The mediating role of psychological resilience in the effect of managerial support on organizational cynicism

This thesis focuses on organizational cynicism, a prominent issue in business management, and its various causes. In this context, the research question is to analyze the effect of managerial support on organizational cynicism and to test the mediating effect of psychological resilience in this relationship. A literature review reveals numerous studies in the fields of business administration and psychology that examine variables related to work life. In particular, it is known that concepts such as managerial support and psychological resilience significantly affect employees' ability to cope with work stress. In this regard, it is aimed that the results of the research will contribute to the business and psychology literature and to the development of effective management strategies in the workplace. The theoretical framework of the research is based on the "social exchange theory" and the 'reciprocity' principle underlying the theory, as well as the "resource conservation theory." Indeed, a review of the existing literature reveals that researchers often evaluate the relationships between managers and employees from a social exchange perspective. In this study, psychological resilience, which is emphasized as a mediating factor, is addressed within the framework of the resource conservation theory. This is because the resource conservation theory considers psychological resilience to be a critical resource for individuals. Indeed, it is known that managerial support and psychological resilience have a critical impact on employees' ability to adapt to stress and various adversities in the workplace. In this context, research hypotheses were formulated and a theoretical model was developed based on the existing literature. This research was designed using a quantitative methodology to evaluate the theoretical model and the hypotheses formulated based on this model. The cross-sectional design forms the basis of this study, and the data was obtained through a survey method. A quantitative approach was adopted in the study, targeting personnel working in five-star hotels in Alanya. The "convenience sampling" method was preferred to reach the participants. Statistical analyses of the data obtained from the volunteer participants were performed using SPSS 26 and SmartPLS 4 software. Frequency and percentage distributions were calculated to describe the demographic characteristics of the participants; the findings were presented in tabular format and interpreted using descriptive statistics. In the process of testing the theoretical model and hypotheses that formed the main objective of the study, the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) method, one of the structural modeling techniques that enables the explanation of causal relationships, was preferred. To test the hypotheses of this study, the Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was conducted using the SmartPLS-4 software. As a result of examining the research findings related to testing the theoretical model and hypotheses; a significant and positive relationship was found between managerial support and psychological resilience (H1), psychological resilience had a significant and negative effect on organizational cynicism (H2), managerial support negatively affected the cognitive and emotional dimensions of organizational cynicism but had no significant effect on the behavioral dimension (H3). Additionally, it was determined that psychological resilience plays a full mediating role in the relationship between managerial support and organizational cynicism (H4). Based on these results, "Hypothesis-1," "Hypothesis-2," and "Hypothesis-4" were supported, while "Hypothesis-3" was partially supported. These results are extremely important in understanding the effects of managerial support and psychological resilience on organizational cynicism, which is associated with negative attitudes and behaviors and represents insecurity, skepticism, and sarcasm. The results of this thesis study show that managerial support is a vital factor and that psychological resilience is also a critical personal resource for employees. Indeed, the research results are considered valuable both in terms of their consistency with existing past studies and their reference to social exchange theory and resource conservation theory.