Even if the Tower Is “Ivory,” It Isn't “White:” Understanding the Consequences of Faculty Cynicism.

Abstract

Prompted by a seemingly growing level of cynicism within academia, on the part of Academy of Management members in particular, I developed a new measure of cynicism and investigated a previously untested structural model in which cynicism is related in sequence to organizational identification, affective commitment, job satisfaction, and turnover intentions. Data were obtained from 379 faculty members who were participants in the 2004 Academy of Management Meeting. Structural equation modeling was used to represent and test the hypothesized latent structure of the respective constructs, as well as the proposed structural paths between constructs. Support was found for the convergent and discriminant validity of the constructs underlying the structural model and for the network of proposed relationships. The implications of these findings for management education and learning, as well as avenues for future research, are discussed.

How do cynical employees serve their customers? A multi-method study

“…This is because cynicism is expressed destructively (e.g., uncooperative) and actively (e.g., employing voice but in a disparaging way) (Wilkerson et al, 2008). Empirical evidence showed that employee cynicism associates negatively with organizational commitment (Andersson & Bateman, 1997), organizational citizenship behaviour (Abraham, 2000;Bedeian, 2007), job satisfaction (Abraham, 2000), and positively with grievance (Wanous, Reichers, & Austin, 2000), badmouthing (Wilkerson et al, 2008), and employee turnover (Bedeian, 2007). Therefore, it is highly relevant to investigate its role in employee-customer service encounters (Ashforth & Humphrey, 1993;Dormann & Zapf, 2004).…”

The positive group affect spiral: a dynamic model of the emergence of positive affective similarity in work groups

“…Employees high on organizational cynicism typically are emotionally detached and alienated from their work environment, and they often hold negative, malevolent, hostile, and overly critical attitudes towards co-workers, emphasizing their own alleged moral superiority (Abraham, 2000). Cynicism has been shown to diminish individuals' job satisfaction (Johnson & O'Leary-Kelly, 2003), organizational commitment and identification (Bedeian, 2007;Treadway et al, 2004), and extra-role behaviors (Andersson & Bateman, 1997).…”

Internal Marketing Based on the Hierarchy of Effects Model for the Life Insurance Industry

“…Bedeian (2007) indicated that OI is an antecedent of OC. Meyer et al (2006) further suggested that OC mediates the effects of OI on employee behavioral intention and outcome.…”