Bullying and emotional abuse in the workplace : international perspectives in research and practice

439 Pages·2003·2.09 MB·English

by  Stale Einarsen

Bullying and Emotional Abuse
in the Workplace
Over the last decade or so research into bullying, emotional abuse and
harassment at work, as distinct from harassment based on sex or race and
primarily of a non-physical nature, has emerged as a new field of study.
Two main academic streams have emerged: a European tradition applying
the concept of ‘mobbing’ or ‘bullying’ and the American tradition,
primarily identified through concepts such as emotional abuse and
mistreatment. One focuses on the perpetrator, the other on the victim. In
addition, research in this field has also started in Australia and South
Africa. All are brought together in this work, in a synthesis of research and
analysis of practice in the field. This book also aims to document the exis-
tence and consequences of the problem of bullying, to explore its causes
and to investigate the effectiveness of approaches aimed at mitigating and
managing the problem, as well as to offer suggestions for further progress
in this important new field.
Ståle Einarsen is Associate Professor in Work and Organizational
Psychology in the Department of Psychosocial Science at the University of
Bergen in Norway.
Helge Hoelis a lecturer in change management and cross-cultural manage-
ment in Manchest er School of Management at the University of
Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST), UK.
Dieter Zapf (PhD) is Professor of Organizational Psychology in the
Department of Psychology at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University,
Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Cary L. Cooper(PhD, CBE) is currently BUPA Professor of Organizational
Psychology and Health in the Manchester School of Management, and
Pro-Vice-Chancellor (External Activities) of the University of Manchester
Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST), UK.

Bullying and Emotional
Abuse in the Workplace
International perspectives in
research and practice
Edited by Ståle Einarsen,
Helge Hoel, Dieter Zapf
and Cary L. Cooper
First published 2003 by Taylor & Francis
11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Taylor & Francis Inc
29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001
Taylor & Francis is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2004.
© 2003 Taylor & Francis
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical,
or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or
retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Every effort has been made to ensure that the advice and information
in this book is true and accurate at the time of going to press.
However, neither the publisher nor the authors can accept any legal
responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions that may be
made. In the case of drug administration, any medical procedure or
the use of technical equipment mentioned within this book, you are
strongly advised to consult the manufacturer’s guidelines.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cata loging in Publication Data
Bullying and emotional abuse in the workplace: international
perspectives in research and practice ... [et al]
p.cm
Includes bibliographical references
1. Bullying in the workplace. I. Einarson, Stale.
HF5549.5.E43 B85 2002
158.7–dc21 2002074011
ISBN 0-203-16466-0 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN 0-203-25887-8 (Adobe eReader Format)
ISBN 0–415–25359–4(Print Edition)
Contents
List of illustrations ix
List of contributors xi
Preface xiii
PART 1
The problem 1
1 The concept of bullying at work: the European tradition 3
STÅLE EINARSEN, HELGE HOEL, DIETER ZAPF AND CARY L. COOPER
2 By any other name: American perspectives on workplace bullying 31
LORALEIGH KEASHLY AND KAREN JAGATIC
3 Bully/victim problems in school: basic facts and an effective
intervention programme 62
DAN OLWEUS
4 Sexual harassme nt research in the United States 79
JOHN B. PRYOR AND LOUISE F. FITZGERALD
PART 2
The evidence 101
5 Empirical findings on bullying in the workplace 103
DIETER ZAPF, STÅLE EINARSEN, HELGE HOEL AND MAARIT VARTIA
6 Individual effects of exposure to bullying at work 127
STÅLE EINARSEN AND EVA GEMZØE MIKKELSEN
vi Contents
7 Organisational effects of bullying 145
HELGE HOEL, STÅLE EINARSEN AND CARY L. COOPER
PART 3
Explaining the problem 163
8 Individual antecedents of bullying: victims and perpetrators 165
DIETER ZAPF AND STÅLE EINARSEN
9 Social antecedents of bullying: a social interactionist perspective 185
JOEL H. NEUMAN AND ROBERT A. BARON
10 Organisational antecedents of workplace bullying 203
HELGE HOEL AND DENISE SALIN
11 Explaining bullying at work: why should we listen to employee
accounts? 219
ANDREAS P. D. LIEFOOGHE AND KATE MACKENZIE DAVEY
12 Bullying at work: a postmodern experience 231
PAUL MCCARTHY
PART 4
Managing the problem: ‘best practice’ 245
13 Bullying policy: development, implementation and monitoring 247
JON RICHARDS A ND HOPE DALEY
14 Investigating complaints of bullying 259
VICKI MERCHANT AND HELGE HOEL
15 Counselling and rehabilitating employees involved with bullying 270
NOREEN TEHRANI
16 Workplace bullying: the role of occupational health services 285
MAARIT VARTIA, LEENA KORPPOO, SIRKKU FALLENIUS AND
MAJ-LIS MATTILA
Contents vii
17 To prevent and overcome undesirable interaction: a systematic
approach model 299
ADRIENNE B. HUBERT
18 Challenging workplace bullying in a developing country:
the example of South Africa 312
SUSAN MARAIS-STEINMAN
PART 5
Remedial actions: a critical outlook 325
19 Bullying from a risk management perspective 327
ANNE SPURGEON
20 Conflict, conflict resolution and bullying 339
LORALEIGH KEASHLY AND BRANDA L. NOWELL
21 Bullying, emotions and the learning organisation 359
MICHAEL J. SHEEHAN AND PETER J. JORDAN
22 Bullying and human resource management: a wolf in
sheep’s clothing? 370
DUNCAN LEWIS AND CHARLOTTE RAYNER
23 Tackling bullying in the workplace: the collective dimension 383
MIKE IRONSIDE AND ROGER SEIFERT

24 Workplace bullying and the law: towards a transnational
consensus? 399
DAVID YAMADA
25 Bullying at work: the way forward 412
HELGE HOEL, STÅLE EINARSEN, LORALEIGH KEASHLY,
DIETER ZAPF AND CARY L. COOPER
Subject index 417

Illustrations
Tables
2.1 Examples of workplace abuse and aggression behaviours 36
2.2 Incidence of workplace aggression items 40
2.3 Some effects of workplace abuse and harassment on targets 54
3.1 Overview of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program 72
4.1 Percentages of women and men reporting sexual harassment
experiences 81
5.1 International studies on the frequency of workplace bullying 105
5.2 Average duration of workplace bullying in months 110
5.3 The gender distribution of bullying victims (%) 111
5.4 The number of bullies (%) 114
5.5 Position of the bullies (%) 116
7.1 Cost of the case to the organisation 156
17.1 Tasks for persons/institutions concerned with the prevention
and tackling of undesirable interaction at work 301
20.1 Stages of conflict escalation 350
Figures
1.1 The conflict escalation model of Glasl (1994) 20

1.2 A theoretical framework for the study and management of
bullying at work 23
3.1 The effects of the intervention programme on ‘being bullied’
(being exposed to direct as well as indirect bullying) 73
3.2 The effects of the intervention programme on ‘bullying other
students’ 73
9.1 The General Affective Aggression Model 193
15.1 A case of conflict escalation 281
20.1 A contingency model of third-party intervention 351