Mobbing
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“MOBBING”
CONTENTS OF THE PAPER
INTRODUCTION
DEFINITIONS OF MOBBING
THE CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF MOBBING
THE IMPORTANCE OF MOBBING
A REAL LIFE EXAMPLE
CONCLUSION
REFERENCES
A-INTRODUCTION
It is possible that most of us; the students, the employees or even some academicians dont know the term “mobbing”. Mobbing is a new term in todays management issues. The term comes from other fields of study, i.e.; behavioral sciences.
Mobbing basically refers to an attacking behavior. Mobbing was used firstly to describe the attacks from a smaller group of animals directed against one single larger animal. Later on, this animal behavior term was carried on to child behavior, and referred to the very destructive behaviors of a group of children towards another child.
Dramatically; similar type of behavior was observed in grown-ups workplace life and the term “mobbing” gained another definition to its literature. The observations in the workplaces were aiming to eliminate one or seldom more than one employee from the organization. This behavior, mobbing, can be briefly described as psychological terror at work place. More detailed definitions will be covered later on in the paper.
Another issue to take into consideration is the importance of mobbing. It has negative effects on not only on the employee but also on the workplace and the organizations long term costs. It is important both to prevent mobbing as well as ending the continuing mobbing acts in the workplace. Many effects of mobbing are observed already some of which are increased long-term costs for the organization, decreased employee motivation, increased employee turn-over. Many more effects will be taken into deeper questioning and will be provided with more information later on in the text content.
Since mobbing is a new term and there hasnt been any sufficient research ended to provide us with rich information. Nevertheless many sources are present to help us understand the term mobbing fully and with out any doubt. As time passes and the society will get more and more concerned in mobbing issue, the researches and the data and facts about mobbing will be more and richer for sure.
Thus mobbing may be seen as a minor problem, it has a much more negative effect compared to its size. We hope that in these globalizing and competitive markets, organizations will get more and more aware of the term “mobbing” and prevent loss of efficiency and prevent the increase of costs and become a strong member, at least a member without weaknesses of this new market economy and achieve to operate in the long term.
B- DEFINITIONS OF MOBBING
Mobbing has been defined in management science as well as child behavioral sciences and animal behavioral sciences. Mobbings all definitions will be listed below according to their field of study and their meaning.
Animal Behavioral Sciences:
Mobbing was used to describe the animal group behavior in which a group of smaller animals come together and attack one single larger animal. This attacking action was referred to as “mobbing”.
Child Behavior Sciences:
After the animal behavior definition, the similar kind of attacks and actions were observed for the children. There was a similar communication between children. At that time mobbing had gained another definition to its literature. The new definition was: the very destructive behavior of small groups of children directed against a single child.
Management Sciences:
The field which has added various definitions to mobbing literature is the management sciences. There are so many definitions of mobbing, from long to short, abstract to concrete, from many sentences long to two words long. We will list the most helpful and useful definitions below to make it easier to understand the term mobbing from all perspectives.
Hostile and un-ethical communication which is directed in a systematic manner by one or more individuals, mainly toward one individual, who, due to mobbing, is pushed into a helpless and defenseless situation and held there by continuing mobbing activities.
The concept of mobbing was introduced in Germany by Heinz Leymann at the beginning of the 1990s, about 10 years after its introduction in Scandinavia. Theoretically mobbing is an extreme form of social stressors at work. It is amazing both from the scientists and the practitioners point of view that there was so little prior research in this area.
A social interaction, through which one s attacked by one or more (seldom more than 4) individuals on almost a daily basis and for periods of many months, forcing the person into an almost helpless position with a high potential risk of expulsion.
Mobbing is long lasting, recurrent, and serious negative actions and behavior that is annoying and oppressing. It is not mobbing if you are scolded once or somebody shrugs his/her shoulders at you once. Negative behaviors develop into mobbing when it becomes continuous and repeated. Often the victim of mobbing feels unable to defend him/herself.
The direction of hostile communication and behaviors toward one individual.
The phenomena of repeated workplace aggression by individuals to harm other with whom they work.
Psychological terror at workplace
Ganging up on someone in the work place
The situations where an employee is persistently picked on or humiliated by leaders or coworkers. Originally refers to group aggression.
Mobbing or mobbing is one form of extreme negative social interaction at work.
All these definitions vary in their content but refer to the same fact; a fact that one faces attacks and blames that he/she cannot defend against. This is the important