Workplace Bullying in Higher Education

Jaime Lester

Higher education leaders, managers, human resource professionals, faculty, and staff increasingly face uncivil, bullying behaviors in academe. This can manifest itself as constant public humiliation by a new department chair, exclusion of a contingent faculty member, undermining of work performance by a supervisor, stalking by a staff member, or taunting. As higher education institutions continue to face budget issues and external pressure, the incidences of bullying are on the rise. This edited volume provides guidance on the nature and impact of bullying, legal and ethical issues, and approaches to assist leaders in facing these challenges in their colleges and universities. Research-based chapters cover the impact of bullying on the workforce, the ways that bullying manifests within different sub-cultures and at different institutions including community colleges, the legal and ethical issues of bullying, and recommendations to address bullying on campus. Exploring bullying policies and innovative programs, this book provides a better understanding of how to rethink current policies and practices to proactively create more civil cultures. Workplace Bullying in Higher Education is a valuable resource for all higher education leaders and professionals on understanding, mediating, and preventing bullying.

Human Resource Perspectives on Workplace Bullying in Higher Education

Understanding Vulnerable Employees' Experiences

Leah P. Hollis

This analytical volume uses qualitative data, quantitative data, and direct employee experiences to aid understanding of why workplace bullying occurs in universities throughout the US. To address higher education workplace bullying, this text offers data-driven interventions for human resource staff and departments to effectively tackle this destructive phenomenon. Drawing on Hollis’ first-hand research which is supported by findings from a 2019 Human Resources data collection, this text identifies populations which are most vulnerable to discrimination within academia. The data shows how human resource departments, executive leadership, and faculty might proactively intervene to prevent workplace bullying. Divided into two parts, the book offers empirical analysis of structural interventions for human resource efforts to combat workplace bullying in higher education. Second, the book puts forth solutions based on empirical findings for organizations and human resources to combat workplace aggression and civility which hurts higher education. Further, the author examines the specific effect of workplace harassment and cyberbullying on women of color, junior faculty, women, and the LGBTQ community. This text will benefit researchers, doctoral students, and conducting higher education research. Additionally, the book focusses on structural issues which interfere with multicultural education more broadly. Those interested in Human Resource Management, the sociology of education, and gender and sexuality studies and will also enjoy this volume.

Understanding Workplace Bullying Among Staff in Higher Education

Justin Aubrey Gerstenfield

he purpose of this phenomenological study was to discover how staff members in a division of student affairs define workplace bullying, whether or not they have experienced workplace bullying, and finally whether or not they have witnessed workplace bullying in higher education. Participants were invited to complete an open-ended online survey where they could define workplace bullying and share their personal experiences with bullying or witnessing bullying in the workplace. The study explored the lived experiences of student affairs professionals with personal and bystander experiences of bullying in the higher education workplace. Social identity theory relating to in-group and out-group formation in the workplace was used to understand the experiences of participants. Data analysis provided details of participants' definition of bullying in higher education in addition to their own personal and witnessed experiences. Participants defined, experienced, and witnessed bullying in the workplace the same as faculty and professionals outside of higher education. Participants' experiences were similar to faculty and non-higher education professionals in all areas except for the reporting of bullying. Unlike faculty and non-higher education employees, student affairs staff members are more likely to report bullying experiences. Using the results and conclusions, several levels of employee training were recommended to be implemented in higher education to help prevent future bullying experiences of staff members.

Workplace Bullying in Higher Education

Faculty Experiences and Responses

Susan K. Taylor

Description unavailable for this volume in the current provider response.

Bully in the Ivory Tower

How Aggression & Incivility Erode American Higher Education

Leah P. Hollis

Several studies have examined workplace bullying in the general population or in the K-12 student population. This book examines the manifestation of workplace bullying in American Higher Education Administration. After surveying over 175 four-year colleges and universities in an independent study, Hollis confirms that workplace bullying occurs at alarming rates in higher education. Further, this study calculates the cost of employee disengagement. Staff who have been bullied either seek to separate from an institution or mentally "check out" as a way of enduring a bully. In the midst of souring tuition costs, no organization can afford the millions of dollars lost to employee disengagement due to a bully. After gathering data through surveys and several interviews with administrators in higher education, Hollis develops a model for a healthy workplace specifically for higher education, which is also applicable to the general population. The model offers solutions for the leadership and organizational level, middle managers, and for the bullies who are seeking healthier management strategies. While this book is an academic study, the writing is accessible, reflects on popular culture at times, and considers the urgency of workplace bullying in relationship to cost, potential accreditation issues, and the personal anguish of the target. The findings and solutions are appropriate for executive leadership, middle management or anyone working in higher education.

The Coercive Community College

Bullying and its Costly Impact on the Mission to Serve Underrepresented Populations

Leah P. Hollis

Few studies address workplace bullying in American higher education. Leah P.Hollis, EdD, author of Bully in the Ivory Tower addressed the issue of workplace bullying in four-year institutions. This volume, The Coercive Community College, replicates the study to reveal that 64% of community college respondents are affected by workplace bullying.

