the literature that summarises the expectations of the stakeholders and the associated categories of value for these expectations. The “grid of values” developed in the present study constitutes a first level of such a model and a useful reference for the development of future research.Originality/valueIn the opinion of the authors, two aspects characterize the contribution of the present research methodology: the integrated approach towards all the interlocutors; and the analysis and development of “value classes” to measure the creation of social value.

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