Relationship between the Perception of Organizational Culture and Ethical Climate and the Perception of Workplace Bullying
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21615/cesp.12.2.8Keywords:
Ethical Climate, Ethical Climate Questionnaire, Organizational Culture, Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument, sychosocial Work Conditions, Workplace BullyingAbstract
Workplace bullying takes place in many organizations and it has serious consequences on individuals, organizations and economy. The main aim of this study is to contribute to the field of workplace bullying by empirically testing the theoretically defined relation between socio-organizational variables (organizational culture and ethical climate) and bullying, using two theoretical models well-grounded in organizational studies. The findings, from a sample of 984 Portuguese workers, suggest that there is a strong relation between organizational culture/ethical climate and bullying: the "benevolent" and "principled" climates are negatively related (or even an obstacle) to bullying, as well as the cultural orientation of "support". The opposite is the result of the climate "self-interest" and the cultural orientations of "rules" and "goals". As organizational culture and ethical climate explain 20% of the variance of the negative behaviours perceived by the members of the organization, what shows that managers can achieve changes to a significant organizational, individual and societal problem just by manipulating those two variables.
Downloads
References
Agrawal, R. K. (2017). Do ethical climates impact trust in management? A study in Indian context. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 25(5), 804-824. doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOA-08-2016-1053
Akar, N. Y., Anafarta, N., & Sarvan, F. (2011). Causes, dimensions and organizational consequences of mobbing: An empirical study. Ege Academic Review, 11(1), 1467-1479. Retrieved from http://www.academia.edu/download/31350865/Mobbing-CDOC.pdf
Appelbaum, S. H., Deguire, K. J., & Lay, M. (2005). The relationship of ethical climate to deviant workplace behaviour. Corporate Governance, 5(4), 43-55. doi: http://doi.org/10.1108/14720700510616587
Archer, D. (1999). Exploring "bullying" culture in the paramilitary organisation. International Journal of Manpower, 20 (1/2), 94-105. doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/01437729910268687
Arroyave, P. (2012). Factores de vulnerabilidad y riesgo asociados al bullying. Revista CES Psicología, 5(1), 118-125. Retrieved from http://revistas.ces.edu.co/index.php/psicologia/article/viewFile/2171/1459
Ashforth, B. (1994). Petty tyranny in organizations. Human Relations, 47(7), 755-778. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/001872679404700701
Baillien, E., & De Witte, H. (2009). Why is organizational change related to workplace bullying? Role conflict and job insecurity as mediators. Economic and Industrial Democracy, 30(3), 348-371. doi: http://doi.org/10.1177/0143831X09336557
Barnett, T., & Vaicys, C. (2000). The moderating effect of individuals’perceptions of ethical work climate on ethical judgments and behavioral intentions. Journal of Business Ethics, 27, 351–362. doi: http://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006382407821
Björkqvist, K., & Österman, K. (1994). Sex Differences in Physical, Verbal, and Indirect Aggression: A Review of Recent Research. Sex Roles, 30(3/4), 177-188. doi: http://doi.org/10.1007/BF01420988
Bowling, N. A., Beehr, T. A., Bennett, M. M., & Watson, C. P. (2010). Target personality and workplace victimization: A prospective analysis. Work & Stress, 24(2), 140-158. doi: http://doi.org/10.1080/02678373.2010.489635
Bulutlar, F., & Öz, E. Ü. (2009). The effects of ethical climates on bullying behaviour in the workplace. Journal of Business Ethics, 86, 273-295. doi: http://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-008-9847-4
Cameron, K., & Quinn, R. E. (1999). Diagnosing and changing organizational culture: Based on the competing values framework. Reading: Addison-Wesley.
