Between Words and Actions: Understanding the Relationship Between Organizational Hypocrisy, Teacher Silence, and Commitment

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between high school teachers' perceptions of school principals' hypocritical behavior and, teachers' organizational silence and organizational commitment. More importantly this study examines the mediating role of organizational commitment in the relationship between perceived organizational hypocrisy and employee silence. The research was conducted using the correlational survey design, one of the quantitative research methods. The population of the study consisted of 412 teachers working in high schools in Siirt province and its districts. Data collection tools used in the study included a demographic form, a hypocrisy scale, and scales measuring organizational silence and organizational commitment. Confirmatory factor analyses were used to evaluate the construct validity of the scales. Pearson correlation analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM) were used to test the research hypotheses. The research results reveal that the correlation results indicate significant relationships among all variables. The analysis results reveal that organizational silence is negatively related to organizational commitment and positively related to hypocrisy. Furthermore, a strong and negative relationship was found between hypocrisy and organizational commitment. The structural equation modeling analysis conducted showed that the inconsistency between school administrators' discourse and actions significantly affected teachers' silence and organizational commitment. These findings emphasize the harmful effect of organizational hypocrisy on teaching and learning outcomes, providing valuable information for practitioners. Based on these findings, various recommendations have been made to school administrators to prevent the spread of hypocrisy among school members.