The role of empathy in the transformation of organizational silence and organizational cynism into organizational citizenship behavior

This study was conducted to examine the effects of managerial decisions on employees in organizations and to question whether these decisions lead to perceptions of injustice. Organizational injustice refers to employees' perceptions that fairness is not upheld in the distribution of resources, decision-making processes, and interpersonal relationships. It is assumed that this perception triggers negative attitudes such as silence and cynicism among employees and thereby weakens organizational citizenship behavior. In addition, the study investigates whether empathy plays a balancing and restorative role within this negative cycle. Empathy may contribute to the establishment of a more just and inclusive communication environment by enabling managers to understand the emotions and needs of employees. In this context, a functional relationship between empathy and organizational injustice is established, and the potential of empathy to mitigate injustice-related negativities is explored. The study was conducted using a qualitative method, and semi-structured in-depth interviews were carried out with 15 public and 15 private sector employees selected through purposive sampling. The data obtained were analyzed using thematic analysis and interpreted holistically. The findings reveal that perceptions of organizational injustice lead to loss of trust, silence, and cynical attitudes among employees, which in turn reduce voluntary effort, organizational commitment, and sense of belonging. Although empathy has the potential to soften this process, it cannot create a lasting impact unless supported at the institutional level. In the public sector, hierarchy, and in the private sector, competitive pressure, emerge as limiting factors on the effectiveness of empathy. Therefore, empathy should not be seen merely as an interpersonal skill, but rather as a strategic component of organizational sustainability, ethical management, and employee engagement.