Chen, C., Tuliao, K. V., Cullen, J. B., & Chang Y.-Y. (2015). Does gender influence managers’ ethics? A cross-cultural analysis. Business Ethics: A European Review, 25(4), 345- 362. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/beer.12122
Cowie, H., Naylor, P., Rivers, I., Smith, P. K., & Pereira, B. (2002). Measuring workplace bullying. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 7, 33-51. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1359-1789(00)00034-3
Cullen, J. B., Parboteeah, K. P., & Victor, B. (2003). The effects of ethical climates on organizational commitment: a two-study analysis. Journal of Business Ethics, 46, 127-141. doi: http://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025089819456
Cullen, J. B., Victor, B., & Stephens, C. (1989). An ethical weather report: Assessing the organization's ethical climate. Organizational Dynamics, 18(2), 50-62. Retrieved from http://iranakhlagh.nipc.ir/uploads/10.1016-0090-2616(89)90042-9_12167.pdf
D’Cruz, P., & Noronha, E. (2013). Workplace bullying in the context of organisational change: the significance of pluralism. Industrial Relations Journal, 45(1), 2–21. doi: http://doi.org/10.1111/irj.12039
Diamond, M. A. (1997). Administrative assault: A contemporary psychoanalytic view of violence and aggression in the workplace. New York: The International Society for the Psychoanalytic Study of Organizations. doi:
https://doi.org/10.1177%2F027507409702700302
Einarsen, S. (1999). The nature and causes of bullying at work. International Journal of Manpower, 20(1/2), 16-27. doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/01437729910268588
Einarsen, S., Hoel, H., & Notelaers, G. (2009). Measuring exposure to bullying and harassment at work: validity, factor structure and psychometric properties of the negative acts questionnaire – revised. Work & Stress, 23(1), 24-44. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/02678370902815673
Einarsen, S., Hoel, H., Zapf, D., & Cooper, C. L. (2011). The concept of bullying and harassment at work: The European tradition. In S. Einarsen, H. Hoel, D. Zapf, & C. L. Cooper (Eds.), Bullying and harassment in the workplace (pp. 3-40). London: Taylor & Francis. doi: https://doi.org/10.1201/EBK1439804896
Einarsen, S., & Nielsen, M. B. (2015). Workplace bullying as an antecedent of mental health problems: A five-year prospective and representative study. International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, 88, 131-142. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-014-0944-7
Einarsen, S., Raknes, B. I., & Matthiesen, S. M. (1994). Bullying and harassment at work and their relationships to work environment quality. The European Work and Organizational Psychologist, 4, 381-401. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/13594329408410497
Einarsen, S., & Skogstad, A. (1996). Bullying at work: Epidemiological findings in public and private organizations. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 5(2), 185-201. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/13594329608414854
Emdad, R., Alipour, A., Hagberg, J., & Jensen, I. B. (2013). The impact of bystanding to workplace bullying on symptoms of depression among women and men in industry in Sweden: An empirical and theoretical longitudinal study. International Archives of Occupational Environmental Health, 86(6), 709-16. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-012-0813-1
Fox, S., & Spector, P. E. (1999). A model of work frustration-aggression. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 20(6), 915-931. doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1099-1379(199911)20:6%3C915::AID-JOB918%3E3.0.CO;2-6
Giorgi, G. (2009). Workplace bullying risk assessment in 12 Italian organizations. International Journal of Workplace Health Management, 2(1), 34-47. doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/17538350910945992
Glendinning, P. M. (2001). Workplace bullying: Curing the cancer of the American workplace. Public Personnel Management, 30(3), 269-286. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177%2F009102600103000301
Grobler, A. (2016). An adapted measure of ethical climate in organisations – A Southern African study. African Journal of Business Ethics, 11(1), 1-21. doi: https://doi.org/10.15249/10-2-111
Hauge, L. J., Skogstad, A., & Einarsen, S. (2009). Individual and situational predictors of workplace bullying: Why do perpetrators engage in the bullying of others?. Work & Stress, 23(4)349-358. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/02678370903395568
Hershcovis, M. S., & Barling, J. (2010). Towards a multi-foci approach to workplace aggression: A meta-analytic review of outcomes from different perpetrators. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 31, 24-44. doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/job.621
Hoel, H., Cooper, C. L., & Faragher, B. (2001). The experience of bullying in Great Britain: The impact of organizational status. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 10(4), 443-465. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/13594320143000780
Hofstede, G., Hofstede, G. J., & Minkov, M. (2010). Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind (3rd Edition). New York: McGraw-Hill USA. Retrieved from https://e-edu.nbu.bg/mod/resource/view.php?id=557036
Holtbrügge, D., Baron, A., & Friedmann, C. B. (2015). Personal attributes, organizational conditions, and ethical attitudes: A social cognitive approach. Business Ethics: A European Review, 24(3), 264-281. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/beer.12082
Hornstein, H. (1996). Brutal bosses and their prey – How to identify and overcome abuse in the workplace. New York: Riverhead Books.
