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Michael Sheehan: Griffith University, Australia
Introduction
Capitalism is in crisis and organisations within capitalist societies are faced with ever changing pressures, such as global competition, consumer demand, technological change, changing labour expectations, environmental awareness, and economic recession (French and Bell, 1995; Halal, 1986; Limerick and Cunnington, 1993). These pressures increasingly demand organisational change (Argyris and Schon, 1996; Burgoyne et al., 1996). Evidence of corporate reaction to the uncertainty produced by these pressures may be seen in the growth of contemporary managerial buzzwords such as flexibility, market orientation, flattening structures, managerial excellence, productivity, quality, retraining, participation and creativity (Hilmer and Donaldson, 1996; Pascale, 1990). Together these terms signify the emergence of a "discourse of restructuring" (McCarthy et al., 1995) which is affecting organisations and the people that work within them. One outcome within the discourse appears to be workplace bullying.
There are two aims for this paper. The first is to address some of the signs indicating workplace bullying. The second is to suggest a possible solution to the problem. By doing so, this paper will contribute to the growing dialogue recognising the debilitating outcomes of workplace bullying, as well as providing ideas and making positive suggestions for overcoming the problem.
The process used to achieve these aims is as follows. A brief analysis of the signs of bullying evident during downsizing and delayering in organisational restructuring is undertaken in the first section. The impact of these processes on managers, management styles and behaviours is also addressed. In the second section of the paper, a series of studies identifying the outcomes of such behaviours, including the effect on the individual and the cost to the organisation, are discussed. The third section of the paper identifies a range of strategies and remedies for dealing with the problem of workplace bullying.
Drawing on the signs and evidence identifying the problem of workplace bullying discussed to this stage, the penultimate section of the paper will suggest a solution to the problem. The solution is centered on the development of skills necessary for more appropriate behaviours in organisations undergoing change. Skills include emotional intelligence and communication skills.
Signs of bullying
In reaction to the global crises of capitalism and the resulting uncertainty, many organisations have undergone restructuring processes. Such processes...