Employee Cynicism Research Articles

Impact of Workplace Bullying on Employee Cynicism by Considering Emotional Labor as a Mediator and Core Self-Evaluation as a Moderator

The current study investigates and evaluates the moderated mediation model by examining at the direct and mediated effects of workplace bullying on employee cynicism through emotional labor, using core-self-evaluation as a moderator, using the conservation of resource theory as a perspective. An online questionnaire survey is used in the research design. The data was analyzed using SPSS and AMOS. To evaluate the data from 216 workers, correlation analysis and regression were performed using all exogenous constructs as independent variables and the endogenous construct as the dependent variable. The study’s findings revealed that workplace bullying causes emotional labor among teachers, leading to employee cynicism, with core-self-evaluation as a significant mediator. The current study’s findings have consequences for both practice and theory. Because there is always room for improvement, the current study outlines several potential future research topics, such as time-lag studies with large sample sizes

Managing voluntary collective turnover: the impact of a cynical workplace climate

PurposeVoluntary collective turnover can be costly for workplaces. The authors investigate the effectiveness of high-performance work system (HPWS) intensity as a tool to manage voluntary collective turnover. Further, the authors investigate a cynical workplace climate (CWC) as a boundary condition on the HPWS intensity–voluntary collective turnover relationship.Design/methodology/approachThe unit of analysis is the workplace, with human resource (HR) managers providing data on HPWS practices in Time 1 (T1) and voluntary collective turnover two years later. Aggregated employee data were used to assess the cynical workplace climate. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses.FindingsThis study’s results demonstrate a negative relationship between HPWS intensity and voluntary collective turnover when there is a low cynical workplace climate. The authors find that in a high cynical workplace climate, HPWS intensity is ineffective at managing voluntary collective turnover.Research limitations/implicationsThis study’s results show that HPWS intensity needs to be well received by the workforce to be effective in reducing voluntary collective turnover.Practical implicationsTo increase the chances of HPWS intensity reducing voluntary collective turnover, workplaces need to assess the level of employee cynicism in their workplace climates. When the climate is assessed as low in cynicism, the workplace can then consider implementing an HPWS.Originality/valueThe authors explain why the HPWS intensity–voluntary collective turnover relationship varies across workplaces. As HR practices are subject to interpretation, workplaces need to look beyond the practices in their HPWS and focus on employee receptivity to HR practices.

Being mindful at work: a moderated mediation model of the effects of challenge stressors on employee dedication and cynicism

ABSTRACT Researchers have found the effects of challenge stressors to be contradictory, sometimes showing positive effects and other times showing negative effects. To disclose the nature of this inconsistency, our study takes a resource-based behavioural approach to examine why and when challenge stressors are beneficial or harmful for employees. Specifically, we examine how trait mindfulness affects the pursuit of different coping behaviours (i.e., resource building versus resource draining) when faced with challenge stressors, which further translate into outcomes of employee dedication and cynicism, respectively. A sample of 163 employees from various organizations finished surveys on focal research variables in three waves. Using structural equation modelling, we confirmed the hypothesized model. Our findings provide behavioural mechanisms explaining the contradictory effects of challenge stressors and establish a cognitive basis for selecting adaptive coping behaviours. People were provided with knowledge on practical behavioural copings, and organizations and practitioners should recruit or cultivate individuals with high mindful awareness for high-demanding jobs to avoid ineffective copings and corresponding ill-being.

A moderated mediation model of the association between coworker social undermining and knowledge hiding

PurposeThis study aims to test the relationship between perceived coworker social undermining and knowledge hiding behavior among Pakistani doctors working in hospitals. This study further investigates the mediating role of employee cynicism (EC) and the moderating role of family social support between the association of family social support and knowledge hiding.Design/methodology/approachTime lagged approach was used to collect the data from 391 trainee doctors working in large hospitals in Pakistan.FindingsThe findings suggest that coworker social undermining is significantly related to EC and knowledge hiding behaviors. EC mediates the relationship between EC and knowledge hiding. Furthermore, family social support was found to play a buffer role such that the indirect effect of social undermining on knowledge hiding through cynicism was weak for those who received high family social support and vice versa.Originality/valueKnowledge hiding is deleterious to effective organizational functioning. This study adds to knowledge about the relationship between coworker social undermining and knowledge hiding behavior. This research extends the existing research streams of social undermining and knowledge hiding research to one of the underrepresented South Asian context, Pakistan.

