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Bullying: From the Playground to the Boardroom

University of Mississippi

Joyce T. Heames

West Virginia University

R. Glenn Richey

University of Alabama

Nancy Leonard

West Virginia University

Bullying in organizations has become one the prime social phenomena which can have a direct as well as indirect impact on the productivity of employees and managers. While bullying is a part of the fabric of society, the rate of occurrence as well as the severity of bullying acts in the workplace is alarming. This paper puts forth a model that illustrates the triangular relationship and interaction between the three components in the bullying event: 1) the organizational environment and its impact on the occurrence of bullying activities; 2) the characteristics of those that bully; and 3) the characteristics of those being bullied (e.g., victims of bullying). These three interrelated issues form the triangle of bullying that is examined in this paper. This paper posits that a major source of many of the personnel relational problems faced in the workplace between coworker and coworker or manager and employees comes from bullies, just like the ones experienced on the childhood playground. Research shows that child bullies and those bullied as children have the potential to become adult bullies. Combine that with the complex, diverse, global business arena that creates high levels of stress, it is easy to understand why there is the possibility of boardroom/workplace bullies.

"Bullying at work is claimed to be more crippling and devastating problem for employees than all other work related stress put together... " (Einarsen, 1999).

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