Emotions and Organizational Governance by Härtel Charmine E. J.; Ashkanasy Neal M.; Zerbe Wilfred J

Author:Härtel, Charmine E. J.; Ashkanasy, Neal M.; Zerbe, Wilfred J.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Published: 2016-06-01T16:00:00+00:00

Cynicism

While SD has received much attention in behavioral literature, cynicism has been examined less, particularly in marketing studies. The difference between the two related attitudes, skepticism and cynicism, must be emphasized: Cynicism is more a personality trait or a habitual disposition of viewing and thinking, while skepticism is a cognitive response to a certain type of input. While skepticism is short term, cynicism can be enduring (Anson, Dale Mann, & Sherman, 1986). Furthermore, cynics doubt the motives behind any communications, as opposed to skeptics who focus on messages communicated only (Kanter & Mirvis, 1986). Because of the more profound impact of cynicism on consumer surveys, this research concentrates on cynicism rather than skepticism.

The two main fields of study regarding cynicism have been organizational behavior and the police force. Several of the key scales for cynicism measurement have been developed while measuring the attitudes of the police force (Anson et al., 1986; Langworthy, 1987; Regoli, 1976), and more recent studies continue employing them in the same domain (Hickman, Piquero, & Piquero, 2004; Sobol, 2010). Organizational cynicism was introduced as a concept by Dean, Brandes, and Dharwadkar (1998), though cynicism at the workplace had been investigated previously (Guastello, Rieke, Guastello, & Billings, 1992; Kanter & Mirvis, 1986). Recently, it has been introduced to the domain of academic researchers (Kalağan & Aksu, 2010; Karadağ, Kiliçoğlu, & Yilmaz, 2014). In marketing literature, cynicism has gained new popularity for explaining the behavior of consumers, be it general reactions toward companies and advertising or consumer disappointment in a company (Chowdhury & Fernando, 2013; Chylinski & Chu, 2010; Odou & de Pechpeyrou, 2011).

Based on the essence of cynicism as fundamental doubt of a relayed message, it is evident that cynicism affects how consumers perceive a marketing message. While skepticism might even benefit an advertiser, provided correct adoption of the message to counter the skeptical attitude, cynicism is rarely advantageous (Boush, Kim, Kahle, & Batra, 1993). However, a few brands that cynics truly trust can gain loyalty among this group (Helm, 2004). Chylinski and Chu (2010) synthesized studies on the effects of cynicism on consumer behavior toward a company and classified the resulting behaviors as positive, neutral, or negative. The findings of their study further support this classification, but the analysis is restricted to scenarios where cynicism is prompted by negative company behavior. In a general consumer context, Helm (2004) suggested four categories of cynical behavior: disparaging, withdrawal, precaution, and retribution. Similar to disparaging cynical behavior is subversive cynicism, where verbal criticism is common but action avoided (Odou & de Pechpeyrou, 2011). This type of cynicism further coincides with the “complaint” theme of Chylinski and Chu; consumers vent frustration or offer a company another chance through negative feedback without corresponding action. Cynicism toward marketing and advertising is easier to create than to eradicate (Chylinski & Chu, 2010) but the resulting consumer behavior varies widely.

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