Pepperdine University Pepperdine Digital Commons Theses and Dissertations 2013 Beyong bullying: a holistic exploration of the organizational toxicity phenomenon Deirdre H. Carlock Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/etd Recommended Citation Carlock, Deirdre H., "Beyong bullying: a holistic exploration of the organizational toxicity phenomenon" (2013). Theses and Dissertations. 323. https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/etd/323 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by Pepperdine Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Pepperdine Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]. Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology BEYOND BULLYING: A HOLISTIC EXPLORATION OF THE ORGANIZATIONAL TOXICITY PHENOMENON A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership By Deirdre H. Carlock February, 2013 Ronald Stephens, Ed.D. – Dissertation Chairperson This dissertation, written by Deirdre Carlock under the guidance of a Faculty Committee and approved by its members, has been submitted to and accepted by the Graduate Faculty in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF EDUCATION Doctoral Committee: Ronald Stephens, Ed.D., Chairperson June Schmieder-Ramirez, Ph.D. Cheryl Wyrick, Ph.D. © Copyright by Deirdre Henderson Carlock (2013) All Rights Reserved TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................. vi LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................... vii DEDICATION ................................................................................................................. viii ACKNOWLEGEMENTS .................................................................................................. ix VITA ....................................................................................................................................x ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... xi Chapter I: The Problem ........................................................................................................1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................1 Background .......................................................................................................................3 Problem Statement ............................................................................................................6 Purpose .............................................................................................................................7 Significance ......................................................................................................................7 Research Questions...........................................................................................................9 Limitations ......................................................................................................................11 Chapter II: Literature Review ............................................................................................12 Introduction ....................................................................................................................12 The Toxicity Metaphor ...................................................................................................13 The Toxic Organization ..................................................................................................15 The Toxic Work Environment ........................................................................................17 Deviant Workplace Behavior .........................................................................................18 Leader Toxicity ...............................................................................................................34 Leadership and Ethics .....................................................................................................43 Impact of Leader Toxicity ..............................................................................................44 A Holistic Approach to Deciphering Toxicity ...............................................................45 Four-Frame Model of Holistic Analysis .........................................................................48 Structural Frame .............................................................................................................49 Human Resources Frame ................................................................................................61 Political Frame ................................................................................................................65 Cultural Frame ................................................................................................................67 Summary .........................................................................................................................72 Chapter III: Methodology ..................................................................................................76 Introduction ....................................................................................................................76 Research Design and Methodology ................................................................................77 Data Collection ...............................................................................................................79 Validity and Reflexivity .................................................................................................84 Coding Plan ....................................................................................................................87 v Protection of Participants................................................................................................88 Summary .........................................................................................................................89 Chapter IV: Data Analysis and Findings ...........................................................................90 Introduction ....................................................................................................................90 Participants’ Demographic Data .....................................................................................91 Data Collected During Interviews ..................................................................................92 Data Collected for Holistic Organizational Analysis .....................................................94 Summary of Findings ...................................................................................................120 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................124 Chapter V: Discussion .....................................................................................................125 Limitations and Recommendations for Further Study .................................................127 Final Remarks ...............................................................................................................128 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................138 APPENDIX A Participant Recruitment/Selection Plan ...................................................147 APPENDIX B Recruitment Communication Scripts ......................................................148 APPENDIX C Study Screening Questions ......................................................................153 APPENDIX D Screening Participation Informed Consent Form ....................................155 APPENDIX E Informed Consent Form ...........................................................................157 APPENDIX F Structure of Interview and Study Instruments .........................................159 APPENDIX G Coding Plan .............................................................................................163 APPENDIX H Internal Review Board Approval ............................................................164 APPENDIX I Tables Presented in Chapter IV ................................................................166 vi LIST OF TABLES Page Table 1. Deviant Workplace Behaviors ........................................................................... 20 Table 2. Buss’s Major Categories of Aggression ............................................................ 32 Table 3. Deviant Workplace Behavior Synthesized ........................................................ 33 Table 4. Whicker’s Leadership Styles and Behavioral Typology ................................... 40 Table 5. Demographics of Study Participants................................................................. 91 Table 6. Number of Responses Related to Interpersonal Aggression ............................ 93 Table 7. Responses Regarding Political Deviance ......................................................... 94 Table E1. Kvale’s Types of Semi-Structured Interview Questions