The goal of this study was to extend the concept of safety climate into the aggression research domain. In order to address this goal I developed and validated the perceived workplace civility climate scale (PWCC), which assesses the extent to which employees perceive the importance an organization places upon managing and preventing acts of incivility and verbally aggressive actions in the workplace. The factor analytic results produced three factors: (1) Intolerance, (2) Response, and (3) Policies and Procedures. All dimensions demonstrated adequate reliability and correlated significantly to hypothesized stressors and strains. Lastly, correlation results (i.e., convergence) between self- and peer reports provided support that PWCC is a form of climate within organizations. Regression analyses indicated that the PWCC dimensions of intolerance and response are important predictors of individual and organizational strains.

Collective efficacy, group helping behaviors, and group cohesion are group outcomes that have demonstrated pervasive effects on group performance. These group outcomes are important because of the strong relationships that have been established among these variables. Transformational leadership has shown to greatly foster these outcomes. The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the relationship between transformational leadership styles and organizational group outcomes in the workplace.

Attrition is a serious issue in the nursing industry. One factor influencing rates of attrition in nursing is aggression victimization at work (Estryn-Behar et al., 2010). However, there is little research in the aggression literature that examines how aggression from different sources affects attrition (both job and career turnover) differently. This study attempts to better understand the linkages between aggression victimization and nursing attrition; specifically how aggression from different sources (i.e. patients/patients’ families, coworkers, and licensed independent practitioners) differentially affects retention factors (i.e. job satisfaction, turnover intentions, and career commitment). This study also attempts to understand the role that prosocial motivation may have in buffering against negative work attitudes brought about by patient aggression victimization. A two time point cross-sectional survey design was conducted in a hospital organization in the state of Oregon. The data presented here are part of an archival examination of that larger dataset that uses 337 voluntary nursing participants. Findings partially support the idea that different sources of aggression differentially affect retention outcomes like job satisfaction, turnover intentions, and career commitment. Some limitations and contributions of the study are also discussed.

Relational aggression (RA) is a social phenomenon that can severely impact organizational profitability and employee productivity. A gap in the literature exists concerning appropriate interventions to manage RA. The purpose of this study was to explore successful interventions that have been used to manage RA. The theoretical framework was informed by psychological contract theory. Data were collected via semistructured face-to-face interviews with 12 victims, and then analyzed using data management, reading and memorization, description, classification, interpretation, and representation. NVivo software was used to organize the data in this study. The research consisted of 3 subquestions addressing the role of written policies in interventions, common practices and reactions of management, and victims' requests for attention to grievance reports. Five key themes emerged. The first and second pertain to the proactive and reactive role of written policies. The third and fourth focus on management's negative and positive reactions in response to grievance reports. The fifth identifies victims' expectations for their grievance reports. Commonly found interventions include impartially listening to both sides, investigation, restoration of damages, social justice, and identifying root causes for RA in the workplace. Implications for positive social change include enhanced employee well-being and performance and increased organizational effectiveness. Results may lead to positive changes by providing useful information that can be implemented by organizations to prevent and address RA, which can improve employee well-being.

This is a study of workplace bullying policy in the public service. The research draws on interviews with policy actors from three groups located in four Australian states and one Australian territory. The groups are senior managers, policy implementors and employee advocates. The study is also informed by research and popular literature to examine how assumptions about what the problem is in workplace bullying dictates the direction taken in policy development. Unlike much of the research into workplace bullying that is based on psychological theorisations, this study is influenced by scholars who focus on the power imbalances that underpin workplace bullying. The key argument in this thesis is that the conceptual dominance of 'gender neutrality' operates to mask the gendered power imbalances which perpetuate bullying behaviour. Hence, to start to address workplace bullying, the effects of power must be acknowledged and addressed in the organisational policy responses to the growing phenomenon of workplace bullying. However, analysing the effects of power is insufficient if gender is not made visible in the analysis. The methodological touchstone for this is Carol Bacchi's 'whats the problem' approach (1999), which is taken further through feminist organisational theory, post modernist understandings of power realtions and a critique of New Public Management practices. The thesis shows how workplace bullying policies in Australian public service administrations have been carefully crafted as gender-neutral, and interweaves data and literature to develop a thesis for why such an approach is a deeply flawed outcome of gender politics. This thesis concludes with some modest suggestions about how organizations might more effectively develop more effective gender-sensitive approaches to workplace bullying.

