Human Behavior
For the past years, the research of how group behavior affects an individual behavior has gained recognition. It is a well-documented fact that, the group behavior varies from an individual behavior. Simply, group behavior influences an individual to behave in a way he/she would not be when alone. When an individual is part of the group, he feels caught up by the emotions and reactions of the group. The phenomenon of bullying in the workplace has become a hot subject in the scholarly literature and popular press. Some literatures such as Casimir, McCormack, Djurkovic & Nsubuga-Kyobe (2012) indicated how bullying in the workplace causes negative behaviors. This research revealed how workplace bullying is a core problem facing most organization. Most organizations are putting more focus in dealing with the issue. In reality, bullying is a serious problem that cannot be underestimated in that it reduces organizational performance, increases absenteeism, and turnover. To deter the problem, most organization has effectively increased job satisfaction, performance efficiencies, and a culture that promotes equality and justice in the workplace. In this paper, we will describe a case example of bullying that resulted in a negative outcome in the workplace. The paper will further explain the rationale for selecting this group and setting. Lastly, the paper will provide a minimum of two behavior models and theories that apply to the example and highlight the manner in which the setting influences the behavioral outcomes.
The Case Example
The case presents an example of an individual who was harassed by his manager because of his race. At this point, this case will demonstrate the observable fact of workplace bullying and its negative outcome. In October 2012, a man by name Joseph Jack accepted the position of an accountant in a notable company. At first, the job and the immediate supervisor for this man seemed friendly. The man would work until 4.00pm. When the man was leaving the office, he noticed that most of his black co-workers were still working in the office. After one year, the supervisor’s behavior changed and he started bullying the accountant. This man noted that all black employees were expected to work until 6.00 pm even if one arrived earlier than white employees. The accountant began to note that the boss, who was white, liked “his” people. It did not matter whether they were productive or not but only if they were white.
The first bullying encounter of the accountant with his boss occurred in September 2013. The accountant got an accident and thus, was absent for about two months. When the accountant called his boss and informed him that he would be absent for some time, the boss was very rude. He made it clear that the accountant had to choose between the job or taking care of himself. The boss exploded saying that, since the accountant had chosen to work for the company, he had no right of asking for some time off. From things, the accountant could tell that the boss was not happy and he had no regard for the blacks. The lack of respect and concern for the blacks continued for a number of times. Most blacks were fired for being absent. The boss attitude towards the black affected the relationship between the management team and employees. It became clear that white employees could only interact with whites and black employees with blacks. The problem became extensive in the management team in that, only the white could make decisions that affected the entire organization.
The group behavior of bullying resulted into negative outcomes. Black employees began to demonstrate in the workplace demanding for equality. Targets of harassment experienced significant mental and physical health problems. Often, black employees experienced low self-esteem, sickness absence, work withdrawal, increased self-blame/depression, family tension and depression, and financial problems because of absence. Workplace bullying also resulted in severe psychological effects on the victims such as suicidal thoughts and cardiovascular diseases. The workplace bullying in this company imposed harmful effects to the targeted people and the witnesses. In this case, black employees experienced the ideal that white people are more superior than the blacks and vice versa. Because of the bullying behavior, most of the black employees left the organizations, some demonstrated, and others deteriorated in their job performance.
Typically, the rationale for selecting this group and setting is that, workplace bullying especially among the black people is not a new incident. A study conducted by Rasool et al (2013) reveals that, most black employees encounter bullying especially if they are working in a company where white people are the majority. The ideal that black people are inferior causes companies to believe that black people are not productive, they are poor, or cannot bring any value to the organization. This explains why most blacks are forced to work for long hours and others suspended if they do not report to work as instructed. The misconception that black people are less privileged increases the fact that they cannot perform well even when they are qualified or competent in the workplace. To a large context, this affects how white people treat black people in a community or social service setting.
Behavioral Models That Apply To the Case Scenario
Cognitive Behavioral Theory is among many theories that focus on how people react to situations. Basically, Aaron Temkin Beck left a remarkable legacy in his research on cognitive therapy. In his research, Beck believed that an individual beliefs and thoughts affect an individual behavior and his subsequent actions. According to Gumbus & Meglich (2012), cognitive behavior theory bases its assumption that dysfunctional behavior contributes to dysfunctional thinking. The theory establishes that people’s beliefs determine their course of behavior and actions. Beck believed that individuals can be persuaded to think positively if they are treated in dignity, love, and respect.
Cognitive approach to the presented case scenario suggests that bullying could result to traumatic experience or incapability to work in that environment. The affected victims, who in this case are the black people, may see themselves as inadequate, victim of circumstances, and incapable of success. These beliefs may create the feeling of hopelessness. The accountant in the case example did not have any concern for the bullying until he witnessed his colleagues being bullied. He became concerned that black employees worked until 6.00 pm while white employees left earlier. From the case study, it is evident that the accountant did not feel comfortable seeing his fellow people being treated ruthless. The accountant became the victim of circumstance when he requested the boss for one month off after he encountered an accident. The boss response demonstrated that black people had no right to be absent regardless of whether they were sick or not.
