Why is it so hard to identify the covert bully in the workplace? Especially when there are employees who endure the behavior but become unresponsive and too inhibited to demonstrate helping behaviors or identify the perpetrator. In the presence of a bully, the behavior exhibited by the victim and the bystander goes beyond apathy to fear-based. According to Dr. Albrecht, there are five fears common to humans. Fear Types: (1) fear of extinction, (2) fear of body mutilation or invasion,…..
In an effort to avoid lawsuits and low employee morale, managers encourage victims and bystanders to see the bullying situation as never being their fault. However, if bullying is fostered by unhealthy organizational environments and toxic workplaces, then the very existence of the bully triad is a system problem and not necessarily an individual employee bully problem. Organizational wellness requires support from the top down, especially when it comes to change that focuses on supportive relationships, feedback, and conflict resolution……
When triads exist, otherwise stable employees begin to use dysfunctional methods to communicate everyday processes at work. Dr. Dennis O’Grady (2015), in his Friday Talk News release, clarifies the role of servant leadership, which is to control your mood so that you can fully exhibit your servant-leader character. Within the bully triad, important components of effective communication are missing, and Dr. O’Grady lists eight select components of effective communication that must be a part of servant leadership and the culture…..
Can you bring two parties together who have acted in defensive and resistive ways? Yes, it is just a matter of returning to the mission and values of each party and evaluating the return on investment of such behavior. When bad-actors compete, the showdown is meant to search and destroy. Constituents of both parties run from, look away or become disgusted when bad tug-of-war behaviors are the only form of collaboration and communication. In a tug-of-war, a show of strength…..
Diagnosing psychological conditions without the proper credentials is labeling and a form of bullying because it is character assassination. All medical fields including mental health psychologists and psychiatrists are required to have the necessary experience and education through residency with reputable hospitals and universities before acquiring the credentials to have the privilege and the ability to diagnosis and provide treatment, which takes years of dedication and hard work. Journalists, talk show hosts, or news reporters are not known to have…..
Investing in the failure of others sounds odd, but it is a characteristic behavior of the bully. History is full of people who wanted others to fail for personal gain. Practices such as these indicate that something is wrong with the emotional well-being of the organization. A sick organization is created when the hierarchy of needs are not met, such as when the workplace is unstable or unsafe or social needs are ignored and when a lack of respect is…..
Cyberbullying is different than workplace or school bullying in that it is difficult to describe and identify. Cyberbullying occurs across personal digital devices and social, and public media and often involves negative, false, and harmful information that damages self-worth, self-esteem, or the character of another person. In general, cyberbullying intimidates others, is threatening, menacing and causes mental duress. The definition of cyberbullying is very personal and can be different among varies cultures, industries, and political regions. To harm one’s self-worth,…..
Organizational leaders examine and analyze the workplace environment for anything that may hinder brand image, retention of brand knowledge, productivity, and retention of human resource talent, employee satisfaction, and customer satisfaction. When issues are found, leaders group them into system problems. However, the dilemma may be an organizational culture problem with bully triads that are tarnishing the brand image or undermining the mission and vision.
Organizations that have toxic cultures struggle with sharing communication and knowledge. Victims and bystanders from the bully triad work defensively to protect their work from the information and knowledge sequestering activity of the bully. The bully seeks to be the gatekeeper of all relevant organizational information so that when dilemmas develop, they can reap the rewards of their ill-gotten gains. In a recent study of 400 companies, the cost of poor communication was estimated to be over $62 million per…..
Sexual harassment is a form of bullying. The perpetrator sees the victim as a powerless object to control for ego fulfillment rather than as an individual entitled to power and autonomy. For workplace sexual harassment the courts and the EEOC have set specific guidelines for addressing sexual harassment in the workplace. However, when a person preys on another individual the victim is placed in a position of lower-power, and the stress of possibly compromising values and beliefs becomes a trigger…..