Integrating individual, work group and organizational factors: testing a multidimensional model of bullying in the nursing workplace.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of the present study was to test a multidimensional model of bullying in the nursing workplace.


BACKGROUND
This paper is part of a larger study of bullying in the Australian nursing workforce. While a number of studies have documented the frequency and consequences of bullying among nurses, there have been few attempts to develop integrated theoretical models that identify individual, work group and organizational factors.


METHODS
In the third stage of this sequential mixed methods study, data were collected from a randomized survey of Australian nurses. Structural equation modelling and confirmatory factor analysis on 370 completed surveys was used to test a multidimensional model of bullying.


RESULTS
Organizational characteristics were confirmed to be critical antecedents of bullying, influencing both the occurrence of bullying and the resultant consequences.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings have important implications for the management and prevention of bullying, suggesting that, if they are to be effective, strategies to address the problem need to focus upon work group and organizational factors.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings draw in question the usefulness of current approaches to managing bullying and will be of use to nurse managers, particularly those tasked with providing safer and more productive workplaces.
Hutchinson
Marie
M
Department of Nursing, School of Health and Human Sciences, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW Australia. marie.hutchinson@scu.edu.au
Wilkes
Lesley
L
Jackson
Debra
D
Vickers
Margaret H
MH
D000328:Adult; D000374:Aggression; D001315:Australia; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D006126:Group Processes; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D016294:Models, Nursing; D017146:Models, Organizational; D009729:Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D009745:Nursing, Supervisory; D016272:Occupational Health; D015279:Organizational Culture; D036301:Qualitative Research; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D017132:Workplace