An Integrative Literature Review of Cynicism in Organizations:

The Potential for Emergent Formation at the Macro Level

Abstract

This article focuses on cynicism in organization. Cynicism is a negative attitude toward one's employing organization and is closely linked to important organizational phenomena such as organizational change, burnout, and silence. However, traditional research has limited its discussion to the micro（individual）level and its negative aspects. In addition, there are potential problems with neglecting some elements such as prosocial functions and emotional/behavioral dimensions of cynicism. The purpose of this study is to conduct an integrative literature re-view on cynicism in organizations in order to organize and critique past studies and to identify future research issues. As a specific issue of future research, this article discusses the possibility of emergent formation of organizational cynicism at the macro（group/organizational） level through contagion among individuals. This study contributes to expanding the theoretical scope of cynicism in organizations.