Good soldier syndrome. Do organizational cynicism and work alienation matter?
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/EBHRM-01-2021-0004 |
| Published date | 21 December 2021 |
| Date | 21 December 2021 |
| Pages | 189-205 |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour,Global HRM |
| Author | Sabia Singh,Gurpreet Randhawa |
Good soldier syndrome.
Do organizational cynicism
and work alienation matter?
Sabia Singh and Gurpreet Randhawa
University Business School, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, India
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of organizational cynicism (OCyn) on
organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) among bank employees with a focus on the role of work alienation
(WA) as a potential mediator.
Design/methodology/approach –Using standardized questionnaire, data were collected from 381
employees working in the banking sector of Punjab, a northern state of India. Statistical techniques such as
hierarchical multiple regression and confirmatory factor analysis along with PROCESS macro were used for
data analysis.
Findings –Results reveal that OCyn has a significant negative effect on OCB. Further, WA is found to be
significantly partially mediating the relationship between the aforementioned constructs.
Research limitations/implications –This study pertains to a single sector i.e., banking sector restricting
the generalizability to other industrial and vocational settings. Further, it may be difficult to draw any causal
inferences as the research design adopted for this study is cross-sectional in nature.
Practical implications –In order to promote OCBs among bank employees, the formation of negative
workplace attitudes such as OCyn and WA needs to be regulated. This can be achieved through improving
communications network, encouraging participative decision-making activities, conducting psychological
counseling and stress management training sessions.
Originality/value –This study is one of the scarce empirical research works that have substantiated the
direct impact along with the indirect impact of OCyn (through work alienation) on OCB among bank employees.
Keywords Organizational cynicism, Work alienation, Organizational citizenship behavior, Banking sector,
Bank employees
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
Since its inception in the 1980s, the expression “Good Soldier Syndrome”(Organ, 1988) has
acquired the status of an intriguing field in the context of organizational behavioral research
(Gadot, 2006). It encompasses the arbitrary actions performed by the employees that fall
outside the purview of their organizational position or job role (Belogolovsky and Somech,
2010). Such actions or behavior s are commonly known as extra-rol e behaviors or
organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). The banking sector, like any other sector,
considers these behaviors to be the most worthwhile ones as they carry the potential to
generate productive outcomes (Abiante, 2018;Zhu, 2013). For instance, evidence suggests
that employees undertaking voluntary extra-role behaviors are more likely to produce
immensely contented customers by augmenting the quality of extended service (Bell and
Menguc, 2002). Such a high level of customer satisfaction is desirable as it, in turn, improves
customers’loyalty and strength, which ultimately boosts the bank’s performance (Sofiah
et al., 2014). Further, OCB contributes towards the positive growth and development of the
banking sector by enhancing employees’productivity and retention (Shah et al., 2020).
In recent years, the Indian banking sector has undergone tremendous changes either due
to economic reforms, surging financial crisis, numerous mergers and acquisitions, or
deployment of the latest technology (Gulati and Kumar, 2016;Kalra et al., 2013). Addressing
the challenges associated with such complex situations requires diligent bank employees
who surpass the expectations of the management about their formal job-related duties and
Good soldier
syndrome
189
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
https://www.emerald.com/insight/2049-3983.htm
Received 7 January 2021
Revised 6 May 2021
16 September 2021
Accepted 5 December 2021
Evidence-based HRM: a Global
Forum for Empirical Scholarship
Vol. 10 No. 2, 2022
pp. 189-205
© Emerald Publishing Limited
2049-3983
DOI10.1108/EBHRM-01-2021-0004
responsibilities. One such prominent instance where Indian bank employees displayed
desirable pro-social behaviors, was the case of demonetization, which occurred in November
2016. They operated round the clock, neglected their physical and mental health, and endured
extensive customer abuse and anger to effectively implement the process of demonetization
despite not being compensated adequately (Gandhi and Bhushan, 2017;Harikumar and
Kuruvilla, 2019). These occurrences exhort the management to extend such a kind of
workplace environment that reinforces the development of positive discretionary behaviors
among the workforce. However, the existence of negative workplace attitudes in the form of
organizational cynicism (OCyn) and work alienation (WA) among employees may act as a
stumbling block and preclude employees from engaging in any kind of extra-role behaviors
(Mohamed and Ali, 2020;Rauf, 2015). Also, the Indian banking sector is a stressful workplace
where employees are under continuous work pressures and mental strain to complete their
tasks and fulfill organizational goals on time (Das, 2020). In such situations, the generation of
OCyn and WA needs to be managed as these may add more fuel to the fire by posing a threat
to employees’psychological well-being and having a detrimental effect on their work-life
balance (Vohra et al., 2019).
Extant literature on OCB has been focused on identifying its multifarious antecedents in
the form of positive job attitudes such as job satisfaction (Yadav and Rangnekar, 2015), job
involvement (Dartey-Baah et al., 2019), organizational commitment (Nurjanah et al., 2020) and
the like. However, the research studies exploring the relationship between negative
workplace attitudes and OCB are very scarce in the literature (Jes
us Su
arez-Mendoza and de
Lara, 2007;Tummers and den Dulk, 2013;Wilkerson et al., 2008). Further, research work on
OCyn in a non-western nation like India has still not gained momentum. The present study,
therefore, is an attempt to fill such research gaps by examining whether OCyn directly and/or
indirectly (through WA) affects OCB among Indian banking sector employees. Also, human
resources are the major driving force behind the success of any organization, including the
banking sector (Khanna and Maini, 2013). In this regard, the affective and cognitive
demanding nature of the banking jobs in India (Ghosh et al., 2020), necessitates the current
investigation on the aforementioned variables to be made to attain healthy psychological
development of employees at their workplace and form effective HR policies that ensure
productive functioning of the banking sector. The preeminent reason for conducting this
study in the context of the banking sector is the fact that it is considered the backbone of the
financial services industry in India. This sector plays a pivotal role in determining the
efficiency and performance of several other economic segments (industrial and service
sector), and also conduces the development of the entire national economy (Kappagoda, 2018).
In other words, the Indian banking sector is crucial because it promotes economic evolution in
the nation through employment generation, capital formation, provision of varied financial
services to the community and different investment areas to the investors (Alam et al., 2021).
In the present study, social exchange theory (Blau, 1964) extends the foundation for
examiningthe linkbetween OCyn andOCB by focusing onthe mediatingrole of WA. According
to this theory, the parties which are involved in the exchange relationship give intangible or
tangible benefits to each other depending on the reciprocity norm (Cropanzano and Mitchell,
2005). Toelaborate, oneparty will be obligedto reciprocatein a favorableor unfavorablemanner
dependingon the type of treatmentreceived by itfrom another party (Huang etal., 2016). Social
exchange explanation can be used to predict employees’work behavior i.e., employees will
engage in positive or negativebehaviors at the workplacedepending on the treatmentreceived
by them from their organization (Bui et al., 2020). Thus, it canbe deduced from thistheory that if
theorganizationtreats its employeesin a fair and justmanner, then employeeswill performOCB
out of their sense of obligation (Zellars and Tepper, 2003). However, OCyn depicts the
contravention of the exchange relationship between the organization and employees (Johnson
and O’Leary-Kelly, 2003). It develops when employees perceive that their organization is
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