Workplace mobbing : experiences in the public sector

This paper discusses the counterproductive behaviour of ‘workplace mobbing’ where gossip, rumour, innuendo, and malicious accusations are reported to unfairly target and discredit targeted workers. The discussion is based on an Australian study of reports from public sector employees who self identified as targets of workplace mobbing. The behaviours are typically covert and are sometimes instigated and perpetuated by management. In focusing on three themes that emerged from the interview study, the paper discusses the sometimes toxic nature of public sector culture, mobbing behaviours and workplace expulsion. It also discusses some recommended regulatory and organizational responses that could potentially reduce the occurrence of such behaviours.

A proactive response to the mobbing problem : a guide for HR managers

This paper introduces the concept of workplace mobbing as a destructive organizational behaviour of psychological assaults perpetrated against the target causing them harm and loss of employment. The discussion is drawn from a three year Australian study of 212 self identified targets of workplace mobbing behaviours. The behaviours are typically covert with informal networks and friendship loyalties providing effective mechanisms for emotional abuse, including those arising from human resource management practices. This paper discusses the manipulation of informal sources of power, with the use of gossip, rumour, hearsay, and innuendo to discredit and demonise those targeted. The study explores some of the systemic reasons for these behaviours and identifies some of the contributing risk factors and suggests management practices that can minimise the harm caused.

Workplace mobbing : expulsion, exclusion, and transformation

The issue of workplace bullying has received considerable attention in recent times in both the academic literature and in the print and electronic media. The stereotypical bullying scenario can be described as the “bully boss” model, where those in more senior positions tend to bully the staff they supervise. By way of contrast, this paper presents the findings of a three year exemplarian action research study into the lesser known phenomenon of workplace mobbing. Consistent with grounded theory methods, the findings are discussed in the context of emergent propositions in relation to the broader social, cultural, and organisational factors that can perpetuate workplace mobbing in the public sector.

Qualitative inquiry as transformation and agency : the black sheep and workplace mobbing

This chapter discusses an action research project into the lived experience of the workplace mobbing phenomenon. The action research methodology is based on the exemplarian model (Coenen & Khonraad, 2003) from the Netherlands Group. This model requires positive outcomes for those immersed in the problem to reduce the adversity of their circumstances. The findings challenge the psychological perspective of the existing bullying literature that tends to focus on individual behaviour. This research, undertaken over a three year period with 212 participants, identified the dysfunctional nature of public sector bureaucracies and the power gained through gossip and rumour as some of the key emergent themes to explain the workplace mobbing problem. In addition, resistance, conscientisation, and agency were identified as the key to transformation for those targeted. The discussion focuses on the crystallisation phase of the exemplarian model where the participants identified themselves as the Black Sheep and adopted the motto that “a black sheep is a biting beast” (Bastard, 1565 or 6-1618, p. 90), reflecting a sense of empowerment, individual agency, and a sense of humour in dealing with the serious yet seemingly absurd reality of their situations. The identity of the Black Sheep was consolidated when the group organised a 2 day conference with over 200 attendees to discuss how best to prevent workplace mobbing. This self-affirming action was a proactive step towards metaphorically “biting back” at the problem. A number of positive outcomes were achieved including the conference with over 200 attending leading to national media coverage across Australia and additional interviews with magazines, newspapers, and radio.

Severe workplace conflict : the experience of mobbing

Workplace mobbing is a particularly serious phenomenon that is extremely costly to organizations and the health of those targeted. This article reports on a study of self-identified targets of mobbing. Findings support a five-stage process of mobbing, which commences with unresolved conflict and leads ultimately to expulsion from the organization. Participants report a number of experiences, such as lengthy investigations and escalation of conflict, that result in an increasingly unbalanced sense of power away from the individual and towards the organization. Revealed is a mismatch between the expected organizational justice processes and support and the actual experience. Recommendations for approaching this problem are discussed.

Análise comparativa entre mobbing e dimensões do burnout nos servidores da justiça do trabalho

O presente estudo, epidemiológico e de caráter exploratório, tem como objeti-vo analisar, comparativamente, as relações entre mobbing (assédio moral) e as di-mensões da Síndrome de Burnout em servidores da justiça do trabalho. A escolha deste tópico de pesquisa é justificada pelo aumento dos números estatísticos e pela evidência empírica de que o burnout é o dano mais prevalente que acomete vítimas de mobbing. Os 552 participantes desta pesquisa constituem uma amostra repre-sentativa, extraída de uma população de 3239 servidores públicos. O respectivo plano amostral levou em consideração variáveis sócio-demográficas, entre as quais: gênero, cargo, escolaridade e outras de relevância para a pesquisa. Foram quatro os instrumentos de medida aplicados nos participantes: um questionário sócio-demográfico, a Escala de Percepção do Assédio Moral no Trabalho - EP-AMT (Mar-tins; Ferraz, 2008), a Escala de Impacto Afetivo do Assédio Moral no Trabalho - EIA-AMT (Martins; Ferraz, 2008) e o Maslach Burnout Inventory General Survey MBI-GS (Maslach; Schaufeli, 1993). Na análise estatística, foram utilizados os softwares SPSS V17, Minitab 16 e Excel Office 2010 e, para medir a significância entre as amostras, foi utilizada a estatística t de Student. Os resultados desta investigação permitem identificar a existência de interfaces entre os construtos mobbing e bur-nout. Além disso, os dados gerados pela pesquisa favorecem a construção de indi-cadores úteis ao planejamento de ações em políticas públicas de prevenção, anteci-pação, identificação, intervenção e enfrentamento de casos de assédio moral e bur-nout no ambiente laboral, com conseqüente preservação da saúde mental dos traba-lhadores desse segmento.

