Thesis (Ph.D.)--Cornell University, January, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (216-225 leaves).

Workplace bullying is a serious and frequently occurring workplace issue that can have a number of negative, sometimes devastating consequences for employees who are targeted. At the same time, there are many employees who, despite being exposed to frequent and persistent bullying in the workplace do not label themselves bullied. This thesis investigated a number of behavioural, individual and contextual variables that were predicted to have an influence on the perceived severity of workplace bullying behaviours and the actual labelling of the behaviours as bullying using established workplace bullying measures and vignettes. Overall, the results indicated that the perceived severity and labelling of workplace bullying behaviours were influenced by the behaviours involved, by characteristics of the employee being subjected to the behaviours, by characteristics of the employee perpetrating the behaviours and by the connection that the target???s co-workers had to the bullying interaction. Specifically, the analyses indicated that behaviours that personally ridiculed the target were perceived as severe and as bullying more frequently than other categories of bullying behaviour. Participant gender and current experience with workplace bullying were also revealed to be predictive of whether negative workplace behaviours were perceived as severe and bullying in nature. The formal position held by the perpetrator relative to the target was revealed to influence whether the behaviours were perceived as severe. The formal position of the perpetrator, the presence of others during the bullying act and the knowledge that others in the workplace were also being targeted significantly influenced whether the behaviours were labelled as bullying in nature.

Workplace bullying is a serious and frequently occurring workplace issue that can have a number of negative, sometimes devastating consequences for employees who are targeted. At the same time, there are many employees who, despite being exposed to frequent and persistent bullying in the workplace do not label themselves bullied. This thesis investigated a number of behavioural, individual and contextual variables that were predicted to have an influence on the perceived severity of workplace bullying behaviours and the actual labelling of the behaviours as bullying using established workplace bullying measures and vignettes. Overall, the results indicated that the perceived severity and labelling of workplace bullying behaviours were influenced by the behaviours involved, by characteristics of the employee being subjected to the behaviours, by characteristics of the employee perpetrating the behaviours and by the connection that the target???s co-workers had to the bullying interaction. Specifically, the analyses indicated that behaviours that personally ridiculed the target were perceived as severe and as bullying more frequently than other categories of bullying behaviour. Participant gender and current experience with workplace bullying were also revealed to be predictive of whether negative workplace behaviours were perceived as severe and bullying in nature. The formal position held by the perpetrator relative to the target was revealed to influence whether the behaviours were perceived as severe. The formal position of the perpetrator, the presence of others during the bullying act and the knowledge that others in the workplace were also being targeted significantly influenced whether the behaviours were labelled as bullying in nature.

Thesis (MPsych(Org))--University of South Australia, 1999

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Australian National University, 2005.

This thesis concerns violence among nurses in their formalised working relationships. There has been little, if any, previous research into violence among nurses. Prior research into violence in nursing has produced no adequate explanation for understanding how, and why, nurses respond in certain ways to violent events. Nor has research demonstrated the genesis and persistence of these events, or suggested ways in which nurses can effectively deal with this behaviour from their colleagues. / Thesis (PhDNursing)--University of South Australia, 1999.

This study explores the role of trade unions in intervening in incidents of workplace bullying, adopting an employment relations perspective. The data was obtained from the members and officials of three major UK unions and analysed using both qualitative and quantitative techniques. Between a quarter and a third of respondents in each union considered they were bullied within a two-year period. A key finding was that most bullied individuals voiced their concerns through non-organisational support mechanisms, including trade unions, in preference to the systems created by employers to address bullying. Colleagues rarely offered overt support and union officials typically responded by providing indirect support to individual bullied members. Outcomes tended to place the onus on perceived targets of bullying to resolve the situation irrespective of the source of support utilised. Employers’ attitudes towards bullying appeared to exert greater influence over resolutions. Whilst unions may have limited power to alter managerially-derived solutions, there was some evidence that, where they engendered a collective response to allegations of bullying, perpetrators were more likely to be held accountable. This study makes a significant contribution to the collective knowledge on workplace bullying by proposing a typology of union responses and an industrial relations model of intervention, which highlights the potential for the responses of unions, co-workers, and employers to affect the balance of power in the employment relationship and influence outcomes of workplace problems like bullying.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Despite workplace bullying becoming more prevalent today, limited focus has been placed on this phenomenon within the organisational research context. It is important to note that this particular field of study still seems to be fairly new. Preventative measures for workplace bullying have focused on organisations taking responsibility through revisiting organisational leadership and culture, implementing policies and programmes, one of which includes coaching interventions. The present study set out to state that through effective and well-directed coaching interventions, awareness regarding workplace bullying can be created on both an individual and organisational level. The main objective of the study was to explore what coaching interventions and techniques can be used in coaching to address workplace bullying in South Africa. This study, positioned in the interpretivist paradigm, explored the personal experiences of 13 qualified and registered business coaches with COMENSA in South Africa, regarding their understanding, experience and knowledge of coaching related to workplace bullying from the sample group, through qualitative data. The sample group participated in individual semi-structured interviews relaying their experiences by answering specific questions, formulated as guidelines to the study. The questions were grouped into four categories, in order to analyse the qualitative data by using the content analysis method. The study found that coaches are increasingly faced with the responsibility to coach individuals related to workplace bullying, that it is a definite problem in South African organisations, but that organisations are currently not addressing it. The sample group in general had an average understanding of the concept of workplace bullying. However, their experience in workplace bullying contributed to insight on a number of factors, not obtained from literature. This also included the identification of several approaches, techniques and tools, which have been used with great effectiveness, whether coaching bullies or individuals being bullied. The sample group also emphasised a number of critical areas that coaches need to be aware of, including the importance of coaching supervision, proper contracting with clients and the effect that workplace bullying have on the coach himself, to mention just a few. The study focused on discussing the findings of this study by analysing and comparing the specific results, with previous literature, research and studies. The literature mentioned a number of theoretical underpinnings that can be used in workplace bullying coaching, but the study found more value in the processes followed by the coaches regarding effective coaching interventions, combined with approaches, tools and techniques, which are indicated specifically in the study. It was also found that an effective workplace bullying coach should have a good knowledge of organisations, organisational culture and the dynamics in business. In relation to South Africa’s focus on workplace bullying, the study found that this is greatly lacking, and special attempts should be made to create awareness of the topic in South African organisations. Investigations are proposed to incorporate workplace bullying into the South African labour legislation and to establish a Workplace Bullying Body to quantitatively and qualitatively investigate and regulate workplace bullying in South Africa.

