Workplace bullying: a cross‐level assessment

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine and develop a cross‐level model of the phenomenon of bullying at three levels (e.g. individual, group, and organizational).

Design/methodology/approach

This is a theory‐based paper operationalizing transactional coping theory across three levels of an organization relative to bullying activities.

Findings

There can be spillover from bullying from the dyadic level to other levels in the organization. While bullying is frequently discussed as an individual‐to‐individual phenomenon, the conflict can reverberate up to the group and organizational level. The interaction between the three levels needs to be taken into consideration when developing effective managerial plans to address the negative consequences of bullying.

Research limitations/implications

Additional research is needed to address the interaction effect between all three levels that can be impacted by bullying acts. Without addressing the spillover from one level to another, remediation programs will be less than effective.

Practical implications

Bullying appears to be increasing in organizations today and affecting financial as well as human resources. Owing to the increased complexity of conducting business in a hyper‐competitive global marketplace, bullying behavior needs to be addressed by management to prevent the proliferation of bullying acts in organizations.

Originality/value

The unique contribution of this paper is twofold: the first to identify the externality effect of bullying behavior, and the application of a single coping theory across multiple levels of an organization.

Citation

Heames, J. and Harvey, M. (2006), "Workplace bullying: a cross‐level assessment", Management Decision, Vol. 44 No. 9, pp. 1214-1230. https://doi.org/10.1108/00251740610707695