A review of literature on mediators and moderators of workplace bullying

Abstract

Purpose During the past 26 years, there has been a phenomenal growth in the literature on workplace bullying. The purpose of this paper is to review and synthesize the extant empirical studies on underlying and intervening mechanisms in antecedents–bullying and bullying–outcomes relationships. Design/methodology/approach In total, 53 studies on mediators and moderators in antecedents–bullying and bullying–outcomes relationships (2001-2016) were selected from academic databases (Google Scholar, Research Gate, Emerald Insight, Science Direct, etc.) Findings The review suggests that while a reasonable number of studies examine the role of mediators and moderators in bullying–outcomes relationships, such efforts are meager in antecedents–bullying relationships. The paper concludes by proposing some potential variables that can explain the underlying mechanisms in the bullying phenomenon and alleviate/aggravate the antecedents–bullying–outcomes relationships. Originality/value To the best of authors’ knowledge, this is the first review on mediators and moderators of workplace bullying.

Workplace Bullying: a Study on Urban Collective Transportation

“…In the analysis of the relationships between the workers' characteristics and the exposure to WB situations, it is noteworthy that no significant difference was found in ELAM scores based on the participants' sex. Although similar results appear in studies by Mesquisa et al (2017) and Pooli and Monteiro (2018), the review by Rai and Agarwal (2018) indicates that sex plays a moderating role in WB research, being relevant to how violence is expressed and how people evaluate and attribute meaning to the negative behavior. For example, in the case of gender-based violence, women are more exposed to violence by their male counterparts and may be more common targets because they are socially marginalized (Maciel et al 2007;Mesquita et al 2017;Soares and Oliveira 2012).…”

“…The reviews by Rai and Agarwal (2018) and Balducci et al (2018) pointed towards aspects that precede the WB, such as poor working conditions, workload, role stressors, group cohesion, destructive leadership style, job demands and job resources, security perceptions, social support at work, and emotional exhaustion. Couto, Lawoko, and Svanstrom (2009) also indicated working conditions (hours and work shifts, working alone, working in public settings, high workload, and organizational changes) as potential factors for increased exposure and risk of violence at work.…”

“…Knowledge of the mechanisms linking leadership and WB is still scarce. Nevertheless, it is argued that bad and poorly organized working conditions, combined with improper leadership, create a propitious setting for WB (Balducci et al 2018;Leymann 1996;Rai and Agarwal 2018). In the UK, India, Nigeria, and Turkey, this violence is mostly related to the behaviors of managers and leaders and approaches definitions of destructive or highly aggressive leadership (Einarsen et al 2011;Salin et al 2019).…”

“…Investments in research on workplace bullying (WB) have intensified worldwide since the 1990s and started in Brazil in the early 2000s. Since the theorization of this type of violence by the pioneer Heinz Leymann, the phenomenon has emerged as an important research area (Rai and Agarwal 2018). For Leymann (1990Leymann ( , 1996, WB involves hostile and unethical social interaction and communication, systematically and recurrently directed by one or more individuals, resulting in psychological, psychosomatic, and social impairment.…”

“…Among the individual factors are the personality of the victim and the aggressor and the attitudes and behaviors of the spectators (Balducci et al 2018). Organizational factors related to a poorly organized work environmentwhich includes poor working conditions, harmful workload, high demands, and low resources, ambiguity/conflict of roles, lack of group cohesion, security, and social supportgenerate high levels of stress and frustration in workers, which can lead them to become involved in conflicts that evolve to the WB (Balducci et al 2018;Rai and Agarwal 2018). This violence is also related to the culture's moral standards and the social values of its context, that is, it takes place when there are permissible social environments (Trombetta and Zanelli 2011).…”