Abstract
Workplace bullying is defined as a pattern of persistent, malicious, insulting, exclusionary intentional or non-intentional behaviors used by a [no comma] “bully” and directed at a “target,” occurring at least once a week for six months or more to intentionally harm, control, and drive the target from the workplace (Lutgen-Sandvik, 2005). Workplace bullying can be directed towards one or more people and can involve multiple perpetrators, known as mobbing. Workplace bullying is a severe and devastating problem that has serious consequences for targets, witnesses, and workplace environments (Lutgen-Sandvik, 2008). Currently, no legal recourse exists for targets or witnesses. This collective case study examined the perceptions, experiences, and outcomes when academic leaders attempted to address workplace bullying in a university setting. The case study utilized an ecological model for structuring the interactions of academic leaders, targets, and witnesses to bullying. Qualitative analysis provided an in-depth examination of each individual case comparing and contrasting perceptions, experiences, resistance, and organizational responses. Participant interviews with executive leaders provided sources of information triangulated with secondary interviews conducted with targets and witnesses. The cross-case analysis revealed three major themes: (a) ecological, the influence of the academic environment and culture, (b) the dramaturgical, influence of lived experiences by targets and witnesses, and (c) discursive, processes to engage in effective discussion-supporting intervention. The research is significant for the study of interdisciplinary leadership and reflective practice to enable action-based change in higher education workplaces.