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Academic Bullying: Practical Strategies for Faculty
Mary Chavez Rudolph University of Colorado, Denver
Thomas Sebok University of Colorado, Boulder
Student Incivility Factors that Affect Conflict
◦ Perceptions◦ Emotion◦ Communication
Incivility in Academia Faculty Incivility & Bullying Interventions
Today’s Agenda
STUDENT INCIVILITY IN THE COLLEGE CLASSROOM FROM A FACULTY PERSPECTIVE: RACE AND GENDER DIFFERENCES IN PERCEPTION, ATTRIBUTION, EFFECT, AND RESPONSE
Mary Chavez Rudolph, 2005Doctoral Dissertation
Student Incivility in the College Classroom
SI Behaviors (Amada, 1999)
sleeping in class prolonged chattering excessive lateness poor personal hygiene overt inattentiveness eating, drinking, gum
chewing, smoking carrying pagers and
beepers passing notes
unexcused exits from class
verbal or physical threats to students or faculty
disputing the instructor’s authority and expertise
Incivility by one student or by many students has the potential to severely compromise the effectiveness of the classroom instruction and learning.
“In related studies, where I tracked new faculty longer, these traumatic events (CI) [Classroom Incivility] and resulting impressions of undergraduates as adversaries were among the few early turning points that derailed careers.”
(Boice, 1998)
Student Incivility (SI) Concern of Faculty and Administrators
Nature of Students◦ Student Mental Health◦ Consumer Attitude◦ Student Learning vs. Faculty Teaching
Nature of Society, the Classroom, the Course◦ Incivility in Society◦ Informality of Organizations◦ Large Classrooms
Causes of SI
Instructor Behaviors
Increasing ethnic and gender diversity of students and instructors, and that SI and conflict is a reflection of cultural differences.
Causes of SI (con’t.)
What are the different perspectives of the parties in this situation? How does this affect this conflict?
How is emotion affecting this conflict?
How is communication affecting this conflict?
Read Terry and Anna Case Study…Discuss with your neighbor…
Perceptions◦ Identity, History
Emotion
Communication
Factors Affecting Conflict
“…conflict lies not in objective reality, but in people’s heads.” Fisher and Ury, 1991
Check out Assumptions◦ Put yourself in their shoes◦ Ask / Discuss
Perceptual Errors
Perceptions
Emotion and (is) Motivation◦ Both move us in some way, as implied by the
common Latin root of both words (movere, to move). Brian Parkinson and Andrew M. Colman,
1995
◦ Emotions are often precursors of motivational phenomena. Oatley, 1992
“Emotion as Insight” Jones & Brinkert, 2008
Managing Emotion
Emotion
Timing and Setting Active Listening Open-ended questions I language Limit-Setting Issue Consequences
Communication
DEFINING “INCIVILITY”
“Civility” – concern, regard, and respect“Behavior that helps to preserve the norms
for mutual respect at work.”
“Incivility” – rudeness, disregard, and mistreatment
Andersson and Wegner (2001)
Incivility in Academia
Norms for the organization erode Spiraling and Cascading
“Incivility goes unchecked and can escalate leading to a chain of more aggressive, coercive behaviors possibly leading to violence.”
Pearson, Andersson, and Porath, 2000
Incivility – Bullying - Violence
Unique Factors
Culture of Critique
Student Development
Tenure and Rewards for Faculty
Department Chair (Head) Role
INCIVILITY IN ACADEMIA
Unique Factors
Funding
Free Speech/Academic Freedom
Free Speech/Right of Dissent
Conflict Avoidant Culture
INCIVILITY IN ACADEMIA (cont’d.)
Not So Unique Factors
Physical Separation External and Internal Customer Service
Challenges Evaluative Relationships Peer/Colleague Relationships
INCIVILITY IN ACADEMIA
Susan and George
Read Case Study
Definition of Workplace Bullying:
◦ Workplace Bullying is repeated, health-harming mistreatment of one or more persons (the targets) by one or more perpetrators that takes the forms of: verbal abuse, offensive conduct/behaviors (including nonverbal) which are threatening, humiliating or intimidating, and/or work interference -- sabotage -- which prevents work from getting done.
(Workplace Bullying Institute)
Workplace Bullying
Threat to professional status (e.g., belittling opinion, public professional humiliation, accusation regarding lack of effort);
Threat to personal standing(e.g., name-calling, insults, intimidation, devaluing withreference to age);
Isolation (e.g., preventing access to opportunities, physical or social isolation, withholding of information);
Overwork (e.g., undue pressure, impossible deadlines, unnecessary disruptions);
Destabilization (e.g., failure to give credit when due, meaningless tasks, removal of responsibility, repeated reminders of blunders, setting up to fail).
(Rayner, Charlotte, 1997)
Bullying Behaviors
Bullies
50% men / 50% women
81% of bullies are bosses
14% peers, or co-workers
5% bully a higher ranking target
Targets
Women are the majority of targets (3/4 of all)
Men bully women in 69% of the cases / women bully women 84% of the time
Rank Health Item
1 Anxiety, stress, excessive worry
2 Disrupted sleep / Exhaustion
3 Loss of Concentration
4 Feeling edgy, irritable, easily startled, on guard (paranoia)
5 Obsession over details of bully’s tactics
6 Stress Headaches
7 Racing Heart Rate
8 Diagnosed Depression
Effects on the Target
42% of the cases - perpetrator’s immediate bosses directly helped the Bully or punished the complaining Target
40% of the cases - Bullies’ managers did nothing to intervene (tacit support)
32 % of the cases - HR supported the Bully or did nothing (51% of the cases)
11% of the cases - the Target’s co-workers sided with the Bully
7% of the cases - negative sanctions against the bully (censure, transfer, or termination)
Why Do Individuals Fail to Act?
United States
In the U.S. the law is attentive to harassment or discrimination when it relates to sex and race (Title VII).
U.S. Courts have consistently ruled that rude and even abusive behavior does not violate federal EEO laws unless it is directed at an individual (or group of individuals) because of his or her race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age or disability.
The “equal opportunity harasser” defense.
Relative Impunity
Awareness raising Policy or code - gives victims the
confidence to seek redress and reduce the benefit/cost balance for those tempted to bully others
Anger and frustration management for bullies
Work w/individuals – assertiveness training, make changes in the structure (physical space, reporting, etc.), conflict management, mediation
Interventions
Training to encourage intervention
Training to identify options for bystanders
Encourage the identification and discussion of unacceptable behavior
Bystanders Matter
Goals and Interests
Strategies
Conflict Styles
Communication
Working with Individuals (Targets)
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs◦Physiological◦Security◦Social ◦Esteem◦Self-Actualization
Goals & Interests
Generate Options
Identify Pros and Cons
Evaluate Options based on Goals & Interests
Strategies
Most people have one or two preferred styles of responding to conflict
Thomas and Kilmann developed an instrument to help people determine their preferred style
Utilization of a particular style should be situation-dependent
Conflict Styles
Compete Collaborate
Compromise
Avoid Accommodate
Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode
How to set up an environment that is respectful or turn a disrespectful environment around…
What do you want?◦ What respectful behaviors do you want to
increase? 3-4 minutes brainstorms
•Proactive Strategies
Questions…
