Even if the Tower Is “Ivory,” It Isn't “White:” Understanding the Consequences of Faculty Cynicism.

Abstract

Prompted by a seemingly growing level of cynicism within academia, on the part of Academy of Management members in particular, I developed a new measure of cynicism and investigated a previously untested structural model in which cynicism is related in sequence to organizational identification, affective commitment, job satisfaction, and turnover intentions. Data were obtained from 379 faculty members who were participants in the 2004 Academy of Management Meeting. Structural equation modeling was used to represent and test the hypothesized latent structure of the respective constructs, as well as the proposed structural paths between constructs. Support was found for the convergent and discriminant validity of the constructs underlying the structural model and for the network of proposed relationships. The implications of these findings for management education and learning, as well as avenues for future research, are discussed.