Over the past three decades, globalisation and rapid technological advances have fundamentally changed socio-economic structure and have widespread impacts on the nature of work and workplace health (U. Beck, 2000; Bertucci & Alberti, 2004; Bhalla, 1996; Chu & Dwyer, 2002). They have led to fierce global competition, altered the nature of work and exposed employees to new health risks (Chu & Dwyer, 2002; Stitzel & Jarvisalo, 1997). Fierce market competition demands enterprises and industries to build new competencies, restructure and improve productivity and efficiency. Associated with these changes are increased work pressures, weakening commitment to occupational health and safety, and many negative impacts on workers’ health (G. Breucker, 2006; Missler & Theuringer, 2003; WHO, 2003). Evidence shows that the world is facing growing burden of work related fatalities, injuries and diseases, particularly a dramatic increase of work stress. As part of the global community, Taiwan has also encountered similar workplace challenges in the rapidly changing environment. It also has to confront with increasing costs from the burden of work-related injuries and diseases and to find appropriate ways to deal with the serious problems (Council of Labour Affairs Taiwan, 2003, 3005; IOSH, 2002). As the success of organisations relies on having well-qualified, motivated and healthy employees, it is essential to seek effective means to protect and promote the health of the working population (ENWHP, 2005). The integrative workplace health promotion (IWHM) model emerging in the 1990s, is regarded as a comprehensive means to address multiple determinants of health and promote employee health (G. Breucker, 2006; Chu, 2003b; WHO-WPRO, 1999). There have been a great number of international successful examples demonstrating the benefits from implementing the IWHM programs (ENWHP, 2002; Chu, Breucker, Harris, & et al., 2000). In response to these workplace challenges and new occupational health risks, Taiwan has followed the international trend to initiate a series of workplace health promotion (WHP) programs since 2001 (Bureau of Health Promotion Taiwan, 2006). However, a preliminary study revealed that many WHP projects in Taiwan have met with difficulties in encouraging employee participation and sustainable development of the programs. These results were not surprising as the majority of the WHP programs in Taiwan tended to narrowly focused on physical activities, weight control and smoking cessation, while ignoring employee needs and problems relevant to specific workplace concerns (Bureau of Health Promotion, 2003; Hsu, Chang, Peng, & Chen, 2002; Hsu, Chen, & Wu, 2004). In this regard, the comprehensive IWHM which aims to meet employee health needs and improve organisational environment may present an effective means for Taiwan to address complex workplace health issues and to create healthy and sustainable workplaces. This research aims to investigate the applicability of the IWHM model in Taiwan to deal with workplace health problems. Apart from reviewing literature and relevant case studies from international communities and in Taiwan, this study conducted a small scale pilot study and a comprehensive needs assessment at selected workplaces in Taiwan as an experiment to test the applicability of the IWHM model. In practice, this research project targeted the civil servants working at the Liming governmental community in Taichung, Taiwan as the research subject. It involves a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods for data collection and analysis. A variety of data collection techniques including in-depth interviews, focus groups, participant observations, secondary data analysis and questionnaire surveys are used to investigate the workplace health and safety problems and the staff’s health needs. A triangulation technique is used to compare and contrast the different sources of information. The findings indicated that the IWHM model is applicable in the Liming community in terms of feasible methodological approaches using a needs-based program development and implementation process, and positive program outcomes such as stair improvement to prevent falls and the establishment of long-term health management, meaningful participation, practical program activities and holistic evaluation. For potential program sustainability, this project has involved employee representatives in program implementation and taking in charge of the ongoing program activities, and has managed to establish interdepartmental partnership to address common workplace health issues. Even though this research project has not made great progress, it has been moving toward meeting the project objectives and the organisations’ needs. From the Liming experience, this research provided recommendations for future development of WHP in Taiwan including: 1) develop national policies to define clear responsibilities in WHP development at different levels; 2) establish appropriate capacity building and training programs; 3) develop practical guidelines and tools tailored to suit Taiwan’s local conditions and needs; 4) set up effective evaluation and quality management system; 5) provide a professional or technical support team to assist workplaces or industries with the development and implementation of WHP programs.