Sozialer Stress durch Mobbing

In dem Beitrag wird die Wirkung von Mobbing als sozialem Stressor beschrieben. Verlauf und Lösungen werden vorgestellt.

Estudio exploratorio sobre la percepción del talento humano técnico en relación a la presencia del mobbing y su orientación.

Tesis (Maestría en Psicología con Orientación Laboral y Organizacional) UANL, 2012.

Cyber-Mobbing

„Cyber-Mobbing-Tod eines Teenagers“ titelt Spiegel-Online 2007: auch auf Stern.de (2009) findet sich die Meldung: „15-jährige tötet sich nach Cyber-Mobbing“, Zeit Online (2009) berichtet ebenfalls über diesen Vorfall. In Deutschland sind bisher keine derartigen Extremfälle öffentlich bekannt, dennoch ist das Phänomen, vermutlich veranlasst durch diese oder ähnliche Vorfälle, in das Interesse der medialen Öffentlichkeit gerückt. Diese Arbeit geht daher der Frage auf den Grund, ob Cyber-Mobbing auch ein Problem an deutschen Schulen ist und in welchem Ausmaß es dort auftritt. Im Fokus stehen jedoch nicht die genannten Extremfälle, da sie glücklicherweise eher eine Seltenheit darstellen, sondern alltägliche Formen des Cyber-Mobbings, weil genau hier der Grundstein für solch furchtbare Ereignisse gelegt wird. Cyber-Mobbing ist ein recht neues und junges Phänomen, das noch nicht allzu lange im Fokus der wissenschaftlichen Welt steht. Daher gelten viele Facetten als noch nicht ausreichend erschlossen, um eindeutige Aussagen hinsichtlich bestimmter Kausalitäten zu machen. Eine Vielzahl der wissenschaftlichen Arbeiten orientiert sich daher am Konzept des Mobbings, um Unterschiede oder Gemeinsamkeiten zwischen diesen Spielarten der Gewalt herauszuarbeiten. Daher folgt die vorliegende Arbeit dieser Tradition in metaanalytischer Form, untersucht folglich bestehende Literatur und setzt diese in einen kausalen Zusammenhang. Leitend für die Literaturanalyse ist die Frage ob sich die Dimensionen schulischer Gewalt, in diesem Falle Mobbing, durch die neuen Kommunikationsmedien verändert haben. Die Beantwortung dieser Frage zielt primär darauf ab herauszufinden, ob Cyber-Mobbing ähnlichen Strukturen folgt, wie Mobbing oder aber spezifische Muster existieren und ob die Schüler, die in Cyber-Mobbing involviert sind, auch in Mobbing verwickelt sind oder von einer Verschiebung der Interaktionsmuster gesprochen werden kann. Handelt es sich bei Cyber-Mobbing also um eine neue Form des Mobbings, oder um ein eigenständiges und unabhängiges Phänomen?

Los factores psicosociales de riesgo en el trabajo como predictores del mobbing

Resumen tomado de la publicaci??n

Riscs psicosocials a l'àmbit educatiu : estrés, burnout, mobbing, bullying,... ' Riesgos psicosociales en el ámbito educativo : estrés, burnout, mobbing, bullying,...'.

Definición de términos relacionados con los riesgos psicosociales en el ámbito educativo: el estrés, el síndrome de 'burnout', el 'mobbing' y el 'bullyng'. .

Qualità della vita lavorativa e rischio di mobbing: l’effetto moderatore del clima sociale

El objetivo del presente estudio es identificar cuáles son los factores psicosociales que se  asocian a un mayor riesgo de acoso en los contextos laborales. En particular, en línea con la hipótesis situacional se tuvieron en cuenta la demanda laboral, el control, la percepción de equidad y el liderazgo. Específicamente se plantea una influencia directa de estos factores sobre las acciones negativas perpetradas en los lugares de trabajo y un efecto moderador de las percepciones de los colegas entre los factores considerados y el riesgo de acoso laboral. El estudio, llevado a cabo en una institución privada hospitalaria, incluyó la aplicación de un cuestionario de auto-reporte a todos los trabajadores de la organización (N = 148). Los resultados han evidenciado que son, sobre todo, la demanda laboral y el liderazgo los que influencian directamente las acciones negativas, mientras que el efecto es más débil entre los antecedentes de carácter más relacional, como el liderazgo, y el acoso laboral. Los datos confirman que la prevención del acoso laboral debe ser implementada a partir del ambiente psicosocial de trabajo y de la gestión de las relaciones que impliquen a los colegas y a los superiores.

Mobbing Militar, entre el silencio y la verdad

Mostrar el fenómeno del matoneo militar a través de distintas historias, y así confirmar un hecho general que afecta a los jóvenes prestantes del Servicio Militar Obligatorio, tanto física como mentalmente.