Workplace Bullying Takes a New Perspective
Monday, 10 May 2010
Associate Professor Maryam Omari, Associate Dean for the Faculty of Business and Law (International), is currently involved in a joint research project concerning workplace bullying.
Generously funded by the WA Chapter of an anonymous professional association (PA) has enabled such research, which has seen Maryam conduct a survey of the PA’s membership. She is currently collating data and will report the findings on to project to both the university and professional association within the coming months.
Preliminary findings from the research have found that workplace bullying is both widespread and unreported, being a significant reason people leave their jobs and organization.
Men and women differ in the bullying tactics used, which are expressed in both covert and overt forms.
“I often use the phrase “Psychological warfare” to describe workplace bullying in my publications and presentations” said Maryam. “This is a term that I have started using that is not found in the literature, but one that I believe it is an apt descriptor of the behaviours.”
The organisational context and culture has been found to be a significant determinant of the prevalence of the behaviour. “It often results in a cycle of behaviours that blurs the lines between who is actually the ‘victim’ and who is the ‘perpetrator’.
The research being conducted by Maryam is extremely valuable, with the findings to be used by the PA for practical applications, with a high degree of impact on policy and practices.
Interestingly, the research model uses the same instruments that were used for Maryam’s PhD topic, which was a similar study analysing workplace bullying in the Commonwealth public sector five years ago.
To learn more about the research, please contact Associate Professor Maryam Omari at m.omari@ecu.edu.au.