New approaches to workplace bullying: Do school counsellors have some lessons for employers?

1. New approaches to workplace bullying: Do school counsellors have some lessons for employers? John Collins School of Education EAS HDR FORUM August 2012

4. Doctor of Education (EdD) Words Introduction 5,000 Research report 1 10,000 Research report 2 25,000 Research report 3 10,000 Meta-analysis 25,000

5. Doctor of Education (EdD) Words Introduction 5,000 Research report 1 10,000 Research report 2 25,000 Research report 3 10,000 Meta-analysis 25,000

6. 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”

7. 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’

8. Bullying!

9. My ‘proposition’ That ‘workplace bullying’ might be able to learn from ‘student bullying’ . . . in terms of prevention and intervention

10. 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?

11. Theory • Basically a simple, practical exploratory exercise

12. 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.

13. Similarities: General

14. Similarities: Prevention & intervention

15. Contrasts: School

16. Contrasts: Workplace

17. Workplace – costs to the employer “By using a (risk assessment) process, employers should be able to minimisethe direct and indirect costs associated with bullying in their workplace . . .” (Interagency Round Table on Workplace Bullying, 2005b, p5)

18. 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”

19. 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)

22. “texts coordinate sequences of action” Smith, D. E. (2006). Institutional ethnography as practice

23. 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

24. 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)

25. 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!

26. 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’.

27. Recommendations More research!

28. 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)

29. Learnings • Multiple interventionstrategies • Multiple prevention strategies – continuously scaffolded • Do not assume a bully-free workplace can be mandated • Understand that it takes work!

31. Remember the bilby . . .we CAN overcome bullying