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ORGANIZATIONAL CYNICISM: ITS RELATIONSHIP TO PERCEIVED ORGANIZATIONAL INJUSTICE AND EXPLANATORY STYLE

FITZGERALD, MICHAEL ROBERT
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1019069421

Abstract Details

2002, PhD, University of Cincinnati, Arts and Sciences : Psychology.
Recent research suggests that organizational cynicism should be interpreted as a reaction to the policies and practices of an organization as opposed to a reflection of the general attitudes and traits of its employees. However, no one has investigated the underlying psychological factors that explain the link between organizational actions and employee cynicism. The present study examined the role of organizational injustice and explanatory style as precursors to organizational cynicism. Organizational injustice refers to people’s sense that their organization has been unfair to them in terms of the outcomes they receive, the processes used to determine their outcomes, and the interpersonal treatment they have experienced. In this study, higher levels of perceived organizational injustice were predicted to be associated with higher levels of organizational cynicism. Reactions to injustice, however, might differ depending on the attribution made regarding the cause. It was hypothesized that individuals who tend to attribute negative events to factors that are more external to self, stable (i.e., always present), and global (i.e., influences other situations in their life) are more likely than others to develop a cynical attitude in response to organizational injustice. 226 male and 90 female employees from a large manufacturing company completed 4 web-based measures including the Organizational Cynicism Scale (Dean et al., 1998), the Cynicism About Human Nature Scale (Wrightsman,1992), the Attributional Style Questionnaire (Peterson, 1992), and the Organizational Justice Measure (Colquitt, 2001). Stepwise multiple regression showed that higher scores on each injustice dimension were predictive of organizational cynicism and that their combined effect accounted for 29% of the variance. Furthermore, organizational injustice was a stronger predictor of organizational cynicism than was cynicism about people in general. Moderated Multiple Regression (MMR) revealed a significant, but weak, moderating effect of explanatory style when combined with distributive injustice and no effect with procedural or interpersonal injustice. Interpretations include the possibility that cynicism is a coping response to perceived organizational injustice and possibly a necessary one given the lack of safe alternatives for directly addressing injustice. Interpretations regarding the inconsistent moderating effect of explanatory style include the possibility that explanations regarding distributive injustice are more varied and, therefore, more likely than the others to conform to one’s explanatory style. Suggested next steps include further investigation into organizational injustice, explanatory styles, and other variables that might contribute to organizational cynicism.
Dr. Anthony Grasha (Advisor)
76 p.
organizational cynicism; organizational injustice; explanatory style; negative work attitudes; cynicism

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • FITZGERALD, M. R. (2002). ORGANIZATIONAL CYNICISM: ITS RELATIONSHIP TO PERCEIVED ORGANIZATIONAL INJUSTICE AND EXPLANATORY STYLE [Doctoral dissertation, University of Cincinnati]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1019069421

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • FITZGERALD, MICHAEL. ORGANIZATIONAL CYNICISM: ITS RELATIONSHIP TO PERCEIVED ORGANIZATIONAL INJUSTICE AND EXPLANATORY STYLE. 2002. University of Cincinnati, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1019069421.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • FITZGERALD, MICHAEL. "ORGANIZATIONAL CYNICISM: ITS RELATIONSHIP TO PERCEIVED ORGANIZATIONAL INJUSTICE AND EXPLANATORY STYLE." Doctoral dissertation, University of Cincinnati, 2002. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1019069421

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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This open access ETD is published by University of Cincinnati and OhioLINK.