Extreme Stress Mobbing: Approaches for Coping and Prevention in Agile Organizations (essentials) 3662675897, 9783662675892

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Karin Meyer

Extreme Stress Mobbing

Approaches for Coping and Prevention in Agile Organizations

essentials

Springer essentials

Springer essentials provide up-to-date knowledge in a concentrated form. They aim to deliver the essence of what counts as “state-of-the-art” in the current academic discussion or in practice. With their quick, uncomplicated and comprehensible information, essentials provide: • an introduction to a current issue within your field of expertise • an introduction to a new topic of interest • an insight, in order to be able to join in the discussion on a particular topic Available in electronic and printed format, the books present expert knowledge from Springer specialist authors in a compact form. They are particularly suitable for use as eBooks on tablet PCs, eBook readers and smartphones. Springer essentials form modules of knowledge from the areas economics, social sciences and humanities, technology and natural sciences, as well as from medicine, psychology and health professions, written by renowned Springer-authors across many disciplines.

Karin Meyer

Extreme Stress Mobbing Approaches for Coping and Prevention in Agile Organizations

Karin Meyer Calw, Germany

ISSN 2197-6708 ISSN 2197-6716  (electronic) essentials ISSN 2731-3107 ISSN 2731-3115  (electronic) Springer essentials ISBN 978-3-662-67589-2 ISBN 978-3-662-67590-8  (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-67590-8 Translation from the German language edition: “Extrem-Stress Mobbing” by Karin Meyer, © Der/die Herausgeber bzw. der/die Autor(en), exklusiv lizenziert an Springer-Verlag GmbH, DE, ein Teil von Springer Nature 2023. Published by Springer Berlin Heidelberg. All Rights Reserved. This book is a translation of the original German edition “Extrem-Stress Mobbing” by Meyer, Karin, published by Springer-Verlag GmbH, DE in 2023. The translation was done with the help of an artificial intelligence machine translation tool. A subsequent human revision was done primarily in terms of content, so that the book will read stylistically differently from a conventional translation. Springer Nature works continuously to further the development of tools for the production of books and on the related technologies to support the authors. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer-Verlag GmbH, DE, part of Springer Nature 2023 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors, and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer-Verlag GmbH, DE, part of Springer Nature. The registered company address is: Heidelberger Platz 3, 14197 Berlin, Germany

What You Can Find in This essential

• • • • •

Basics of mobbing and aggression Phase model of mobbing Differentiation of triggers as a basis for coping and prevention Possible coping and prevention measures Exemplary case analysis from practice with checklists as a guide for diagnosis, for example in coaching and psychological counseling • Basics of evidence-based personnel management

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Contents

1 Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2 Theoretical Foundations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 2.1 Workplace Mobbing as a Form of Aggressive Behavior. . . . . . . . . . 3 2.2 Cognitive Neo-Associationistic Model of Aggression. . . . . . . . . . . . 4 2.3 Phases Model of Mobbing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 2.4 Differentiation of Mobbing Triggers as a Basis for Coping and Prevention. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 2.5 Possible Coping and Prevention Measures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 2.6 Role of Chronic Stress in Agile Organizations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 2.7 Critical Appraisal and Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 3 Selected Mobbing Case Example from Psychological Counseling Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 3.1 Possible Approach within the Framework of Evidence-Based Management (EBM) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 3.2 Classification of Situations in the Mobbing Context. . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 3.3 Involved Actors in the Mobbing Process. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 3.4 Behavioral Analysis of the Involved Actors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 3.5 Systematic Cause Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 3.6 Derivation of Possible Approaches for Coping and Prevention. . . . . 32 3.7 Summary of the Individual Case-Related Results in the Agile Environment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 4 Critical Reflection and Conclusion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

VII

About the Author

Prof. Dr. Karin Meyer, MBA, M.Sc.  is professor of business administration and management at the European University for Innovation and Perspective (EHiP), economic psychologist, as well as an independent (psychological) consultant/ trainer and lecturer. Her research interests include personnel and corporate management (especially SMEs) and women entrepreneurship/entrepreneurship education, as well as current topics in education and economic psychology—also the transfer into practice and teaching.

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1

Introduction

In addition to high deadline and success pressure, emotional stress, and a poor working atmosphere, mobbing is one of the strongest strains that employees face in their daily work (statista, 2016). About one-third of all working professionals have already been confronted with mobbing in the role of the victim. Only about 40% have no experience with mobbing and could not observe it in their work environment (statista, 2018). Employers and managers usually perceive conflicts and disputes between employees as a disruptive factor, for which there is no time in an increasingly dynamic working world. As a consequence, mobbing cases are often ignored, endured/suppressed, and tabooed (Meschkutat & Stackelbeck, 2008, p. 374). Lack of knowledge, experience, and insecurity often prevent active conflict resolution and lead to a rather defensive approach to mobbing—the key is to sensitize managers to the issue (ibid.). Scientific studies on the effects of social conflicts in the workplace receive great international resonance (Merk, 2014, p. I). This is because the consequences of mobbing cause enormous direct and indirect costs at the business level—even if the effects of the mobbing problem are often underestimated in corporate management and the mobbing process often takes place covertly (ibid.). The psychological backgrounds of mobbing include aggression, frustration, or existing fears that are expressed in this way (Jonas et al., 2014, pp. 324 ff.). For the affected persons, mobbing can mean extreme stress, loss of quality of life, and traumatization, which can favor an internal break and end in suicide. Serious psychological effects burden not only the affected persons and the economic efficiency of companies but also the health system (Kolodej, 2018, pp. IX and 7). The German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) has estimated the economic damage at up to 25 billion EUR per year (DGB NRW, 2022). If the costs for unemployment, early retirement, and incapacity for work are included, the Institute of the © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer-Verlag GmbH, DE, part of Springer Nature 2023 K. Meyer, Extreme Stress Mobbing, Springer essentials, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-67590-8_1

