Organizational Cynicism and Turnover Intention Among Nurses: Do Perceived Organizational Support Moderates the Relationship

Abstract

Introduction Understanding work dynamics is imperative for organizational efficiency in the healthcare industry. Therefore, achieving such a feat is akin to knowing the interplay between organizational cynicism, organizational support and turnover among nurses in the healthcare sector in Nigeria. Aim This present study aimed to examine the moderating role of perceived organizational support on the association between organizational cynicism (cognitive, affective, and behavioral dimensions) and turnover intention among Nigerian nurses. Methods The study is a descriptive cross-sectional survey research conducted on a sample of 515 nurses, aged between 29–55 years, with mean age = 34.3 and SD = 9.4 drawn across different government-owned hospitals from the southeast geographical region of Nigeria through snowball sampling method. Three instruments, the Turnover Intention Scale, Organizational Cynicism Scale and Survey of Perceived Organizational Support Scale were used for data collection, while the Hayes PROCESS Macro for SPSS version 23 was used for data analysis. Results The results showed that organizational cynicism dimensions were positively associated with turnover intention among nurses, whereas organizational support negatively associated with turnover intention of Nigerian nurses. In addition, perceived organizational support moderated the association between organizational cynicism (affective and behavioral dimensions) and turnover intention among nurses. The study evidenced a strong association between organizational cynicism and turnover intention among nurses in their work setting. The study observed that organizational cynicism is a recipe for nurses’ turnover intention and that organizational support decreased the extent to which nurses experience turnover intention. Conclusion The results showed that organizational cynicism dimensions positively associated with turnover intention among nurses in Nigeria. In addition, the association between organizational cynicism (affective and behavioral) dimensions were moderated by perceived organizational support. The study suggests that perceived organizational support mitigates the positive relationship between organizational cynicism and turnover intention. The result provided further evidence of how perceived organizational support can influence motivation and morale in the workplace.