TY - JOUR
T1 - Being the bigger person
T2 - Investigating the relationship between workplace bullying exposure and enactment and the role of coping in ending the bullying spiral
AU - Vranjes, Ivana
AU - Salin, Denise
AU - Baillien, Elfi
PY - 2021/8/24
Y1 - 2021/8/24
N2 - While most of the workplace bullying research has focused on targets and the devastating consequences they face from being exposed to such negative behaviour, bullying does not occur in a social vacuum. Previous research has suggested that people who are exposed to bullying sometimes engage in such behaviour themselves. In this paper, we wanted to test the reciprocal nature of bullying behaviour over time and potential moderators of this relationship in two studies. In Study 1, using two-wave full panel data, we test whether bullying exposure predicts bullying enactment and vice versa. In Study 2, using another two-wave dataset, we test whether individual coping styles moderate the relationship between bullying exposure and enactment. The results of the two studies provide support for the reciprocal nature of bullying behaviour and show that employees who tend to cope actively and instrumentally with being exposed to bullying have a higher chance of engaging in bullying. The reverse holds for people who tend to cope by disengaging and talking to others. This study has important implications for both the bullying literature and for practitioners working on bullying prevention and resolution.
AB - While most of the workplace bullying research has focused on targets and the devastating consequences they face from being exposed to such negative behaviour, bullying does not occur in a social vacuum. Previous research has suggested that people who are exposed to bullying sometimes engage in such behaviour themselves. In this paper, we wanted to test the reciprocal nature of bullying behaviour over time and potential moderators of this relationship in two studies. In Study 1, using two-wave full panel data, we test whether bullying exposure predicts bullying enactment and vice versa. In Study 2, using another two-wave dataset, we test whether individual coping styles moderate the relationship between bullying exposure and enactment. The results of the two studies provide support for the reciprocal nature of bullying behaviour and show that employees who tend to cope actively and instrumentally with being exposed to bullying have a higher chance of engaging in bullying. The reverse holds for people who tend to cope by disengaging and talking to others. This study has important implications for both the bullying literature and for practitioners working on bullying prevention and resolution.
KW - 512 Business and Management
KW - workplace bullying
KW - perpetrator
KW - target
KW - coping
KW - emotion focused coping
KW - problem focused coping
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85113287771&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/47971053-871d-3979-8d35-431f0e50d0c3/
U2 - 10.1080/02678373.2021.1969477
DO - 10.1080/02678373.2021.1969477
M3 - Article
SN - 0267-8373
VL - 36
SP - 183
EP - 201
JO - Work & Stress
JF - Work & Stress
IS - 2
ER -