Understanding and mitigating cynicism in the workplace
Abstract
Purpose
Organizational cynicism is on the increase. The purpose of this paper is to explore how dispositions promote cynical attitudes and how to mitigate the negative impact of organizational cynicism for employees.
Design/methodology/approach
The data consisted of two samples (n=312 and n=529) of employed adults. All participants completed online surveys containing the variables of interest. The hypothesized model was tested using structural equation modeling.
Findings
Low levels of core self-evaluation (CSE) predict organizational cynicism which, in turn, mediates the relations between CSE and job attitudes. Importantly, the authors find that supervisory support moderates both the relations between CSE and organizational cynicism and organizational cynicism and job satisfaction.
Originality/value
Little research has directly assessed the role of dispositions in the development of organizational cynicism. The authors suggest that CSE contributes to the development of cynical attitudes. Further, the authors demonstrate that a supportive supervisor can serve as a buffer to mitigate the expression and effects of organizational cynicism on workplace outcomes.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Previous versions of the studies appearing in this paper were presented at the 2008 Conference of the Administrative Studies Association of Canada and appeared in the conference proceedings as well as the 2009 Academy of Management Conference. Support for these studies was provided by a Social Sciences and Humanities Council Standard Research Grant awarded to David Zweig. The authors would like to thank Samantha Hansen for her feedback on a previous version of this manuscript.
Citation
Scott, K.A. and Zweig, D. (2016), "Understanding and mitigating cynicism in the workplace", Journal of Managerial Psychology, Vol. 31 No. 2, pp. 552-569. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMP-01-2015-0023
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2016, Emerald Group Publishing Limited