Imbalance between Employees and the Organisational Context: A Catalyst for Workplace Bullying Behaviours in Both Targets and Perpetrators

Abstract

Research on workplace bullying from the perpetrators’ perspective is limited, leading to few interventions tailored to them. This gap stems from insufficient understanding of how organisational conditions and individual dispositions trigger or amplify perpetrator behaviour. To develop effective interventions in preventing bullying, perceived organisational factors were examined. This study, guided by the Job Demands–Resources (JD–R) model and the three-way model of workplace bullying (WB), aims to explore the effects of perceived (im)balances in the task or employee focus, social atmosphere (positive or negative), and hierarchical structure (high or low) in organisations on the incidence of WB, both in terms of perpetrator and target experiences. The research involved 1044 employees from multiple Spanish organisations and sectors: 51.7% in services, 24.6% in education, 14.5% in wholesale and retail trade, and 9.2% in manufacturing. The average age of participants was 35.43 years (SD = 10.9), with a female majority of 61.3%. Using a cross-sectional study design, the experiences of being a target and perpetrator were quantitatively assessed through validated WB target and perpetrator scales. Additionally, the study qualitatively examined employees’ perceptions of their organisational context through free descriptions, using adjectives to depict their views. Correspondence analysis was employed to test the hypotheses, and the results affirmed them. The study found that perceived imbalances in organisational focus, social atmosphere, and hierarchy correlate with higher WB target and perpetrator reports, whereas balanced atmospheres correlate with no WB. This research underscores the significance of balanced organisational contexts in mitigating WB. It highlights a gap in the current literature regarding the broader organisational factors that influence bullying and advocates for a more in-depth understanding of these dynamics. Furthermore, it contributes to the existing body of knowledge by offering a comprehensive and harmonised approach to preventing WB, transcending isolated interventions.