Personality trait scores among occupationally active bullied persons and witnesses to bullying

Impact of demographic variables on interplay of workplace bullying, organizational culture, and organizational performance: SEM-based multi group analysis

BackgroundWorkplace bullying and organizational culture are two crucial factors that can significantly affect organizational performance. Understanding the interplay between these variables is imperative for creating conducive work environment and enhancing overall productivity. Additionally, demographic variables such as gender, age, designation, and work experience may also influence these dynamics within an organizational setting.ObjectiveThis study aims to investigate the influence of demographic variables on the relationship between workplace bullying, organizational culture, and organizational performance. Specifically, it examines three primary hypotheses: the impact of workplace bullying on organizational performance, the influence of organizational culture on organizational performance, and the moderating role of organizational culture in the relationship between workplace bullying and organizational performance.MethodsData were collected from academic staff members at 20 public universities in Malaysia, resulting in 626 responses. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was applied to test the primary hypotheses while the Partial Least Squares Multigroup Analysis (PLS-MGA) was employed through SmartPLS to explore the effect of demographic variables on the identified structural paths of the model.ResultsThe findings indicate a significant negative impact of workplace bullying and a significant positive effect of organizational culture on organizational performance. Moreover, the analysis reveals notable variations across demographic subgroups. Additionally, the moderating effect of organizational culture demonstrates distinctions between subgroups based on varying levels of work experience, particularly between those with less than 10 years of experience and those with over 20 years.ConclusionsThis study provides valuable insights into the complex relationships among workplace bullying, organizational culture, and organizational performance within Malaysian public universities. The findings underscore the moderating influence of organizational culture and the contextual impact of demographic variables, shedding light on strategies for fostering a supportive work environment and enhancing overall organizational effectiveness.

Predicting Risk of Bullying Victimization among Primary and Secondary School Students: Based on a Machine Learning Model

School bullying among primary and secondary school students has received increasing attention, and identifying relevant factors is a crucial way to reduce the risk of bullying victimization. Machine learning methods can help researchers predict and identify individual risk behaviors. Through a machine learning approach (i.e., the gradient boosting decision tree model, GBDT), the present longitudinal study aims to systematically examine individual, family, and school environment factors that can predict the risk of bullying victimization among primary and secondary school students a year later. A total of 2767 participants (2065 secondary school students, 702 primary school students, 55.20% female students, mean age at T1 was 12.22) completed measures of 24 predictors at the first wave, including individual factors (e.g., self-control, gender, grade), family factors (family cohesion, parental control, parenting style), peer factor (peer relationship), and school factors (teacher-student relationship, learning capacity). A year later (i.e., T2), they completed the Olweus Bullying Questionnaire. The GBDT model predicted whether primary and secondary school students would be exposed to school bullying after one year by training a series of base learners and outputting the importance ranking of predictors. The GBDT model performed well. The GBDT model yielded the top 6 predictors: teacher-student relationship, peer relationship, family cohesion, negative affect, anxiety, and denying parenting style. The protective factors (i.e., teacher-student relationship, peer relationship, and family cohesion) and risk factors (i.e., negative affect, anxiety, and denying parenting style) associated with the risk of bullying victimization a year later among primary and secondary school students are identified by using a machine learning approach. The GBDT model can be used as a tool to predict the future risk of bullying victimization for children and adolescents and to help improve the effectiveness of school bullying interventions.

Organisational caring ethical climate and its relationship with workplace bullying and post traumatic stress disorder: The role of type A/B behavioural patterns

A multifaceted, holistic approach to identifying potential predictors is needed to eradicate workplace bullying. The current study investigated the impact of an unfavourable organisational climate that plays a role in breeding workplace bullying (social stressors). The present study also postulated that individual personality differences (Type A and Type B personality) mediate between a caring climate and workplace bullying. Similarly, the interaction between workplace bullying and personality impacts PTSD. We also checked the role of workplace bullying as a mediator between a caring climate and PTSD. This research tested all the proposed hypotheses (N = 298), and the study was conducted in Pakistan. The data is analysed using the two-step partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) procedure. The first part assesses the measurement model, while in the second step, the structural model is evaluated. The results supported all the proposed hypotheses of this study. Type A behaviour moderated the caring climate-person-related bullying relationship, whereas it did not moderate the caring climate-work-related bullying in the suggested direction. Type A behaviour is moderated for both types of bullying and PTSD. Results also show significant indirect effects of a caring climate on PTSD through workplace bullying. This study will contribute theoretically to filling the literature gap on studies of climate-bullying and bullying-stress using contingency factors.

Work-unit measures of psychosocial job stressors and onset of bullying: a 2-year follow-up study

OBJECTIVES

Numerous studies have examined the health consequences of workplace bullying, but little is known about workplace antecedents of workplace bullying. This study examines whether high psychological demands, low levels of justice at work, and low decision latitude increase the occurrence of being bullied or witnessing bullying.

METHODS

In 2007, 4489 Danish public employees answered a questionnaire with follow-ups in 2009 (72%) and 2011 (73% of 2009 respondents). We examined the longitudinal association between exposure to job stressors in 2007 and 2009 and bullying in 2009 and 2011, respectively, on an individual and work-unit level. For each working condition (psychological demands, decision latitude, procedural and relational justice), we calculated a mean value. Odds ratios were calculated by logistic regression.

