Workplace bullying has become significant throughout the world. In many companies it forms part of the cultural psyche of the organization.
Bullying occurs at all levels. It is not gender specific although it is fair to say that more men are inclined towards bullying than women. It can be minor, seen as a ‘bit of fun’ by the protagonist, or major, where a worker is forced to quit work because his/her work-life has become intolerable. Bullying is at its worst when it is at senior management level.
The Bully Effect
Harvey, et al, point out in their article “Bullying in the 21st Century Global Organization” in the Journal of Business Ethics that because of rapid change and ever increasing complexity of the business environment bullying is difficult to address. They note that bullying will continue even though former research has proved that it is detrimental to productivity, employee morale and thus to the financial bottom line (Einarsen & Raknes, 1997; Field, 2003; Olafsson & Johannsdottier, 2004).
Why do Bullies Arise?
It is difficult to make a categorical statement about the origins of bullying. It has happened in all countries and throughout time. It may arise from a desire for power or be created from oppression; or perhaps there is a simpler explanation. It might be physical. That is, under certain circumstances our bodies produce reactions that make us feel invincible, right, powerful, and thus stronger both physically and mentally than we really are.
Does this physical affect happen to everyone? This does not seem to be the case. Some people are more body aware than others and thus are able to control their outputs. This ability may be part of their physical body structure or it may be learned behavior. It is most likely a combination of both physical and learned behavior.
The physical attributes of bullying do not excuse inappropriate actions. Most people know the difference between right and wrong, good and bad and the outcomes of these. Bullying needs to stop especially among senior managers in the workplace.
Evidence for the Physical Attributes of Bullying
Schultheiss, et al, in their article titled “Implicit Power Motivation Moderates Men's Testosterone Responses to Imagined and Real Dominance Success” in Hormones and Behavior note: "In contrast to all other participants [in their study], individuals high only in p Power (a) had elevated testosterone after imagining a success in a subsequent dominance contest and (b) continued to have high testosterone levels after actually winning, but not after losing, the contest."
They tested forty-two male students on winning or losing against a competitor on a speed-based task. This study cannot generalize to all peoples but it is an indication that some people, in this case student males, have a hormonal response to winning and losing.
A more complex study by Ronay and Von Hippel is described in their article “Power, Testosterone, and Risk-Taking” in the Journal of Behavioral Decision Making. They note that power:
- Increases risk-taking (Anderson & Galinsky, 2006); and
- Can influence others via control of resources and rewards and punishments (Emerson, 1962; French & Raven, 1959; Anderson & Galinsky, 2006).
Power can also:
- Inspire action (Galinsky, Gruenfeld, & Magee, 2003);
- Change approach-orientations (Keltner, Greuenfeld, & Anderson, 2003); and
- Create a shift from punishments to rewards (Keltner et al., 2003).
All of which can lead to optimism and back to increased risk-taking.
Ronay and Von Hippel wanted to discover under what conditions the risk-taking occurs. Identifying the conditions of risk-taking is especially significant today in respect to banks, big business, financial management organizations, and the like throughout the world because of the world’s current financial situation.
Ronay and Von Hippel discovered through two controlled experiments that: "In Experiment 1, higher testosterone males (as indicated by second–fourth digit ratio) showed greater risk-taking when primed with low power. Experiment 2 replicated this effect and also showed that when primed with high power, higher testosterone males took fewer risks."
In other words if a person, a male in this case, holds some power but does not feel as powerful as others, such a person is likely to take greater risks than those people who are content with the level of power they hold. Thus a person with high testosterone levels may be truly risk adverse if they perceive themselves to be sufficiently powerful. In this view, testosterone is not the issue, a person’s belief in him/herself is. It also explains the disparities found in some studies concerning testosterone levels.
Workplace Cultural Psyche
It would follow that if the above is true then placing people in positions of responsibility who do not have the necessary skills puts those people in jeopardy of greater risk-taking and thus enhances their potential for bullying and subsequent failure. And yet, it seems to be commonplace to put ill-equipped people in significant positions.
A recent study by the New Zealand Department of Labour found a skill-deficiency at management level within the New Zealand labor force. It is not surprising then that New Zealand work culture is consider to have high levels of bullying by management. It is also likely to have high levels of risk-taking. When the New Zealand Labour Department report is coupled with the findings of the New Zealand occupational health and safety report titled Understanding Stress and Bullying in New Zealand Workplaces which is prepared by Professor Bentley and his team of experts, then the workplace cultural psyche is not only theoretical, it is very real. For example the report states: "Findings from the Managers’ Survey indicated managers’ perceptions of the scale of the stress and bullying problem were out of line with evidence from the Survey of Work and Wellness, with most believing that bullying occurred infrequently in their workplace."
