DOCSLIB.ORG

U.S. Workplace Bullying: Some Basic Considerations and Consultation Interventions

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
U.S. Workplace Bullying: Some Basic Considerations and Consultation Interventions See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232570632 U.S. Workplace bullying: Some basic considerations and consultation interventions. Article in Consulting Psychology Journal Practice and Research · September 2009 DOI: 10.1037/a0016670 CITATIONS READS 39 547 2 authors, including: Gary Namie Workplace Bullying Institute 11 PUBLICATIONS 155 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects: 2017 WBI U.S. Workplace Bullying Survey View project workplace bullying View project All content following this page was uploaded by Gary Namie on 12 June 2014. The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file. U.S. Workplace Bullying: Some Basic Considerations and Consultation Interventions Gary Namie, PhD, and Ruth Namie, PhD Workplace Bullying Institute Consulting Psychology Journal Special Issue: Workplace Bullying and Mobbing: Organizational Consultation Strategies September, 2009 Abstract Bullying in the workplace is a world-wide phenomenon. There is a sizeable professional literature on workplace bullying is based largely on studies in European and other countries in comparison to studies involving U.S. corporations. Psychological consultants to U.S. corporations need to know and understand how certain consid- erations such as prevalence, legal reform and issues, and employers’ response to bullying differs in the U.S. compared to other countries. A multi-methodological typology is introduced and evaluated for application in U.S. bullying consultations. A case study illustrates the integration of methodologies and predictors of successful inter- ventions. Historical Roots of Mobbing and Bullying clinician, a researcher, author of popular books, Research on adult bullying began in the and the first public activist and uncompromising 1980’s with physician Heinz Leymann’s (1990) spokesperson for the movement he launched. work in Sweden. He chose the term “mobbing,” British journalist Andrea Adams (Adams & a term adapted from the description of animal be- Crawford,1992) coined the phrase “workplace havior in which a group of smaller animals in large bullying” gave speeches, wrote the first popular numbers attack a single larger animal (Lorenz, book on the topic in the UK, and left a legacy of 1991, cited in Leymann, 1996). Leymann defined activism with the organization she founded. As a mobbing as hostile and unethical communication result of Adams’ pioneering work, union engage- at work directed in a systematic way by one or ment, and prolific academic research, the UK has a few individuals towards one individual who is remained a leader in public recognition of the unable to defend him- or herself. Typically, this phenomenon and related research (Hoel & Coo- occurs at least once a week over a period of at per, 2000; Rayner, Hoel & Cooper, 2002). least six months. The maltreatment results in In the 1990’s there was ongoing debate considerable psychological, psychosomatic, and among proponents of the two terms, mobbing social misery. Mobbing connotes a “ganging up” and workplace bullying. There has been an as- and is congruent with the reported experiences similation about defining criteria while synonyms of people tormented at work. Leymann was a persist: emotional abuse (Keashly, 1998), gener- alized workplace abuse (Richman, Rospenda, & slightly over 110 respondents. The estimate of 1 Nawyn, 1999), or workplace aggression (Neuman in 6 workers bullied, an extrapolation from Mich- & Baron, 1998). Europeans refer to mobbing (as igan to the national population, was disseminated does the prominent Canadian academic Westhues by the popular press as the national prevalence (2008)). Otherwise, it is primarily bullying in statistic until 2007. Britain, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada Surveys reliant upon worker perceptions are and the US. meaningful because there is substantial overlap There is consensus among practitioners and between measures based on respondent percep- academics that bullying is repeated and persis- tions and those based on researchers’ operational- tent non-physical mistreatment of a person. It is ization of bullying. Self-labeling asks respondents a sub-lethal form of workplace violence. It is un- to identify with a global definition of bullying. wanted, negative behavior unilaterally instigated In the majority of cases those who self-label as by one or more perpetrators over a prolonged pe- bullied are also operationally classified as bullied riod of time, manifested as verbal and nonverbal (Lutgen-Sandvik, Tracy, & Alberts, 2007; Note- behaviors or sabotaging tactics or a combination laers, Einarsen, Hans, & Vermunt, 2006; Salin, of all tactics which prevent the targeted person’s 2001). The most frequently used instrument to from performing satisfactorily (Namie & Namie, operationally define bullying by social scientists 2004). Most important, the focused assault threat- is the Negative Acts Questionnaire (Einarsen & ens the target’s psychological integrity, safety Hoel, 2001). The NAQ is a 22-item self-report and health. Unremitting exposure to bullying checklist of items measuring exposure to nega- adversely affects the target’s personal health as tive antisocial behaviors. For example, items stress-related diseases jeopardize both physical include, “Given tasks with unreasonable/impos- and emotional well-being (Tehrani, 2004; Mik- sible targets/deadlines,” “Humiliated or ridiculed kelsen & Einarsen, 2002; Cortina, Magley, Wil- in connection with your work,” but do not ask the liams & Langhout, 