The mediating roles of psychological safety and organizational silence in the effect of machiavellianism on job satisfaction in sports

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.71350/jsms.96

Keywords:

Job satisfaction; organizational silence; psychological safety; sports machiavellianism.

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine the mediating roles of psychological safety and organizational silence in the effect of sports Machiavellianism on job satisfaction. The study was designed based on the relational survey model, one of the quantitative research methods, and analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The sample consisted of 587 employees working in sports departments of sports organizations, selected through criterion sampling. SPSS and AMOS software were used for data analysis. The findings indicate that sports Machiavellianism increases organizational silence and decreases psychological safety. Organizational silence negatively affects both psychological safety and job satisfaction, while psychological safety has a positive effect on job satisfaction. In addition, the direct effect of sports Machiavellianism on job satisfaction was found to be insignificant; however, it shows indirect effects through organizational silence and psychological safety. These results suggest that the impact of Machiavellian tendencies in sports on job satisfaction is mainly shaped through organizational and psychological mechanisms.

References

Alkhlaifat, O. (2020). The impact of contextual factors of silence on employees’ satisfaction in the Jordan Ministry of Education. Gazdaság És Társadalom, 13(2), 75–93. https://doi.org/10.21637/GT.2020.2.05

Arnold, R., Collington, S., Manley, H., Rees, S., Soanes, J., & Williams, M. (2019). “The team behind the team”: Exploring the organizational stressor experiences of sport science and management staff in elite sport. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 31(1), 7–26. https://doi.org/10.1080/10413200.2017.1407836

Ayhan, M., Cevahircioğlu, B., Çakıcı, H. A., Erdoğan, A., & Çakmak, E. (2026). Sporda makyavelizm ölçeği: Bir ölçek geliştirme çalışması. Türk Spor Bilimleri Dergisi, 9(1), 31–40. https://doi.org/10.46385/tsbd.1901197

Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2017). Job demands–resources theory: Taking stock and looking forward. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 22(3), 273–285. https://doi.org/10.1037/ocp0000056

Bartlett, M. S. (1950). Tests of significance in factor analysis. British Journal of Statistical Psychology, 3(2), 77–85. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8317.1950.tb00285.x

Başaran, Y. K. (2017). Sosyal bilimlerde örnekleme kurami. The Journal of Academic Social Science, 47(47), 480–495. https://doi.org/10.16992/ASOS.12368

Black, W., & Babin, B. J. (2019). Multivariate data analysis: Its approach, evolution, and impact. In B. J. Babin & M. Sarstedt (Eds.), The great facilitator (pp. 121–130). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-06031-2_16

Brayfield, A. H., & Rothe, H. F. (1951). An index of job satisfaction. Journal of Applied Psychology, 35, 307–311. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0055617

Brinsfield, C. T. (2013). Employee silence motives: Investigation of dimensionality and development of measures. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 34(5), 671–697. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.1829

Büyüköztürk, Ş., Kılıç Çakmak, E., Akgün, Ö. E., Karadeniz, Ş., & Demirel, F. (2017). Bilimsel araştırma yöntemleri (23. baskı). Pegem Akademi.

Çavuşoğlu, S., & Köse, S. (2019). Örgütsel sessizlik ölçeği’nin türkçeye uyarlanmasi. Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 19(2), 365–387. https://doi.org/10.11616/basbed.v19i47045.485266

Çetin, Z. (2023). Makyavelizmin iş tatminine etkisinde örgütsel öğrenmenin rolü. Journal of Life Economics, 10(4), 285–299. https://doi.org/10.15637/jlecon.2160

Chamberlin, M., Newton, D. W., & LePine, J. A. (2017). A meta‐analysis of voice and its promotive and prohibitive forms: Identification of key associations, distinctions, and future research directions. Personnel Psychology, 70(1), 11–71. https://doi.org/10.1111/peps.12185

Chang, C. H., Rosen, C. C., & Levy, P. E. (2009). The relationship between perceptions of organizational politics and employee attitudes, strain, and behavior: A meta-analytic examination. Academy of Management Journal, 52(4), 779–801. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2009.43670894

Chiaburu, D. S., & Harrison, D. A. (2008). Do peers make the place? Conceptual synthesis and meta-analysis of coworker effects on perceptions, attitudes, OCBs, and performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 93(5), 1082–1103. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.93.5.1082

Chin, W. W. (1998). The partial least squares approach to structural equation modeling. In G. A. Marcoulides (Ed.), Modern methods for business research (pp. 295–336). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Christie, R., & Geis, F. L. (2013). Studies in Machiavellianism. Academic Press.

