Do perceptions of organizational politics influence turnover intentions? Organizational cynicism as a potential mediator

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of perceptions of organizational politics on turnover intentions with a focus on the role of organizational cynicism as a potential mediator. Design/methodology/approach Using purposive sampling technique and standardized questionnaires, data were collected from 252 Indian bank employees. To analyze the data, statistical techniques such as multiple regression analysis along with PROCESS macro were used. Findings Findings indicate that perceptions of organizational politics have a significant positive effect on turnover intentions. Further, organizational cynicism is found to be the significant partial mediator in the relationship between the aforementioned constructs. Research limitations/implications This study covers the banking sector only. Therefore, the results may vary in the context of other industrial settings. Also, the cross-sectional research design adopted in this study may create difficulties in drawing any causal inferences. Practical implications To curtail turnover intentions of bank employees, extensive power-seeking activities need to be regulated by the management. Besides, participative decision-making activities must be encouraged to curb the formation of cynical attitudes among employees. Originality/value This study is one of the scarce empirical research works that have substantiated the direct and the indirect effect of perceptions of organizational politics (through organizational cynicism) on turnover intentions among bank employees.