2001). Furthermore, bullying respondent if she or he feels bullied. Studies dif- is costly to businesses as it disrupts productivity fer in whether at least one or two negative acts and incurs employee recruitment and retention weekly are required for designation as bullying costs (Keashly & Jagatic, 2003). (Lutgen-Sandvik, et al. 2007). Acts must persist One study quantified the proportion of ad- at least six months. verse employment actions experienced by tar- Prevalence comparisons between respon- geted workers. Workers for whom bullying had dent self-report and researcher-defined bullying stopped, gave the following reasons that caused it show that the latter tends to overestimate, while to stop: the target quit (40%), the target was ter- self-labeling tends to underestimate (Notelaers, minated (24%), or the target transferred to anoth- et al. 2006). But there is much commonality. In er job with the same employer (13%) (Workplace a Swedish study, all who self-labeled were also Bullying Institute, 2007). When targeted people classified as being bullied using a scale (Sa- must resolve the bullying situation by losing their lin, 2001). In a US study nearly everyone who livelihood or giving up a beloved position, the re- self-labeled were also identified operationally sult is a strong perception of injustice. as bullied (Lutgen-Sandvik, et al. 2007). In that same study, researchers determined that based on U.S. Prevalence Studies NAQ responses, 28% of the 403-person sample A representative statewide sample of Michi- had been bullied within 6 months of the online gan residents (Keashly & Jagatic, 2000) reported survey, whereas only 9.4% of respondents them- how bothersome a general experience of mis- selves believed they had been bullied by show- treatment at work had been for them in the last ing some agreement with the statement that they 12 months. Sixteen percent stated it was very were subjected persistently over time to negative bothersome. The subgroup of individuals who actions. The 28% estimate is useful to compare claimed to have been severely mistreated number to the Michigan finding of 16% though the on- line study used a convenience, not representative, tion of the principal 20 questions plus additional sample. demographic variables took respondents approxi- A study related to bullying (Schat, Frone, mately 13 minutes. & Kelloway, 2006) produced a large sample (N The sample drawn was 7,740 adults; re- = 2,508 telephone interviews collected over an spondents were screened for age and only adults 18-month period) exploration of aspects of ag- were included. The sample demographics closely gressive work behavior. Keen attention was paid reflected the then current US census data (http:// to sampling methodology. The researchers were www.census.gov/main/www/access.html); the clearly most knowledgeable about traditional pollster claimed that the sample represented all workplace violence issues. However, in this self- adult Americans. The margin of error was +/- 1.1 described national study, they operationalized percentage points. Margins of error were slight- “psychological workplace aggression” in a way ly higher in sub-groups, so slight weights were inconsistent with more than a decade of interna- added to more accurately reflect the US working tional precedents some of which were discussed population. above. The 13% weekly prevalence rate indicated After screening for age, two other screens how frequently respondents had been threatened were used. The first was employment; those em- with a weapon or being physically hit (battery, ployed full or part-time, currently unemployed, not bullying) or having something bad said about or retired were allowed to continue. No other in- you, being publicly insulted, or having obscenities formation about work history was gathered. This shouted at them. When the timeframe expanded screen eliminated self-employed (-855), student to the prior
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Measurement and Impact of Workplace Cyberbullying Samuel Farley Institute of Work Psychology Sheffield University Managemen
    The Measurement and Impact of Workplace Cyberbullying Samuel Farley Institute of Work Psychology Sheffield University Management School University of Sheffield Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy September 2015 Acknowledgements I would like to thank my supervisors Carolyn Axtell, Christine Sprigg and Iain Coyne for the constant support they have given me over the past three years. They have answered my daily email bombardments with saint-like patience and have been enormously generous with their encouragement. I must also acknowledge staff within Sheffield University Management School for the time and advice they have given me, and I owe huge thanks to the Management School for funding this Ph.D. The past few years would not have been the same without my office mates Liam Goucher, Rob Marchand and Peter Crellin. The enduring memories from this Ph.D will centre around life in B03, including the coffee breaks, Sainsbury’s trips and most of all the arguments. I am especially grateful to Liam and Debs for letting me stay over so often, even though you were quite rude about my washing-up skills. I would also like to thank my fellow Ph.D. students at the doctoral centre for all the good times. If we ever go to the Lake District again I promise to take you on a regular walk and not a nine hour hike. There are numerous friends and family members who have helped me along this journey. Most importantly I would like to thank my Mum and Dad who have supported me through countless years of university (in return I’ll not to make you read this) and both Robbie and Josh for being around on Sky Sports Super Sundays.