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1 Introduction

­ erman Economy estimates the societal costs to be at least 50 billion EUR annuG ally (Brucker, 2022). Regardless of the specific damage assessment, overall economic damage is undisputed (Litzcke et al., 2013, p. 120). The protection of employees from mobbing by superiors and colleagues is also discussed at the political level: Proposals have been submitted that demand, among other things, an amendment to the Occupational Safety and Health Act and a legal definition of mobbing. Furthermore, a “Law for the Protection against Mobbing in the Workplace” is demanded—as well as defining mobbing as a “violation of personal rights” therein (Deutscher Bundestag, 2020). The proposal by the Left (2020) focuses in particular on protective measures by the employer, which ensure the mental and physical health of employees, reduce or even avoid psychological stress, and secure the affected persons’ right to compensation for pain and suffering or damages (ibid.). The proposal by the Grüne (2018) also defines the objective of involving employers as responsible parties in the protection against mobbing (Deutscher Bundestag, 2020). The starting point of this essential is the practical case example of an agile organization with situations that show signs of suspected mobbing. In this case, the affected person describes that, in addition to the actions of colleagues, observable and aligned behavioral patterns of superiors join in after a short time, signaling that the blame for a conflict-laden work situation is to be attributed to the affected person and that they are to be sanctioned. This raises the following questions: • How can employees and employers preventively counteract mobbing situations? • What possible interventions for coping arise for those affected who still find themselves in mobbing situations?

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Theoretical Foundations

2.1 Workplace Mobbing as a Form of Aggressive Behavior The concept of mobbing is considered difficult to concretize due to the wide range of cases that occur: A definition or delimitation of the term might exclude existing cases that do not fall under the definition by default (Deutscher Bundestag, 2020). Meschkutat and Stackelbeck also point to a wide spectrum of mobbing actions (2008, p. 374): An initial insight is provided by Leymann’s (1996) inventory for the assessment of mobbing (LIPT | Leymann Inventory of Psychological Terror), as well as the Mobbing Report as the first representative study for Germany (Meschkutat et al., 2002) and the literature analysis by Prosch (1995; cited in Merk, 2014). The term originally comes from English and can be equated with “harassing, pressuring, or attacking” (Meschkutat & Stackelbeck, 2008, p. 374). When considering legal rulings, the term is defined by a judgment of the Thuringian State Labor Court (file number: 5 Sa 403/00, dated April 10, 2002) as follows:

 In the labor law understanding, the term “mobbing” encompasses continued, successive or interlocking behaviors that serve to harass, bully, or discriminate, which, in terms of their nature and course, generally promote a higher-level objective not covered by the legal system and, in any case, in their entirety, violate the general right to personality or other equally protected rights such as honor or health of the person concerned. A preconceived plan is not required. A continuation of the behavior simply exploiting opportunities is sufficient. For a legally accurate classification, the presence of case-typical indicative facts

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer-Verlag GmbH, DE, part of Springer Nature 2023 K. Meyer, Extreme Stress Mobbing, Springer essentials, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-67590-8_2

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(mobbing-typical motivation of the perpetrator, mobbing-typical course of events, mobbing-typical change in the health status of the victim) can play a decisive role if there is a connection to the mobbing actions claimed by the person concerned. A mutual escalation process that does not allow for a clear perpetrator-victim relationship generally precludes the assumption of a mobbing situation. Various definitions and terms for mobbing can also be found in the literature (Jonas et al., 2014, p. 345). All of them are based on the designation for aggressive behavior by stronger individuals towards persons who cannot escape systematic harassment and persecution in the workplace over an extended period of time (Smith et al., 2003; cited in Jonas et al., 2014, p. 345) and whose wellbeing is thus impaired (Jonas et al., 2014, p. 346). Aggression refers to “any form of behavior that aims to harm or injure another living being that is motivated to avoid this treatment” (Baron & Richardson, 1994, p. 7; cited in Jonas et al., 2014, p. 317). While direct aggression is aimed directly at the target person, indirect aggression is carried out covertly to damage the target person’s social relationships, for example, through rumors (Björkqvist et al., 1992; cited in Jonas et al., 2014, p. 317). Relational aggression also targets social relationships (Crick & Gropeter, 1995; cited in Jonas et al., 2014, p. 317). In addition to horizontal mobbing among colleagues, bossing represents the form of mobbing by superiors (vertical from top to bottom). Staffing refers to the opposite direction of action from several subordinates towards the manager (vertical from bottom to top) (Burfeind, 2020, p. 9; Merk, 2014, pp. 13 ff.). Terms such as mobbing are mostly found in the school context—likewise, cyberbullying or -mobbing represent new forms that are enabled and favored by the use of new media (Kolodej, 2018, p. 1).

