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Prabandhan: Indian Journal of Management

ISSN: 0975-2854 Frequency: Monthly Peer Review: Double-blind Published since: 2008 Language: English
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Standing in My Way Nine to Five : Investigating Bullying Behaviours Prevalent Among IT Professionals in India

Open Access Original Article

Standing in My Way Nine to Five : Investigating Bullying Behaviours Prevalent Among IT Professionals in India

Vaishali Trivedi1,  Tanuja Agarwala2

1 Ph.D. Student, Faculty of Management Studies, University of Delhi, North Campus, Delhi – 110 007

2 Professor (HRM & OB), Faculty of Management Studies, University of Delhi, North Campus, Delhi – 110 007

Volume 14
Issue 9
Pages 8–21
Year 2021
Received: Feb. 5, 2021 Accepted: Aug. 20, 2021 Published: Sept. 27, 2021
Abstract

In modern workplaces, competition between employees is a significant determinant of career progress. Hence, employees are likely to engage in a range of negative behaviors to outperform each other. The present exploratory study attempted to identify specific bullying behaviors prevalent in the Information Technology (IT) sector and explained bullying from a sociocultural perspective. A questionnaire survey was conducted among 222 IT professionals to explore workplace bullying prevalence and examine underlying workplace bullying behaviors. Based on the responses to the Negative Acts Questionnaire-R, it emerged that 44.13% of the respondents had experienced some form of bullying at their workplace, and 19.8% reported moderate to severe levels of bullying. Exploratory factor analysis identified four types of bullying behavior : Attacking Self-Esteem, Work Surveillance, Threatening Situations, and Obstructing Competence. The results revealed that Obstructing Competence and Attacking Self-Esteem were the most prevalent types of bullying behaviors among IT professionals in India. The findings of the study were discussed from a sociocultural perspective within the context of working norms of the IT sector in India. The implications for managing negative acts in the IT sector were also discussed.

Keywords Workplace Bullying IT Professionals Attacking Self-Esteem
How to Cite

Vaishali Trivedi, Tanuja Agarwala (2021). Standing in My Way Nine to Five : Investigating Bullying Behaviours Prevalent Among IT Professionals in India. Prabandhan: Indian Journal of Management, 14(9), 8–21. https://doi.org/10.17010/pijom/2021/v14i9/166293

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