Polatcan and Titrek (2014) postulate that for organizations to keep pace with the changing global conditions, it is crucial for employees to have high levels of job satisfaction and incentives, in addition to their organizational commitment. The authors note that organizational cynicism has become increasingly crucial for organizations given that it is one of the most threatening aspects of organizational success. Moreover, the authors state that the concept of leadership behavior comprises of more than what is commonly stated in the job descriptions, and includes aspects of the transfer of knowledge and skills from the leaders to the subordinates. Hence, the authors argue that in organizations with higher levels of cynicism, the levels of employee motivation and satisfaction decline significantly. The study sought to establish the relationship between leadership behavior and organizational cynicism for school principles. The results of the study depicted a negative relationship between leadership behavior and organizational cynicism.
The arguments presented by the authors corroborate with my experiences in leadership research and organizational theory in that they agree with the fact that cynicism affects such organizational behavior as job satisfaction. Increased cynicism among the workers leads to a decline in job satisfaction. The concept of cynicism involves the aspect of believing that people sacrifice aspects of justice, honesty, and sincerity in pursuit of personal interests. Cynics also tend to disbelieve the organization as well as its values; thus bringing alienation, where increased alienation towards the organization and all that pertains grows with increased cynicism. According to Wilson (2013) the more workers become alienated from the organization and its values and goals, the poorer their performance becomes since they lack the required motivation to continue pursuing the set organizational goals.
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One of the leadership theories that explains the importance of trust in organizations is the transformational leadership theory. The theory focuses on motivating employees towards the achievement of the organizational objectives through the creation of solid leader-subordinate relationships that result in a high degree of trust, which further motivates the followers as well as the leader both intrinsically and extrinsically. Unlike leaders who demonstrate cynicism towards their followers, thus lowering their job satisfaction and morale, transformational leaders ensure that their followers are motivated towards achieving the organizational goals through their charismatic personalities and inspirational nature, which makes most followers to give the organizational needs priority over their interests. Such attributes of transformational leaders provide followers or employees with a sense of ownership in the organization since they readily identify with the organizational purpose and the leader, unlike in cases where cynicism prevails, causing employees to feel alienated from the organization.
The article illustrates that cynicism is negatively related to leadership behavior, and it further leads to low employee performance due to low motivation and job satisfaction levels. I will apply the principles outlined in the article in my organizational setting by paying attention to the empathizing dimension of leadership, which is essential in creating trust between the leadership and the subordinates, a crucial aspect in eliminating cynicism. I will focus more on providing personal support and job satisfaction towards the employees, embracing the employees’ ideas and innovations, and openness to new suggestions and ideas. Further, to help improve employee motivation and satisfaction, I will focus on establishing the key factors that contribute to cynicism in the organization and establish effective ways of addressing such factors. Moreover, I will consider organizing in-service training programs for employees to help eradicate the impacts of cynicism in the organization.
References
Polatcan, M., & Titrek, O. (2014). The relationship between leadership behaviors of school principals and their organizational cynicism attitudes. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences , 141 , 1291-1303.
Wilson, F. (2013). Organizational behavior and work: a critical introduction . Oxford: Oxford University Press.
