Effect of Dimensions of Cynicism about Organization Change on Job Motivation, Job Involvement, and Turnover Intentions

Cynicism is an important parameter of resistance to change and an important factor that may hinder the success of any change initiative. This study examines the impact of the three dimensions of Cynicism About Organization Change (CAOC) – namely, situational attribution, dispositional attribution, and pessimism – on job involvement, job motivation, and turnover intentions. Data were collected from 361 employees of one division of an Indian information technology organization using a questionnaire. A proposed model representing various hypotheses was analyzed through structural equation modeling. Results indicate that pessimism about change had a negative linkage with job motivation. Cynicism due to dispositional attribution had a negative impact on job motivation and job involvement and a positive impact on turnover intentions of employees. Cynicism due to situational factors was positively linked with turnover intentions. The major contribution of our work is to illustrate that cynicism is a multidimensional construct, and each dimension of cynicism has a different impact on outcome variables of job involvement, job motivation, and turnover intentions. Managers need to consider the distinct impact of different dimensions of cynicism while countering their impact on increasing the job involvement and job motivation of employees, and reducing turnover intentions.