    [Show full text]
  • Rule-Based Reinforcement Learning Augmented by External Knowledge
    Rule-based Reinforcement Learning augmented by External Knowledge Nicolas Bougie12, Ryutaro Ichise1 1 National Institute of Informatics 2 The Graduate University for Advanced Studies Sokendai [email protected], [email protected] Abstract Learning from scratch and lack of interpretability impose some problems on deep reinforcement learning methods. Reinforcement learning has achieved several suc- Randomly initializing the weights of a neural network is in- cesses in sequential decision problems. However, efficient. Furthermore, this is likely intractable to train the these methods require a large number of training model in many domains due to a large amount of required iterations in complex environments. A standard data. Additionally, most RL algorithms cannot introduce ex- paradigm to tackle this challenge is to extend rein- ternal knowledge limiting their performance. Moreover, the forcement learning to handle function approxima- impossibility to explain and understand the reason for a de- tion with deep learning. Lack of interpretability cision restricts their use to non-safety critical domains, ex- and impossibility to introduce background knowl- cluding for example medicine or law. An approach to tackle edge limits their usability in many safety-critical these problems is to combine simple reinforcement learning real-world scenarios. In this paper, we study how techniques and external knowledge. to combine reinforcement learning and external A powerful recent idea to address the problem of computa- knowledge. We derive a rule-based variant ver- tional expenses is to modularize the model into an ensemble sion of the Sarsa(λ) algorithm, which we call Sarsa- of experts [Lample and Chaplot, 2017], [Bougie and Ichise, rb(λ), that augments data with complex knowledge 2017].
    [Show full text]
  • Personality and Individual Differences 128 (2018) 162–169
    Personality and Individual Differences 128 (2018) 162–169 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Personality and Individual Differences journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/paid Risk as reward: Reinforcement sensitivity theory and psychopathic T personality perspectives on everyday risk-taking ⁎ Liam P. Satchella, , Alison M. Baconb, Jennifer L. Firthc, Philip J. Corrd a School of Law and Criminology, University of West London, United Kingdom b School of Psychology, Plymouth University, United Kingdom c Department of Psychology, Nottingham Trent University, United Kingdom d Department of Psychology, City, University of London, United Kingdom ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Keywords: This study updates and synthesises research on the extent to which impulsive and antisocial disposition predicts Personality everyday pro- and antisocial risk-taking behaviour. We use the Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (RST) of Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory personality to measure approach, avoidance, and inhibition dispositions, as well as measures of Callous- Psychopathy Unemotional and psychopathic personalities. In an international sample of 454 respondents, results showed that Callous-unemotional traits RST, psychopathic personality, and callous-unemotional measures accounted for different aspects of risk-taking Risk-taking behaviour. Specifically, traits associated with ‘fearlessness’ related more to ‘prosocial’ (recreational and social) risk-taking, whilst traits associated with ‘impulsivity’ related more to ‘antisocial’ (ethical and health) risk-taking. Further, we demonstrate that psychopathic personality may be demonstrated by combining the RST and callous- unemotional traits (high impulsivity, callousness, and low fear). Overall this study showed how impulsive, fearless and antisocial traits can be used in combination to identify pro- and anti-social risk-taking behaviours; suggestions for future research are indicated. 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Fact Sheet - Reinforcement
    FACT SHEET - REINFORCEMENT Positive Reinforcement Because many children with autism have difficulty with communication, play skills, and socialization, it is often difficult to motivate them to engage in activities that incorporate these skills. Positive reinforcement can provide additional motivation to help shape and increase developmentally approriate behaviors. A positive reinforcer is anything that is added following a behavior that increases the likelihood of the behavior occuring again in the future. Rewards are often given to children when they engage in desirable behaviors, but if the reward does Contact Information not cause those behaviors to increase in the future, then the reward is not actually a Website: positive reinforcer. www.coe.fau.edu/card/ Various Forms of Reinforcement Boca Raton Campus 777 Glades Road Natural Reinforcement: A child’s positive behaviors and social interactions Boca Raton, FL. 33431 are reinforced naturally. The natural consequences of positive behaviors become reinforcing themselves. Successful interactions become motivating to the child. Main Line: 561/ 297-2023 Toll Free: 1-888-632-6395 Examples: Fax: 561/297-2507 ♦ There is a ball out of reach for a child. The child says, “Ball,” and an adult Port St Lucie Campus hands the ball to the child. Access to the ball is reinforcing and increases the likelihood of the child requesting “ball” in the future. 500 NW California Blvd. ♦ A child is struggling with a difficult puzzle. The child says, “Help,” and an Port St Lucie, FL. 34986 adult helps the child. Completion of the puzzle is reinforcing. This successful interaction increases the likelihood of the child attempting puzzles Main Line: 561/ 297-2023 in the future and requesting help when needed.
