Abstract
D.Phil.
In its exploration of workplace bullying, this doctoral study applies elements of two particular types of autoethnography, namely, personal narrative and analytical autoethnography. This unconventional qualitative approach focuses on my own experiences of being bullied as an employee at an organisation where, according to management, bullying was deemed to be an acceptable practice. In the study I describe typical bullying events, related interpersonal dynamics, and the clandestine tactics of bullies. I reveal how bullying affected me, and how I coped with the emotional turmoil and humiliation caused by it. An appreciation for both modernism and postmodernism influenced me to combine elements of these paradigms in the study. In the spirit of postmodernism I share my lived experiences of bullying in an attempt to appeal to the reader‟s empathy and hopefully his or her co-construction, to enhance emotional understanding, and to create a willingness amongst concerned parties to unite in facilitating social change. I also explain the emotional demands and the therapeutic effects on the writer when producing an autoethnography. Regarding the modernist elements, I apply theoretical concepts and research findings on bullying found in the literature to contextualise and make sense of my experiences. In addition, I engage in various levels of analysis and thematically analyse the data contained in the autoethnography, as well as material offered by six people who either witnessed or experienced bullying.
This autoethnographic work led to interesting realisations. For example, I found that targets tend to become aware of only the negative characteristics in bullies and disregard their positive qualities. They often fantasise about escaping, though they do not actively take steps to acquire alternative employment, because they have been indoctrinated to believe that they are worthless. I once again realise that all human beings are capable of good deeds, as well as evil ones, and that circumstances often determine who will revert to bullying, and who will become targets. Particularly striking are the study‟s findings that remnants of the ancient
practice of sacrificing one person to ensure the survival of the group may be present in modern organisations. Based on the insights gained from this study, I recommend that workplace bullying awareness campaigns should be increased, and, in particular that – (i) employers and unions should be informed about the covert nature of bullying and the consequences for all involved; and (ii) organisations should establish structures and procedures for reporting bullying and counselling targets and bullies.