Bullying Bosses
“It got to where I was twitching, literally, on the way into work,” states Carrie Clark, a 52 year old retired teacher and administrator. After enduring 10 months of repeated insults and mistreatment from her supervisor, she finally quit the job. “I had to take care of my health.”
Although many individuals recall bullies from their elementary school days, some are realizing that bullies can exist in the workplace as well. And these bullies do not just pick on the weakest in the group; rather, any subordinate in their path may fall prey to their torment, according to Dr. Gray Namie, director of the Workplace Bulling and Trauma Institute. Dr. Namie further says workplace bullies are not limited to men—women are at least as likely to be bullies. However, gender discrepancies are found in victims of bulling, as women are more likely to be targets.
What motivates a boss to be bully? Dr. Harvey Hornstein, a retired professor that Teachers College at Columbia University, suggests that supervisors may use bulling as a mean to subdue a subordinate who poses a threat to the supervisor’s status. In addition, supervisors may bully individuals to vent frustrations. Many times, however, the sheer desire to wield power may be the primary reason for bulling. What is the impact of bulling on employee motivation and behavior? Surprisingly, even though victims of workplace bullies may feel less motivated to go to work every day, it does not appear that they discontinue performing their required job duties. However, it does appear that victims of bullies are less motivated to perform extra-role or citizenship behaviors. Helping others, speaking positively about the organization, and going beyond the call of duty and behavior that are reduced as a result of bulling. According to Dr. Bennett Tepper of the University of Carolina, fear may be the reason that many workers continue to perform their job duties. And not all individuals reduce their citizenship behaviors. Some continue to engage in extra-role behaviors to make themselves look better then their collogues. What should you do if your boss is bulling you? Don’t necessarily expect help from coworkers. As Emelise Aleandri, an actress and producer from New York who left her job after being bullied, stated, “Some people were afraid to do anything. But others didn’t mind what was happening at all, because they wanted my job.” Moreover, according to Dr. Michelle Duffy of the University of Kentucky, coworkers often blame victims of bulling in order to resolve their guilt. “ They do this by wondering whether maybe the person deserved the treatment, that he or she has been annoying, or lazy, they did something to earn it,” states Dr. Duffy. One example of an employee who observed this phenomenon firsthand is Sherry Hamby, who was frequently verbally abused by her boss and then eventually fired. She stated, “This was a man who insulted me, who insulted my family, who would lay into me while everyone else in the office just sat there and let it happen. The people in my office eventually started blaming me.” What can a bullied employee do? Dr. Hornstein suggests that employees try to ignore the insult and respond only to the substance of the bully’s gripe. “Stick with substance, not the process, often it won’t escalate,” he states. Of course, that is easier said than done. Reference: – Seminars in HRM, Module – Motivation, Case Study, Chapter No – 6, Organizational Behavior by Stephen Robbins, Edition 13. Dr. Harvey Hornstein, a retired professor that Teachers College at Columbia University, suggests that supervisors may use bullying for the following reasons: What is the impact of bullying on employee motivation and behavior? Victims may feel less motivated to go to work BUT they don’t discontinue performing their required job duties Victims are less motivated towards: According to Dr. Bennett Tepper (University of Carolina): What should you do if your boss is bullying you? Emelise Aleandri, an actress and producer from New York who left her job after being bullied, stated: “Some people were afraid to do anything. But others didn’t mind what was happening at all, because they wanted my job.” Coworkers often blame victims of bullying in order to resolve their guilt “ They do this by wondering whether maybe the person deserved the treatment, that he or she has been annoying, or lazy, they did something to earn it” What can a bullied employee do? Dr. Hornstein suggests: “Stick with substance, not the process, often it won’t escalate” and “Of course, that is easier said than done” Question # 1: Of the three types of organizational justice, which one does workplace bulling most closely resemble? Question # 2: What aspects of motivation might workplace bullying reduce? For example, are there likely to be effects on an employee’s self-efficacy? If so, what might those effects be? Victims are less motivated towards: Employee’s self efficacy is affected as : Question #3: If you were a victim of workplace bullying, what steps would you take to try to reduce its occurrence? What strategies would be most effective? What strategies might be ineffective? What would you do if one of your colleagues were a victim of an abusive supervisor? Effective strategies would be: Ineffective strategies would be: If a colleague is a victim: Also Study: Bullying in Schools Question #4: What factors do you believe contribute to workplace bullying? Are bullies a product of the situation, or do they have flawed personalities? What situations and what personality factors might contribute to the presence of bullies? There are a variety of reasons why a person may bully another person in the workplace. These reasons may include: Power Self-Esteem Difference Perceived Threat Questions
Bullying Bosses – Case Study Answers – Case Summary
What motivates a boss to be a bully?
Questions & Answers:
Organizational Culture
- The culture of a workplace is often shown by its values, beliefs and what is considered to be normal behavior. When the culture is positive it encourages individuals to adopt appropriate behaviors that promote respect of others
- Conversely, employees may find themselves in a negative culture where inappropriate behaviors and attitudes are encouraged or condoned by management and bullying is seen as normal behavior for the majority of people in the workplace.
Also Study: Teen Bullying
1 comment
What a wonderful post, thank you a lot for these answers.
Hope you will post more in the future
(Special thanks to the one who did this work)