    [Show full text]
  • The Building Blocks of Treatment in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
    Isr J Psychiatry Relat Sci Vol 46 No. 4 (2009) 245–250 The Building Blocks of Treatment in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Jonathan D. Huppert, PhD Department of Psychology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Abstract: Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a set of treatments that focus on altering thoughts, sensations, emo- tions and behaviors by addressing identified maintenance mechanisms such as distorted thinking or avoidance. The current article describes the history of CBT and provides a description of many of the basic techniques used in CBT. These include: psychoeducation, self-monitoring, cognitive restructuring, in vivo exposure, imaginal exposure, and homework assignments. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is probably progress has been made in understanding the psy- better called cognitive and behavioral therapies, chological mechanisms involved in treatment (e.g., given that there are many treatments and traditions 10), though there is still much to understand. that fall under the rubric of CBT. These therapies The basic tenets of CBT theory of mental illness have different emphases on theory (e.g., cognitive is that psychopathology is comprised of maladap- versus behavioral) and application (e.g., practical tive associations among thoughts, behaviors and vs. theoretical). Historically, behavior therapy de- emotions that are maintained by cognitive (at- veloped out of learning theory traditions of Pavlov tention, interpretation, memory) and behavioral (1) and Skinner (2), both of whom considered processes (avoidance, reinforcement, etc.). Within learning’s implications for psychopathology. More CBT theories, there are different emphases on direct clinical applications of behavioral prin- aspects of the characteristics of psychopathology ciples were developed by Mowrer (3), Watson and and their maintenance mechanisms (e.g., 11–14).
    [Show full text]
  • Throwing More Light on the Dark Side of Personality: a Re-Examination of Reinforcement
    City Research Online City, University of London Institutional Repository Citation: Broerman, R. L., Ross, S. & Corr, P. J. (2014). Throwing more light on the dark side of psychopathy: An extension of previous findings for the revised Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory. Personality and Individual Differences, 68, pp. 165-169. doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2014.04.024 This is the accepted version of the paper. This version of the publication may differ from the final published version. Permanent repository link: http://openaccess.city.ac.uk/16257/ Link to published version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2014.04.024 Copyright and reuse: City Research Online aims to make research outputs of City, University of London available to a wider audience. Copyright and Moral Rights remain with the author(s) and/or copyright holders. URLs from City Research Online may be freely distributed and linked to. City Research Online: http://openaccess.city.ac.uk/ [email protected] Throwing More Light on the Dark Side of Personality: A Re-examination of Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory in Primary and Secondary Psychopathy Scales Broerman, R. L. Ross, S. R. Corr, P. J. Introduction Due to researchers’ differing opinions regarding the construct of psychopathy, the distinction between primary and secondary psychopathy, though it has long been recognized to exist, has yet to be fully understood. This distinction, originally proposed by Karpman (1941, 1948), suggests two separate etiologies leading to psychopathy. Whereas primary psychopathy stems from genetic influences resulting in emotional deficits, secondary psychopathy is associated with environmental factors such as abuse (Lee & Salekin, 2010). Additionally, primary psychopathy is characterized by lack of fear/anxiety, secondary psychopathy is thought more to represent a vulnerability to experience higher levels of negative affect in general (Vassileva, Kosson, Abramowitz, & Conrad, 2005).
