The policy-reality gap of bullying in higher education: implications for HR and managers – a comparative study of Australian and Croatian universities

Llandis Gareth Barratt Barratt-Pugh, Dragana Krestelica
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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between higher educational institution bullying policies and the subsequent cultural impact to determine the effectiveness of policy in ameliorating bullying within the university culture.

Design/methodology/approach

This study consisted of two separate but related case studies at two universities in different countries, focussing on university staff. The field work gathered data about existing anti-bullying policy, the extent to which it was part of the organisational culture for staff, and the levels of staff bullying experienced or seen within the organisation. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected.

Findings

The study found that despite one university having significant policy and the other having very little policy, the knowledge of policy in both universities was and subsequent experience of bullying for staff were very similar.

Research limitations/implications

The findings indicate that anti-bullying policy alone appears to have a limited impact on organisational behaviour. This suggests that the entrenched and historical master/servant relations of academia enable such practices to continue. Policy implementation is insufficient and training and development to generate more inclusive, people-focussed management cultures is necessary to ameliorate bullying behaviour.

Practical implications

The paper draws on the experiences, critique and suggestions of the study participants to prepare a possible agenda for cultural change that human resource (HR) managers could develop in association with academic and professional managers within their institution.

Social implications

The findings suggest that in any social setting or organisational structure where strong historical patterns of master/servant endure, the opportunity for bullying behaviours to grow and flourish is fertile and that policy statements alone may have little impact on curtailing such behaviour.

Originality/value

This study makes two contributions to existing knowledge. First, it provides evidence that anti-bullying policy is alone unlikely to have an effective impact on instances of bullying within the culture. Second, the case study contrast displays that unacceptable levels of bullying exist in two very different institutions in two very different cultures. Whilst one country has a war-torn history and the other exists in splendid isolation, the same patterns persist, indicating that universities have structured cultural issues that are difficult to change.

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高等教育中欺凌行为的政策与现实差距:对人力资源和管理人员的影响--澳大利亚和克罗地亚大学的比较研究
本研究旨在探讨高等教育机构的欺凌政策与随后的文化影响之间的关系,以确定政策在改善大学文化中的欺凌行为方面的有效性。本研究包括两项独立但相关的案例研究,分别在不同国家的两所大学进行,重点关注大学教职员工。实地工作收集了有关现有反欺凌政策的数据、反欺凌政策在多大程度上成为员工组织文化的一部分,以及员工在组织内经历或看到的欺凌程度。研究结果研究发现,尽管一所大学制定了大量政策,而另一所大学制定的政策却很少,但两所大学的员工对政策的了解程度和随后遭受欺凌的经历却非常相似。研究局限/意义研究结果表明,反欺凌政策本身似乎对组织行为的影响有限。这表明,学术界根深蒂固的历史主仆关系使得这种做法得以继续。政策的实施是不够的,要想改善欺凌行为,就必须开展培训和发展活动,以形成更具包容性、以人为本的管理文化。社会影响研究结果表明,在任何社会环境或组织结构中,如果主仆关系的历史模式持续存在,那么欺凌行为就会有滋生和发展的机会,而单靠政策声明可能对遏制这种行为影响甚微。首先,它提供了证据,证明反欺凌政策本身不太可能对文化中的欺凌事件产生有效影响。其次,案例研究对比显示,在两种截然不同的文化背景下,两种截然不同的机构中都存在不可接受的欺凌行为。一个国家历史上饱受战争蹂躏,而另一个国家则与世隔绝,但相同的模式依然存在,这表明大学存在着难以改变的结构性文化问题。
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来源期刊
CiteScore
4.30
自引率
8.30%
发文量
72
期刊介绍: The International Journal of Educational Management (IJEM) provides those interested in the effective management of the educational process with a broad overview of developments and best practice in the field, with particular reference to how new ideas can be applied worldwide. As the whole structure and philosophy of education goes through a sea-change, and as budgets are cut, educational managers need to keep abreast of new developments in order to maximize their resources and determine the most appropriate management strategy for their institution. The journal explores research in the following areas: -Innovation in educational management across the spectrum -The development of educational delivery mechanisms -Creation of an environment in which the management of resources provides the most efficient outputs -Sharing of new initiatives, with an international application The International Journal of Educational Management addresses the increasingly complex role of the educational manager, offering international perspectives on common problems and providing a forum for the sharing of ideas, information and expertise.
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