New approaches to workplace bullying: Do school counsellors

have some lessons for employers?

John CollinsSchool of Education

EAS HDR FORUM August 2012

Doctor of Education (EdD)

WordsIntroduction 5,000Research report 1 10,000Research report 2 25,000Research report 3 10,000Meta-analysis 25,000

Doctor of Education (EdD)

WordsIntroduction 5,000Research report 1 10,000Research report 2 25,000Research report 3 10,000Meta-analysis 25,000

EdD – a ‘professional’ doctorate

. . . . “demonstrate a significant and original contribution to knowledge about professional practice and (make) a contribution to knowledge of fact and/or theory”

The context

• Knowledge of workplace bullying• Schools as workplaces• Teachers (principals and other

employees) as victims of bullying • A large (n=27,000) employer• Employer ‘in denial’

Bullying!

My ‘proposition’

That ‘workplace bullying’ might be able to learn from

‘student bullying’

. . . in terms of prevention and intervention

The research project

• Confirm schools as sites of w/p bullying• Look at, and compare, the two literatures• Sample the (self-reported) PRACTICE of

‘expert’ teacher practitioners in managing student bullying (cf, the ‘theory’)

• Ask, could we transfer this practice to the workplace?

Theory

• Basically a simple, practical exploratory exercise

Theory

• Basically a simple, practical exploratory exercise BUT . . .

• Informed by an overarching institutional ethnography headset

• Lit reviews include (the very limited amount of) ‘critical’ literature

• Poststructuralist (Foucauldian) discussion in my meta-analysis.

Similarities: General

Similarities: Prevention & intervention

Contrasts: School

Contrasts: Workplace

Workplace – costs to the employer

“By using a (risk assessment) process, employers should be able to minimise the direct and indirect costs associated with bullying in their workplace . . .”

(Interagency Round Table on Workplace Bullying, 2005b, p5)

Reporting / talking – School

Students are taught to develop a support/reporting ‘network’

“students know that they need to keep telling the people in their network until someone listens and something is done”

Reporting / talking – Workplace

“You should not make allegations about bullying behaviour or harassment to people who are not involved in the handling of complaints in your workplace”

(Interagency Round Table on Workplace Bullying, 2005a, p7)

“texts coordinate sequences of action”

Smith, D. E. (2006). Institutional ethnography as practice

Findings: School Counsellors . . .

• Didn’t worry about definitions – they got on and sorted out the problem/issue

• Acted with IMMEDIACY• Used various intervention strategies

(favouring restorative justice)• Used a range of prevention strategies –

continuously reinforcing and up-dating

Findings: School Counsellors . . .

• Teach and reinforce resilience• Engage bystanders• Encourage reporting• Value the individual student (every

child at the centre of everything we do – cf, what’s the risk & cost to the employer)

Surprises!

• Most participants ‘had a story’

• Cyber-bullying of teachers/principals is an emerging, growing and serious problem – that we haven’t even started to get our heads around!

Limitations

• Exploratory project - very small sample• Schools – very different from the adult

workplace• Practices used in schools may be

inappropriate in the workplace• Power relations, control mechanisms and

the very raison d'être is different• Limited understanding of ‘what works’.

Recommendations

More research!

Learnings

• Drop the “was it, or wasn’t it bullying?” requirement – get on and address the issue – reach a resolution

• Act immediately (often stated [for the workplace], but often not practiced)

Learnings

• Multiple intervention strategies

• Multiple prevention strategies – continuously scaffolded

• Do not assume a bully-free workplace can be mandated

• Understand that it takes work!

Remember the bilby . . .we CAN overcome bullying