Combining the perspectives of person-environment fit and self-theory, a model
was postulated in which both the incongruence between personal and perceived
organizational values and job autonomy precede organizational cynicism,
while organization-based self-esteem, as a psychological explanation for
cynicism, was hypothesized to mediate both relationships. The model and
corresponding hypotheses were tested on a sample of 174 Dutch workers.
Polynomial regression results indicated that value incongruence and job
autonomy add significantly to the prediction of organizational cynicism.
Hierarchical regression analysis was used to test the hypothesized mediating
effect of organization-based self-esteem. Results indicated that selfesteem
partially mediates both relationships. These results support the
conceptualization of organizational cynicism as a self-defensive response to
problematic events and circumstances in the work environment.