Bully In the Workplace-Negligent Hiring - Book Report/Review Example

Bully in the Workplace-Negligent Hiring Summary Julie Indvik and Pamela R Johnson’s article ‘Lawsuits Walk in on Two Feet: The Bully in the Workplace’ featured in Journal of Organizational Culture, Communications and Conflict, Volume 16, Number 2 during 2012 reflects on the pattern of bullying behavior in general cases and in the workplace. It tends to draw effective differences between workplace bullying and harassment related activities and also throws light on the fiscal and other consequences faced by the organization owing to prevalence of bullying activities.

The article also tends to draw attention into the existence of any legal support to safeguard the victims of such bullying activities and presents needed management interventions and practices thereof. The authors in the course of discussion presents to the reader important statistical data of the percentage of men and women involved in bullying activities and also of the corresponding amount of targets therein. The event of bullying is dealt by the authors as a psychological phenomenon thereby presenting a brief reflection on the social and mental upbringing of the bullies.

Along with the presentation of physical and mental impacts rendered by bullying activities on the people the article also reflects bullying taking a more subtle form thereby making it hard to be effectively and legally dealt with (Indvik and Johnson, 2012, p.73-77). Critical Reflection The premise dealt in by the authors could have included the pattern of workplace bullying and their impacts on productivity of the concern. Again the premise could focus on the constraints to effective reporting of bullying behavior and the process of whistle blowing therein.

The premise could also have also indicated on the perceptual differences between genders and experienced and inexperienced employee groups involved in workplace bullying activities. The discussion relating to workplace bullying could have been further enhanced through the incorporation of Primary Research methodology wherein focused groups of bullying targeted employees could have been interviewed. Similarly effective case studies of organizations where bullying behavior is prevalent could have been presented to reflect on the impacts gained and actions taken thereof.

Finally the conclusion presented in the article happens to reflect only on a set of potential recommendations for the managers to effectively control workplace bullying. However it fails to provide a composite picture of the evidence drawn relating to the research carried out on workplace bullying. The article gains strength in that it identifies the cause, emergence and nature of workplace bullying and its impacts thereof both relating to the employees and the concern at large. It also gains strength in identifying reasons why bullying in comparison to harassment activities cannot be dealt in courts-of-law and identification of needful management interventions.

However the article suffers from a considerable weakness in only subjecting the focus to the United States region. Further lack of practical insights from the current workplace field through the use of Cases and Primary Research also makes the level of research largely dependent on theoretical approaches. Conclusion Workplace Bullying happens to become a complex issue to be dealt in by the managers if not controlled at its very outset. Bullying in the workplace in current times has taken more subtle forms and is carried out by employees suffering from ego or positional problems thereby making it hard to identify and subject to law suits.

This bullying behavior thus concealed sporadically affects the productivity and growth prospects of the concern and employees making them nervous. Thus managers need to take positive steps on organizational empowerment and redesigning of vision and mission goals to reduce such negative impacts. ReferencesIndvik, J., and Johnson, P. R. (2012). Lawsuits Walk In On Two Feet: The Bully in the Workplace. Journal of Organizational Culture, Communications and Conflict, 16(2), 73-77.