    [Show full text]
  • An Experimental Study of the Effects of Workforce Bullying on Three Affective Constructs: Self-Efficacy, Satisfaction and Stress Elizabeth A
    Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 2009 An experimental study of the effects of workforce bullying on three affective constructs: self-efficacy, satisfaction and stress Elizabeth A. Nealy Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations Part of the Human Resources Management Commons Recommended Citation Nealy, Elizabeth A., "An experimental study of the effects of workforce bullying on three affective constructs: self-efficacy, satisfaction and stress" (2009). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 2344. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/2344 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please [email protected]. AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF THE EFFECTS OF WORKFORCE BULLYING ON THREE AFFECTIVE CONSTRUCTS: SELF-EFFICACY, SATISFACTION AND STRESS A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The School of Human Resource Education and Workforce Development by Elizabeth A. Nealy B.S., University of Phoenix, 2001 M.M.C., Louisiana State University, 2004 August 2009 ©Copyright 2008 Elizabeth A. Nealy All rights reserved ii Dedication I dedicate this work to the legacy of my first example of a transformational leader, my grandfather and hero, Rudolph Newman “R.N.” Ball. His home-spun wisdom served as a framework through which I would judge all of life’s experiences.
    [Show full text]
  • PSYCO 282: Operant Conditioning Worksheet
    PSYCO 282 Behaviour Modification Operant Conditioning Worksheet Operant Conditioning Examples For each example below, decide whether the situation describes positive reinforcement (PR), negative reinforcement (NR), positive punishment (PP), or negative punishment (NP). Note: the examples are randomly ordered, and there are not equal numbers of each form of operant conditioning. Question Set #1 ___ 1. Johnny puts his quarter in the vending machine and gets a piece of candy. ___ 2. I put on sunscreen to avoid a sunburn. ___ 3. You stick your hand in a flame and you get a painful burn. ___ 4. Bobby fights with his sister and does not get to watch TV that night. ___ 5. A child misbehaves and gets a spanking. ___ 6. You come to work late regularly and you get demoted. ___ 7. You take an aspirin to eliminate a headache. ___ 8. You walk the dog to avoid having dog poop in the house. ___ 9. Nathan tells a good joke and his friends all laugh. ___ 10. You climb on a railing of a balcony and fall. ___ 11. Julie stays out past her curfew and now does not get to use the car for a week. ___ 12. Robert goes to work every day and gets a paycheck. ___ 13. Sue wears a bike helmet to avoid a head injury. ___ 14. Tim thinks he is sneaky and tries to text in class. He is caught and given a long, boring book to read. ___ 15. Emma smokes in school and gets hall privileges taken away. ___ 16.
    [Show full text]
  • Integrating the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports in Pennsylvania
    Integrating the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports in Pennsylvania 2 Integrating the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports in Pennsylvania Overview of Workgroup and Method This report was prepared with input from This report was produced to summarize the Pennsylvania OBPP-PBIS workgroup. the workgroup’s findings related to the The workgroup included representation following questions: from statewide leadership organizations that support the dissemination of Olweus • Is it possible to implement both OBPP Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP) and and PBIS in a school? Positive Behavioral Interventions and • What strategies support co-implemen- Supports (PBIS) in the commonwealth, tation of OBPP and PBIS? as well as leaders from schools that have • What considerations are warranted experience with both programs/frame- when a school is selecting an evidence- works. The workgroup met on six different based school climate improvement occasions and conducted site visits of program, such as OBPP or PBIS? model implementation sites. Definitions of Bullying Among Youths Bullying is any unwanted aggressive behavior(s) by another youth or group of youths who are not siblings or current dating partners that involves an observed or perceived power imbalance and is repeated multiple times or is highly likely to be repeated. Bullying may inflict harm or distress on the targeted youth including physical, psychological, social or educational harm. – Centers for
    [Show full text]
  • Mobbing: Psychological Terror in the Workplace