2.2 Cognitive Neo-Associationistic Model of Aggression The cognitive neo-associationistic model of aggression is based on the frustration-aggression hypothesis by Dollard et al. (1993) and Miller (1941) (cited in Jonas et al., 2014, p. 324) and was further developed and supplemented by Berkowitz (1993) (cited in Jonas et al., 2014, p. 326). In this context, aggression is not the only possible reaction to frustration. Whether frustration leads to an aggressive response depends on additional factors in the person and the environment (Dollard et al., 1939; Miller, 1941; cited in Jonas et al., 2014, p. 324). The basic assumption of the cognitive neo-associationistic model is that aversive stimuli lead to negative affect, which is subject to conscious or unconscious

2.3 Phases Model of Mobbing

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evaluation processes. In this process, the impulse to attack is linked to aggressive thoughts, memories, and behavioral responses—alternatively, escape-related impulses lead to escape reactions. The result is the conversion of negative affect into emotional states, which are interpreted by the respective person depending on the context and prior experience and related to the situation. With anger or fear, these emotional states solidify, so that at the end of the process, the aggressive reaction and thus the basis for mobbing can stand. The model also assumes that all components of emotional experience are interconnected, so that the activation of one element is already sufficient to activate all other associative components. The strength of the activation depends on the degree of their linkage (Jonas et al., 2014, p. 326 f.). The result of the process can thus be an aggressive reaction and the basis for mobbing (Jonas et al., 2014, p. 326 f., see Fig. 3.3). Factors inhibiting aggression include fear of punishment and the unattainability of the person causing frustration. However, the latter can also lead to aggression being shifted towards innocent, more easily accessible, and less powerful target persons (Marcus-Newhall et al., 2000; cited in Jonas et al., 2014, p. 325).

2.3 Phases Model of Mobbing Like Berkowitz (1993), Leymann (1996a) also starts from incidents that trigger a mobbing process (Phase I). Litzcke et al. supplement a pre-phase with possibly latent conflicts and the reactions of the mobbing victim according to Zuschlag (2001) (2013, p. 110). Once the process has escalated, according to Leymann (1996a), the second phase involves a typical stereotypical course (Phase II). It is characteristic that the management has not yet addressed the destructive situation. This changes with the transition to Phase III, in which the management tries to push the affected persons into the background, to transfer them, to withdraw their work, or to attempt termination. Legal distortions and violations inflicted on the victim can be observed—and this by a management that is actually not up to the situation. Leymann expands his original phase model (1993) to include the stage of medical and/or psychological misdiagnoses in Phase IV and makes it clear that at this point in time, the affected person already has psychological and psychosomatic symptoms, which, however, are usually not associated with the situation (1996a, p. 8; Litzcke et al., 2013, p. 107 f.). The last phase (Phase V) represents the exclusion of the affected person (Leymann, 1996a, p. 8). Although not all phases are always completed, mobbing can be divided into different process phases and combined with the cognitive neo-associationist model of aggression as shown below (see Fig. 2.1).

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Preliminary phase

Possibly latent conflicts

Phase I: Conflicts

Individual (unprocessed) incidents, irritability/annoyance

Phase ll: Mobbing

No reactions from the victim

Attempt at rational conflict management Evaluation process of the unpleasant event (aggression vs. escape)

Psychoterror + self-defense compulsion as subliminal condition

Rational argumentation and, if necessary, aggressive defensive reaction

Phase III: Escalation

Partly helpless, partly aggressive defensive reactions as well as counterattacks to avoid social decline, existential fear, going to doctors, lawyers, etc.

Affected person becomes a nuisance, case becomes official, labor sanctions

Phase IV: Misdiagnoses

Condition worsens, medical diagnoses overlook working conditions as cause

Phase V: End of the line

Exclusion/isolation, illness and/or termination

Confrontation with retirement from working life and isolation in society

Fig. 2.1   Process view of mobbing. Source Own representation, including Leymann, 1996a/b; Meschkutat et al., 2002, p. 53 f.; Litzcke et al., 2013, p. 110 and according to Berkowitz, 1993, p. 57; cited in Jonas et al., 2014, p. 327

The processes can be categorized according to duration and number of mobbers. In most cases, three to five mobbers are active. About one-third of cases last less than six months or more than two years, with all other courses in between (Meschkutat et al., 2002, p. 58 and 62). Furthermore, the development and course of mobbing processes depend on the personalities involved, the team constellation, the leadership style of the supervisor, and the entire organization. More than half of all mobbing cases involve the active participation of the respective manager (top-down). This means that mobber groups consisting of supervisors and colleagues are overrepresented (Meschkutat & Stackelbeck, 2008, p. 375). Moreover, men are more often affected by vertical mobbing from (male) managers than their female colleagues, who are more exposed to horizontal hostilities at the collegial level and by female colleagues (ibid). When frequency is taken into account, mobbing frequencies can be distinguished, ranging from daily, several times a week or month, to less frequent hostilities (Meschkutat et al., 2002, p. 60). Studies point to six different roles in mobbing, which can essentially be assigned to two categories: Victims, bystanders, and defenders are considered non-aggressive and are therefore defined as “anti-mobbing roles.” In contrast,

