Suspicion in the workplace: Organizational conspiracy theories and work-related outcomes

British Journal of Psychology

Volumn 108, Issue 3, 2017, Pages 486-506

  Douglas, Karen M ^a   Leite, Ana C ^b  

^a UNIVERSITY OF KENT   (United Kingdom)

^b UNIVERSITY OF ROEHAMPTON   (United Kingdom)

Author keywords

conspiracy belief; conspiracy theories; job satisfaction; organizational commitment; organizational identification; organizational psychology; turnover intentions

Indexed keywords

EMPLOYEE; HUMAN; HUMAN EXPERIMENT; JOB SATISFACTION; MANAGER; PSYCHOLOGY; TURNOVER TIME; WORKPLACE; ADULT; BEHAVIOR; DECEPTION; FEMALE; MALE; MIDDLE AGED; ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT; PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT;

ADULT; DECEPTION; FEMALE; HUMANS; INTENTION; JOB SATISFACTION; MALE; MIDDLE AGED; PERSONNEL TURNOVER; WORKPLACE;

EID: 84994508621     PISSN: 00071269     EISSN: 20448295     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1111/bjop.12212     Document Type: Article

References (75)

1. Abalakina-Paap, M., Stephan, W. G., Craig, T., & Gregory, L. (1999). Beliefs in conspiracies. Political Psychology, 20, 637–647. doi:10.1111/0162-895X.00160
2. Abrams, D., Ando, K., & Hinkle, S. W. (1998). Psychological attachment to the group: Cross-cultural differences in organizational identification and subjective norms as predictors of workers’ turnover intentions. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 24, 1027–1039. doi:10.1177/01461672982410001
3. Abrams, D., & Randsley de Moura, G. (2001). Organizational identification: Psychological anchorage and turnover. In M. A. Hogg & D. Terry (Eds.), Social identity processes in organizational contexts (pp. 131–147). Philadelphia, PA: Psychology Press.
4. Allen, N. J., & Meyer, J. P. (1990). The measurement and antecedents of affective, continuance and normative commitment to the organization. Journal of Occupational Psychology, 63, 1–18. doi:10.1111/j.2044-8325.1990.tb00506.x
5. Allport, G. W., & Postman, L. J. (1947). The psychology of rumor. New York, NY: Holt.
6. Ashforth, B. E., & Mael, F. (1989). Social identity theory and the organization. Academy of Management Review, 14, 20–39. doi:10.5465/AMR.1989.4278999
7. Behrend, T. S., Sharek, D. J., Meade, A. W., & Wiebe, E. N. (2011). The viability of crowdsourcing for survey research. Behavior Research Methods, 43, 800–813. doi:10.3758/s13428-011-0081-0
8. Bilewicz, M., Cichocka, A., & Soral, W. (Eds.) (2015). The psychology of conspiracy. New York, NY: Routledge.
9. Bird, S. T., & Bogart, L. M. (2003). Birth control conspiracy beliefs, perceived discrimination, and contraception among African Americans. Journal of Health Psychology, 8, 263–276. doi:10.1177/1359105303008002669
10. Bogart, L. M., & Thorburn, S. T. (2006). Relationship of African Americans’ socio demographic characteristics to belief in conspiracies about HIV/AIDS and birth control. Journal of the National Medical Association, 98, 1144–1150.
11. Cascio, W. F. (2006). The economic impact of employee behaviors on organizational performance. California Management Review, 48, 41–59. doi:10.2307/41166360
12. Cichocka, A., Marchlewska, M., Golec de Zavala, A., & Olechowski, M. (2016). ‘They will not control us’: Ingroup positivity and belief in intergroup conspiracies. British Journal of Psychology, 107, 556–576. doi:10.1111/bjop.12158
13. Clarke, S. (2002). Conspiracy theories and conspiracy theorizing. Philosophy of the Social Sciences, 32, 131–150. doi:10.1177/004931032002001
14. DiFonzo, N., & Bordia, P. (2007). Rumor psychology: Social & organizational approaches. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association Books.
15. Douglas, K. M., & Sutton, R. M. (2008). The hidden impact of conspiracy theories: Perceived and actual influence of theories surrounding the death of Princess Diana. Journal of Social Psychology, 148, 210–221. doi:10.3200/SOCP.148.2.210-222
16. Douglas, K. M., & Sutton, R. M. (2011). Does it take one to know one? Endorsement of conspiracy theories is influenced by personal willingness to conspire. British Journal of Social Psychology, 50, 544–552. doi:10.1111/j.2044-8309.2010.02018.x
17. Douglas, K. M., & Sutton, R. M. (2015). Climate change: Why the conspiracy theories are dangerous. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, 71, 98–106. doi:10.1177/0096340215571908
