Culture of cruelty: why bullying thrives in higher education
In an environment where discussion, debate and criticism are encouraged, undermining behaviour can flourish
Why employees bully other employees is a question academics have sought to answer since the 1990s.
The perspective proposed by Swedish psychologist Heinz Leymann,
father of workplace bullying research, is that we bully one another
because of factors within our work environment, including the nature of
our work and organisational culture.
Characteristics of our jobs, such as low autonomy, boring tasks,
unclear roles and high workload have all been implicated as possible
causes of bullying. Employees working in uninspiring jobs may be tempted
to enact destructive behaviour as a source of stimulation, whereas
individuals stressed out by heavy workloads may perpetrate bullying to
cope with frustration or to assert personal control.
What causes bullying: personality or environment?
Bullying
may be further facilitated by organisational cultures and structures
that permit it. In certain organisational cultures, bullying is a means
of achieving goals, and in cultures characterised by high internal
competition, it may be the most effective way of improving reputation
and climbing the ladder. Reward systems can sometimes provoke bullying
as aggressive tactics could be thought the best way to rid supervisors
of either underperforming, or overperforming subordinates.
The other perspective on why adults bully concerns
personality factors. An overarching personality profile cannot be
applied to bullies or victims, however some consistent themes are
apparent.
Traits associated with bullies include narcissism, unstable
self-esteem, anxiety and a lack of social competence, likewise traits
linked to victims are vulnerability, low self-esteem and a propensity to
experience negative emotion.
The vulnerable victim is one typology associated with victimised
individuals, but there is a growing body of evidence which suggests that
victims share the same personality traits as perpetrators, leading to
suggestions that perpetrators and victims can hold both roles.
Another view concerns interpersonal differences, as individuals who
possess traits that differentiate them from the rest of the workgroup
can make them vulnerable to bullying. For instance, in workplaces
dominated by men, woman are more likely to be bullied and vice versa.
Research continues to address the causes of bullying, but perhaps
surprisingly those investigating it are themselves operating in a risk
sector as high levels of bullying are consistently reported in higher
education.
In the UK, the overall prevalence of workplace bullying – based on
the proportion of working people who have experienced it – across all
working sectors is usually estimated at between 10-20%.
However the percentage of people who have experienced bullying within academic settings is higher than the national average. UK higher education studies have found the percentage of people experiencing it ranges between 18% to 42%.
Undermining behaviour: part of the job for academics?
Initially, it seems strange that more bullying occurs in higher
education, as academic jobs are still characterised by large amounts of
personal autonomy and the academy promotes values of collegiality and
civility. However, a closer inspection can provide clues as to why
bullying occurs in this context.
Cultures where bullying flourishes have been characterised as
competitive, adversarial and politicised. While academia can be on
occasion adversarial, it is more commonly competitive and political.
Perhaps this is best illustrated by the bullying behaviours most cited
within academic contexts – threats to professional status and
obstructive behaviours, designed to inhibit employees achieving their
goals.
A Canadian study
explored academic bullying behaviours in more depth, finding that
having your contributions ignored, being the subject of gossip and being
undermined and belittled in front of others were the behaviours most
commonly experienced.
In the higher education context where discussion, debate and
criticism are encouraged, behaviours directed at undermining another
individual can be more easily justified as part of the job. While
competition for limited research resources may lead to displays of power
and hidden agendas that can make the wider academic context even more
toxic.
Furthermore, the “publish or perish” mentality, combined with
teaching students and grant submission targets contribute to inherent
role conflict. Such daily demands inhibit the ability of some academics
to cope with bullying, and demands cause stress which may lead otherwise
rational people to engage in bullying as the spiral of work pressure
increases.
Due to a lack of available research, it is unclear whether bullying
is getting worse in academia, although Jamie Lester, author of the book Workplace bullying in higher education feels it is on the rise. It has been noted that higher education has become more competitive and hierarchical which may facilitate greater levels of bullying.
However without documenting the rates of bullying in academic
contexts over time it is impossible to discern whether the problem is
getting worse. For this reason it has been suggested that academic
institutions benchmark the nature and prevalence of bullying behaviours,
while providing education and guidelines designed to reinstate the more
collegial culture that academia may have lost.
So how can employees beat bullying? Here’s what to do if you are facing bullying at work:
• Firstly, don’t blame yourself – this will only make you feel worse.
• Keep a written record of events, along with any evidence of negative acts (eg emails, written correspondence).
• Seek informal resolution early in the
conflict – speaking to the perpetrator early on may enable resolution
without formal approaches that can be lengthy and stressful.
• If the bullying persists, identify
whether your organisation has a grievance policy and report the problem
to a relevant individual eg union representative, HR manager, line
manager or occupational health adviser.
• Discuss it with your support network
inside and outside of work. Support is also available from charitable
organisations. For instance, the mental health charity Mind can offer
support via phone (0300 123 3393) and email (info@mind.org.uk).
Sam Farley is a doctoral researcher at the Institute of Work
Psychology (IWP), Sheffield University Management School – follower him
on Twitter: @sam_farley3
Christine Sprigg is a lecturer in occupational psychology at IWP, Sheffield University Management School
