Systems Thinking and
Workplace Bullying

Abstract

In 2008 the report ‘The cost of workplace bullying’ highlighted the annual economic costs to individuals, organisations and the economy; 200,00 people changed jobs, 100m lost working days and an annual cost to the UK economy of over £13bn.  A 2011 national workplace survey by the trades union UNISON suggest the situation is getting worse, despite an increased focus on eradicating the problem.

Workplace bullying is often seen as a result of dyadic relationships focussed on the experiences of individuals.  In this seminar, however, I will argue that bullying cannot be fully understood as an isolated event, albeit of an undefined duration.  Using systems thinking as a basis for the seminar I will explore the argument that bullying can only be understood in relation to the wider system of relationships that exist in the workplace and wider community.

Speaker: Damian Stoupe

Damian Stoupe is a MPhil/PhD student at the University of Bristol studying Learning Systems and Leadership. Damian is one of the 200,000 people a year who changed jobs as a result of a bullying episode.  He moved out of manufacturing industry to become a counsellor specialising in workplace issues, particularly interpersonal conflict.  He is also on the executive committee of BACP Workplace.

Event Details:

Time: April 26th, 17:00-18:15

Place: Room 2.17, the Graduate School of Education, 35 Berkeley Square, Clifton, Bristol BS8 1JA

A PDF poster of this event can be download here.