Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review 2012, 48(4): 641-668 | DOI: 10.13060/00380288.2012.48.4.06

Workplace Bullying in Czech Universities: Prevalence, Forms and Organisational Context

Kateřina Zábrodská, Petr Květon
Psychologický ústav AV ČR, v.v.i.

Workplace bullying (or mobbing) refers to a destructive form of behaviour that occurs within organisations and that inflicts psychological and social harm on targeted employees, creates a hostile work environment, and affects organisations negatively. This article presents findings from the first Czech study into workplace bullying and other forms of negative workplace behaviour in Czech universities. The aim of the study was to analyse the incidence of bullying among university employees and to examine the organisational contexts that promote bullying. Data from three Czech public universities (N = 1533; F = 58.0%) were collected using a questionnaire distributed among academics, PhD candidates, and administrative staff. Based on a well-established definition of workplace bullying, 7.9% of the respondents reported that they had been targets of bullying during the past year, and 28.8% reported witnessing bullying during the same timeframe. The results indicated a link between hierarchical position and bullying; the majority of respondents who claimed to have been bullied identified their superiors as the perpetrators. In addition, the occurrence of bullying was significantly related to specific organisational factors, namely to a low level of cooperation among employees, a poor work climate, recent organisational changes, and a toxic organisational culture.

Keywords: : workplace bullying, mobbing, universities, organisational context, toxic workplace

Published: August 1, 2012Show citation

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Zábrodská, K., & Květon, P. (2012). Workplace Bullying in Czech Universities: Prevalence, Forms and Organisational Context. Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review, 48(4), 641-668. doi: 10.13060/00380288.2012.48.4.06.
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