Perceptions of bullying in organisations
by Duncan Lewis
International Journal of Management and Decision Making (IJMDM), Vol. 2, No. 1, 2001

Abstract: A range of different stories from different groups has helped fuel the discussion surrounding the relatively new phenomenon of workplace bullying. This paper presents the results of an exploratory study of workplace bullying in further and higher education colleges and the new universities in Wales where different information sources on bullying are examined for their impact on respondents' experiences and beliefs as to what causes workplace bullying. Despite the increasing attention given to the subject by the popular media and trade unions, this study finds little or no correlation between the majority of information providers on workplace bullying and the direct or indirect experiences of bullying of academic staff. Of all the sources available to respondents about bullying, it is the information provided by colleagues which provides a link to their experiences and to the labelling of causes. This is important in helping to understand how individuals construct their social realities. By using hierarchical cluster analysis, this paper also illustrates how bullying is viewed relative to other workplace conflicts such as racial and sexual harassment, sexual discrimination and conflicts associated with promotion. The results indicate that respondents' perceptions of bullying relative to these other workplace issues is a product of age, gender, length of service and employment status.

Online publication date: Tue, 01-Jul-2003

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