The Group Conflict - Essay Example

Group Conflict This paper addresses the issues related to bullying in the work place and the specific issue of inter-group difficulty that currentlyaffects many. Bullying is a common problem faced by many all around the world. There are several factors that contribute to such problem. Here is a case study where the new junior nursing staff was facing the problem. This was a serious problem faces by the junior nursing staff that effected her seriously both physically as well as psychologically. The junior nurse narrates her experience: “Life was turned upside down when I transferred to a remote hospital some seven years ago. I had just begun my practice soon after my graduation. While at University, I received many letters from the Dean congratulating me on my performance and eventually topped my final year. I had never been bullied in the university so I had no idea what was going on until I became so ill that I could no longer face going to work. Some of my experiences were: Physically pushed three times (the pusher apologised, but can three times in ten minutes be an accident?) Isolated – staff involved would never sit with me during morning tea, lunches, meetings, courses, etc. My name was omitted from birthday acknowledgements. All other staff names on whiteboard in staff room and on work trays were in black, only mine was in red. When we were asked to bring a plate for morning teas or special lunches, no one ate any of mine. Psychological games to make me feel as though something was wrong with me. I was repeatedly talked over as though what I had to say was irrelevant. I am a vegetarian and my love of animals was well known. During a lunch, twp bullies sat beside me and vividly described a rat dissection. I have major depressive illness now, with anxiety attacks so bad that I lay and groan on the floor or bed. I have night-time enuresis that worsens when highly stressed. I have tried to commit suicide, have become a recluse, and am a shadow of my former confident self. I am still fighting for workers compensation – my confusion and bewilderment has now turned to fury and anger upon being enlightened about bullying." The behavior of senior nurses towards her was really bad. It was very embarrassing situation for this junior and finally when the situation was not tolerable the junior had to report to the administration staff of the hospital. This was a typical case of work place bullying. “Bullying is a form of harassment. Bullying behavior is based on the misuse of power in human relationships. From an occupational health and safety perspective, workplace bullying is defined as: repeated, unreasonable behavior directed towards a person or group of persons at a workplace, which creates a risk to health and safety. “Unreasonable behavior” is behavior that is offensive, humiliating, intimidating, degrading or threatening. It includes, but is not limited to: • Verbal abuse • Initiation pranks • Excluding or isolating employees • Giving a person the majority of an unpleasant or meaningless task • Humiliation through sarcasm, or belittling someone’s opinions • Constant criticism or insults • Spreading misinformation or malicious rumors • Setting impossible deadlines • Deliberately changing work rosters to inconvenience certain employees • Deliberately withholding information or resources, that are vital for effective work performance • Manipulating the impression of others to split the work group into taking sides • Displaying written or pictorial material which may degrade or offend certain employees “Repeated behavior” refers to the nature of the behavior, not the specific form of the behavior. Therefore, repeated unreasonable behavior may be a pattern of diverse incidents, often escalating over time, eg. verbal abuse on one occasion, personal property intentionally damaged on another occasion, and subsequently being unreasonably threatened with the sack. “Occupational violence” is defined as any incident where a person is physically attacked or threatened in the workplace. If bullying involves assault or threat of assault, criminal laws may apply and it may therefore become a police matter” (ACT Work Cover, 2004). Adams (1992) offers the following common definition of bullying - a definition which fits with our work on bullying, "Persistent criticism and personal abuse in public or private, which humiliates and demeans the person". Hickling (2006), in his analysis of definitional terms of bullying, identified that workplace bullying is increasingly being recognized as a serious problem in society. Field (1996) goes as far to say, "Workplace bullying is ...the second greatest social evil after child abuse, with which it has many parallels". Field (1996) has offered a helpful definition of the workplace bully: refusal to recognize, face up to, tackle, and overcome one’s own weaknesses, failings, and shortcomings denial of responsibility for the consequences of one’s own actions and behaviors on others. If the bully is in a position of management, control, and/or trust, then also: refusal to accept the legal and moral obligation for the safety, care, and well-being of the person(s) in their charge. Field notes that the workplace bully can be either a peer or someone with authority over the victim. Any group bullying, involving more than one person, is called mobbing. The word "mobbing" is also often used to mean any workplace bullying. Unlike the more physical form of schoolyard bullying, workplace bullies often operate within the established rules and policies of their organization and their society. For instance, a workplace bully might use the offices "rumor mill" to circulate a lie about a coworker. Such actions are not necessarily illegal and may