ObjectivesThe aim of this study is to examine the prevalence, to report barriers and mental health impact of bullying behaviours and to analyse whether psychological support at work could affect victims of bullying in the healthcare workplace.DesignSelf-administered questionnaire survey.Setting20 in total neonatal intensive care units in 17 hospitals in Greece.Participants398 healthcare professionals (doctors, nurses).Main outcome measuresThe questionnaire included information on demographic data, Negative Act Questionnaire-Revised (NAQ-R) behaviour scale, data on sources of bullying, perpetrators profile, causal factors, actions taken and reasons for not reporting bullying, psychological support and 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) scores to investigate psychological distress.ResultsPrevalence of bullying measured by the NAQ-R was 53.1% for doctors and 53.6% for nurses. Victims of bullying differed from non-bullied in terms of gender and job experience, among demographic data. Crude NAQ-R score was found higher for female, young and inexperienced employees. Of those respondents who experienced bullying 44.9% self-labelled themselves as victims. Witnessing bullying of others was found 83.2%. Perpetrators were mainly females 45–64 years old, most likely being a supervisor/senior colleague. Common reasons for not reporting bullying was self-dealing and fear of consequences. Bullying was attributed to personality trait and management. Those who were bullied, self-labelled as a victim and witnessed bullying of others had higher GHQ-12 score. Moreover, psychological support at work had a favour effect on victims of bullying.ConclusionsPrevalence of bullying and witnessing were found extremely high, while half of victims did not consider themselves as sufferers. The mental health impact on victims and witnesses was severe and support at work was necessary to ensure good mental health status among employees.

PurposeThe current study provides insights on the application of critical soft TQM practices in primary and secondary education and their impact on teachers' job satisfaction (TJS).Design/methodology/approachBased on a review of the literature related to TQM application in primary and secondary education, six soft TQM elements were traced as critical to the success of TQM implementation in the school environment: participation/involvement in continuous improvement, teamwork, empowerment, appraisal systems/recognition and reward for quality, training and development (T&D) and leadership (vision/commitment to quality culture). Moreover, their relationship to JS was theoretically founded and empirically tested. An online questionnaire was used as the research instrument. The participants were 200 primary and secondary public school teachers working in urban, semi urban and rural regions of Greece. After assessing the validity and reliability of the measurement scales, multiple regression analysis was applied to test the hypothesized relationships.FindingsThe research findings revealed that leadership and empowerment are the most highly implemented TQM practices in primary and secondary education. Moreover, participation/involvement, appraisal systems/recognition and rewards and leadership were the TQM elements that had a positive association with TJS.Practical implicationsThe outcomes of the study are of help to school principals and policy-makers in order to design and implement TQM policies that advance the quality of teaching and the effectiveness of processes in the primary and secondary education system, as well as to satisfy and motivate teachers for continuous improvement.Originality/valueThis was, to the best of our knowledge, the first study that has explored the impact of soft TQM elements on TJS.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify the future research suggestions which have been made by several authors with regard to cost of quality (CoQ) and to group them into respective themes.Design/methodology/approachThis study was based on a systematic literature review (SLR) of 97 peer-reviewed journal articles in the field of CoQ published in well-known academic databases, such as Emerald, Elsevier, SpringerLink, Taylor & Francis, Wiley and Scopus. The time horizon for reviewing the literature was 9 years, particularly in the period between 2010 and 2018. The “Affinity diagram” was applied to group the future research suggestions into logical themes and the “Pareto diagram” to further categorize and prioritize these themes.FindingsA plethora of future research suggestions identified in the literature are analytically presented. Moreover, the analysis showed that the future research suggestions in the field of CoQ can be grouped under eleven meaningful themes, which are further categorized into two broad categories, meaning the vital and the useful.Research limitations/implicationsThis SLR was based on only fully accessed English articles published in international, peer-reviewed journals of the selected publishers. The restricted number of keywords used and the subjectivity in applying the “affinity diagram” are also limitations of this study.Practical implicationsThis paper provides insights into the future research perspectives in the field of CoQ. Thus, this analysis can serve as a resource for both researchers and practitioners to further develop this area according to the future research suggestions and the respective themes revealed.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first SLR presenting and analyzing the future research suggestions of CoQ.

Two studies tested hypotheses about differences in emotional intelligence (EI) abilities and traits between followers of different career paths. Compared to their social science peers, science students had higher scores in adaptability and general mood traits measured with the Emotion Quotient Inventory, but lower scores in strategic EI abilities using the emotional intelligence test MSCEIT, as well as neuroticism, and openness. Neuroticism mediated relationships between career path and EI traits but not EI strategic abilities. In the second study participants in science and business career paths had higher scores in positive affect and in several work-related EI traits and lower scores in work-related EI abilities than their science counterparts. The results raise questions about the mechanisms that may sustain the observed differences in self-perceptions and about the validity of some EI measures. They also have implications for EI skills assessment and training in Higher Education graduates and career starters.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is binary. At first, it explores the contribution of preoccupation with failure to total quality management (TQM) and crisis management (CM). Then, it analyzes how preoccupation with failure can advance the role of human resources department (HRD) in terms of CM.Design/methodology/approachThis paper consists of the theoretical and the empirical part. In the theoretical part an extended literature review takes place. In the empirical part, the research statistical analysis is presented. The research was conducted in organizations that employ the largest number of employees in Greece and represent various corporate sectors.FindingsThe research permitted the authors to confirm their research hypotheses. It presented how preoccupation with failure can advance continuous improvement and CM. Moreover, it illustrated the impact of failure to the key role of HRD against crises.Practical implicationsOrganizations and managers can reconsider their perspective towards failure. Additionally, they can review and redesign their TQM and CM procedures based on the research findings aiming to overcome crises.Originality/valueThe literature review indicated that limited research deals with the benefits of preoccupation with failure regarding TQM and CM. Specifically, the research advances the contribution of failure in relation with the level of CM intimacy to the role of HRD against crisis. The added value of the present is to make organizations and their top management realize the significance of failure and use it to promote learning, TQM and CM.