Huhtala, M., Tolvanen, A., Mauno, S., & Feldt, T. (2015). The associations between Ethical Organizational Culture, Burnout, and Engagement: A multilevel study. Journal of Business and Psychology, 30(2), 399-414. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-014-9369-2
Karasek, R. A. (1979). Job Demands, Job Decision Latitude, and Mental Strain: Implications for Job Redesign. Administrative Science Quarterly, 24, 285-308. doi: https://doi.org/10.2307/2392498
Kwan, S. S. M., Tuckey, M. R., & Dollard, M. F. (2016). The role of the psychosocial safety climate in coping with workplace bullying: A grounded theory and sequential tree analysis. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 25(1), 133-148. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/1359432X.2014.982102
Lehnert, K., Craft, J., Singh, N., & Park, Y.-H. (2016). The human experience of ethics: A review of a decade of qualitative ethical decision making research. Business Ethics: A European Review, 25(4), 498-537. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/beer.12129
Leymann, H. (1996a). Mobbing – La persécution au travail [Persecution at work]. Paris: Le Seuil.
Leymann, H. (1996b). The content and development of mobbing at work. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 5(2), 165-184. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/13594329608414853
Manning, C. (2001). Issues for general practitioners. In Tehrani, N. (Ed.). Building a culture of respect - Managing bullying at work (185-199). London: Taylor & Francis.
Manroop, L. (2015). Human resource systems and competitive advantage: An ethical climate perspective. Business Ethics: A European Review, 24(2), 186-204. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/beer.12069
Martin, K. D., & Cullen, J. B. (2006). Continuities and extensions of ethical climate theory: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Business Ethics, 69, 175-194. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-006-9084-7
Mikkelsen, E. G., & Einarsen, S. (2001). Bullying in Danish work-life: Prevalence and health correlates. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 10(4), 393-413. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/13594320143000816
Millán, A., Diaferia, L., Acosta, M., & D’Aubeterre, M.E. (2016). Comparativo de las propiedades psicométricas del NAQ-R y del LIPT-60 en trabajadores venezolanos. Revista CES Psicología, 9(2), 40-67. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.21615/cesp.9.2.4
Mobbing.Nu. (2017). Violencia y acoso en el trabajo en España. Retrieved from http://www.mobbing.nu/
Nalda, Á. L., Guillén, M., & Pechuán, I. G. (2016). The influence of ability, benevolence, and integrity in trust between managers and subordinates: The role of ethical reasoning. Business Ethics: A European Review, 25(4), 556-576. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/beer.12117
Nawar, Y. S., & Dagam, O. V. (2015). The practice of ethical work climate within public sector: An organisational culture perspective. Journal of Organisational Studies and Innovation, 2(4), 33-40. http://www.mbacademy.org.uk/index.php/home-josi
Neuman, J. H., & Baron, R. A. (2003). Social antecedents of bullying: A social interactionist perspective. In S. Einarsen, H. Hoel, D. Zapf, & C. L. Cooper (Eds.), Bullying and harassment in the workplace (185-202). London: Taylor & Francis. doi:https://doi.org/10.1201/EBK1439804896
Neves, J. G., & Jesuíno, J. C. (1994). Cultura organizacional: Estudo empírico com base no modelo dos valores contrastantes. Psicologia, IX (3), 327-346. doi: https://doi.org/10.17575/rpsicol.v9i3.702
Nielsen, M. B., & Einarsen, S. (2012). Outcomes of exposure to workplace bullying: A meta-analytic review. Work & Stress, 26(4), 309-332. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/02678373.2012.734709
Nielsen, M. B., Notelaers, G., & Einarsen, S. (2011). Measuring exposure to workplace bullying. In S. Einarsen, H. Hoel, D. Zapf, & C. L. Cooper (Eds.), Bullying and harassment in the workplace (149-174). London: Taylor & Francis. doi: https://doi.org/10.1201/EBK1439804896
Nielsen, M. B., Skogstad, A., Matthiesen, S. B., Glasø, L., Aasland, M. S., Notelaers, G., & Einarsen, S. (2009). Prevalence of workplace bullying in Norway: Comparisons across time and estimation methods. European Journal of work and organizational psychology, 18(1), 81-101. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/13594320801969707
