The Mediating Role of Organizational Cynicism in the Effect of Organizational Commitment on Cyber Loafing: Research on Travel Agencies

Abstract

In recent years, the concept of organizational commitment has become one of the subjects that have gained importance and been studied in the management and organization literature. In cases where organizational commitment does not occur, employees may exhibit behaviors that will harm the organization. Cynicism is at the forefront of the cases that damage employee loyalty and cause them to exhibit negative behavior. Employees turn into cynical individuals if their expectations are not met, their ideas are not valued or they think that there is injustice, and they display behaviors that will harm their organizations. Among these behaviors, there is also the use of technological elements and the internet for personal purposes and pleasures during working hours, which is called "Virtual Loafing". The aim of this study is to investigate the mediating role of organizational cynicism perceptions in the relationship between travel agency employees' perceptions of organizational commitment and cyberloafing behaviors. Research data were obtained from A group travel agency employees operating in the city center of Antalya. 417 of the questionnaires sent via e-mail were returned, as a result of the examinations, 21 questionnaires were excluded from the evaluation due to sloppy and incomplete filling and analyzes were carried out with 396 questionnaires. Structural equation modeling was preferred as the basic analysis method in the research. As a result of the analyzes made, it was found that the organizational commitment perceptions of the employees had a negative and significant effect on their cyberloafing behaviors; organizational cynicism perceptions have a negative and significant effect on organizational commitment perceptions; It has been determined that organizational cynicism perceptions have a positive and significant effect on cyberloafing behaviors. When the findings related to the main hypothesis of the research were examined, it was determined that organizational cynicism perceptions had a mediating effect in the relationship between employees' perceptions of organizational commitment and cyberloafing behaviors.