18. Douglas, K. M., Sutton, R. M., Callan, M. J., Dawtry, R. J., & Harvey, A. J. (2016). Someone is pulling the strings: Hypersensitive agency detection and belief in conspiracy theories. Thinking & Reasoning, 22, 57–77. doi:10.1080/13546783.2015.1051586
19. Douglas, K. M., Sutton, R. M., Jolley, D., & Wood, M. J. (2015). The social, political, environmental and health-related consequences of conspiracy theories: Problems and potential solutions. In M. Bilewicz, A. Cichocka & W. Soral (Eds.), The psychology of conspiracy (pp. 183–200). Abingdon, Oxford, UK: Taylor and Francis.
20. Eby, L. T., Freeman, D. M., Rush, M. C., & Lance, C. E. (1999). Motivational bases of affective organizational commitment: A partial test of an integrative theoretical model. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 72, 463–483. doi:10.1348/096317999166798
21. Edwards, M. R., & Peccei, R. (2007). Organizational identification: Development and testing of a conceptually grounded measure. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 16, 25–57. doi:10.1080/13594320601088195
22. Fenster, M. (1999). Conspiracy theories: Secrecy and power in American culture. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press.
23. Friedlander, F., & Margulies, N. (1969). Multiple impacts of organizational climate and individual value systems upon job satisfaction. Personnel Psychology, 22, 171–183. doi:10.1111/j.1744-6570.1969.tb02300.x
24. Goertzel, T. (1994). Belief in conspiracy theories. Political Psychology, 15, 731–742.
25. Hancock, J. I., Allen, D. G., Bosco, F. A., McDaniel, K. R., & Pierce, C. A. (2013). Meta-analytic review of employee turnover as a predictor of firm performance. Journal of Management, 39, 573–603. doi:10.1177/0149206311424943
26. Haslam, S. A., Postmes, T., & Ellemers, N. (2003). More than a metaphor: Organizational identity makes organizational life possible. British Journal of Management, 14, 357–369. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8551.2003.00384.x
27. Hayes, A. F. (2013). Introduction to mediation, moderation and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach. New York, NY: Guilford Press.
28. Hom, P. W., & Kinicki, A. J. (2001). Toward a greater understanding of how dissatisfaction drives employee turnover. Academy of Management Journal, 44, 975–987.
29. Imhoff, R., & Bruder, M. (2014). Speaking (un-)truth to power: Conspiracy mentality as a generalised political attitude. European Journal of Personality, 28, 25–43. doi:10.1002/per.1930
30. Jolley, D., & Douglas, K. M. (2014a). The social consequences of conspiracism: Exposure to conspiracy theories decreases the intention to engage in politics and to reduce one's carbon footprint. British Journal of Psychology, 105, 35–56. doi:10.1111/bjop.12018
31. Jolley, D., & Douglas, K. M. (2014b). The effects of anti-vaccine conspiracy theories on vaccination intentions. PLoS ONE, 9, e89177. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0089177
32. Lee, E. S., Park, T. Y., & Koo, B. (2015). Identifying organizational identification as a basis for attitudes and behaviors: A meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin, 14, 1049–1080. doi:10.1037/bul0000012
33. LePine, J. A., Erez, A., & Johnson, D. E. (2002). The nature and dimensionality of organizational citizenship behavior: A critical review and meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87, 52–65. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.87.1.52
34. Lewandowsky, S., Oberauer, K., & Gignac, G. (2013). NASA faked the moon landing- Therefore (climate) science is a hoax: An anatomy of the motivated rejection of science. Psychological Science, 24, 622–633. doi:10.1177/0956797612457686
35. Litwin, G. H., & Stringer, R. A. (1968). Motivation and organizational climate. Boston, MA: Division of Research, Harvard Business School.
36. Loi, R., Hang-yue, N., & Foley, S. (2006). Linking employees’ justice perceptions to organizational commitment and intention to leave: The mediating role of perceived organizational support. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 79, 101–120. doi:10.1348/096317905X39657
