Depersonalized Bullying at Work: From Evidence to Conceptualization

85 Pages·2015·2.682 MB·English

by  Premilla D'Cruz (auth.)

SPRINGER BRIEFS IN PSYCHOLOGY
Premilla D'Cruz
Depersonalized Bullying
at Work
From Evidence to
Conceptualization
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Premilla D’Cruz
Depersonalized Bullying
at Work
From Evidence to Conceptualization
1 3
Premilla D’Cruz
Organizational Behaviour
Indian Institute of Management
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad
Gujarat
India
ISSN 2192-8363 ISSN 2192-8371 (electronic)
ISBN 978-81-322-2043-5 ISBN 978-81-322-2044-2 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-81-322-2044-2
Library of Congress Control Number: 2014947391
Springer New Delhi Heidelberg New York Dordrecht London
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Acknowledgements
The phenomenon of depersonalized bullying unfolded through my various empirical
research projects in the efi ld of workplace bullying and taking forward the concept
emerged naturally as the next step. Through this book, depersonalized bullying has
an opportunity to come into its own. I hope that the endeavour will not only cata-
lyze more enquiries which allow the concept to be further honed and developed but
also pave the way for appropriate interventions which address its accompanying
challenges.
No field-based study in the behavioural and social sciences can ever take off
without the willingness of people to share their experiences and perspectives and
I am indebted to all my participants for their trust and openness.
Appreciation is due to my secretary, Ankur Sumesra, who is ever dependable
and provides efficient and effective assistance.
Interactions with Shinjini Chatterjee and Nupoor Singh of Springer have been
very pleasant and encouraging. The meticulous production-related inputs by
Kavitha P. of Scientific Publishing Services are praiseworthy.
My husband and colleague, Ernesto Noronha, deserves a special mention for
cheering me on with his infinite optimism, patient understanding and practical
suggestions during the completion of this book.
v
Contents
1 The Significance of Understanding Depersonalized
Bullying at Work ............................................ 1
References .................................................. 4
2 Interpersonal Bullying at Work as the Conceptual Benchmark
for Depersonalized Bullying at Work ........................... 7
Manifestation ................................................ 8
Targets’ Experiences .......................................... 9
Bullies’ Experiences .......................................... 10
Target Orientation ............................................ 11
Power ...................................................... 11
Temporality ................................................. 12
Employer Organizations ....................................... 13
Bystanders .................................................. 14
Theoretical Frameworks ....................................... 14
Interventions ................................................ 15
References .................................................. 16
3 Experiencing Depersonalized Bullying at Work .................. 21
Study I: Target Experiences ..................................... 22
Method ................................................ 22
Findings ............................................... 27
Study II: Bully Experiences .................................... 39
Method ................................................ 39
Findings ............................................... 42
Conclusion .................................................. 55
References .................................................. 56
vii
viii Contents
4 Theorizing About Depersonalized Bullying at Work ............... 59
Features of Depersonalized Bullying at Work ....................... 60
A Theoretical Framework of Depersonalized Bullying at Work ......... 64
Interventions Addressing Depersonalized Bullying at Work ........... 68
References .................................................. 72
About the Author
Premilla D’Cruz holds a Ph.D. in Social Sciences from the Tata Institute of Social
Sciences, Mumbai, India, and is currently Professor of Organizational Behaviour
at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, India, where she teaches Micro
Organizational Behaviour and Workplace Creativity. Dr. D’Cruz’s research inter-
ests comprise workplace bullying, emotions in organizations, self and identity at
work, organizational control, and ICTs and workplaces. Her studies on workplace
bullying in the Indian context have been pioneering both in terms of geographi-
cal location and substantive issues. Dr. D’Cruz’s research has been published in
reputed peer-reviewed international journals such as International Journal of Hu-
man Resource Management, Economic and Industrial Democracy, Information and
Organization, Industrial Relations Journal, New Technology, Work and Employ-
ment and Employee Relations as well as in several authored books. She has pre-
sented key note speeches at the 2010 Work, Employment and Society Conference
(WES— Brighton, UK) and at the 2012 Association of Industrial Relations Academ-
ics of Australia and New Zealand Conference (AIRAANZ—Gold Coast, Australia),
in addition to invited talks at Yale University and Cornell University in the USA. Dr.
D’Cruz has been a visiting research scholar at leading European and Australian uni-
versities and has been awarded (along with Ernesto Noronha) a number of multilat-
eral and bilateral research grants. She is currently the Secretary of the International
Association on Workplace Bullying and Harassment (IAWBH).
ix
About the Book
The book advances the nascent concept of depersonalized workplace bullying,
highlighting its distinctive features, proposing a theoretical framework and mak-
ing recommendations for intervention. Furthering insights into depersonalized
bullying at work is critical due to the anticipated increased incidence of the phe-
nomenon in the light of the competitive contemporary business economy which
complicates organizational survival.
Drawing on two hermeneutic phenomenological enquiries set in India focusing
on targets and bullies, the book evidences that depersonalized bullying is a socio-
structural entity that resides in an organization’s structural, processual and con-
textual design. Enacted by supervisors and managers through the engagement of
abusive and aggressive behaviours, depersonalized bullying is resorted to in the
pursuit of competitive advantage as organizations seek to ensure their continuity
and success. Given the instrumentalism associated with the world of work, tar-
gets and bullies encountering depersonalized bullying display largely ambivalent
responses to their predicament. Ironically, then, organizations’ gains in terms of
effectiveness are offset by the strains experienced by these protagonists.
The theoretical generalizability of the findings reported in the book facilitates
the development of an integrated framework of depersonalized workplace bully-
ing, laying the foundations for forthcoming empirical and measurement endeav-
ours that progress the concept.
The book recognizes that whereas primary level interventions mandate repo-
sitioning the extra-organizational environment and/or recasting organizational
goals to balance business and employee interests, secondary level and tertiary level
interventions encompass various types of formal and informal social support to
address targets’ and bullies’ interface with depersonalized bullying at work.
xi