The association between interpersonal conflict, turnover intention and knowledge hiding: The mediating role of employee cynicism and moderating role of emotional intelligence

Academia is prone to incivility and interpersonal conflict like any other workplace environment, although incivility in academia is manifested in behaviors such as undermining colleagues’ professional standing, intelligence and authority; reprobating other’s accomplishments; and hiding knowledge from other faculty members. The autonomy, independence, academic freedom, and tenure in academia lead to a working environment (culture) with different “rules of engagement”, governed by the faculty members themselves. This study examines the impact of employee cynicism on faculty’s interpersonal conflict as a source of stress, which leads to undesirable organizational behaviors, namely higher turnover intention and knowledge hiding behavior; furthermore, the role of faculty’s emotional intelligence as a moderator on the relationship between interpersonal conflict among faculty members and turnover intention has been investigated as a second objective of this study. The study uses a quantitative method of research and analysis, by collecting data from 200 faculty members in private higher education institutions. The study’s hypotheses were tested by Smart PLS3 (SEM) to conclude that: 1) interpersonal conflict directly influences turnover intention and knowledge hiding behavior; 2) employee cynicism has no mediating effect in the relationship between interpersonal conflict, and turnover intention or knowledge hiding behavior; 3) Faculty’s emotional intelligence moderates the relationship between interpersonal conflict and turnover intention.

Interactive effects of supervisor support, diversity climate, and employee cynicism on work adjustment and performance

This study examined the interactive effects of perceived supervisor support (PSS), diversity climate, and employee cynicism on the work adjustment and performance of temporary migrant workers in the UAE’s hospitality industry. Drawing on the conservation of resources and trait activation theories, we hypothesized a three-way interaction effect of PSS, diversity climate, and employee cynicism on work adjustment. An effect of work adjustment on employees’ in-role performance was also proposed. Using two waves of data collected from 239 hospitality frontline employees and their direct supervisors, we found that PSS impacts more positively on the adjustment of employees with high cynicism when diversity climate is also positive. Employees with low cynicism display high adjustment with PSS even in less positive diversity climates. The indirect effect of PSS on in-role performance (via workplace adjustment) is also significant in inclusive climates for highly cynical employees.

THE CONCEPT OF EMPLOYEE'S HAPPINESS IN HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW

This study was carried out to reveal the importance of employee happiness in terms of Human Resources Management (HRM), to identify organizational concepts and job attitudes related to employee happiness, to accelerate studies on this issue, to guide future researchers and other interested people and to be useful in the literature. In this context, 48 articles published between 1995 and 2020 in the journal "Human Resource Management Review", which was scanned in the Science Citation Index (SCI), were examined through systematic literature review. In the light of the obtained findings, it has been observed that the concept of employee happiness is significantly related to the job attitude, the meaning of the job, the pleasure of work, entertainment at work, safe relationships, perceived justice, attachment styles, emotional loyalty, employee moods, employee cynicism, employee status, employee social skills, employee voice, employee loyalty, employee well-being, work experience, work stress, social relationships, health emotion, passion, high performance and loving job, ethical organizational culture, promotion-oriented self-control system, HR practices according to Miller's "Utilitarian Theory", Pro-Social Rule Breaking (PSRB) and Sustainable HRM strategies. Also, in the conclusion part of the study, suggestions developed for organizational concepts determined to be related to employee happiness in the literature are included.

