Bullying in Academia Among College Professors

Workplace Bullying in Academia: A Conditional Process Model

“…Einarsen et al (2020) noted that a lack of job control or social support at work makes it difficult for employees to cope with job stressors, which contributes to more workplace bullying incidents. Supporting a JDCS explanation, Goodboy et al (2018) found that professors who work in academic departments characterized by higher job demands, lower control over job duties, and lower supervisor social support, experience more workplace bullying. However, Goodboy et al (2018) argued that the associations between JDCS variables, stress, and workplace bullying should be modeled theoretically and statistically as a conditional process by including tests of multiplicative effects as is done in the wealth of JDCS studies examining other job strain outcomes (de Lange et al, 2003; Gonzalez-Mulé et al, 2021; Häusser et al, 2010).…”

“…Supporting a JDCS explanation, Goodboy et al (2018) found that professors who work in academic departments characterized by higher job demands, lower control over job duties, and lower supervisor social support, experience more workplace bullying. However, Goodboy et al (2018) argued that the associations between JDCS variables, stress, and workplace bullying should be modeled theoretically and statistically as a conditional process by including tests of multiplicative effects as is done in the wealth of JDCS studies examining other job strain outcomes (de Lange et al, 2003; Gonzalez-Mulé et al, 2021; Häusser et al, 2010). Goodboy et al (2018) recommended “specifically, scholars should determine if professors’ control over job tasks and supervisor/chair social support buffer against high job demands, and resulting job stress, which can encourage professors to bully each other in a strained working environment” (p. 162).…”

“…Supporting a JDCS explanation, Goodboy et al (2018) found that professors who work in academic departments characterized by higher job demands, lower control over job duties, and lower supervisor social support, experience more workplace bullying. However, Goodboy et al (2018) argued that the associations between JDCS variables, stress, and workplace bullying should be modeled theoretically and statistically as a conditional process by including tests of multiplicative effects as is done in the wealth of JDCS studies examining other job strain outcomes (de Lange et al, 2 to correspond with the path labels presented here. In this statistical model (Table 2), b 4 -b 6 (not displayed here) are 3 two-way interactions and b 7 is the three-way interaction required to test for secondstage moderated moderation (i.e., the effect of job stress on workplace bullying is moderated by decision authority, which is then moderated by supervisor social support).…”

“…Our theoretical path model starts with a core prediction from the JDCS model (Karasek & Theorell, 1990); that psychological job demands create job stress (path a ), while also holding constant PhD granting status of the academic department and years worked in the organization (to control for them as covariates because professors have different types of university and work experiences). Previous scholarship has demonstrated that psychological job demands are positively associated with occupational stress among professors (Goodboy et al, 2018). Our next specification (path b 1 ) is that job stress leads to workplace bullying among professors controlling for job demands.…”

“…However, Goodboy et al (2018) argued that the associations between JDCS variables, stress, and workplace bullying should be modeled theoretically and statistically as a conditional process by including tests of multiplicative effects as is done in the wealth of JDCS studies examining other job strain outcomes (de Lange et al, 2003; Gonzalez-Mulé et al, 2021; Häusser et al, 2010). Goodboy et al (2018) recommended “specifically, scholars should determine if professors’ control over job tasks and supervisor/chair social support buffer against high job demands, and resulting job stress, which can encourage professors to bully each other in a strained working environment” (p. 162). Thus, in line with the documented buffering effects of the JDCS model (van der Doef & Maes, 1999), we added moderation specifications to the model and predicted that professor control over how job duties are completed (decision authority) buffers against the impact of job stress on workplace bullying.…”