RESULTS

Low levels of individual-level relational justice, compared to high levels, were associated with a higher risk of both witnessing episodes of bullying (OR 1.66, 95% CI 1.11-2.48) and perceiving oneself as a target of bullying (OR 2.21, 95% CI 1.17-4.16). Low levels of work-unit level relational justice were associated with a higher risk of witnessing bullying (OR 1.55, 95% CI 1.04-2.30) but not perceiving oneself as a target of bullying. The other workplace characteristics exhibited no or less consistent associations across the different analytical approaches.

CONCLUSION

Low levels of relational justice prospectively predicted the occurrence of workplace bullying within a 2-year period for three out of four methodological approaches, suggesting that relational justice plays a role in the prevention of workplace bullying.

Relationship Between Changes in Workplace Bullying Status and the Reporting of Personality Characteristics

OBJECTIVE

To examine whether a shift in work-related bullying status, from being non-bullied to being bullied or vice versa, was associated with changes in reporting of personality characteristics.

METHODS

Data on bullying and personality (neuroticism, extraversion, and sense of coherence) were collected in three waves approximately 2 years apart (N = 4947). Using a within-subjects design, personality change scores that followed altered bullying status were evaluated with one-sample t tests. Sensitivity analyses targeted depressive symptoms.

RESULTS

Shifts from non-bullied to frequently bullied were associated with increased neuroticism or decreased sense of coherence manageability scores. Shifts from bullied to non-bullied were associated with decreasing neuroticism and increasing extraversion scores, or increasing sense of coherence meaningfulness and comprehensibility scores. Excluding depressive cases had minor effects.

CONCLUSIONS

Bullying seems to some extent to affect personality scale scores, which thus seem sensitive to environmental and social circumstances.

Lifestyle, Conflict-Solving Styles, and Exposure to Workplace Bullying

Abstract. The present study identified direct and indirect relationships between lifestyle attributes and exposure to workplace bullying (via the conflict-solving styles of problem solving, compromising, yielding, and forcing). Our results demonstrated that being cautious, going along, and taking charge were positively directly related to exposure to workplace bullying. In addition, higher belonging/social interest was related to less exposure to bullying via more frequent use of problem solving and less frequent use of forcing. Higher being cautious was related to greater exposure to bullying via less frequent use of problem solving. Higher going along was related to greater bullying via more frequent use of forcing. On the one hand, higher taking charge and wanting recognition were related to greater exposure to bullying via more frequent use of forcing. On the other hand, they were also related to less bullying via more frequent use of problem solving. The results prompt the inclusion of situational moderators that would help us to identify when conflict-solving styles are used. The conflict-solving styles of compromising and yielding did not explain the indirect effects, so the findings highlighted the two key conflict-solving dimensions of problem solving and forcing which partially explained the mechanisms that underlie the relationship between lifestyle attributes and workplace bullying.

Detrimental Effects of Workplace Bullying: Impediment of Self-Management Competence via Psychological Distress

Emotional intelligence has been linked to various positive outcomes, such as organizational effectiveness, commitment, morale, and health. In addition, longitudinal studies demonstrate that the competencies of emotional intelligence may change and be developed over time. Researchers have argued that work relationships are important for the development of emotional competence, but their usefulness depends on the quality of the relationship. Workplace bullying is considered to be one of the most stressful phenomena in the workplace and an example of a dysfunctional and toxic relationship that has detrimental effects on an individual’s physical and psychological health. Hence, the objective of the present study was to analyze the relationship linking workplace bullying, psychological distress and the self-management competence of emotional intelligence. More specifically, we tested part of the model presented by Cherniss and Goleman (2001) in which researchers argued that individual emotional intelligence is a result of relationships at work. In addition, we extended the model by proposing that the relationship between exposure to workplace bullying and the competence of self-management is explained by psychological distress. Data analysis of 326 participants from two private sector organizations in Italy demonstrated that psychological distress fully mediated the relationship between workplace bullying and the emotional intelligence ability of self-management. The present study’s findings point to the idea that, not only may emotional intelligence assist in handling exposure to workplace bullying, but exposure to workplace bullying may impede emotional intelligence via psychological distress.

MMPI-2 personality profiles and suicidal ideation and behavior in victims of bullying at work: a follow-up study

The main aim of this study was to investigate longitudinally the personality profile and suicidal ideation and behavior in victims of bullying at work in relation to the evolution of the victimization. Forty-eight victims were evaluated by means of medical and psychological assessment including the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2). A follow up session was carried out after an average of 22 months. At first evaluation, the average MMPI-2 personality profile of victims showed abnormal elevations on scales Hs (Hypochondria), D (Depression), Hy (Hysteria), and Pa (Paranoia), which were strikingly similar to that found in previous studies. Furthermore, suicidal ideation and behavior were common among victims. At follow-up, 26 victims reported that the degree of bullying had remained the same or had even worsened, whereas 22 said that the situation had improved or had been resolved. Although there was a trend toward normalization in the MMPI-2 profile for all victims, the profile of the "static" group was still abnormal at follow up. On the contrary, the profile of the "improved" group was entirely within normal range. Suicidal ideation and behavior decreased in all victims, but only to a significant degree in the improved group. Results are discussed in the light of the bullying process.