Measuring Organizational Arrogance: Development and Validation of a Theory-Based Instrument

Measuring Organizational Arrogance: Development and Validation of a Theory-Based Instrument

C. Victor Herbin III | 2018

Abstract

This research described the formation of an emerging concept, organizational arrogance, and the development of an instrument designed to measure this organizational behavior phenomenon. This dissertation was completed in response to the established need for empirical evidence examining arrogant behaviors and their negative impact on organizational members and organizations in general. This study defined organizational arrogance as an organizational environment where leaders shaped a culture in which organizational members behaved with a sense of superiority, leading to overconfidence in organizational capabilities, dismissiveness toward internal and external needs, and disparagement of intraorganizational and interorganizational members. Using existing theories, this research developed and validated a 5-item measurement scale for organizational arrogance with a Cronbach alpha of .922, indicating a reliable instrument. Ongoing research reported findings on a variety of factors that played into organizational failure, including level of job satisfaction, employee engagement, morale, workplace stress, organizational culture, and ineffective leadership and followership styles. Findings from this study provided the body of knowledge opportunities for new exploration to gain further understanding of how organizational arrogance and its associated traits contributed to or birth from the dark side of leadership. The practical significance of this study was that it reinforced the idea that organizational culture remained a leader responsibility that required keen attention, astute observations, and immediate action to eliminate any signs of organizational arrogance.