Abstract
Nurse leaders play essential roles in managing and addressing the strain that workplace bullies impose on organizations and on the individuals working within them (Al Hassan et al., 2023); yet nurse leaders often report finding themselves personally overwhelmed by bullies’ masterful manipulations (Hampton et al., 2019). As skilled communicators, workplace bullies typically convey messages that appear supportive and in line with organizational expectations (Dzurec, 2020). Those messages most often, though, are insincere, proffered to hide bullies’ real intent—garnering personal and professional power in the workplace (Dolan, 2024). This presentation overviews the investigators’ use of the realist review process (Pearsons, 2024) to identify relatively objective features of bullies’ deceptive communications that persist across workplaces worldwide. With access to those objective features, nurse leaders may be well-armed to recognize and actively address bullies’ damaging, power-grabbing tactics.
Following the steps of realist review process, the investigators developed an initial evidence-based theory to explain regularities that characterize bullies’ communication behaviors regardless of specific workplace setting. With that theory as an organizing framework, they searched available published evidence, both formal and gray; extracted and synthesized relevant data and themes; and, finally, drew inferential conclusions about consistent and predictable features of bullies’ communications.
Findings highlighted the ways bullies systematically engage in norm-violating behaviors to advance their personal power, regardless of workplace setting. In follow-up of those findings, the investigators are developing and testing an instrument to help nurse leaders move beyond a state of overwhelm so they can actively recognize and confront norm violations embedded in bullies’ complex communications.
Notes
References: Al-Hassan, N. S., Rayan, A. H., Baqeas, M. H., Hamaideh, S. H., & Khrais, H. (2023). Authentic leadership and its role in registered nurses’ mental health and experiences of workplace bullying. SAGE open nursing, 9, 23779608231185919. https://doi.org/10.1177/23779608231185919
Bennett, R. J., Galperin, B. L., Wang, L., & Shukla, J. (2024). Norm-Violating Behavior in Organizations: A Comprehensive Conceptual Review and Model of Constructive and Destructive Norm-Violating Behavior. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 11(1), 481-507. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-110721-043001
Dolan, M. P. (2024). Workplace bullying: Impact on depression and anxiety and the link between victim and perpetrator status (Doctoral dissertation).
Dzurec, L. C. (2020). Examining ‘sticky’ storytelling and moral claims as the essence of workplace bullying. Nursing outlook, 68(5), 647-656. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2020.05.007
Hampton, D., Tharp-Barrie, K., & Kkay-Rayens, M. (2019). Experience of nursing leaders with workplace bullying and how to best cope. Journal of Nursing Management, 27, 517-526. https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.12706
Pearsons, A., Hanson, C. L., Hendriks, J. M., & Neubeck, L. (2024). Understanding for whom, under what conditions, and how an integrated approach to atrial fibrillation service delivery works: a realist review. European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, 23, 323-336. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurjcn/zvad093
Sigma Membership
Eta Beta
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
N/A
Research Approach
N/A
Keywords:
Ethics, lncivility, Mentoring and Coaching
Recommended Citation
Dzurec, Laura Cox and Hehl, Jennifer, "From Surviving to Thriving—Research to Support Nurse Leaders in Addressing Workplace Bullying" (2025). Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE). 112.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/chwe/2025/presentations_2025/112
Conference Name
Creating Healthy Work Environments
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
From Surviving to Thriving—Research to Support Nurse Leaders in Addressing Workplace Bullying
Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Nurse leaders play essential roles in managing and addressing the strain that workplace bullies impose on organizations and on the individuals working within them (Al Hassan et al., 2023); yet nurse leaders often report finding themselves personally overwhelmed by bullies’ masterful manipulations (Hampton et al., 2019). As skilled communicators, workplace bullies typically convey messages that appear supportive and in line with organizational expectations (Dzurec, 2020). Those messages most often, though, are insincere, proffered to hide bullies’ real intent—garnering personal and professional power in the workplace (Dolan, 2024). This presentation overviews the investigators’ use of the realist review process (Pearsons, 2024) to identify relatively objective features of bullies’ deceptive communications that persist across workplaces worldwide. With access to those objective features, nurse leaders may be well-armed to recognize and actively address bullies’ damaging, power-grabbing tactics.
Following the steps of realist review process, the investigators developed an initial evidence-based theory to explain regularities that characterize bullies’ communication behaviors regardless of specific workplace setting. With that theory as an organizing framework, they searched available published evidence, both formal and gray; extracted and synthesized relevant data and themes; and, finally, drew inferential conclusions about consistent and predictable features of bullies’ communications.
Findings highlighted the ways bullies systematically engage in norm-violating behaviors to advance their personal power, regardless of workplace setting. In follow-up of those findings, the investigators are developing and testing an instrument to help nurse leaders move beyond a state of overwhelm so they can actively recognize and confront norm violations embedded in bullies’ complex communications.
Description
“When leaders emphasize high moral standards and act altruistically and morally, employees may be more likely to question and ignore inappropriate policies and procedures and be less likely to engage in wrongful behavior to violate critical organizational rules and norms” (Bennett et al., 2024, p. 500). Workplace bullying challenges leaders’ altruistic and moral actions. This project describes research aimed to support nurse leaders in confronting workplace bullies head-on.