2.4 Differentiation of Mobbing Triggers as a Basis for Coping …

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perpetrators, assistants, and reinforcers exhibit aggressive behaviors and thus fall into the “pro-mobbing category.” Except for the role of the affected person, all roles are freely selectable (Kolodej & Smutny, 2020, p. 17). As a rule, those affected report several mobbing actions to describe their situation, usually involving combinations of social, personal, and professional levels (Meschkutat et al., 2002, p. 40). The primary goal is to negatively influence the social recognition of individuals. The originators of rumors or misinformation are often difficult to identify (ibid). A characteristic feature is the shift from the factual to the relational and action level, with the affected person at the center. There is an imbalance of power, with one party being isolated and systematically pushed out of the organization (Kolodej, 2019, p. 17). Due to the broad variety of mobbing actions, the reader is referred to the tabular representation in Sect. 3.4, which can be categorized into attacks on communication, social reputation and privacy, work, and body and health.

2.4 Differentiation of Mobbing Triggers as a Basis for Coping and Prevention Both Berkowitz (1993) and Leymann (1996) describe unpleasant events and conflicts as triggers for aggression and thus mobbing. At the same time, it is often not easy in practice to clearly identify the underlying causes and events, especially since several triggers often combine to provoke a mobbing process (Meschkutat et al., 2002, p. 110, cf. also Sect. 3.5). According to Merk, the triggers can be categorized into causes that lie either in the affected person or the perpetrator, the social system, and the operational framework (2014, pp. 68 f.). To prevent mobbing or to respond appropriately in ongoing processes, it is necessary to know the causes (ibid, p. 69). According to the assessment of those affected, mobbing is usually based on competitive situations, envy of qualifications, competence and performance, as well as lateral thinking and unwanted criticism as the main triggers. A more differentiated view of the triggers for mobbing processes from the perspective of those affected can be found in the Mobbing Report for Germany (Meschkutat et al., 2002; cf. Sect. 3.5). Personal Aspects of Mobbers and Victims Personal causes can lie with both the perpetrator and the victims of mobbing (Merk, 2014, p. 68 ff.), although there is no typical victim personality (ibid., p. 70). Even though there are behaviors and personality traits that support mobbing processes, Meschkutat et al. also cannot create profiles of typical mobbing

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victims based on personality, character deficits, or deviant behavior. Conversely, no behavior can be identified that provides reliable protection against mobbing. At the same time, people with high social competence and skills in conflict management (analysis and resolution) have a higher chance of breaking through and ending the mobbing process (2002, p. 120). Studies on age, industry, function, and profession sometimes yield very contradictory results. Nevertheless, the tendency to mob increases among people who give cause for criticism and rejection, have a unique feature, attract particular envy from the group, or deviate from the group norm and the role assigned to them as a new colleague (Merk, 2014, p. 71 f.). Motivations for action at the perpetrator level can lie in weaknesses and the resulting fears, dissatisfaction with working conditions, envy, feelings of inferiority, or insufficient self-confidence, which are compensated for by the temporary feeling of power within the mobbing process. At the same time, a fair conflict resolution is perceived as a risk, for example, because no other means of influence can be used or one’s own interests can only be enforced in this way (Merk, 2014, p. 72 f.). Social System Working conditions and existing social relationships can promote mobbing behavior. These include, in particular, power imbalances, heterogeneous teams, role conflicts, deficits in communication, and the formation of subgroups. If group members refuse to comply with the role assigned to them, conflicts and thus triggers for mobbing can increase. The higher the feeling of threat, the greater the tendency to mob (Merk, 2014, p. 77). Operational Framework Conditions Mobbing occurs evenly distributed across all company size classes, so this phenomenon cannot be assigned to a specific company category (Meschkutat et al., 2002, p. 36). Nevertheless, there are internal framework conditions that favor mobbing (ibid., p. 124; Sect. 3.5). Although no clear profile could be created in the area of mobbing victims, a comparatively clear picture emerges with regard to the operational framework conditions in companies: A poor working atmosphere, deficient leadership qualities, stress and workload, as well as lack of transparency in work organization provide the ideal breeding ground for mobbing and often enable this process in the first place (Meschkutat et al., 2002, p. 126; Meschkutat & Stackelbeck, 2008, p. 377). Burfeind shares the view that stress promotes

2.5 Possible Coping and Prevention Measures

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mobbing processes (2020, p. 17) and thus shows overlaps with Berkowitz (1993, p. 57; cited in Jonas et al., 2014, p. 327). With regard to agile organizations, Würzburger points out their pitfalls, which cause both employees and managers to experience stress or frustration due to a lack of stability or personal maturity and to be simply overwhelmed by the conditions of agility (2019, p. 33 ff.). According to Burfeind (2020), organizational framework conditions also play a central role in relation to mobbing. Because “all work organizational structures in which stronger stress effects can be detected also carry an increased risk of conflict outbreaks—and thus also for mobbing. […] Stress and frustration from which one cannot find a way out usually discharge on colleagues” (Leymann, 2006, p. 134; cited in Burfeind, 2020, p. 17). Thus, organizational causes for the emergence of violence in the workplace are essential components.