Effect of CSR activities on meaningfulness, compassion, and employee engagement: A sense-making theoretical approach

• Built on sense-making theoretical perspective, we explore the effect of CSR activities on employee engagement (EE). • The mediating role of meaningfulness and compassion on the relationship between CSR and EE is also examined. • This study conducted a questionnaire survey among 350 employees of selected luxury hotels in New Delhi, India. • The results of this study reveal CSR’s positive effect on EE. • The results further reveal meaningfulness and compassion to partially mediate the association of CSR with EE. Despite growing recognition of CSR’s importance in hospitality industry, empirically-derived insight into its drivers, dynamics, and outcomes remains limited, as investigated in this study. Built on the sense-making theoretical perspective to explore the effect of CSR activities on employee engagement while examining the mediating role of meaningfulness and compassion on the relationship between CSR and employee engagement. To investigate our hypotheses, we conducted a questionnaire survey among 350 employees of selected luxury hotels in New Delhi, India. The results reveal CSR’s positive effect on employee engagement. In addition, meaningfulness and compassion partially mediate the association of CSR with employee engagement. This study identifies how CSR activities bring out a helping behavior in the form of compassionate acts, and offer meaning to employees in the hospitality context that is, otherwise, paralyzed by work-life imbalances and employee cynicism.

Employee Cynicism and Organizational Change

Organizational performance and its sustainability significantly depend on aligning business procedures with the fast-changing environment. Because of its significance, the study is based on the Social Exchange Theory. It has developed a new model that has five latent variables (i.e., organizational change, organizational commitment, trust, employee cynicism, and tendency to gossip and a total of fifteen direct and indirect relationships. The study has focused on SMEs in New York. The sample size for the survey was 390 calculated at a 95% percent confidence level and a 5% margin of error. The scales used in the study were adapted from earlier studies. The author has collected the data personally by visiting selected SMEs and used SmartPLS for data analysis. The results suggest that employee cynicism has a negative association with organizational change, the tendency to gossip, and trust. The organizational change also has a negative relationship with organizational commitment and trust. The tendency to gossip and trust have a negative association with organizational commitment. The results support all five single mediating relationships and two multi-mediating relationships. Based on the results, the study has concluded that the element of trust between employees and management is the most crucial aspect in SMEs of the surveyed units. Employees who have confidence and trust in management policies and procedures tend to support change management processes and have a high commitment level towards the organization.Keywords: Organizational change, commitment, trust, employee cynicism, the tendency to gossip.

THE RELATIONSHIP AMONG SUPPORTIVE ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE, JOB SATISFACTION, EMPLOYEE AFFECTIVE RESPONSE TO ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE, AND ORGANIZATIONAL CYNICISM

This research explores the relationship among supportive organisational culture, employee affective response to organisational change, job satisfaction, and organisational cynicism (employee cynicism to organisational change process). Educators from state-owned and private schools participated in this research. This research has four results. First, supportive organisational culture has positive influence on job satisfaction. Second, supportive organisational culture has no influence on employee affective response to organisational change. Third, job satisfaction has positive influence on employee affective response to organisational change. Fourth, employee affective response to organisational change has negative influence on organisational cynicism.

Job search behavior explained through perceived tolerance for workplace incivility, cynicism and income level: A moderated mediation model

This study aims to propose and examine a research model that explores how income level can moderate the mediating relationship between organizational tolerance workplace incivility and job search behavior through employee cynicism within the hotel industry. As such, the theoretical framework and non-western study context are each a novel consideration. Data were collected from 331 employees of 5-star hotels within Jordan, whereby structural equation modeling was adopted to test the relationships between constructs. The analysis revealed that when employees perceive a high level of organizational tolerance for workplace incivility, they reinforce cynical beliefs and increase their job search behavior. Results provide empirical support for income moderating the indirect relationships (via employee cynicism) between organization workplace incivility and job search behavior. This relationship is stronger among employees with lower levels of income. Practical implications concerning ways to improve managers' knowledge of workplace incivility and more operational ways of handling conflict are discussed.