not even be against the firms regulations. But the damage they cause, both to the targeted employee and to workplace morale, is obvious. According to Dr Gary Namie, cofounder of the Workplace Bullying and Trauma Institute, bullying can either cause or contribute to severe health problems for the victims. The most prevalent are high blood pressure, heart conditions and post-traumatic stress disorder. Dr Namie has identified a new health issue related to bullying in the workplace: prolonged duress stress disorder. The bullying phenomenon fits in well with the psychological theory of narcissism. Narcissists are particularly attracted to managerial roles. Narcissistic managers expect his or her subordinates to provide narcissistic supply, thus helping to support his or her deluded false sense of self. He or she likes to be surrounded with sycophants who can be relied upon to do this. The true self of a narcissist is that of a flawed and inadequate person. The false self of a narcissist is a perfect superior person who can do no wrong. Narcissistic managers are often referred to by critics as control freaks. Narcissistic rage is synonymous with bullying and allows a narcissist to offload his sense of shame and negative feelings about himself by blaming others and deluding himself of his natural superiority. This process is known as projection. A narcissistic manager often treats gifted subordinates and peers as a threat, by virtue of the risk that their abilities will expose his or her inadequacies. Narcissistic rage can be triggered by criticism of the narcissistic manager. This is because the criticism has reminded the narcissist of his true self of which he is in denial. Narcissistic rage can also manifest itself on an ongoing basis as serial bullying where bully targets are selected who have perceived vulnerabilities. The negative impact of narcissist rage on a target is known as narcissistic injury - this could be in the form of loss of self esteem, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder etc. Scapegoating and persecution are closely related to bullying, projection and narcissistic rage (Wikipedia, 2006). Studies show that the financial cost of workplace bullying to business in Australia is estimated to be between $6 billion and $13 billion a year. This includes indirect costs, such as absenteeism, labor turnover, loss of productivity and legal costs. According to research from Queensland’s Griffith University, 3.5 per cent of the working population is bullied, and the average cost of serious bullying is $20,000 per employee (ACT Work Cover, 2004). Similar trend will be seen in other parts of the world also. “The first step is to establish whether bullying exists in the workplace or whether there is the potential for it to occur. Common warning signs are: • Sudden increase in absenteeism • Unexplained requests for transfers • Behavioral changes such as depression • Sudden deterioration in work performance How to manage bullying in the work place? Develop and implement a plan to reduce the risk of workplace bullying, which should include the following steps: 1. Develop a culture of support for employees by: Improving the quality of performance feedback, including informal development oriented feedback as well as corrective feedback Improving the availability of flexible working arrangements, and ensuring fair and reasonable treatment of staff Communicating openly at all levels, fostering a more engaging work environment through involvement of staff in decision making processes that impact on their work Increasing accountability of management by setting targets/goals and ensuring effective reporting structures. 2. Write a policy or code of conduct, in consultation with employees 3. Provide training on the organization’s policies and procedures, and ensure that supervisors and managers have the skills to recognize and deal with inappropriate behavior. Create awareness about what bullying is, the warning signals and effects, why it is not tolerated and include this information during induction of new employees. 4. Develop complaint handling and investigation procedures and treat all complaints seriously. 5. Appoint a contact person for informal enquiries, concerns or complaints, so that actions can be taken early in the process to avoid unacceptable behavior escalating into workplace bullying. The contact person can be a trained person within the organization or an employee assistance provider, whose role is to deal with various employee issues and who may be able to provide advice or mediate in bullying cases. 6. Monitor the effectiveness of any action taken in response to bullying behavior” (ACT Work Cover, 2004). In conclusion, one of the most important aspects to solve such problem in the work place is to have good interpersonal communication. It will help to work harmoniously with others, evaluate and accept responsibilities, identify methods used to respond to conflict such as bullying and work in teams more efficiently. Above all interpersonal communication skills will also aid in creating congenial working environment. References ACT Work Cover, (2004) Preventing Workplace Bullying: A guide for employers and employees. Retrieved October 15, 2006, from http://www.workcover.act.gov.au/pdfs/guides_cop/Bullying_Guide-Final.pdf Adams, A. (1992). Bullying at work – how to confront and overcome it. London: Virago Press. Field T. (1996). Bully in sight. Wantage, Oxfordshire: Success Unlimited. Hickling, K. (2006, in press). Chapter 3. Workplace bullying. In J. Randle (ed.), Workplace Bullying in the NHS. Oxford: Radcliffe Publishing. Wikipedia, (2006) Workplace bullying. Retrieved October 15, 2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workplace_bullying Read More