ASSIGNMENT 01 PART 1

CASE STUDY: (50 marks)

Bullying Bosses After a long weekend, Tangeni stared at her computer with a sick feeling in her stomach: her boss had added her as a friend on Facebook. Tangeni did not feel particularly close to her boss, nor did she like the idea of mixing her social life with her work. Still, it was her boss. Tangeni reluctantly accepted her boss as a Facebook friend. Little did she know her troubles were only beginning. Tangenis boss soon began using her online information to manipulate her work life. It began with inappropriate innuendos regarding Facebook photos. Eventually Tangenis boss manipulated her work hours, confronted her on and off Facebook, and repeatedly called Tangenis cellphone questioning her whereabouts. My boss was a gossiping, domineering, contriving megalomaniac, and her behavior dramatically intensified when she used Facebook to pry, Tangeni said. Eventually, Tangeni was forced to quit. I feel like I got my freedom back and can breathe again, she said.

Realizing bullies exist in the workplace is important. Workplace bullying is becoming increasing pertinent in organisations. Although some research on workplace bullying exists globally, the phenomenon is still under researched in South Africa. Most perpetrators of bullying are at a management level. In South African workplaces, employees tend to experience more downward bullying (bullying from a boss) compared to being bullied by direct colleagues. Men form 62% of bullies, while women are more targets of bullying (58%). As is the case with Tangeni, women bullies will target other women in 80% of the cases, whereas men bullies target other men in 55% of the cases.

Bullies dont pick on just the weakest in the group; any subordinate may fall prey. Surprising, though victims may feel less motivated to go to work every day, they continue performing their required job duties. However, some are less motivated to perform extrarole or citizenship behaviors. Apart from employees being less motivated to go to work, workplace bullying also affects their lives in three domains, namely, their psychological and physical wellbeing, and in their work performance; the later directly related to motivation. Furthermore, productivity and quality of work are also decreased.

1. How does workplace bullying violate the rules of organizational justice? (10)

2. What aspects of motivation might workplace bullying reduces? If so, what might those effects be? Do you think bullying would motivate you to retaliate? (12)

3. If you were a victim of workplace bullying, what steps would you take to try to reduce its occurrence? What strategies would be the most effective? Least effective? What will you do if one of your colleagues were a victim? (13)

4. What factors do you believe contribute to workplace bullying? Are bullies a product of the situation, or do they have flawed personalities? What situations and what personality factors might contribute to the presence of bullies? (15)