This study addresses the question of how an individual’s perception of the safety of his or her institutional space impacts on shame management skills. Shame has been widely recognised as a core emotion that can readily take the form of anger and violence in interpersonal relationships if it is unresolved. When shame is not acknowledged properly, feelings of shame build up and lead to shame-rage spirals that break down social bonds between people. Some might consider the total avoidance of shame experiences as a way to cut the link between shame and violence. However, there is a reason why we cannot just discard the experience of shame. Shame is a self-regulatory emotion (Braithwaite, 1989, 2002; Ahmed et al., 2001). If one feels shame over wrongdoing, one is less likely to re-offend in the future. That is to say, shame is a destructive emotion on the one hand in the way it can destroy our social bonds, but on the other hand, it is a moral emotion that reflects capacity to regulate each other and ourselves. This paradoxical nature of shame gives rise to the necessity of managing shame in a socially adaptive way. A group of scholars in the field of shame has argued that institutions can be designed in such a way that they create safe space that allows people to feel shame and manage shame without its adverse consequences (Ahmed et al., 2001). This means that people would feel safe to acknowledge shame and accept the consequences of their actions without fear of stigmatisation or the disruption of social bonds. Without fear, there would be less likelihood of displacing shame, that is, blaming others and expressing shame as anger towards others. The context adopted for empirically examining shame management in this study is workplace bullying. Bullying has become a dangerous phenomenon in our workplace that imposes significant costs on employers, employees, their families and industries as a whole (Einarsen et al., 2003a). Teachers belong to a professional group that is reputed to be seriously affected by bullying at work. Teachers from Australia and Korea completed self-report questionnaires anonymously. Three shame management styles were identified: shame acknowledgement, shame displacement and (shame) withdrawal. The likely strengths of these shame management styles were investigated in terms of three factors postulated as contributions to institutional safe space: that is, 1) cultural value orientations, 2) the salience of workgroup identity, and 3) problem resolution practices at work. The present thesis suggests that further consideration should be given to institutional interventions that support and maintain institutional safe space and that encourage shame acknowledgement, while dampening the adverse effect of defensive shame management. The evidence presented in this thesis is a first step in demonstrating that institutional safe space and shame management skills are empirically measurable, are relevant in other cultural contexts and address issues that are at the heart of the human condition everywhere........ [For the full Abstract, see the PDF files below]

Background: Anxiety in the workplace is a special problem as workplaces are especially prone to provoke anxiety: There are social hierarchies, rivalries between colleagues, sanctioning through superiors, danger of accidents, failure, and worries of job security. Workplace phobia is a phobic anxiety reaction with symptoms of panic occurring when thinking of or approaching the workplace, and with clear tendency of avoidance. Objectives: What characterizes workplace-related anxieties and workplace phobia as domain-specific mental disorders in contrast to conventional anxiety disorders? Method: 230 patients from an inpatient psychosomatic rehabilitation center were interviewed with the (semi-)structured Mini-Work-Anxiety-Interview and the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview, concerning workplace-related anxieties and conventional mental disorders. Additionally, the patients filled in the self-rating questionnaires Job-Anxiety-Scale (JAS) and the Symptom Checklist (SCL-90-R)measuring job-related and general psychosomatic symptom load. Results: Workplace-related anxieties occurred together with conventional anxiety disorders in 35% of the patients, but also alone in others (23%). Workplace phobia could be found in 17% of the interviewed, any diagnosis of workplace-related anxiety was stated in 58%. Workplace phobic patients had significantly higher scores in job-anxiety than patients without workplace phobia. Patients with workplace phobia were significantly longer on sick leave in the past 12 months (23,5 weeks) than patients without workplace phobia (13,4 weeks). Different qualities of workplace-related anxieties lead with different frequencies to work participation disorders. Conclusion: Workplace phobia cannot be described by only assessing the general level of psychosomatic symptom load and conventional mental disorders. Workplace-related anxieties and workplace phobia have an own clinical value which is mainly defined by specific workplace-related symptom load and work-participation disorders. They require special therapeutic attention and treatment instead of a “sick leave” certification by the general health physician. Workplace phobia should be named with a proper diagnosis according to ICD-10 chapter V, F 40.8: “workplace phobia”. / Hintergrund: Angst am Arbeitsplatz ist ein spezielles Phänomen, da Arbeitsplätze ihrer Natur nach angstauslösende Charakteristika aufweisen: Vorgesetzte die sanktionieren, Rangkämpfe mit Kollegen, reale Unfallgefahren, Scheitern und Leistungsversagen, Unklarheit um plötzliche Veränderungen, Arbeitsplatzunsicherheit. Arbeitsplatzphobie ist eine phobische Angstreaktion mit Panikerleben beim Gedanken an oder bei Annäherung an den Arbeitsplatz. Fragestellung: Was charakterisiert arbeitsplatzbezogene Ängste und Arbeitsplatzphobie als lebensbereichsspezifische Angsterkrankungen in Abgrenzung zu klassischen Angsterkrankungen? Methode: 230 Patienten einer stationären psychosomatischen Rehabilitation wurden im halbstrukturierten Interview (Mini-Arbeits-Angst-Interview, Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview) hinsichtlich arbeitsplatzbezogener Ängste und klassischer psychischer Erkrankungen befragt. Selbsteinschätzungsurteile wurden hinsichtlich des Schweregrads der arbeitsbezogenen (Job-Angst-Skala, JAS) und allgemeinen psychosomatischen (Symptom-Checkliste, SCL-90-R) Symptombelastung erhoben. Ergebnisse: 58% der befragten Patienten litten an mindestens einer arbeitsplatzbezogenen Angstvariante. Arbeitsplatzbezogene Ängste kamen bei 35% der Befragten zusammen mit einer klassischen Angsterkrankung vor, bei 23% jedoch als allein stehende Angsterkrankung. 17% der Befragten erfüllten die Kriterien einer Arbeitsplatzphobie. Arbeitsplatzphobie-Patienten hatten signifikant höhere Job-Angst-Werte als Patienten ohne Arbeitsplatzphobie, und sie waren signifikant länger arbeitsunfähig in den letzten 12 Monaten (23,5 Wochen versus 13,4 Wochen). Schlussfolgerung: Arbeitsplatzbezogene Ängste und Arbeitsplatzphobie haben eine spezielle klinische Wertigkeit, die sich anhand arbeitsbezogener Partizipationsstörungen und spezifischer arbeitsbezogener Symptombelastung beschreiben lässt. Arbeitsplatzphobie erfordert besondere therapeutische Herangehensweisen anstelle von angsterhaltender da Vermeidungsverhalten fördernder „Krankschreibung“. Arbeitsplatzphobie sollte als Diagnose benannt werden entsprechend ICD-10 Kapitel V, F 40.8: “Arbeitsplatzphobie”.

