Associations between organizational cynicism, workplace alienation, and nurses’ work effectiveness: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey

Abstract

Background: The effectiveness of the nursing workforce is critical for patient safety and quality of care, yet nurses often face high-stress environments that can foster negative psychosocial states. Although organizational cynicism and workplace alienation are recognized as important workplace concerns, their concurrent associations with nurses' work effectiveness remain underexplored, particularly in non-Western health care contexts. Aim: This study aimed to assess both organizational cynicism and workplace alienation among staff nurses and explore their separate and concurrent associations with perceived work effectiveness. Methods: -test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and linear multiple regression. Results: Nurses reported moderate levels of organizational cynicism and workplace alienation, alongside relatively high levels of perceived work effectiveness. Both organizational cynicism and workplace alienation were significantly and negatively correlated with work effectiveness. A strong positive correlation was observed between cynicism and alienation. In the multiple regression model, workplace alienation emerged as a significant negative predictor of work effectiveness, whereas organizational cynicism did not retain statistical significance when both variables were considered simultaneously. Collinearity diagnostics indicated acceptable levels of multicollinearity. Conclusion: The findings suggest that while organizational cynicism and workplace alienation are closely related and both associated with diminished work effectiveness, alienation represents a more proximal factor linked to nurses' perceived effectiveness. Addressing workplace alienation through strategies that enhance autonomy, meaning, and social integration may be critical for strengthening nursing work effectiveness.