So, management is not only under-skilled it is completely out of touch with the reality of work-related stress and consequently the work environment and culture of workers.
Worldwide Problem
Is New Zealand a special case? This is not so. There are numerous articles from workplaces throughout the world of lack of skills in management and workplace bullying (e.g. Vega & Comer, 2005; Vickers, 2006; Ritzer, 1983; etc.). Bullying coupled with poor management skills is common.
Solutions
Changing a condition that is embedded in the cultural psyche is not easy. Most managers believe they have the skills to manage. Many do not believe negative actions towards workers impact severely on the profit line. We are in a dangerous position when our world is teetering on the brink of economic disaster.
But perhaps the answer is not difficult. All that is needed is for management to assess what risks they are taking to identify if they are likely to be in the bully category and thus in need of greater management skills. In other words, a manager would count the number of risky decisions s/he has made within a specific month or year and compare the number of risky decisions to a defined scale of acceptable risk levels.
The problem with this solution is that the very managers who take excessive risks are also the ones who are not likely to consider analyzing their own risk-taking.
Perhaps the bottom line is that the market will take the action for us with disastrous consequences.
Sources
- Anderson, C., and A.D. Galinsky. 2006. Power, optimism, and risk-taking. European Journal of Social Psychology, Volume 36, Pages 511–536.
- Bentley, Tim; Bevan Catley; Helena Cooper-Thomas; Dianne Gardner; Michael O’Driscoll; and Linda Trenberth. 2009. Stress and Bullying in New Zealand Workplaces. Final report to Occupational Health & Safety Steering Committee. Health Research Council of New Zealand.
- Einarsen, S. and B.I. Raknes. 1997. Harassment at work and the victimization of men. In Violence Victims. Volume 12, Issue 3. Pages 247-263.
- Emerson, R. M. 1962. Power dependence relations. American Sociological Review. Volume 27, Pages 31-41.
- Field, J.E., and E. Peck. 2003. Public-private partnerships in healthcare: the managers’ perspective. In Health & Social Care in the Community Volume 11, Issue 6. Pages 494-501. November 2003.
- French, J., and B. Raven. 1959. The bases of social power. In D. Cartwright (Ed.), Studies in social power. Pages 150–165. Ann Arbor, MI: Institute for Social Research.
- Galinsky, A. D., D.H. Gruenfeld, and J.C. Magee. 2003. From power to action. In the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Volume 85. Pages 453-466.
- Harvey, Michael; Darren Treadway; Joyce Thompson Heames; and Allison Duke. 2009. Bullying in the 21st Century Global Organization: An Ethical Perspective. In the Journal of Business Ethics. Volume 85. Pages 27-40.
- Keltner, D., D.H. Gruenfield, and C. Anderson. 2003. Power, approach, and inhibition. In Psychological Review, Volume 110. Pages 265–284.
- Olaffsson, R. and H. Johannsdottir. 2004. Coping with bullying in the workplace: the effect of gender, age and type of bullying. In British Journal of Guidance and Counselling. Volume 32, Issue 3. Pages 19-333.
- Ritzer, George. 1983. The “McDonaldization” of Society. In the Journal of American Culture. Volume 6, Issue 1, Spring. Pages 100-107.
- Ronay, Richard, and William von Hippel. 2009. Power, Testosterone, and Risk-Taking. In the Journal of Behavioral Decision Making.
- Schultheiss, Oliver C., Kenneth L. Campbell, and David C. McClelland. 1999. Implicit Power Motivation Moderates Men’s Testosterone Response to Imagined and Real Dominance Success. In Hormones and Behavior. Volume 36, Issue 3, December. Pages 234-241.
- Skills Challenges Report – New Zealand’s skill challenges over the next 10 years. 2011. Department of Labour, New Zealand.
- Vega, Gina, and Debra Comer. 2005. Sticks and Stones may Break Your Bones, but Words can Break Your Spirit: Bullying in the WorkPlace. In the Journal of Business Ethics, Volume 58. Pages 101-109.
- Vickers, Margaret. 2006. Towards Employee Wellness: Rethinking Bullying Paradoxes and Masks. In Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal. Volume 18, Number 4. 267-281.
Patricia Berwick - Dr Patricia Berwick is an Educationalist/Anthropologist with over 20 years international experience in management, research, teaching and ...
