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The Unethical Managerial Behaviours and Abusive Use of Power in Downwards Vertical Workplace Bullying: A Phenomenological Case Study

Author

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  • Alicia Medina

    (Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics (USBE), 901 87 Umeå, Sweden)

  • Eduardo Lopez

    (Jack C. Massey College of Business, Belmont University, Nashville, TN 37212, USA)

  • Rolf Medina

    (Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics (USBE), 901 87 Umeå, Sweden)

Abstract

The aim of this article is to introduce an ethical perspective of managerial behaviours to the study of vertical workplace bullying. A framework called the line of impunity was chosen that describes the missuses of power by certain ranks in organizations. Previous research on bullying addresses several perspectives such as the consequences of the bullying situation for the organization, the target and bystanders, the leadership style of the bully, the perceived structural support, and the manifestations of the abusive behaviours. However, to date, the ethical aspects have been poorly outlined. Applying the line of impunity brings light to several aspects of workplace bullying that are connected to an unethical use of power. This study is unusual because it is a phenomenological research based on two case studies that present the field experiences of two of the authors while working in different organizations, one in Sweden and the other in USA, during an extended period of time. The two main contributions of the study are the new concepts power methods and reinforcin g, which highlight the connection between abusive behaviour and the ethical aspects that are present in downwards vertical workplace bullying situations.

Suggested Citation

  • Alicia Medina & Eduardo Lopez & Rolf Medina, 2020. "The Unethical Managerial Behaviours and Abusive Use of Power in Downwards Vertical Workplace Bullying: A Phenomenological Case Study," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 9(6), pages 1-15, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:9:y:2020:i:6:p:110-:d:375797
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Chow, Chee W. & Harrison, Graeme L. & McKinnon, Jill L. & Wu, Anne, 2002. "The organizational culture of public accounting firms: evidence from Taiwanese local and US affiliated firms," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 27(4-5), pages 347-360.
    2. Laura J. Noval & Günter K. Stahl, 2017. "Accounting for Proscriptive and Prescriptive Morality in the Workplace: The Double-Edged Sword Effect of Mood on Managerial Ethical Decision Making," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 142(3), pages 589-602, May.
    3. Jerome Popp, 2017. "Social Intelligence and the Explanation of Workplace Abuse," SAGE Open, , vol. 7(2), pages 21582440177, June.
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    1. Silvia Maja Melzer & Martin Diewald, 2020. "How Individual Involvement with Digitalized Work and Digitalization at the Workplace Level Impacts Supervisory and Coworker Bullying in German Workplaces," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 9(9), pages 1-21, September.

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