Instrumental Social Justice in Higher Education

Eight Surveys for Workplace Bullying and Social Justice Research

Leah P. Hollis

This book offers eight validated instruments on workplace bullying to support robust mixed methods approaches for social justice research. Workplace bullying is an excellent starting point from which scholars can consider social justice research. The data shows that marginalized and disenfranchised groups (minoritized groups, women, junior faculty, and the LGBTQ+ community) are disproportionately affected. The outcomes included career interruption and severe health disparities. Though there is a demand for workplace bullying instruments, the book also lays a foundation for creating surveys to address these populations more effectively.

The Perceived Effects of Organizational Culture on Workplace Bullying in Higher Education

Laura Persky

Description unavailable for this volume in the current provider response.

Faculty Incivility

The Rise of the Academic Bully Culture and What to Do About It

Darla J. Twale, Barbara M. De Luca

This important book addresses the prevalence of faculty incivility, camouflaged aggression, and the rise of an academic bully culture in higher education. The authors show how to recognize a bully culture that may form as a result of institutional norms, organizational structure, academic culture, and systemic changes. Filled with real-life examples, the book offers research-based suggestions for dealing with this disruptive and negative behavior in the academic workplace.

Defining, Locating, and Addressing Bullying in the WPA Workplace

Cristyn L. Elder, Bethany Davila

Defining, Locating, and Addressing Bullying in the WPA Workplace is the first volume to take up the issue of bullying in writing programs. Contributors to this collection share their personal stories and analyze varieties of collegial malevolence they have experienced as WPAs with consequences in emotional, mental, and physical health and in personal and institutional economies. Contributors of varying status in different types of programs across many kinds of institutions describe various forms of bullying, including microaggressions, incivility, mobbing, and emotional abuse. They define bullying as institutional racism, “academic systemic incivility,” a crisis of insularity, and faculty fundamentalism. They locate bullying in institutional contexts, including research institutions, small liberal arts colleges, community colleges, and writing programs and writing centers. These locations are used as points of departure to further theorize bullying and to provide clear advice about agentive responses. A culture of silence discourages discussions of this behavior, making it difficult to address abuse. This silence also normalizes patterns and cultivates the perception that bullying arises naturally. Defining, Locating, and Addressing Bullying in the WPA Workplace helps the field to name these patterns of behaviors as bullying and resist ideologies of normalcy, encouraging and empowering readers to take an active role in defining, locating, and addressing bullying in their own workplaces. Contributors: Sarah Allen, Andrea Dardello, Harry Denny, Dawn Fels, Bre Garrett, W. Gary Griswold, Amy C. Heckathorn, Aurora Matzke, Staci Perryman-Clark, Sherry Rankins-Robertson, Erec Smith

Civility and Bullying in Higher Education

Secrets in Academia and the Culture of Incivility

Jennifer L. Aranda

Description unavailable for this volume in the current provider response.

Take the Bull by the Horns

Structural Approach to Minimize Workplace Bullying for Women in American Higher Education

Leah P. Hollis

Few studies have examined the extent of workplace bullying in American higher education; however, a 2015 study confirmed that 62% of respondents (n = 401) were affected by workplace bullying 18 months prior to the study (Hollis 2015). A closer examination of the women respondents (n = 281) revealed that 71% of the women in this subset faced workplace bullying. Women respondents were also more likely to seek structural solutions, such as reporting bullying to their immediate supervisors or human resources staff. Workplace bullying is couched in power. Those with power control tenure and promotion as well as resources; they can also hinder women from obtaining leadership positions. However, without policy or legislation, incivility is governed by the personal discretion of workplace leaders. As workplace bullying typically emerges from a power differential, Bolman and Deal's (2013) theories regarding organizational structure and politics serve as the theoretical lens for this study. This study is based on data collected from 175 colleges and universities in which participants, consisting of women from faculty and administrative positions, were asked to reflect on the extent of workplace bullying in American higher education. Women's responses are considered through descriptive statistics. Further, Chi Square examination shows women rely more on official reporting strategies than male counterparts. Therefore, the findings of this study will be valuable for women and/or leaders and supervisors in higher education.

Bully in the Ivory Tower

How Incivility and Aggression Erode American Higher Education

Hollis

Original study by Leah Hollis on workplace bullying in American higher education administration. Findings reveal breadth of bullying and solutions for leadership.