    “HENRI COANDA” “GENERAL M.R. STEFANIK” AIR FORCE ACADEMY ARMED FORCES ACADEMY ROMANIA SLOVAK REPUBLIC INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE of SCIENTIFIC PAPER AFASES 2014 Brasov, 22-24 May 2014 MOBBING: PSYCHOLOGICAL TERROR IN THE WORKPLACE Viorel CONSTANTINESCU Association of Applied Psychology in the field of Private Security Abstract: Mobbing is a less known phenomenon in Romania, but its effects are real and worrisome. It is a form of psychological abuse in the workplace, carried out by either colleagues or superiors through repeated aggressive acts. This kind of psychological pressure frequently leads to affecting the well-being of the victim either by loss of self-esteem, feelings of victimization, depression, psychosomatic disorders, insomnia, self-destructive behavior (alcoholism), a drop in work efficiency, acute stress and post- traumatic stress. In organizations where mobbing takes place, there is an obvious decrease in productivity. In order to prevent this type of behavior, there needs to be an accurate understanding of the act of mobbing in all contexts. (organizational, professional, individual) Keywords: psychological harassment, emotional abuse, intimidation, mobbing, psychological pressure 1. INTRODUCTION become a long-term victim of a series of abuses, wrongdoings and humiliation meant to Heinz Leymann was the first psychologist to force him to leave his current job. This put forward the idea of mobbing in specialized psychological pressure should not only make literature. He borrowed the term « mobbing » him lose his position, but in most cases will from animal psychology expert Konrad also affect his health. Lorenz, who had observed and studied “Mobbing” is a type of systematic behaviors of isolation/exclusion among psychological harassment in the workplace animals, more explicitly the attacks of a group that happens every time an employee is being of smaller animals against a bigger one.
    [Show full text]
  • Parent & Student Handbook 2019-2020
    Sports Leadership and Management Academy Charter Middle/High School Parent & Student Handbook 2019-2020 1095 Fielders St. Henderson, NV 89011 702.473.5735 www.slamnv.org Dear Parents and Students, Welcome to an exciting year at SLAM—Sports Leadership and Management—Academy. SLAM is a public charter school serving grades 6-12. Parents are an integral part of our school’s success and we gladly welcome your input and suggestions throughout the year. Your collaboration is essential in promoting our school’s mission as we continue to place an emphasis on individual student achievement by nurturing a positive learning environment which will enable our students to become confident, self-directed, responsible life-long learners. We are looking forward to a rewarding and exciting year. On behalf of the administration, faculty, and staff we assure you that we are committed to SLAM’s vision to provide an innovative challenging curriculum in a learning environment that promotes individualized instruction for all of our students. We are honored and thank you for selecting us as your School of Choice! 2 General Information Charter School Information As defined by the National Alliance of Public Charter Schools (www.publiccharters.org), Charter schools are independent public schools allowed freedom to be more innovative, while being held accountable for improved student achievement. Charter schools are non-profit, self-managed entities that enroll public school students. They are approved and monitored by the Nevada State Charter Authority; yet, they run independently of one another. Charter schools are funded by state and local monies and are open to any student residing in Nevada who would otherwise qualify to attend a regular public school in the state of Nevada.
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction to Mobbing in the Workplace and an Overview of Adult Bullying
    1: Introduction to Mobbing in the Workplace and an Overview of Adult Bullying Workplace Bullying Clinical and Organizational Perspectives In the early 1980s, German industrial psychologist Heinz Leymann began work in Sweden, conducting studies of workers who had experienced violence on the job. Leymann’s research originally consisted of longitudinal studies of subway drivers who had accidentally run over people with their trains and of banking employees who had been robbed on the job. In the course of his research, Leymann discovered a surprising syndrome in a group that had the most severe symptoms of acute stress disorder (ASD), workers whose colleagues had ganged up on them in the workplace (Gravois, 2006). Investigating this further, Leymann studied workers in one of the major Swedish iron and steel plants. From this early work, Leymann used the term “mobbing” to refer to emotional abuse at work by one or more others. Earlier theorists such as Austrian ethnologist Konrad Lorenz and Swedish physician Peter-Paul Heinemann used the term before Leymann, but Leymann received the most recognition for it. Lorenz used “mobbing” to describe animal group behavior, such as attacks by a group of smaller animals on a single larger animal (Lorenz, 1991, in Zapf & Leymann, 1996). Heinemann borrowed this term and used it to describe the destructive behavior of children, often in a group, against a single child. This text uses the terms “mobbing” and “bullying” interchangeably; however, mobbing more often refers to bullying by more than one person and can be more subtle. Bullying more often focuses on the actions of a single person.
    [Show full text]