2.5 Possible Coping and Prevention Measures Reducing psychological stress in the workplace is one of the essential conflict and mobbing prevention measures (Burfeind, 2020, p. 56). Thus, reasonable and social working and framework conditions not only secure the work and competitiveness of companies. Appropriate work content and a manageable workload, good organization, and appreciative and respectful interaction with each other form the basis for mobbing prevention. In this context, managers should not infer others’ behavior from their repertoire and intervene in conflicts early on. Conflict prevention and moderation are therefore tasks of the employer. Mobbing prevention begins with inappropriate social and communication behavior that is addressed or sanctioned. Furthermore, mobbing prevention also requires the courage of a manager to intervene early. At the same time, management that behaves inappropriately towards its managers undermines any form of mobbing prevention at the internal company level (ibid.). Prevention includes not only minimizing the factors favoring mobbing within the company but also raising awareness and sensitization. An institutional approach to dealing with mobbing is also essential (Meschkutat & Stackelbeck, 2008, p. 379; cf. Fig. 2.2). Victims usually try to actively confront and defend themselves against the experienced mobbing. In doing so, the addressed mobbing actions are often denied or trivialized.

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Operational framework conditions Clear structures, tasks, responsibilities Information Decision-making processes with transparency and participation Management training (motivation, employee leadership, cooperation, conflict management, communication) Integration into the mission statement

Education/ sensitization

Prevention/dealing with mobbing

Public Relations Notices/ company magazines Employee survey Training of company stakeholders: works council, management, employees, executives Working groups Intensification of the role model function of managers

Mediation models (supervision, mediation) Company and service agreement Complaint channels for affected parties Contact person/ mobbing office

Fig. 2.2   Pillars of internal mobbing prevention & coping. Source Own representation including (Meschkutat & Stackelbeck, 2008, p. 379)

Overview/Checklist of coping strategies for affected individuals

Resistance against the mobbing person(s) • • • • • • •

Attempt to initiate a conversation Verbally defending oneself strongly Asking the mobber about the reasons for their behavior Demanding the mobber to stop their behavior Offering the mobber suggestions for a solution Attempt to turn the tables—“mobbing back” Physically defending oneself

Seeking internal support within the company • Works council, personnel council, equal opportunities officer, human resources management, anti-mobbing officer • Boss/management, supervisors, department head • Colleagues who have not mobbed, social contact person • Company doctor/psychologist, supervisor

2.5 Possible Coping and Prevention Measures

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Support from external contact persons • • • •

Partner, family, circle of friends, acquaintances General practitioner, psychologist, therapist Trade union Lawyer, mobbing counseling center, self-help group, life/crisis counseling center

Personal coping strategies • • • • • • • •

Ignoring the situation, focusing on work, avoiding the mobbers Building inner strength, trying to endure, sports/leisure balance Attempting to convince with performance Alcohol, medication Sick leave, gathering evidence, working to rule, learning about mobbing Attempting to gain distance Searching for a new workplace and further education Stress management/autogenic training, spirituality

(Source: Own representation, including Meschkutat et al., 2002, p. 93 ff.)

If conflict resolution measures fail, the mobbing process continues. Often, those affected have no choice but to somehow make the situation bearable (Meschkutat et al., 2002, p. 93). Individual coping strategies therefore include, among other things, ignoring the situation, focusing on work, avoiding the mobbers, and strengthening inner energy resources. Overall, the aim is to persevere, compensate through leisure/sports, and convince with performance. Many affected people do not consider sick leave or only as a last resort (Meschkutat et al., 2002, p. 101). Those affected should set boundaries as early as possible, consistently choose to exit the mobbing process, and focus on their own stability. Avoiding any escalation can lead to an improvement in the situation (Knorz & Zapf, 1996; cited in Litzcke et al., 2013, p. 121 f.). According to Leymann, personal factors that count as mobbing preventive factors include good physical and mental constitution, self-confidence, reputation, social support, stable economic conditions, as well as the ability to act and problem-solving competence (2006; cited in Burfeind, 2020, p. 28).

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2.6 Role of Chronic Stress in Agile Organizations Continuous optimization and improvement processes characterize agile organizations. It is important to note that the ongoing, agile adaptation of organizations to the challenges of the VUCA world can overwhelm employees and managers just as much as the complexity of the working world 4.0 itself and push teams to their performance limits (based on: Würzburger, 2019, p. 37; Meyer, 2021a, p. 42 f.). However, a company can only grow sustainably agile if every element is able to act stably, stress-tolerant, and thus resilient (cf. ibid., p. 11 f.; Meyer, 2021a, p. 44). Stress can generally be described as a “subjectively intense unpleasant state of tension” (Schaper, 2019, p. 575; Meyer, 2022b). In this context, the stress forms of acute and chronic stress can be distinguished: Acute stress describes a one-time, extraordinary burden, the beginning of which can be clearly determined and which is usually of short duration (Schulz et al., 2004, p. 11; Meyer, 2022b). Chronic stress, on the other hand, is characterized by recurring burdens that are often of short but high intensity and have a long-lasting effect without a clear beginning and end (Schulz et al., 2004, p. 11; Litzcke & Schuh, 2013, p. 30 f.; Meyer, 2022b). At the same time, “reactions to episodically recurring stressors” habituate without having a guiding effect on action. As a result, action activation to counteract chronic stress is usually not initiated (Schulz et al., 2004, p. 11; Meyer, 2022b). According to the Trier Inventory for Chronic Stress (TICS), work overload (quantitative) and work overburden (qualitative) are among the essential chronic stress sources. It becomes apparent that agile working methods with ongoing improvement loops can prove to be stress- and frustration-relevant and thus already form a basis for mobbing (based on: Meyer, 2021a, p. 42 and 44). It is particularly important to note that interpersonal tensions usually become chronic without problem-solving or coping (Schulz et al., 2004, p. 15; Meyer, 2022b). A lack of social recognition, such as ignorance and rejection or lack of respect, praise, and encouragement, as well as withholding rewards for completed tasks, also counts as chronic stressors (Schultz et al., 2004, p. 14; Meyer, 2022b) and can thus form the negative counterpoint to sustainable agile success and the basis for mobbing (based on: Würzburger, 2019, p. 11 f.; Meyer, 2021a, p. 44).