Colquitt, J. A. (2001). On the dimensionality of organizational justice: A construct validation of a measure. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(3), 386–400. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.86.3.386

Colquitt, J. A., Scott, B. A., Rodell, J. B., Long, D. M., Zapata, C. P., Conlon, D. E., & Wesson, M. J. (2013). Justice at the millennium, a decade later: a meta-analytic test of social exchange and affect-based perspectives. Journal of Applied Psychology, 98(2), 199–236. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0031757

Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). SAGE Publications.

Dahling, J. J., Whitaker, B. G., & Levy, P. E. (2009). The development and validation of a new Machiavellianism scale. Journal of Management, 35(2), 219–257. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206308318618

Deci, E. L., Olafsen, A. H., & Ryan, R. M. (2017). Self-determination theory in work organizations: The state of a science. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 4, 19–43. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-032516-113108

Derks, D., Bakker, A. B., Peters, P., & Van Wingerden, P. (2016). Work-related smartphone use, work–family conflict and family role performance: The role of segmentation preference. Human Relations, 69(5), 1045–1068. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726715601890

Doherty, A. J. (1998). Managing our human resources: A review of organisational behaviour in sport. Sport Management Review, 1(1), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1441-3523(98)70097-X

Duyan, M., Günel, İ., & Reyhan, S. (2025). The mediating role of psychological safety in the relationship between leader-member exchange and job performance: An empirical investigation from sports organizations. Sivas Cumhuriyet Üniversitesi Spor Bilimleri Dergisi, 6(3), 285–292.

Edmondson, A. (1999). Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(2), 350–383. https://doi.org/10.2307/2666999

Edmondson, A. C., & Lei, Z. (2014). Psychological safety: The history, renaissance, and future of an interpersonal construct. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 1(1), 23–43. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-031413-091305

Erkutlu, H., & Chafra, J. (2019). Leader machiavellianism and follower silence: The mediating role of relational identification and the moderating role of psychological distance. European Journal of Management and Business Economics, 28(3), 323–342. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJMBE-09-2018-0097

Escamilla-Fajardo, P., Núñez-Pomar, J. M., Prado-Gascó, V. J., & Ratten, V. (2020). HRM versus QCA: what affects the organizational climate in sports organizations?. Sport in Society, 23(2), 264–279. https://doi.org/10.1080/17430437.2019.1607306

Fletcher, D., & Wagstaff, C. R. (2009). Organizational psychology in elite sport: Its emergence, application and future. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 10(4), 427–434. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2009.03.009

Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1), 39–50. https://doi.org/10.2307/3151312

Frazier, M. L., Fainshmidt, S., Klinger, R. L., Pezeshkan, A., & Vracheva, V. (2017). Psychological safety: A meta‐analytic review and extension. Personnel Psychology, 70(1), 113–165. https://doi.org/10.1111/peps.12183

Hair, J. F., Risher, J. J., Sarstedt, M., & Ringle, C. M. (2019). When to use and how to report the results of PLS-SEM. European Business Review, 31(1), 2–24. https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-11-2018-0203

Henseler, J., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2015). A new criterion for assessing discriminant validity in variance-based structural equation modeling. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 43(1), 115–135. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-014-0403-8

Henseler, J., Ringle, C. M., & Sinkovics, R. R. (2009). The use of partial least squares path modeling in international marketing. In R. R. Sinkovics & P. N. Ghauri (Eds.), New challenges to international marketing (Advances in International Marketing, Vol. 20, pp. 277–319). Emerald Group Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1474-7979(2009)0000020014

Homans, G. C. (1958). Social behavior as exchange. American Journal of Sociology, 63(6), 597–606.

