Organizational Cynicism Scale (OCS, Dean, Brandes & Dharwadkar)
HR & WorkReliability: Cognitive alpha 0.86; Affective alpha 0.92; Behavioral alpha 0.783 sample items
About this scale
A 13-item measure of three dimensions of organizational cynicism: cognitive (belief organization lacks integrity), affective (negative emotions toward it), and behavioural (disparaging actions). One of the dominant dark-side OB measures.
Sample item(s)
“I believe that my organization says one thing and does another. (cognitive)”
“When I think about my organization, I get angry. (affective)”
“I make sarcastic comments about how things are done at my organization. (behavioural)”
Reliability
Reported internal consistency: Cognitive alpha 0.86; Affective alpha 0.92; Behavioral alpha 0.78. As a rule of thumb, Cronbach’s α ≥ .70 is considered acceptable, ≥ .80 good, and ≥ .90 excellent for established measures.
Notes
Predictive of withdrawal, deviance, and reduced citizenship.
Source & citation
Dean, J. W., Brandes, P., & Dharwadkar, R. (1998): Organizational cynicism. Academy of Management Review, Vol. 23, No. 2, pp. 341–352.
Dean, Brandes & Dharwadkar (1998): Organizational cynicism. AMR, 23(2), 341–352.
Source. Scale details are summarised from the publication cited above. Always consult the original source for the full item set, scoring, and permission to use.
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