Bullying Pervaded at Different Organizational Cultures

European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 1996

The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence of bullying and harassment at work, to identify risk groups and risk organizations, and to investigate who the victims report to be their tormentors. Bullying and harassment are defined as situations where a worker or a supervisor is systematically mistreated and victimized by fellow workers or supervisors through repeated negative acts. However, to be a victim of such bullying one must also feel inferiority in defending oneselfin the actual situation. Data from 14 different Norwegian surveys (N = 7986) are presented, encompassing a broad array of organizations and professions. The results show that bullying and harassment at work are widespread problems in Norwegian working life. As many as 8.6% of the respondents had been bullied at work during the previous six months.

International Journal of Organization Theory & Behavior, 2010

This article examines the phenomenon and concept of bullying in the workplace. Workplace bullying is a form of interpersonal aggression that can be both flagrant and subtle, but is mainly characterized by its persistency and long term duration. The relationships between bullying and related concepts such as workplace aggression and interpersonal conflict are discussed. With reference to previous empirical research as well as theoretical contributions, an attempt is made to clarify some important aspects about the phenomenon, such as various subtypes of workplace bullying. Empirical findings on prevalence, antecedents and outcome factors are outlined and reviewed. The paper also discusses the dose-response perspective.

IIM Kozhikode Society & Management Review, 2015

Over the past 25 years, academic researchers across the globe have extensively studied the concept, definition and the prevalence of workplace bullying. Even though researchers around the globe explain bullying with multiple terminologies, certain key features define the phenomenon. The researchers have used various methods and tools to measure the prevalence of the phenomenon. Therefore, this article aims to review and present the key defining features, various measuring methods and the prevalence of workplace bullying across various continents, such as, Scandinavia, Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand, Asia and Africa. The findings from the review of prevalence highlights that workplace bullying is highest in Asia and lowest in Scandinavia. The review draws attention to the various key directions for future research.

Workplace bullying represents persistent behaviors that are both overt and covert. There is an increasing need for understanding this construct for the reason that it is directly linked to bringing the victim to a state of long lasting emotional distress. Alarmingly, such aggression usually is invisible and difficult to identify. This provides a rationale for elucidating the concept of bullying in the workplace at length through an extensive review of the existing literature. Various facets of workplace bullying have been highlighted in this paper in order to show its detrimental effects on the health of targets working in any occupational or organizational setting. Drawing on well-established theories and findings of various researchers, the concept of workplace bullying is systematically linked with how it can evolve into mental health problems. In addition, few hypotheses are also presented for future research purpose.

The improper balance of power in the employment relationship orchestrated the employees' protection from harassment and bullying in workplace. This has increased employees' awareness of their rights in an employment relationship. This essay shall examine the global perspective on the fight against workplace bullying and harassment. The essay is intended to inform, provide strategies and foster discussion on the best practical approach to bring these occupational hazards to their lowest ebb. A b a y o m i O k u b o t e --a b a y o m i . o k u b o t e @ g m a i l . c o m 'BULLYING AND HARASSMENT IN THE WORKPLACE -AN INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE'

Abstract Objectives To estimate the prevalence of bullying and to identify risk groups in a representative population sample. Methods The data for this study was taken from the second Danish Psychosocial Work Environment Study (DPWES). The sample consisted of 3,429 employees between 20 and 59-years. The response rate for the study was 60.4%. Results The study showed that 8.3% of the respondents had been bullied within the past year, 1.6% of the sample reported daily to weekly bullying. Co-workers (71.5%) and managers/supervisors (32.4%) were most often reported as perpetrators of bullying, but bullying from subordinates (6%) was also reported. We found significant differences in the prevalence of bullying for both occupational status and work process, a variable characterizing the employees main task in their job. Unskilled workers reported the highest prevalence of bullying, while managers/supervisors the lowest prevalence. People working with things (male-dominated occupations) and people working with clients/patients (female-dominated occupations) reported higher prevalence of bullying than people working with symbols or customers. No significant gender or age differences were found. Conclusions These findings suggest that types of work and gender ratio are risk factors in the onset of workplace bullying. Future studies should take into account the type of work and the gender ratio of the organization. Keywords: Workplace bullying - Population study - Gender ratio - Work characteristics - Occupations An erratum to this article can be found at http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00420-009-0409-6

2001

The aim of this study was to analyse the prevalence and forms of workplace bullying among business professionals holding predominantly managerial or expert positions. A cross-sectional survey study was conducted among Finnish professionals with a university degree in business studies. In the study two different strategies for measuring bullying were used and compared. When provided a definition of bullying, 8.8% of the respondents reported that they had at least occasionally been bullied during the past 12 months. However, when using a slightly modified version of the Negative Acts Questionnaire (Einarsen & Hoel 2001), containing a list of 32 predefined negative and potentially harassing acts, as many as 24.1% of the respondents reported that they had been subjected to at least one of the negative acts on a weekly basis. The respondents had experienced predominantly work-related negative acts, e.g. that their opinions and views were ignored, that they were given unreasonable deadlines or that information was withheld. Although the prevalence rates reported with the two strategies varied considerably, there was still consistency between the two strategies in the sense that those who had classified themselves as bullied also reported higher exposure rates to almost all of the negative acts included.

Personnel Review

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze cross-national and cross-cultural similarities and differences in perceptions and conceptualizations of workplace bullying among human resource professionals (HRPs). Particular emphasis was given to what kind of behaviors are considered as bullying in different countries and what criteria interviewees use to decide whether a particular behavior is bullying or not. Design/methodology/approach HRPs in 13 different countries/regions (n=199), spanning all continents and all GLOBE cultural clusters (House et al., 2004), were interviewed and a qualitative content analysis was carried out. Findings Whereas interviewees across the different countries largely saw personal harassment and physical intimidation as bullying, work-related negative acts and social exclusion were construed very differently in the different countries. Repetition, negative effects on the target, intention to harm, and lack of a business case were decision criteria typic...

Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 1997

This paper reports on a survey into workplace bullying carried out at Staffordshire University in 1994. The 1137 respondents were part time students at the University. Approximately half the sample reported they had been bullied during their working lives. Apart from the gender of the bully, there were no significant differences in the bullying experience between men and women in the parameters examined in this paper. Many people reported being bullied in groups, which is contrary to the current anecdotal evidence. Those who had not been bullied anticipated a more assertive reaction to the situation than those who had been bullied actually took. Data are presented and the findings are discussed, and future research potential identified.

2003

Harcèlement au travail chez les professionnels du milieu des affaires. Prévalence, différences selon le genre et rôle de la culture organisationnelle La intimidación en el trabajo entre profesionales del área de negocios: prevalencia, diferencias de género y rol de las políticas organizacionales