Workplace Bullying and Harassment as Group Dynamic Processes: A Multilevel Approach

This chapter introduces a multilevel approach as the starting point for investigating workplace bullying and harassment as a multicausal phenomenon in which employees are nested in work groups, which may be further nested in larger groups such as departments, organizations or societies. We provide both (a) insights about theories of group dynamics that can help the reader to understand what has been done, and points for the future to move the field forward, and (b) some basic steps for developing multilevel models anchored in robust theoretical arguments. As we focus on group level processes and factors that shape individuals’ attitudes, behaviours and perceptions of workplace bullying and harassment, this chapter proposes that researchers may use multilevel models to investigate features of teams or groups that they theoretically expect to explain the reports of bullying and harassment at work. Overall, this chapter represents a juncture between theoretical explanations about intergroup or intragroup processes and its methodological tools. We conclude this chapter with some insights about the practical implications of adopting multilevel models in workplace bullying and harassment prevention and intervention.