D.Phil. / In its exploration of workplace bullying, this doctoral study applies elements of two particular types of autoethnography, namely, personal narrative and analytical autoethnography. This unconventional qualitative approach focuses on my own experiences of being bullied as an employee at an organisation where, according to management, bullying was deemed to be an acceptable practice. In the study I describe typical bullying events, related interpersonal dynamics, and the clandestine tactics of bullies. I reveal how bullying affected me, and how I coped with the emotional turmoil and humiliation caused by it. An appreciation for both modernism and postmodernism influenced me to combine elements of these paradigms in the study. In the spirit of postmodernism I share my lived experiences of bullying in an attempt to appeal to the reader‟s empathy and hopefully his or her co-construction, to enhance emotional understanding, and to create a willingness amongst concerned parties to unite in facilitating social change. I also explain the emotional demands and the therapeutic effects on the writer when producing an autoethnography. Regarding the modernist elements, I apply theoretical concepts and research findings on bullying found in the literature to contextualise and make sense of my experiences. In addition, I engage in various levels of analysis and thematically analyse the data contained in the autoethnography, as well as material offered by six people who either witnessed or experienced bullying. This autoethnographic work led to interesting realisations. For example, I found that targets tend to become aware of only the negative characteristics in bullies and disregard their positive qualities. They often fantasise about escaping, though they do not actively take steps to acquire alternative employment, because they have been indoctrinated to believe that they are worthless. I once again realise that all human beings are capable of good deeds, as well as evil ones, and that circumstances often determine who will revert to bullying, and who will become targets. Particularly striking are the study‟s findings that remnants of the ancient practice of sacrificing one person to ensure the survival of the group may be present in modern organisations. Based on the insights gained from this study, I recommend that workplace bullying awareness campaigns should be increased, and, in particular that – (i) employers and unions should be informed about the covert nature of bullying and the consequences for all involved; and (ii) organisations should establish structures and procedures for reporting bullying and counselling targets and bullies.

The crabs-in-a-barrel (CIB) mentality—a specialized form of incivility that occurs among members of the same ingroup (i.e., intragroup incivility)—is an understudied yet destructive and consequential intragroup phenomenon. As previous studies on the CIB mentality among the Black community have primarily focused on targets of the deviant behavior, this study trailblazed by serving as the first to employ a mixed methods design to investigate the environmental, perceptual, and affective antecedents of instigated Black-on-Black (B-o-B) incivility in the workplace. More specifically, the present study adopted a social-interactionist approach to investigate whether various aspects of work climate (i.e., institutional discrimination, interpersonal prejudice, and competitive work climate); affective states (i.e., emotional taxation); and workgroup composition factors (i.e., perceived collective and competitive minority threats) were positively associated with instigated B-o-B incivility in the workplace. To that end, a cross-sectional design was employed with a U.S. based sample of 523 full-time Black professionals across various organizations and industries. The proposed hypotheses were tested using logistic regression analyses. Overall, the results showed that collective minority threat and experienced incivility were the most consistently significant predictors of instigated B-o-B incivility in the proposed model—with experienced incivility showing the greatest effect on the outcome variable between the two. Moreover, participants reported that there were 10 primary reasons and/or justifications for acting uncivilly towards another Black employee at their job within the past year. This study provides further support and validation to the notion that the CIB phenomenon represents another variant of the workplace incivility construct. Additionally, this study broadens the workplace incivility discussion and research stream by offering unique insight into the perspectives of racial minority instigators of uncivil behavior at work. The results hold considerable implications for practitioners and organizations seeking to better understand, and address, the issue of intragroup incivility in the workplace—particularly as it relates to Black professionals. Theoretical implications and directions for future research are also discussed.