Notelaers, G., De Witte, H., & Einarsen, S. (2010). A job characteristics approach to explain workplace bullying. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 19(4), 487-504. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/13594320903007620
Notelaers, G., Vermunt, J. K., Baillien, E., Einarsen, S., & De Witte, H. (2011). Exploring risk groups workplace bullying with categorical data. Industrial Health, 49, 73–88. doi: https://doi.org/10.2486/indhealth.MS1155
O’Leary, M. (2015). Work identification and responsibility in moral breakdown. Business Ethics: A European Review, 24(3), 237-251. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/beer.12072
Overall, J. (2016). Unethical behavior in organizations: Empirical findings that challenge CSR and egoism theory. Business Ethics: A European Review, 25(2), 113-127. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/beer.12110
Páez, I., & Salgado, E. (2016). When deeds speak, words are nothing: A study of ethical leadership in Colombia. Business Ethics: A European Review, 25(4), 538-555. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/beer.12130
Painter-Morland, M. (2010). Questioning corporate codes of ethics. Business Ethics: A European Review, 19(3), 265-279. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8608.2010.01591.x
Parboteeah, K. P., Chen, H. C., Lin, Y.-T., Chen, I-H., Lee, A. Y-P., & Chung, A. (2010). Establishing organizational ethical climates: how do managerial practices work? Journal of Business Ethics, 97(4), 599-611. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-010-0527-9
Parboteeah, K. P., & Kapp, E. A. (2008). Ethical climates and workplace safety behaviors: An empirical investigation. Journal of Business Ethics, 80, 515-529. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-007-9452-y
Peterson, D. K. (2002). The relationship between unethical behaviour and the dimensions of the Ethical Climate Questionnaire. Journal of Business Ethics, 41(4), 313-326. doi: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021243117958
Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Lee, J., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2003). Common method biases in behavioural research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(5), 879-903. doi: https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.88.5.879
Power, J. L., Brotheridge, C., Blenkinsoop, J., Bowes-Sperry, L., Bozionelos, N. … Nnedumm, A. (2013). Acceptability of workplace bullying: A comparative study on six continents. Journal of Business Research, 66, 374-380. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2011.08.018
Promislo, M. D., Giacalone, R. A., & Welch, J. (2012). Consequences of concern: Ethics, social responsibility, and well-being. Business Ethics: A European Review, 21(2), 209-219. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8608.2011.01648.x
Quinn, R. E., & Cameron, K. (1983). Organizational life cycles and shifting criteria of effectiveness: Some preliminary evidence. Management Science, 29(1), 33-52. doi: https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.29.1.33
Quinn, R. E., & Rohrbaugh, J. (1983). A spatial model of effectiveness criteria: Towards a competing values approach to organizational analysis. Management Science, 29(3), 363-377. doi: https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.29.3.363
Randall, P. (1999). Adult bullying - Perpetrators and victims. London: Routledge. doi: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203360255
Rego, A. (2001). O poder explicativo da congruência ética para os comportamentos de cidadania organizacional. Psychologica, 27, 155-176. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0034-75902002000100006
Sale, J. E. M., & Kerr, M. S. (2002). The psychometric proprieties of Karasek's demand and control scales within a single sector: Data from a large teaching hospital. International Archives of Occupational Environmental Health, 75, 145-152. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s004200100289
Salin, D. (2003). Bullying and organisational politics in competitive and rapidly changing work environments. International Journal of Management and Decision Making, 4(1), 35-46. doi: https://doi.org/10.1504/IJMDM.2003.002487