Power Imbalance, Bullying and Harassment in Academia and the Glocal (Local and Global) Workplace

Fay Patel

"The book Power Imbalance, Bullying and Harassment in Academia and the Glocal (Local and Global) Workplace introduces a candid and open discussion on a sensitive topic. Breaking the "code of silence" on bullying and harassment (including sexual harassment) in academia and the glocal workplace is the central focus of the book. The author advocates a call to action to hold perpetrators and the executive leadership teams of higher education institutions and corporate organizations accountable and responsible for bullying and harassment behaviors in the glocal (local and global) workplace. The book aims to raise the bar for ethical considerations in working with employees who may be vulnerable in the glocal workplace; to call out the perpetrators of bullying and harassment in the glocal workplace and academia; to ensure that the mental wellbeing of employees is a priority; to place responsibility and accountability for bullying and harassment on the shoulders of the executive leadership of international higher education institutions and corporations; and to call upon stakeholder groups to shatter the "code of silence" with a youtoobullyharrasser movement. Employers are expected to enhance their vigilance on the matter of bullying and harassment and to report perpetrators through a national and international monitoring system which names the perpetrators and prevents them from causing harm in their current organization and from moving surreptitiously to other workplace communities. This book is an account of bullying and harassment in academia and other workplaces written by those who experienced and/or witnessed bullying and harassment. It includes chapters on the political economic factors influencing equity, diversity and inclusion agendas over decades; the impact of bullying and harassment in the COVID-19 period when various communities are vulnerable; and critically reviews and presents real-life scenarios in academia and the glocal workplace which are both covert and overt. However, these underhanded activities, often with the knowledge and approval of executive leadership, remain unchallenged by employees and stakeholder groups because of the threat of loss of one's livelihood. The contributors bring valuable insights into the covert operations of the perpetrators, who are sometimes the executive leaders (women and men) themselves. This book is essential for understanding the dark web of deceit, lies, conspiracies and mobbing cultures which ensnares innocent targets, across glocal organizational contexts. Profiles and descriptors within the chapters and case studies act as alert signals to identify bullies. The contributors bring personal, creative and academic perspectives together, offering the readership sobering and authentic accounts of traumatic experiences and challenges in the glocal workplace"--

Take the Bull by the Horns

Structural Approach to Minimize Workplace Bullying for Women in American Higher Education

Leah Hollis

Few studies have examined the extent of workplace bullying in American higher education; however, a 2012 study confirmed that 62% of respondents (n=401) were affected by workplace bullying 18 months prior to the study (Hollis 2012). A closer examination of the women respondents (n=281) revealed that 71% of the women in this subset faced workplace bullying. Women respondents were also more likely to seek structural solutions, such as reporting bullying to their immediate supervisors or human resources staff. Workplace bullying is couched in power. Those with power control tenure and promotion as well as resources; they can also hinder women from obtaining leadership positions. However, without policy or legislation, incivility is governed by the personal discretion of workplace leaders. As workplace bullying typically emerges from a power differential, Bolman and Deal's (2013) theories regarding organizational structure and politics serve as the theoretical lens for this study. This study is based on data collected from 175 colleges and universities in which participants, consisting of women from faculty and administrative positions, were asked to reflect on the extent of workplace bullying in American higher education. Women's responses are considered through descriptive statistics. Further, Chi Square examination shows women rely more on official reporting strategies than male counterparts. Therefore, the findings of this study will be valuable for women and/or leaders and supervisors in higher education.

Faculty to faculty workplace bullying across disciplines in higher education

effects on organizational trust and commitment

Amber Marie Patrick

Description unavailable for this volume in the current provider response.

Understanding and Preventing Faculty-on-Faculty Bullying

A Psycho-Social-Organizational Approach

Darla J. Twale

Understanding and Preventing Faculty-on-Faculty Bullying provides a comprehensive understanding of workplace harassment, aggression, violence, bullying, and incivility in academia. Using a psychological, sociological, and organizational approach, this book explores the issue from the perspective of the individual, the department, and from the higher education organization. Providing research on the effects on victims and collegial culture, this important volume brings together interdisciplinary scholarship to present research-based suggestions for recovering from workplace bullying, recommendations for improving toxic academic environments, and practical advice about policy development to improve academic organizational culture and climate.

A Phenomenological Investigation of Experiences Regarding Workplace Bullying Higher Education

Patricia Burris

Description unavailable for this volume in the current provider response.

Workplace Harassment in Higher Education

Perceptions of Puerto Rican Professors

Unknown author

Description unavailable for this volume in the current provider response.

Confronting Academic Mobbing in Higher Education: Personal Accounts and Administrative Action

Personal Accounts and Administrative Action

Crawford, Caroline M.

Academic mobbing, a bullying behavior that targets a specific faculty member, is growing in higher education. It is a dangerous phenomenon that often attacks competent researchers and scholars who are ethical, outspoken in support of others, and normally reflect professional achievement that is coveted, resented, and perceived as intimidating by lesser faculty and administrators. Therefore, it is important to understand how academic mobbing begins, expands amongst faculty and administrators, is actually supported by faculty and administrators by either proactive efforts or actively ignoring, and results in a weakening of the higher education institution due to the reputation being detrimentally, and many times irreparably, impacted. Confronting Academic Mobbing in Higher Education: Personal Accounts and Administrative Action is an essential research publication that provides comprehensive research on the development of academic mobbing as a prevalent form of bullying within higher education and seeks to explore solutions and provide support for professionals currently dealing with this phenomenon. Highlighting a range of topics such as ethics, faculty outcomes, and narcissism, this book is ideal for higher education faculty, deans, department chairs, provosts, chancellors, university presidents, rectors, administrators, academicians, researchers, human resources faculty, policymakers, and academic leaders.