2.7  Critical Appraisal and Summary

13

2.7 Critical Appraisal and Summary Due to the multitude of definitions and the range of actions, mobbing as a concept is difficult to concretize. This makes it necessary to examine the phenomenon and its scope in each individual case. The concept of mobbing extends interdisciplinarily across various scientific disciplines such as psychology, economics and law, as well as politics (based on: Leymann, 1996a, p. 35). In the field of psychological theories and models, different approaches can be observed. The cognitive neo-associationist model of aggression allows for explaining aggression-specific differences: An aversive event leads either to attack or escape or avoidance behavior—context and prior experience of the respective persons also flow into the interpretation of the stimuli (Berkowitz, 1993; cited in Jonas et al., 2014, p. 327). However, this also means that possible aggressive behavior or the probability thereof can result not only from environmental factors but also from the characteristics of the acting persons, their learning experiences, and their personal assessment of the situation or context. Due to the given scope of this publication, further approaches, such as trait aggressiveness or learning violence according to Bandura as possible additional influencing factors, could not be illuminated (cited in Jonas et al., 2014, pp. 328 and 332). Leymann (1996) and Litzcke et al. (2013) also assume conflicts and associated negative affect as triggers for mobbing processes—although the causes in practice often cannot be clearly grasped, as there are multiple influencing factors ranging from person-related aspects in mobbing victims and perpetrators to organizational framework conditions (Litzcke et al., 2013, p. 110 f.; Merk, 2014). This in turn results in limitations for prevention and coping, which require as precise knowledge of the causes as possible in order to approach the problem adequately (Merk, 2014). It becomes apparent that the most essential employer-side mobbing prevention results from avoiding conflicts and thus from appropriate and social working conditions (Burfeind, 2020, p. 56). As a limitation of the present theoretical foundations, the inclusion of the Mobbing Report as the currently only representative study for Germany can be considered, which, however, refers to the year 2002—although it can be noted that a new mobbing report was commissioned by the federal government in 2018 (Deutscher Bundestag, 2018). Revised results from this assignment could not yet be researched, and also Burfeind (2020) still refers to the previous results of the study.

3

Selected Mobbing Case Example from Psychological Counseling Practice

Evidence-based management (EBM) incorporates scientific methods and empirical findings with the aim of making decision-making and management processes efficient and selecting well-founded information and approaches that are applicable to the practical case and prove helpful for problem-solving (Meyer, 2022a; Briner et al., 2009, p.19; Mikisek, 2015, p. 5 f.). In accordance with this approach, validated diagnostic instruments are used in the subsequent single-case analysis. A comparison is also made with existing empirical study results, such as the Mobbing Report for Germany (Meschkutat et al., 2002). Single-case analyses serve to explore individual research units, with the research process differing only in the selection of research units. Overall, case studies are among the most important special research forms (Schnell et al., 2018, p. 223 f.). In this case, an agile organization in a growth market is the subject of the analysis (Schnell et al., 2018, p. 223 ff.; cf. also Meyer, 2019). The focus is on shareholder and thus economic interests, which take a back seat to social or supplementary stakeholder goals as further pillars of sustainability (based on: Deutscher Bundestag, 1998).

3.1 Possible Approach within the Framework of Evidence-Based Management (EBM) According to Merk, the first step is to get a clear picture of the mobbing situation (2013, p. 94). Zuschlag recommends a (chronological) list of harassments and an identification of the relevant mobbing perpetrators, followed by a cause analysis that includes the advantages of continuing the mobbing. Furthermore, measures are fixed in line with the cause areas with the aim of reducing the resulting

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer-Verlag GmbH, DE, part of Springer Nature 2023 K. Meyer, Extreme Stress Mobbing, Springer essentials, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-67590-8_3

15

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3  Selected Mobbing Case Example from Psychological Counseling …

