From Insult to Injury: Explaining the Impact of Incivility

Abstract

Previous research has demonstrated that violence, harassment, and discrimination have negative consequences for individual well-being. However, this literature has focused less on subtle forms of mistreatment, such as incivility. The current study addresses this gap by developing and testing a conceptual model of incivility, as experienced in institutions of higher education. A survey of 1,043 university students revealed that over 75% had experienced uncivil behavior from other members of their institution in the prior year. Structural equation analyses suggest that these incivility targets endured psychological distress, dissatisfaction with and disengagement from their institution, and performance decline. We also identified perceptions of injustice and ostracism as key mediators in this process, which operated somewhat differently depending on the formal institutional status of the incivility instigator. Implications for theory and research are discussed.

Assessing the Connection Between Students’ Justice Experience and Perceptions of Faculty Incivility in Higher Education

“…Moreover, as academic institutes share some characteristics with organizations (Marchiondo et al 2010), other researchers have shifted the focus of incivility to the academic setting, investigating both student and faculty incivilities (Caza and Cortina 2007;Chory-Assad and Paulsel 2004;Clark 2008b;Marchiondo et al 2010).…”

“…Under such a wide theoretical umbrella, Clark (2008b) included a variety of uncivil acts ranging from misuse of cell-phones to manifestations of physical harm. In contrast, other researchers suggested a narrower definition, based on Andersson and Pearson's (1999) organizational incivility definition, addressing only specific instantiations of academic incivilities, such as insults, disrespectful remarks, hostile looks or sneers (Caza and Cortina 2007).…”

“…While the majority of academic incivility studies have focused on uncivil encounters perpetrated by students (AlKandari 2011; Swinney et al 2010;Bjorklund and Rehling 2010), few have dealt with uncivil behaviors conducted by both faculty members and students (Caza and Cortina 2007) or by faculty members only (Marchiondo et al 2010). The most known survey used to measure incivilities in the academic field is the incivility in nursing education survey (INE), which is oriented towards testing uncivil behaviors in nursing education (Clark et al 2009).…”

“…Second, to the authors' knowledge, most of the studies concerning academic incivility have been qualitative in nature (Clark 2007(Clark , 2008a, descriptive (Clark 2008b;Clark et al 2013) or theoretical (Berger 2000;Feldmann 2001). Only a few have tested the relationship between incivility and its outcomes using a quantitative methodology as in the case of Caza and Cortina (2007). In their study structural equation analyses were used to measure the connections between targets' perceptions of incivility, psychological distress, dissatisfaction with and disengagement from the academic institution, and performance decline.…”

Relationship Dynamics of Burnout, Turnover Intentions and Workplace Incivility Perceptions

“…Though, various researchers (Cropanzano et al, 2003;Caza & Cortina, 2007;Huang, Chuang & Lin, 2003;Kern & Grandey, 2009;Kim & Stoner, 2008;Lim & Cortina, 2005;Podsakoff, LePine, & LePine, 2007;Rahim & Cosby, 2016;Reio & Ghosh, 2009;Spence-Laschinger, Leiter, Day, & Gilin, 2009) have examined the relationships of burnout, turnover intentions and incivility from different perspectives, but an aspect of this relationship still remains unexplored. That is, the mediating effect of workplace incivility on the relationship between burnout and turnover intentions.…”