Samnani, A.-K., & Singh, P. (2012). 20 years of workplace bullying research: A review of the antecedents and consequences of bullying in the workplace. Aggression and Violent Behaviour, 17, 581-589. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2012.08.004
Seigne, E., Coyne, I., Randall, P., & Parker, J. (2007). Personality traits of bullies as a contributory factor in workplace bullying: An exploratory study. International Journal of Organization Theory & Behavior, 10(1), 118-132. doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOTB-10-01-2007-B006
Sheehan, M. (1999). Workplace bullying: Responding with some emotional intelligence. International Journal of Manpower, 20(1/2), 57-70. doi: https://doi.org/ 10.1108/01437729910268641
Skogstad, A., Matthiesen, S.B., & Einarsen, S. (2007). Organizational changes: A precursor of bullying at work? International Journal of Organization Theory and Behavior, 10(1), 58-94. doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOTB-10-01-2007-B003
Skogstad, A., Torsheim, T., Einarsen, S., & Hauge, L. J. (2011). Testing the work environment hypothesis of bullying on a group level analysis: Psychosocial factors as precursors of observed workplace bullying. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 60(3), 475-495. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1464-0597.2011.00444.x
Taştan, S. B., & Güçel, C. (2017). The impact of employees’ perceived business ethics and ethical climate on organizational social capital. Turkish Journal of Business Ethics, 10(1), 47–76.
van Muijen, J. J., & Koopman, P. L., De Witte, K., De Cock, G., Susanj, Z., Lemoine, C., … Turnipseed, D. (1999). Organizational culture: The Focus Questionnaire. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 8(4), 551-568. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/135943299398168
Vartia, M. (1996). The sources of bullying – Psychological work environment and organizational climate. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 5(2), 203-214. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/13594329608414855
Verkuil, B., Atasayi, S., & Molendijk, M. L. (2015). Workplace bullying and mental health: A meta-analysis on cross-sectional and longitudinal data. PLoS ONE, 10(8), e0135225. doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0135225
Victor, B., & Cullen, J. B. (1988). The organizational bases of ethical work climates. Administrative Science Quarterly, 33(1), 101-125. doi: https://doi.org/10.2307/2392857
Zapf, D. (1999). Organisational, work group related and personal causes of mobbing/bullying at work. International Journal of Manpower, 20(1/2), 70-85. doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/01437729910268669
Zapf, D., & Einarsen, S. (2003). Individual Antecedents of Bullying. In S. Einarsen, H. Hoel, D. Zapf, & C. L. Cooper (Eds.). Bullying and Emotional Abuse in the Workplace (165-184). London: Taylor & Francis. doi: https://doi.org/10.1201/EBK1439804896
Zapf, D., Einarsen, S., Hoel, H., & Vartia, M. (2003). Empirical findings on bullying in the workplace. In Einarsen, S., Hoel, H.,
Zapf, D. e Cooper, C. L. (Eds.). Bullying and emotional abuse in the workplace - International perspectives in research and practice (103-126). London: Taylor & Francis. doi: https://doi.org/10.1201/9780203164662
Zapf, D., & Gross, C. (2001). Conflict escalation and coping with workplace bullying: A replication and extension. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 10(4), 497-522. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/13594320143000834
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Each manuscript is accompanied by a statement specifyingThat the materials are unpublished, that have not been previously published in printed formatElectronic and that they will not be presented to any other means before knowing the decision of the magazine. ThroughoutIn case, any previous publication, sea in printed or electronic form, must be made known to the editorial staffWriting The authors attach a signed statement stating that, and the manuscript is acceptedFor publication, the rights of reproduction are the exclusive property of the Journal CES Psychology.
| Article metrics | |
|---|---|
| Abstract views | |
| Galley vies | |
| PDF Views | |
| HTML views | |
| Other views | |