The Canadian healthcare system has become increasingly decentralised as a result of neoliberal policy leanings. Many responsibilities have shifted from federal to provincial to regional health authorities. As a result of their heavy workloads and strained budgets, these regional health authorities have begun striking up new community partnerships. This thesis examines the role that lay institutions play within the Canadian healthcare system via a case study of Dalhousie University’s handling of the 2009/2010 H1N1 pandemic. Document analysis and participant interviews reveal how the institution worked to protect the health of its population, why it was inclined to take on this responsibility, and how doing so impacted the everyday work of Dalhousie University employees. Based on this case study, the thesis argues that the capacity of lay institutions and their employees to respond to health crises is likely to depend on a number of factors, which has important public health implications.

This doctoral dissertation investigates the challenges “foreign teachers” experience in the encounter with the Swedish school and the possibilities they have to manage challenges and to establish their legitimacy. The participants of this study were newly employed in the pre-school, the primary school and the secondary school. The material includes interviews with 21 teachers and complementing observations at the workplaces of five of these teachers. Principals and colleagues have also been interviewed as well as administrators and teacher educators of supplementary teacher training programs. The shift of language of instruction was reported as causing challenges and demanded time and energy from the teachers in preparing the lessons. Here the teachers mentioned knowledge and correct use of the subject specific vocabulary and the ability to use everyday language in the process of building a bridge to the language of the subjects. Difficulties in the interaction with colleagues and parents were reported; when being positioned as less competent due to their second language speaker status. Some examples also reveal that everyday interaction demands knowledge of social practices that are not always familiar to these teachers. The value of individual assets (e.g. professional experience, profound subject knowledge and multilingualism) is enhanced when school principals recognize the resources of these teachers and make use of them in the communities of practice at school. In using activity theory, difficulties in the interaction with students or problems with questioning parents could be analyzed with regard to communities of practice, rule systems or division of labor in the activities of the school. This thesis emphasizes the importance of a critical discussion of existing norms, values and hierarchies in local school contexts if schools in Sweden in general are to be seen as learning and working contexts for teachers as well as students of all backgrounds. / Flerspråkighet Litteractitet Utbildning (FLU)