Workplace Bullying Among Higher Education Faculty: A Review of the Theoretical and Empirical Literature

doi:10.33423/jhetp.v21i9.4601

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…In the specific case of higher education, u nfortunately, the same patterns are repeated in academic studies, ironically an environment created for collegiate learning (McKay et al ., 2008; Fevre et al. , 2012; Lemon and Barnes, 2021; Twale and Luca, 2008; van der Valk, 2015). The current evidence indicates that discrimination regardless of geographical location is rife (Hollis, 2015; Heward, 1996; Hornby and Shaw, 1996), with similarly high levels of bullying being reported within higher education.…”

Section: Literature Review – Bullying In the Workplace And Higher Edu...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There appears to be an irony here with the role of educational institutions being to promote appropriate life-behaviours and exemplify how organisations in wider society should respond to issues of equity and fairness. In the specific case of higher education, unfortunately, the same patterns are repeated in academic studies, ironically an environment created for collegiate learning (McKay et al, 2008;Lemon and Barnes, 2021;Twale and Luca, 2008;van der Valk, 2015). The current evidence indicates that discrimination regardless of geographical location is rife (Hollis, 2015;Heward, 1996;Hornby and Shaw, 1996), with similarly high levels of bullying being reported within higher education.…”

Section: Ijem 383mentioning

confidence: 99%

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The policy-reality gap of bullying in higher education: implications for HR and managers – a comparative study of Australian and Croatian universities

Barratt-Pugh,

Krestelica

2024

IJEM

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PurposeThe purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between higher educational institution bullying policies and the subsequent cultural impact to determine the effectiveness of policy in ameliorating bullying within the university culture.Design/methodology/approachThis study consisted of two separate but related case studies at two universities in different countries, focussing on university staff. The field work gathered data about existing anti-bullying policy, the extent to which it was part of the organisational culture for staff, and the levels of staff bullying experienced or seen within the organisation. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected.FindingsThe study found that despite one university having significant policy and the other having very little policy, the knowledge of policy in both universities was and subsequent experience of bullying for staff were very similar.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings indicate that anti-bullying policy alone appears to have a limited impact on organisational behaviour. This suggests that the entrenched and historical master/servant relations of academia enable such practices to continue. Policy implementation is insufficient and training and development to generate more inclusive, people-focussed management cultures is necessary to ameliorate bullying behaviour.Practical implicationsThe paper draws on the experiences, critique and suggestions of the study participants to prepare a possible agenda for cultural change that human resource (HR) managers could develop in association with academic and professional managers within their institution.Social implicationsThe findings suggest that in any social setting or organisational structure where strong historical patterns of master/servant endure, the opportunity for bullying behaviours to grow and flourish is fertile and that policy statements alone may have little impact on curtailing such behaviour.Originality/valueThis study makes two contributions to existing knowledge. First, it provides evidence that anti-bullying policy is alone unlikely to have an effective impact on instances of bullying within the culture. Second, the case study contrast displays that unacceptable levels of bullying exist in two very different institutions in two very different cultures. Whilst one country has a war-torn history and the other exists in splendid isolation, the same patterns persist, indicating that universities have structured cultural issues that are difficult to change.

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Section: Literature Review – Bullying In the Workplace And Higher Edu...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Ijem 383mentioning

confidence: 99%

The policy-reality gap of bullying in higher education: implications for HR and managers – a comparative study of Australian and Croatian universities

Barratt-Pugh,

Krestelica

2024

IJEM

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“My Core Is Cracked”—Bullying in Higher Education as a Traumatic Process

Hodgins,

Fahie,

MacCurtain

et al. 2024

IJERPH

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Sectoral and institutional context[s] are critical to understanding how workplace toxicity manifests and how it might best be addressed. The education sector, specifically higher education, is the focus of this study, drawing on qualitative data collected from Irish Higher Education Institutions [HEIs]. Underpinned by a multi-faceted conceptualisation of bullying, the study explores how it is experienced by university staff and how institutional or contextual factors impinge on that experience. The study employed a qualitative interpretive methodology involving one-to-one semi-structured interviews with self-selecting participants. Persons who currently work or have recently worked in higher education institutions were recruited into the study. A generic thematic approach resulted in five intersecting themes, converging on one overarching organising construct, i.e., bullying in higher education as a traumatic process. The data displayed relationality, institutionalisation and unethicality, which are underlying features of a multi-faceted conceptualisation of bullying. It was concluded that the processes and procedures in place to address bullying and provide redress do not appear to be sufficiently nuanced to accommodate the complex behaviours and power plays involved in bullying in Higher Education, assuming a rationality stripped of power dynamics, which risks aggravating the damage already inflicted by bullying. The findings suggest that the institutional response, or lack thereof, can sometimes be more traumatising than the bullying itself. Individual cases often reflect a wider organisational culture that tolerates bullying and victimisation. Institutional responses will need to tackle the entire HEI ecosystem, requiring and a more nuanced understanding of the power dynamics and organisational context.

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Workplace Bullying Among Higher Education Faculty: A Review of the Theoretical and Empirical Literature

Cited by 2 publications

References 28 publications

The policy-reality gap of bullying in higher education: implications for HR and managers – a comparative study of Australian and Croatian universities

The policy-reality gap of bullying in higher education: implications for HR and managers – a comparative study of Australian and Croatian universities

“My Core Is Cracked”—Bullying in Higher Education as a Traumatic Process

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