Huang, C.-C., Wang, Y.-M., Wu, T.-W., & Wang, P.-A. (2013). An empirical analysis of the antecedents and performance consequences of using the Moodle platform. International Journal of Information and Education Technology, 3(2), 217–221. https://doi.org/10.7763/IJIET.2013.V3.267

Hulme, A., McLean, S., Read, G. J., Dallat, C., Bedford, A., & Salmon, P. M. (2019). Sports organizations as complex systems: Using cognitive work analysis to identify the factors influencing performance in an elite netball organization. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 1, Article 56. https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2019.00056

Huml, M. R., Kim, M., Black, W. L., & Taylor, E. A. (2025). Effect of toxicity and competitive psychological climate on team orientation and turnover intentions within sport employees. European Sport Management Quarterly, 25(6), 928–946. https://doi.org/10.1080/16184742.2025.2461052

Jonason, P. K., & Webster, G. D. (2010). The dirty dozen: A concise measure of the dark triad. Psychological Assessment, 22(2), 420–432. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0019265

Jones, D. N., & Paulhus, D. L. (2014). Introducing the short dark triad (SD3) a brief measure of dark personality traits. Assessment, 21(1), 28–41. https://doi.org/10.1177/1073191113514105

Judge, T. A., Locke, E. A., Durham, C. C., & Kluger, A. N. (1998). Dispositional effects on job and life satisfaction: The role of core evaluations. Journal of Applied Psychology, 83(1), 17–34. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.83.1.17

Judge, T. A., Thoresen, C. J., Bono, J. E., & Patton, G. K. (2001). The job satisfaction–job performance relationship: A qualitative and quantitative review. Psychological Bulletin, 127(3), 376–407. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.127.3.376

Kaiser, H. F. (1974). An index of factorial simplicity. Psychometrika, 39(1), 31–36.

Keser, A., & Bilir, K. B. Ö. (2019). İş tatmini ölçeğinin Türkçe güvenilirlik ve geçerlilik çalişmasi. Kırklareli Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 3(3), 229–239.

Kim, M., Kim, A. C. H., Newman, J. I., Ferris, G. R., & Perrewé, P. L. (2019). The antecedents and consequences of positive organizational behavior: The role of psychological capital for promoting employee well-being in sport organizations. Sport Management Review, 22(1), 108–125. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smr.2018.04.003

Kim, S. K., & Jeong, Y. (2021). Developing the healthy and competitive organization in the sports environment: Focused on the relationships between organizational justice, empowerment and job performance. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(17), 9142. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18179142

Kline, R. B. (2023). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling. Guilford Press.

Knoll, M., & Van Dick, R. (2013). Do I hear the whistle…? A first attempt to measure four forms of employee silence and their correlates. Journal of Business Ethics, 113(2), 349–362. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-012-1308-4

Kurtessis, J. N., Eisenberger, R., Ford, M. T., Buffardi, L. C., Stewart, K. A., & Adis, C. S. (2017). Perceived organizational support: A meta-analytic evaluation of organizational support theory. Journal of Management, 43(6), 1854–1884. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206315575554

Liu, X., Yang, S., & Yao, Z. (2020). Silent counterattack: the impact of workplace bullying on employee silence. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 572236. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.572236

Mackey, J. D., Ellen, B. P., III, McAllister, C. P., & Alexander, K. C. (2021). The dark side of leadership: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis of destructive leadership research. Journal of Business Research, 132, 705–718. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.10.037

Mańkowski, D. J. (2018). Sport organizations and environmental pressures: an institutional analysis. Society Register, 2(1), 155–170. https://doi.org/10.14746/sr.2018.2.1.09

Morrison, E. W. (2014). Employee voice and silence. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 1(1), 173–197. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-031413-091328

Morrison, E. W., & Milliken, F. J. (2000). Organizational silence: A barrier to change and development in a pluralistic world. Academy of Management Review, 25(4), 706–725. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2000.3707697

Newman, A., Donohue, R., & Eva, N. (2017). Psychological safety: A systematic review of the literature. Human Resource Management Review, 27(3), 521–535. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2017.01.001

O’Boyle, E. H., Jr., Forsyth, D. R., Banks, G. C., & McDaniel, M. A. (2012). A meta-analysis of the Dark Triad and work behavior: a social exchange perspective. Journal of Applied Psychology, 97(3), 557–579. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0025679

