title: An Investigation of Organizational and Regulatory Discourses of Workplace Bullying.
abstract: Organizations use policies to set standards for employee behaviors. Although many organizations have policies that address workplace bullying, previous studies have found that these policies affect neither workplace bullying for targets who are seeking assistance in ending the behaviors nor managers who must address incidents of bullying. This article presents the findings of a study that used critical discourse analysis to examine the language used in policies written by health care organizations and regulatory agencies to regulate workplace bullying. The findings suggest that the discussion of workplace bullying overlaps with discussions of disruptive behaviors and harassment. This lack of conceptual clarity can create difficulty for managers in identifying, naming, and disciplining incidents of workplace bullying. The documents also primarily discussed workplace bullying as a patient safety concern. This language is in conflict with organizations attending to worker well-being with regard to workplace bullying.
authors.affiliation: University of Washington Tacoma slj6@uw.edu.
authors.forename: Susan L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: University of Washington.
authors.forename: Doris M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Boutain
authors.affiliation: University of Washington.
authors.forename: Jenny H-C
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.affiliation: University of Washington Bothell.
authors.forename: Arnold B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: de Castro
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D058445:Bullying / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016272:Occupational Health; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D061214:Patient Safety; D014481:United States; D014489:United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D017132:Workplace / Q000458:organization & administration*
keywords: National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH); Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA); government regulation; health care organizations; leadership; management; organizational culture/climate; workplace bullying