b­ enefits, making further misconduct more difficult or sanctioning it, and facilitating and rewarding desired behavior (1997, p. 122; cited in Merk, 2014, p. 94). Theoretical concepts can often be analyzed using different measurement instruments (Bortz & Döring, 2016, p. 228). For an initial entry into the analysis of the situation and the behavior of the involved actors, the Fast and Frugal Tree questionnaire (FFTM) by Kolodej (2018) is used first. Furthermore, a behavioral analysis is carried out using the LIPT | Leymann Inventory of Psychological Terror (1996a), supplemented by elements of the Mobbing Report for Germany (Meschkutat et al., 2002), the literature analysis by Prosch (1995), and a retrospective documentation and evaluation of the situation by the affected person (qualitative and quantitative), as a chronological record of the events is currently lacking. In addition, an analysis of the behavior of the mobbing victim and an uninvolved colleague is carried out based on the literature and the Mobbing Report, as this cannot be evaluated within the scope of the previous analysis instruments—as well as possible triggers. The LIPT questionnaire is considered the most important standardized analysis tool for the German-speaking area and can be combined with other methods for analyzing and screening a mobbing situation (Leymann, 1996a, p. 10; Burfeind, 2020, p. 63 f.). It is primarily aimed at capturing Phase II of the mobbing process with the goal of improving and humanizing working conditions (cf. Leymann, 1996a, p. 8). Shorter and more economical measurement instruments, such as the Trier Mobbing Short Scale (TMKS), focus on only 10 items and two additional ones for collecting mobbing frequency and duration, primarily to assess the situation. A mobbing situation is assumed if a person experiences at least one of the mentioned mobbing actions at least four times per month and this for a period of more than six months (cf. Klusemann et al., 2008; cited in Burfeind, 2020, p. 65). The Test for Recording Mobbing Behavior at the Workplace (TEMA) also focuses on actions, but also records their intensity on a seven-point Likert scale (from “never” to “extremely often”) (cf. Kolodej et al., 2010). Since the intensity of mobbing actions during the Corona crisis cannot really be recorded and has significantly decreased, as the affected person is largely unreachable in the home office, the LIPT is favored as the selected basic instrument for this analysis—with the option of possibly collecting frequency and intensity at a later date (cf. Fig. 3.1). Since the LIPT was originally developed for the Nordic region and differences in mobbing actions have been found in the studies by Zapf et al. (1996), for example for the southern German region, different behavioral patterns can be found depending on the cultural area (Leymann, 1996a, p. 10). To accommodate this circumstance, the LIPT was supplemented by the Mobbing Report for

Practice

3.2 Classification of Situations in the Mobbing Context

8. discussion / conclusion

Transfer

7. data analysis / evaluation 6. data collection in the research field 5. selection of the study units

Theory

4. research design

17

Approaches for coping and prevention Evaluate the instruments/ analysis Investigation/Retrospective: Part I: Short Screening/Rapid Test Part II: LIPT Part III: Extension with elements of the mobbing report Part IV: Additional extensions, e.g. evaluation of literature and retrospective mobbing documentation

3. theoretical framework: literature review

Background: Mobbing, causes/triggers, prevention/management

2. literature questions

Avoidance of mobbing, options for prevention and management

1. definition of the object of research / the phenomenon occurred

Mobbing situation in the company

Fig. 3.1   Possible approach/research process. Source based on: Eisenhardt, 1989, p. 533; Schütz & Röbken, 2016, p. 26; Meyer, 2019

Germany (2002) and the literature analysis by Prosch (1995). A further explanation of the investigation instruments and the selected studies is omitted due to the given scope of this publication. Overall, the research project can be presented as shown (cf. Fig. 3.1).

3.2 Classification of Situations in the Mobbing Context Mobbing involvement can be assessed using the Fast and Frugal Tree Questionnaire (FFTM), which was developed for a quick and easy screening. The aim is to detect mobbing at an early stage in order to counteract it with interventions as soon as possible. Despite the limitation of the mobbing rapid test to only three questions, the test has very good validity (Kolodej, 2018, p. 3 f.). If all questions were answered with “Yes”, according to Kolodej, there is a suspicion of a mobbing case—otherwise, there is either no conflict or another form of conflict. As a result, in the company under consideration, there is a concentration of suspicion

18

3  Selected Mobbing Case Example from Psychological Counseling …

regarding the presence of a mobbing situation. In the further course of the analysis, such a situation will be discussed.

3.3 Involved Actors in the Mobbing Process In order to better classify the situation for the further course of the publication and to depict the existing power imbalance, the structure of the affected business area is shown below. In addition, there are other strategic business units that are managed independently of each other. For reasons of research ethics, the organizational structure has been anonymized, alienated, and simplified (based on: Hungenberg & Wulf, 2021, p. 20). Similarities with existing and/or known companies and organizational structures are therefore purely coincidental. The documentation and situation evaluation by the affected person was released for publication in anonymized form. Overall, the company has more than 250 employees at several locations nationwide, making it one of the large companies (Destatis, 2022) and has a complex (multidimensional) management structure across several levels (based on: Hungenberg & Wulf, 2021, p. 20). It becomes apparent that there are positions that have two or three superiors (Bea & Göbel, 2018, p. 358; see Fig. 3.2). The company itself sees itself as an agile organization, although there were no training or instructions on agile working methods. The evaluation of the LIPT questionnaire shows a vertical and horizontal involvement of superiors and colleagues (see Fig. 3.2). Both men and women are involved in the mobbing process, with a total of six people involved. The superiors (male/female) lead from a distance at the nationwide or regional level and are not locally present at the location. The rest of the people are part of the local administration team at the branch location. In total, the process has been going on for more than 1.5 years. Multiple hostilities per month were recorded locally before the Corona crisis; less frequently by the two superiors. Due to working from home during the pandemic, the affected person experiences relief as contact with the mobbers is minimized. Taking the role distribution into account, the two female perpetrators are at the local level. It is not possible to determine who originally initiated the process. In addition, there is an assistant at the local level who actively participates but did not initiate the mobbing herself. Another colleague behaves neutrally towards the affected person but shares the attitude of the perpetrators regarding cooperation and confirms this within the team. The two managers also support the mobbing and thus encourage the administration team in their approach (based on: Kolodej,

Local structure (lower management)

Structure of senior/ middle management

3.4 Behavioral Analysis of the Involved Actors

19

Management

Management for Department I, nationwide

Management for Department II, nationwide | Amplifier Management for Department II (regional management) | Amplifier

Management for Department I (regional management)

Local management for department I (local) | perpetrator

Professional (local) | Victim

Professional (local) | Perpetrator

Professional (local) | Outsider

Specialist (local) | Assistant Specialist (local) | Amplifier

Disciplinary Ltg. Person concerned

Technical dir.

