Exploring Relationship Between Workplace Bullying and Healthcare Organization’s Well-being: Mechanism of Psychological Contract Violation and Forgiveness

Abstract

The article is an investigative study drawn on the grounded theory approach, envisaging the relation between workplace bullying and employee behavioural outcomes among resident doctors in Indian healthcare organizations. Using an interpretative paradigm, the authors explored underlying psychological mechanisms among 48 participant doctors in light of India’s unique culture characterized by power distance and high collectivism. Findings suggest that the prevalence of bullying in Indian healthcare organizations impacts employee behavioural outcomes emerging as a major challenge in healthcare management. The authors further exhibit restricted or non-violation of resident doctors’ psychological contracts towards such diabolic acts at work due to the development of passive feelings in light of learned helplessness. The current study establishes that Indian resident doctors are less pretentious, and the protestations against supervisory mistreatment are subdued even before joining the medical profession. Indian kids being fostered with relationship-focused values, namely tolerance, patience and respect towards their elders/seniors from a very tender age develop feelings of passivity, which might result in limited or no violation of their psychological contract. Drawing on conservation of resources (COR) theory, forgiveness emerged as a coping mechanism in pernicious work culture, providing uniqueness to study. This qualitative research study promulgates the unique response mechanism of workplace bullying in the Indian context. The study results open new gateways to empirically analyse the relationship between bullying-response mechanisms in developing economies. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed in the present research study.