Idealism, Disillusionment, and Cynicism in Response to Values (In)Congruences in U.K. Nonprofit Organizations: An Exploratory Study

Zoe Sanderson

doi:10.1177/0899764021995249

Abstract

I present the findings of an exploratory qualitative enquiry into how employees in U.K.-based nonprofit organizations with clearly espoused organizational values experience values (in)congruences. Participants tended to adopt one of three positions—idealism, disillusionment, or cynicism—which they may transition between at different times. I use the theoretical lenses of the ideological psychological contract, organizational identification, and organizational cynicism to interpret these employees’ experiences. These data show how ideological psychological contract and organizational identification processes are entwined as employees fluidly navigate values (in)congruence in nonprofits. This analysis supports a critical reading of organizational cynicism, demonstrating how nonprofit values can be experienced as a form of managerial control, against which employees may wish to defend their selfhood. Several directions for future research are indicated.

Highlights

I present the findings of an exploratory qualitative enquiry into how employees in U.K.-based nonprofit organizations with clearly espoused organizational values experience valuescongruences
I describe employees’ responses to valuescongruences in U.K. nonprofit organizations, postulating that they can be categorized into positions of idealism, disillusionment, and cynicism that participants can transition between
Similar positions have been identified among public sector employees in response to values incongruences experienced among newly qualified nurses (Maben et al, 2007) or structural change and rhetorical incongruences among social workers (Carey, 2014), but these have not previously been explored much in nonprofit contexts, in which values are likely to be salient to the employment relationship (De Cooman et al, 2009, 2011)

Summary

Introduction

I present the findings of an exploratory qualitative enquiry into how employees in U.K.-based nonprofit organizations with clearly espoused organizational values experience values (in)congruences. I use the theoretical lenses of the ideological psychological contract, organizational identification, and organizational cynicism to interpret these employees’ experiences. These data show how ideological psychological contract and organizational identification processes are entwined as employees fluidly navigate values (in)congruence in nonprofits. Socialization processes can increase the perception of congruence between employees’ personal values and those of their organizations in for-profit organizations (Cooper-Thomas et al, 2004; Kim et al, 2005) and nonprofits (De Cooman et al, 2009) This leads to greater homogenization of the values of organizational members and the attrition of those who inadequately “fit” (De Cooman et al, 2009; Schneider, 1987). While the literature affirms the general existence of reciprocity in IPCs (O’Donohue et al, 2007; Bal & Vink, 2011), some evidence for outcomes is emerging (Griep et al, 2018; Vantilborgh et al, 2014), and interesting new theory has been postulated (Jones & Griep, 2018), many unanswered questions remain about what kinds of “ideology” might form the basis of an IPC, what reciprocity dynamics might be involved, and with what outcomes

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Conclusion