37. Mael, F. A., & Ashforth, B. E. (1995). Loyal from day one: Biodata, organizational identification, and turnover among newcomers. Personnel Psychology, 48, 309–333. doi:10.1111/j.1744-6570.1995.tb01759.x
38. Mathieu, J. E., & Zajac, D. M. (1990). A review and meta-analysis of the antecedents, correlates, and consequences of organizational commitment. Psychological Bulletin, 108, 171–194. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.108.2.171
39. McCauley, C., & Jacques, S. (1979). The popularity of conspiracy theories of presidential assassination: A Bayesian analysis. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 37, 637–644. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.37.5.637
40. Meyer, J. P., & Allen, N. J. (1997). Commitment in the workplace: Theory, research and application. New York, NY: Sage.
41. Meyer, J. P., Becker, T. E., & Van Dick, R. (2006). Social identities and commitments at work: Toward an integrative model. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 27, 665–683. doi:10.1002/job.383
42. Meyer, J. P., Stanley, D. J., Herscovitch, L., & Topolnytsky, L. (2002). Affective, continuance, and normative commitment to the organization: A meta-analysis of antecedents, correlates, and consequences. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 61, 20–52. doi:10.1006/jvbe.2001.1842
43. Miller, S. (2002). Conspiracy theories: Public arguments as coded social critiques. Argumentation and Advocacy, 39, 40–56.
44. Mitchell, T. R., Holton, B. C., Lee, T. L., Sablynski, C. J., & Erez, M. (2001). Why people stay: Using job embeddedness to predict voluntary turnover. Academy of Management Journal, 44, 1102–1121. doi:10.2307/3069391
45. Murphy, G., Athanasou, J., & King, N. (2002). Job satisfaction and organizational citizenship behaviour: A study of Australian human-service professionals. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 17, 287–297. doi:10.1108/02683940210428092
46. Oliver, J. E., & Wood, T. J. (2014). Conspiracy theories and the paranoid style(s) of mass opinion. American Journal of Political Science, 58, 952–966. doi:10.1111/ajps.12084
47. Ostroff, C. (1993). The effects of climate and personal influences on individual behavior and attitudes in organizations. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 56, 56–90. doi:10.1006/obhd.1993.1045
48. Ouwerkerk, J. W., Ellemers, N., & De Gilder, D. (1999). Group commitment and individual effort in experimental and organisational contexts. In N. Ellemers, R. Spears & B. Doosje (Eds.), Social identity: Context, commitment, content (pp. 184–204). Oxford, UK: Blackwell.
49. Porter, L. W., Steers, R. M., Mowday, R. T., & Boulian, P. V. (1974). Organizational commitment, job satisfaction, and turnover among psychiatric technicians. Journal of Applied Psychology, 59, 603–609. doi:10.1037/h0037335
50. Pritchard, R. D., & Karasick, B. W. (1973). The effects of organizational climate on managerial job performance and job satisfaction. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 9, 126–146. doi:10.1016/0030-5073(73)90042-1
51. Randsley de Moura, G., Abrams, D., Retter, C., Gunnarsdottir, S., & Ando, K. (2009). Identification as an organizational anchor: How identification and job satisfaction combine to predict turnover intention. European Journal of Social Psychology, 39, 540–557. doi:10.1002/ejsp.553
52. Riketta, M. (2005). Organizational identification: A meta-analysis. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 66, 358–384. doi:10.1016/j.jvb.2004.05.005
53. Schneider, B. (1975). Organizational climates: An essay. Personnel Psychology, 28, 447–479. doi:10.1111/j.1744-6570.1975.tb01386.x
54. Schneider, B., Ehrhart, M. G., & Macey, W. H. (2013). Organizational climate and culture. Annual Review of Psychology, 64, 361–388. doi:10.1146/annurev-psych-113011-143809
55. Schwepker, C. H. (2001). Ethical climate's relationship to job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and turnover intention in the salesforce. Journal of Business Research, 54, 39–52. doi:10.1016/S0148-2963(00)00125-9
56. Shaw, J. D., Gupta, N., & Delery, J. E. (2005). Alternative conceptualizations of the relationship between voluntary turnover and organizational performance. Academy of Management Journal, 48, 50–68. doi:10.5465/AMJ.2005.15993112