Paulhus, D. L., & Williams, K. M. (2002). The Dark Triad of personality: Narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy. Journal of Research in Personality, 36(6), 556–563. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0092-6566(02)00505-6

Pincus, J. D. (1986). Communication satisfaction, job satisfaction, and job performance. Human Communication Research, 12(3), 395–419. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2958.1986.tb00084.x

Pinder, C. C., & Harlos, K. P. (2001). Employee silence: Quiescence and acquiescence as responses to perceived injustice. In G. R. Ferris (Ed.), Research in Personnel and Human Resources Management (Vol. 20, pp. 331–369). JAI Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0742-7301(01)20007-3

Riketta, M. (2008). The causal relation between job attitudes and performance: a meta-analysis of panel studies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 93(2), 472–481. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.93.2.472

Salessi, S., & Omar, A. (2018). Dark triad of personality, job satisfaction and organizational cynicism: a structural model. Universitas Psychologica, 17(3), 21–32. https://doi.org/10.11144/Javeriana.upsy17-3.tops

Sarstedt, M., Ringle, C. M., & Hair, J. F. (2021). Partial least squares structural equation modeling. In C. Homburg, M. Klarmann, & A. Vomberg (Eds.), Handbook of Market Research (pp. 587–632). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57413-4_15

Şenkal, E., Şimşek, B., Çembertaş, E., & Solmaz, S. (2025). Sporcu öğrencilerin öz şefkat düzeylerinin psikolojik iyi oluşa etkisi. Beden Eğitimi ve Spor Bilimleri Dergisi, 19(3), 112–123.

Shantz, A., Alfes, K., & Truss, C. (2014). Alienation from work: Marxist ideologies and twenty-first-century practice. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 25(18), 2529–2550. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2012.667431

Sherf, E. N., Parke, M. R., & Isaakyan, S. (2021). Distinguishing voice and silence at work: Unique relationships with perceived impact, psychological safety, and burnout. Academy of Management Journal, 64(1), 114–148. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2018.1428

Solmaz, S., & Şimşek, B. (2025). Sporcularda duygusal zekânın psikolojik dayanıklılık üzerindeki etkisi: Cinsiyet ve spor türü açısından incelenmesi. International Journal of Sport Culture and Science, 13(1), 76–89.

Solmaz, S., Şimşek, B., Özbek, S., Özcan, B., & Yarayan, Y. E. (2024). Cinsiyetin fitness yapan bireylerde kişilik ve psikolojik iyi oluş üzerindeki etkisi. Turkish Journal of Sport and Exercise, 26(3), 488–497. https://doi.org/10.15314/tsed.1563092

Suresh, K. P., & Chandrashekara, S. (2012). Sample size estimation and power analysis for clinical research studies. Journal of Human Reproductive Sciences, 5(1), 7–13. https://doi.org/10.4103/0974-1208.97779

Swanson, S., & Kent, A. (2017). Passion and pride in professional sports: Investigating the role of workplace emotion. Sport Management Review, 20(4), 352–364. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smr.2016.10.004

Tepper, B. J. (2000). Consequences of abusive supervision. Academy of Management Journal, 43(2), 178–190. https://doi.org/10.5465/1556375

Tur-Porcar, A., & Ribeiro-Soriano, D. (2020). The role of emotions and motivations in sport organizations. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 842. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00842

Victor, B., & Cullen, J. B. (1988). The organizational bases of ethical work climates. Administrative Science Quarterly, 33(1), 101–125. https://doi.org/10.2307/2392857

Williams, B., Onsman, A., & Brown, T. (2010). Exploratory factor analysis: A five-step guide for novices. Australasian Journal of Paramedicine, 8, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.33151/ajp.8.3.93

Yener, S. (2015). Psikolojik Rahatlik ölçeğinin türkçe formunun geçerlik ve güvenirlik çalişmasi. Ordu Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Sosyal Bilimler Araştırmaları Dergisi, 5(13), 280-305.

Published

2026-10-27

How to Cite

Güleşce, M., & Karataş, S. (2026). The mediating roles of psychological safety and organizational silence in the effect of machiavellianism on job satisfaction in sports. Journal of Sport & Movement Sciences , 7(2), 179–195. https://doi.org/10.71350/jsms.96

Issue

Section

Articles