Sigmund Freud scrutiny of human nature is remarkable. In his research, Freud structured the psychodynamic model to describe how the inner forces influence an individual’s behavior. An individual’s behavior is influenced by inner forces that human beings have little control over them. At this point, the psychodynamic perspective focuses on employees’ needs and emotions that prompt to their behavior. For instance, the accountant in the case study demonstrates his interests of equality and justice. As revealed, he is concerned of why black people leave work at late hours than white people. The mistreatment in the workplace caused black employees to experience dissatisfaction in the workplace, anxiety and stress, high absenteeism and turn over, family tension, and financial problems caused by dismissal. The anxiety and stress experienced by black employees attributed to their need and urge for demonstration in an attempt of their voice to be heard. As one analyzes the above case study, it is evident that bullying in the workplace influences the behavioral outcomes of the victims and witnesses.
Bandura’s social behavioral perspective demonstrates that people tend to learn from one another via imitation, modeling, and observation. Bandura believed that personality is an interaction of three components an individual’s behaviors, the environment, and an individual’s psychological processes. This theory may view white employees’ behavior in the case study as learned. In essence, the boss attitude towards the black employees created an environment that promotes inequality and injustice. As a result, white employees believed that they were superior than black employees and vice versa. This theory explains why black people were meant to believe that they were inferior and eventually this impacted their self-image and job performance. Additionally, the developmental perspective may significantly review how bullying in the workplace developed with time. The bullying demonstrated by the boss to black employees developed gradually to the extent he did not care of their absenteeism in the workplace.
The social constructionist model is also crucial in examining how individuals learn from one another. People learn more about the world they are placed in. Human beings are social beings, and their behaviors are determined by the way they interact with the physical world and with each other. People’s interaction helps in shaping their behavior. Even though some people behave as per social audiences, the ideal fact that they have the freedom to choose what they want or need. Based on this approach, it is evident that white employees in the case study imitated what they saw from the management team. This explains why white employees could only associate with white and blacks with blacks.
Possible Interventions
Black employees may have difficulty experiencing the harassment from the management team. With this, emotional conflict would be an effective behavioral strategy to improve the healthy functioning of black employees. They may need to understand how to deal with the situation from a strong based perspective. It would be important for black employees to understand that they have what it takes to succeed regardless of the bullying they encounter because of race. It would also be important to create awareness of how to respond to conflicts that emerge because of cultural, race, or religion differences. Eventually, this may help the victims and witnesses to respond to embrace emotional intelligence when dealing with immediate issues in the organization.
Personal development may also be a suitable strategy. The victims and witnesses of workplace bullying may need to understand where they are in terms of personal development. The bullies may also need to understand how their current behavior is causing negative behaviors in the organization. Personal development would remind every employee how important it is to live in harmony with one another. It would also help the victims and witnesses of bullying to understand how to attain a balanced life regardless of what they have encountered. This would eliminate possible effects of bullying such as stress, anxiety, and absenteeism. Personal development would help victims of bullying to see a world and environment full of possibilities of success. Additionally, white people would understand the fact that true growth happens when people understand how to live with one another regardless of differences in culture, race, religion, and gender. Every person in the organization would become a person who embraces justice and equality and not racism. Lastly, this strategy would help those affected by bullying to put their life together. Victims would have a chance not to analyze what they have gone through in the past months or years, rather analyze the good experience that would occur if white people were to embrace black people.
Fundamentally, it would be helpful for the manager to focus on the maladaptive aspects of his behavior. By understanding maladaptive aspects, the manager would understand how his behavior is harmful to the organization. The manager would have a chance to work effectively with people from diverse backgrounds. It would be helpful for white people to understand the importance of embracing cultural diversity. Lastly, it is important for the management team to understand the negative consequences of bullying. This understanding would allow the management team to address any maladaptive behavior affecting the organization. The organization would tireless do a noteworthy amount of work in attending to matters of diversity at the personage and interpersonal level.
Conclusively, this paper creates insights on how workplace bullying is a severe dysfunctional behavior that causes emotional and verbal abuse. Raising the consciousness or awareness of bullying could augment favorable workplace practices that promote a productive environment that lead to healthier employees. Based on the mentioned case study, it is evident that bullied employees lack motivation and morale, are not productive, have poor self-image, and lack confidence to succeed. Witnesses are also affected by the behavior. The management team should articulate that bullying is a brutal issue that cost the organization money and time if allowed to prolong. With this, there should be proper measures to address the problem. As indicated in this pamphlet, there are a number of models that explain how human behavior is influenced by the setting or the environment. As one summarizes the case example, the relationship between the environmental conditions and interactions is evident. Understanding the root cause of behavior is important since it helps to evaluate the possible interventions to deter the problem. Thus far, this essay is worth consideration as it demonstrates a group behavior that resulted in a negative outcome in a community setting. Further, the research recommends specific behavioral strategies and services that would improve functioning of the group.
References
Casimir, G., McCormack, D., Djurkovic, N., & Nsubuga-Kyobe, A. (2012). Psychosomatic model of workplace bullying: Australian and ugandan schoolteachers. Employee Relations, 34(4), 411-428. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/01425451211236841
Gumbus, A., & Meglich, P. (2012). Lean and mean: Workplace culture and the prevention of workplace bullying. The Journal of Applied Business and Economics, 13(5), 11-20. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1315304221?accountid=45049
Rasool, F., Arzu, F., Hasan, A., Rafi, A., & Kashif, A. R. (2013). Workplace bullying and intention to leave: The moderating effect of the organizational commitment. Information Management and Business Review, 5(4), 175-180. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1355478019?accountid=45049
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