The mediating role of organizational cynicism in the effect of workplace incivility on work engagement

The primary objective of this study is to investigate the intermediary function of organizational cynicism in the impact of workplace incivility on work engagement. The research model devised for this purpose focuses on academic and administrative personnel employed at a public university. Data were gathered from 415 employees through survey methodology. Correlation analysis was employed to examine the associations between variables, while regression analyses, utilizing the PROCESS macro, were conducted to discern the direct and indirect effects among the variables. The findings revealed that workplace incivility significantly influenced organizational cynicism and organizational cynicism, in turn, significantly affected work engagement. However, workplace incivility did not exhibit a significant direct impact on work engagement. Furthermore, it was determined that organizational cynicism fully mediated the relationship between workplace incivility and work engagement. Notably, the scholarly discourse on the association between work engagement and workplace incivility, the focal point of this research, remains limited within the national literature. This study, thus, represents a pioneering effort in examining the interplay among workplace incivility, organizational cynicism and work engagement variables. It is anticipated that the insights garnered from this study will make valuable contributions to both academic literature and practical applications in the field.