Bullying An Obstacle to Creating an Ethical Workplace

Bullying: An Obstacle to Creating an Ethical Workplace Culture Jacqueline N. Hood Anderson School of Management University of New Mexico

Focus of the Workshop • Explain the nature, frequency, and costs of workplace bullying • Place in the context of organizational culture and ethical culture • Advise students and employees in organizations on how to deal with this increasingly common behavior

Why is Bullying Important? • Increasingly relevant given today’s workplace environment – Teamwork – Empowering employees – Nurturing creativity and innovation – Emphasis on productivity

Definition of Workplace Bullying • Bullying at work involves situations in which employees are intentionally subjected to repeated, persistent negative acts that are intimidating, malicious, and stigmatizing • Bullying is characterized by several features: repetition, duration, escalation, power disparity, and attributed intent • Related terms: emotional abuse, social undermining, hostile work environment, work harassment, and workplace mistreatment

Behavioral Manifestations of Bullying • There is no one complete list of bullying behaviors • The key is a pattern of repeated behaviors with some intent to harm another • Manifestations of bullying behavior can include: – – – – Constantly criticizing, ridiculing, or dismissing achievements Spreading malicious rumors Trivial fault finding Public humiliation or ostracism Denying information necessary for undertaking work Threatening, shouting, physical intimidation Imposing impossible deadlines Removing responsibilities unfairly

Frequency of Bullying • Studies vary on the frequency of workplace bullying according to definition, time of study, and location – Workplace bullying is carried out on at least 14% of the U. S. workplace population at any one time – 35% of workers are subject to bullying at some time in their careers – A study of the U. S. Department of Veterans Administration, of 8, 596 respondents in 26 facilities revealed that 36% had experienced one or more aggressive acts on a weekly or daily basis over the previous 12 month period – 80% of workers say they have witnessed workplace bullying at some time in their careers – 75% of bully targets had to leave their jobs to make the bully go away

Effects of Bullying • Bullying has been found to be related to heightened levels of anxiety, depression, burnout, frustration, and helplessness • Negative emotions generated by bullying include anger, fear, and resentment • Individuals subject to workplace bullying have been found to have difficulty concentrating, lowered self-esteem, and lowered self-efficacy

Costs of Bullying • There are no precise aggregate measures of actual costs of bullying alone, but workplace stress has been found to cost U. S. organizations over $300 billion per year • Individual costs can include – Psychosomatic illness – Alcohol abuse – Post-traumatic stress disorder • Organizational costs can include – – Reduced productivity Decreased job satisfaction Reduced organizational commitment Greater intention to leave

Bullying and the Organization’s Culture • Is bullying behavior due to a personality disorder, or are bullies created by the environment in which they exist? • Similar to studies on organizational misconduct at work, bullying is most likely the product of the interaction between factors at the individual level and factors at the organizational level. • The solution for eliminating bullying behavior is to create an environment that both fosters ethical interpersonal conduct and that impels personality disordered bullies to not commit to the organization or, if employed, to leave.

The Ethical Organization Culture • An organizational culture is the shared meanings, norms, symbols, and values of the organization • The ethical culture of an organization is a subset of the organization’s culture, “representing a multidimensional interplay among various ‘formal’ and ‘informal’ systems of behavioral control that are capable of promoting either ethical or unethical behavior” (Trevino, Butterfield, & Mc. Cabe, 1998) • Three “types” of organizations will be explored: Ethical, Amoral, and Unethical

Ethical and Unethical Organizations • Ethical Organization – Formal and informal control systems promote ethical behavior – Bullying behavior violates both formal and informal control systems – Bullying is identified, addressed, and actions are taken to eliminate the behavior from the organization • Unethical Organization – Unethical behavior is tolerated or rewarded by the formal and informal control systems – Bullying behavior is accepted as the way the organization operates – In the long run, the organization, or at least its bullying leader, fails

The Middle Ground: The Amoral Organization • The amoral organization focuses on success as measured by the market, and is not intrinsically motivated to create formal and informal control systems to promote ethical behavior • In amoral organizations, it is more difficult to address bullying behavior since no clear formal or informal processes exist to deal with the behavior • It is likely that most organizations would be classified as amoral organizations

Alternatives of the Amoral Organization 1. It may identify with instrumental problems created by bullying behavior and seek to eliminate the behavior Successful, Productive Organization 2. It could ignore the bullying behavior, which remains isolated Dysfunctional Organization 3. It may encourage or reward bullying behavior, thus becoming an unethical organization Toxic Organization

Bullying and the Organizational Culture Organizational Ethical Culture Ethical Organization Bullying Behavior Outcomes Productive, Successful Organization Amoral Organization Dysfunctional Organization Unethical Organization Toxic Organization

What Should Organizations Do to Create a Bully-Free Environment? • Create an awareness of bullying behavior • Explicitly include bullying in codes of ethical conduct • Assess the extent of bullying in the organization and take steps to manage or eliminate bullies • Screen out potential bullies in the recruitment and promotion processes

Conclusion • Eliminating workplace bullying is essential for the well -being of bullied employees, their co-workers, and their families. • Eliminating bullying is also critically important for organizational success. • Managers need to become educated on the behavioral indicators of workplace bullying, learn how to create an ethical culture free of workplace bullying, and take action to ensure that bullying is eliminated to ensure individual and organizational success.