| This study explores an interconnected perspective of organizational change cynicism (OCC) by testing a unique research model that targets OCC as an outcome variable, a predictor, and a mediator in relationships involving several change-relevant variables considered to be influential in the ultimate success of organizational change initiatives. An integrative theoretical framework is presented to support the proposed influencing factors and outcomes associated with the cognitive, affective, and behavioral dimensions of OCC. An improved working definition of OCC is additionally presented to capture affective elements related to perceptions of managerial accountability and competency, modified from existing definitions and conceptual works already present in the literature.;Data was collected from recipients of planned organization change using a nonexperimental research design including one wave of data collection and purposive sampling techniques, which resulted in a multi-organizational sample comprised of three mining- and oil-related businesses located throughout the USA. Initially, 111 out of 185 total responses were received reflecting a 60% response rate, later reduced to 101 usable responses after data cleaning. Hypotheses were tested using the partial least squares (PLS) technique, and additional analytic techniques were employed to support hypothesis testing: factor analyses, assessment of measure reliability and validity, tests for common methods variance (CMV), model fit evaluation, and correlation analysis.;The results of this study provide empirical support that OCC is directly and negatively related to (1) employees' desire to commit to change initiatives, represented as affective commitment to change (C2C), (2) their felt obligation to support the organization in reaching its change goals, represented as normative C2C, and (3) their general willingness to engage in cooperative and helpful behaviors that benefit work associates and the organization as a whole, represented as organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB). Employees who are cynical about change were also found to be less likely to believe that their organization values their contributions or cares about their well-being, represented as perceived organizational support (POS). This study corroborates previous research findings that perceptions of transformational leader behaviors (TLB) are inversely related to change-specific cynicism, and additionally reveals that OCC plays a statistically significant mediating role in the relationships between TLB and both affective and normative C2C and OCB. |