A Closer Look at What Goes Wrong: Public Employee Cynicism and Resistance to Administrative Reform

ABSTRACT Despite numerous administrative reform efforts, few truly new and innovative changes are initiated, and repeated reform efforts can jeopardize the success of any new ones. Public employees become cynical and frustrated when faced with the constant parade of initiatives that come with the usual promise of imminent improvement but fail to materialize. Employees’ cynicism about administrative reform can inhibit their willingness to initiate future innovative action and plans. This study aims to contribute to a better understanding of organizational change cynicism by exploring how individual, relational, and organizational factors influence employees’ cynicism and how cynicism forms a resistance to participating in reform efforts, using data from a survey of 1,161 local government employees in South Korea. Negative affectivity, organizational identification, colleague cynicism, trust in management, perceived resource availability, and participative working environment served as antecedents of cynicism that can lead to resistance to administrative reform.

Afrocentric Attitudinal Reciprocity and Social Expectations of Employees: The Role of Employee-Centred CSR in Africa

In view of the limited consideration for Afrocentric perspectives in organisational ethics literature, we examine Employee-Centred Corporate Social Responsibility (EC-CSR) from the perspective of Afrocentric employees’ social expectations. We posit that Afrocentric employees’ social expectations and the organisational practices for addressing these expectations differ from conventional conceptualisation. By focusing specifically upon the psychological attributes evolving from the fulfilment of employees’ social expectations, we argue that Afrocentric socio-cultural factors could influence perceived organisational support and perceived employee cynicism. We further draw upon social exchange theory to explore rational reciprocity (i.e. attitude and behaviour) evolving from the fulfilment and breach of employees’ social expectations at work. Contrary to the rational norm of reciprocity, we identify a reciprocity norm within which the breach of employees’ social expectations could in fact engender positive reciprocity rooted in esan reciprocity ideology—an ideology that emerged from the ethical tradition of the Yoruba people from Nigeria, West Africa. Overall, our paper elucidates the implications of Afrocentric peculiarities for employees’ social exchange within the African workplace, thus extending the present understanding in this regard.

The Impact of Perceived Moral Leadership Behavior on Citizenship Rights and Organizational Cynicism

Background and Aim : In the 21 century, organizations are evolving rapidly and with an ethical leadership approach can promote employee citizenship rights and decrease cynicism. This study aimed to determine the effect of perceived ethical leadership behavior on organizational cynicism and citizenship rights. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive-correlational study, the statistical population consisted of the employees of cooperative, labor and social welfare offices of Guilan province in 2016, with Using Cochran formula, 230 people were selected by simple random sampling. The questionnaires of Sharif and Islamiyah’s citizenship rights, Yilmaz's ethical leadership behaviors, and Brandes et al's attitude of employees were used to collect data. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation and regression tests by SPSS 22 software. Findings: Perceived ethical leadership behavior had a positive effect on citizenship rights and a negative effect on employee cynicism (p=0.05). That is, climate ethics, ethics in decision making, behavioral ethics, and communication ethics have a positive impact on, and enhance citizenship rights, as well as perceived ethical leadership dimensions reduce organizational cynicism. Conclusion: According to the findings, adopting ethical leadership measures promotes organizational performance and productivity by promoting citizenship rights and reducing organizational cynicism. It is suggested that leaders of organizations, by adopting an ethical leadership approach, promote citizenship rights and reduce cynicism in their organization's employees and ensure the organization's stability, survival and progress. Please cite this article as: Habibi R. The Impact of Perceived Moral Leadership Behavior on Citizenship rights and Organizational Cynicism. Bioethics Journal 2019; 9(31): 9-20.

Linking Supervisor Bottom Line Mentality to Workplace Cheating Behavior

Research on the “dark side” of supervisor bottom-line mentality has determined that it has an enduring effect on employee attitude and behavior. However, its impact on employee cynicism towards org...

Daily Interactions with Cynical Coworkers Affect Employee Energy and Behavior

Employee cynicism is on the rise, and thus is increasingly part of the social fabric in modern workplaces. In this paper, we investigate whether interactions with cynical others may produce undesir...