57. Steel, R. P., & Ovalle, N. K. (1984). A review and meta-analysis of research on the relationship between behavioral intentions and employee turnover. Journal of Applied Psychology, 69, 673–686. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.69.4.673
58. Sunstein, C. R., & Vermeule, A. (2009). Conspiracy theories: Causes and cures. The Journal of Political Philosophy, 17, 202–227. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9760.2008.00325.x
59. Swami, V., Chamorro-Premuzic, T., & Furnham, A. (2010). Unanswered questions: A preliminary investigation of personality and individual difference predictors of 9/11 conspiracist beliefs. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 24, 749–761. doi:10.1002/acp.1583
60. Swami, V., & Coles, R. (2010). The truth is out there: Belief in conspiracy theories. The Psychologist, 23, 560–563.
61. Swami, V., Coles, R., Stieger, S., Pietschnig, J., Furnham, A., Rehim, S., & Voracek, M. (2011). Conspiracist ideation in Britain and Austria. Evidence of a monological belief system and associations between individual differences and real-world and fictitious conspiracy theories. British Journal of Psychology, 102, 443–463. doi:10.1111/j.2044-8295.2010.02004.x
62. Tyler, T., Degoey, P., & Smith, H. (1996). Understanding why the justice of group procedures matters: A test of the psychological dynamics of the group-value model. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 70, 913–930. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.70.5.913
63. Uscinski, J. E., & Parent, J. M. (2014). American conspiracy theories. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
64. Van Dick, R. (2004). My job is my castle: Identification in organizational contexts. In C. L. Cooper & I. T. Robertson (Eds.), International review of industrial and organizational psychology (Vol. 19, pp. 171–203). Chichester, UK: Wiley.
65. Van Dick, R., Christ, O., Stellmacher, J., Wagner, U., Ahlswede, O., Grubba, C., … Tissington, P. A. (2004). Should I stay or should I go? Explaining turnover intentions with organizational identification and job satisfaction. British Journal of Management, 15, 351–360. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8551.2004.00424.x
66. Van Knippenberg, D., & Sleebos, E. (2006). Organizational identification versus organizational commitment: Self-definition, social exchange, and job attitudes. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 27, 571–584. doi:10.1002/job.359
67. Van Prooijen, J.-W., & de Vries, R. E. (2016). Organizational conspiracy beliefs: Implications for leadership styles and employee outcomes. Journal of Business Psychology, 31, 479–491. doi:10.1007/s10869-015-9428-3
68. Van Prooijen, J.-W., & Jostmann, N. B. (2013). Belief in conspiracy theories: The influence of uncertainty and perceived morality. European Journal of Social Psychology, 43, 109–115. doi:10.1007/s10869-015-9428-3
69. Wegge, J., Van Dick, R., Fisher, G. K., Wecking, C., & Moltzen, K. (2006). Work motivation, organizational identification, and well-being in call centre work. Work and Stress, 20, 60–83. doi:10.1080/02678370600655553
70. Weisberg, J., & Kirschenbaum, A. (1991). Employee turnover intentions: Implications from a national sample. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 2, 359–375. doi:10.1080/09585199100000073
71. Whitson, J. A., & Galinsky, A. D. (2008). Lacking control increases illusory pattern perception. Science, 322, 115–117. doi:10.1126/science.1159845
72. Wimbush, J. C., & Shepard, J. M. (1994). Toward an understanding of ethical climate: Its relationship to ethical behavior and supervisory influence. Journal of Business Ethics, 13, 637–647. doi:10.1007/BF00871811
73. Wood, M. J., & Douglas, K. M. (2013). “What about building 7?” A social psychological study of online discussion of 9/11 conspiracy theories. Frontiers in Psychology, 4, 409. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00409
74. Wood, M. J., & Douglas, K. M. (2015). Online communication as a window to conspiracist worldviews. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 836. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00836
75. Wood, M. J., Douglas, K. M., & Sutton, R. M. (2012). Dead and alive: Beliefs in contradictory conspiracy theories. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 3, 767–773. doi:10.1177/1948550611434786