Examining the role of employee engagement in the relationship between organisational cynicism and employee performance

PurposeOrganisational cynicism (OC) is a growing trend in contemporary organisations. However, its impact on employee performance (EP) remains understudied. The purpose of this paper is to address this gap by investigating its effect on EP. The study also investigates the moderating effect of employee engagement (EE) on the relationship between OC and EP.Design/methodology/approachPrimary data are collected through questionnaire from employees (N=200) of various health organisations in Pakistan by employing a convenient sampling technique. Hierarchical multiple regression is employed by using SPSS.FindingsThe findings of correlation and regression analyses reveal that OC has significant negative relationship with EP. Hence, the patient care is compromised in sampled organisations due to poorer performance of employees. Moreover, findings also reveal that EE has a moderating effect on relationship between OC and EP. Therefore, hospital management needs to increase EE to reduce the cynicism and improve performance. In addition, organisations and managers need to consider their role and actions creating the conditions that lead to cynicism among employees and should take trustworthy steps to increase employee retention and engagement and, ultimately, their performance. Moreover, the findings of the study indicate that the majority of respondents are not happy with their organisations. They also feel that the organisation is not fulfilling its promises and betraying them in several ways. This breach of contract becomes the reason for OC among employees and badly affects their performance. Most of respondents give importance to their career development and the findings reveal that organisations are not focussing on career development of their employees.Research limitations/implicationsThe study has some limitations and implications. The organisational culture can mitigate the negative effect of OC and enhance performance by promoting EE. It is recommended that employee cynicism can be reduced by providing a supportive environment, EE and fairness. Nevertheless, the findings of this study still help supervisors to inhibit this harmful effect by reducing the level of psychological contract violation and organisational politics that will reduce the level of cynicism among employees and improve their performance.Practical implicationsIt is found that OC has a major impact on the behaviour and attitude of employees, supervisors and representatives on the one hand and, ultimately, the organisation, on the other hand. These effects have specific susceptibilities due to the vicinity of the employees. It is recommended that employee cynicism can be reduced by providing a supportive environment.Social implicationsThe study also helps psychologists to understand employees’ attitudes and improve personnel selection to ensure they recruit the right people. Leaders need to communicate honestly, effectively and frequently to address cynicism in order to ensure ample staffing and resource levels that result in good patient care and positive work attitudes at hospitals.Originality/valueAccording to the researchers’ best knowledge, only few studies tried to investigate the relationship between organisational cynicism and EP by employing the moderating effect of EE. Therefore, it will be a good contribution in existing literature to understand consequences of cynicisms.

Linking Tolerance to Workplace Incivility, Service Innovative, Knowledge Hiding, and Job Search Behavior: The Mediating Role of Employee Cynicism

AbstractAlthough incivility has been identified as an important issue in workplaces, little research has focused on tolerance to workplace incivility. Drawing on conservation of resources and psychological ownership theory, this article investigates the mediating role of employee cynicism on the relationship between tolerance to workplace incivility and outcome variables (i.e., service innovative behavior, knowledge hiding behavior, and job search behavior) in the hospitality industry. Structural equation modeling and artificial neural network were applied on survey data obtained from five‐star hotels in Jordan. Building on the proposed theories, we show that employee cynicism mediates the link between tolerance to workplace incivility and knowledge hiding behavior, and job search behavior. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

The Impact of Workplace Bullying on Employee Cynicism with Mediating Role of Psychological Contract

The Impact of Workplace Bullying on Employee Cynicism with Mediating Role of Psychological Contract

Distributed leadership and employee cynicism: Trade unions as joint change agents

AbstractThe themes of change management and workplace partnership continue to attract significant academic interest—albeit within discreet literatures. Drawing on longitudinal, qualitative data in a heavy engineering organisation, this article details how a collaborative partnership between management and trade unions, encompassing a distributed leadership format, was configured to enhance organisational capacity for change in the context of significant employee cynicism. Bridging human resource management/organisational behaviour and industrial relations perspectives, the study makes a theoretical contribution to our understanding of the factors underpinning the successful implementation of workplace partnership and the utilisation of distributed leadership configurations. More generally, the work informs leadership theory through its scrutiny of distributed leadership in situations of high conflict.