Non-Aggressive mobbing roles

Aggressive mobbing roles

Fig. 3.2   Anonymized/altered organizational structure of the company and involved actors/ roles. Source Own representation, including Kolodej & Smutny, 2020, p. 17 f.; management hierarchies according to Hungenberg & Wulf, 2021, p. 20

2020, p. 17 f.). Aggression inhibition due to fear of punishment is therefore not present (based on: Marcus-Newhall et al., 2000; cited in Jonas et al., 2014, p. 325). Defenders of the victim are missing within the given mobbing situation. There is only one outsider who does not endorse the mobbing but is officially characterized by complete passivity and only unofficially offers comfort, understanding, and collegial exchange to avoid attacks on her own person (based on: Kolodej & Smutny, 2020, p. 17 f.).

3.4 Behavioral Analysis of the Involved Actors In terms of phases, the conflict is already in the escalation phase (Phase III) (Leymann, 1996a). The case is official, an initial attempt at termination with immediate withdrawal of work was made by the supervisor and classified as not legally effective with the involvement of lawyers. The affected person has announced further legal steps to determine possible damage in case of continued behavior.

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From the LIPT, it can be deduced that the behavior of the mobbers is primarily characterized as attacks on contacts or the option to communicate, attacks on social relationships and social reputation, as well as the quality of the professional and life situation. Only the use of violence or deliberate damage to health is excluded (Leymann, 1996a). Due to the small-scale and diverse nature of the actions, only the most significant and serious behaviors will be highlighted and categorized accordingly in the following course of the work (see Table 3.1). Overall, the hostile actions usually take place indirectly and covertly behind the back of the affected person (based on: Björkqvist et al., 1992; cited in Jonas et al., 2014, p. 317).

In this context, the behavior of the mobbers can be further differentiated according to the strategies of horizontal mobbing by colleagues and vertical mobbing by superiors (see Tables 3.2 and 3.3). Taking into account the cataloged actions according to Prosch (1995), it becomes apparent that the attacks of the colleagues

Table 3.1   Checklist: Overview of mobbing actions, in general and in individual cases

Action/Actors

Frequency Individual Case Individual Case (Mobbing Report) Analysis Supervisor Analysis Colleagues

Rumors, Untruths

61.8%

x

Work performance evaluated incorrectly

57.2%

x

Teasing/Taunting

55.9%

x x

Refusal of important 51.9% information

x

Work/Behavior severely, unfairly criticized

48.1%

x

Exclusion/Isolation

39.7%

x

Portrayed as incompetent

38.1%

x

Work obstruction

26.5%

Work withdrawal

18.1%

x

x

x x

x = displayed behavior; x = serious, displayed behavior Source Own evaluation including Meschkutat et al., 2002, p. 39

3.4  Behavioral Analysis of the Involved Actors

21

Table 3.2   Checklist: Mobbing triggers/motives (Mobbing Report, according to the assessment of those affected), general and in individual cases

Cause

Mobbing Report Frequency (total)

Individual case analysis

Main reason/ Trigger: Trigger Supervisor (Top 10) (Mobber)

(Trigger: Colleagues (Mobber)

Expressing unwanted criticism 60.1%

6%

x

Competitive situation/ mobbing as a career strategy

58.9%

19.2%

x

Envy of the mobbers, e.g., on 39.7% qualifications, competencies

13.3%

x

Tensions with the supervisor, e.g., due to poor leadership qualities

39.4%

Strong performance

37.3%

3.4%

Working style

28.5% 24.8%

Allegedly insufficient performance

23.3%

Low company or department affiliation

22.1%

Personal lifestyle

17.7%

Other, including

59.7%

x

x

Clarification of guilt/blame or 29.1% scapegoat Mobber wants to take over work area

x

x x 4.2%

x x

x x

• Lateral thinker

8.8%

x

• Antipathy of the bullies

4.2%

x

x

• Personality and behavioral anomaly of the mobber

3.4%

x

x

• Termination of the affected person

3.2%

x

x

• Exercise of power

2.9%

x

• Member of the works/ staff council (planned)

2.4%

x

x = existing triggers Source Own evaluation including Meschkutat et al., 2002, p. 111 and 118

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Table 3.3   Checklist: Mobbing triggers (literature analysis), general and individual cases

Category

Cause

Causes in the mobbing victim

Low social competence

Individual case analysis

Sociopathic personality Diseases

x

Performance problems Noticeable appearance Displayed weakness

x

Strong mobbing tendency Causes in the mobbing perpetrator

Causes in the social system

Self-esteem issues

Supervisors

Colleagues

x (assumption)

x (assumption) x (assumption)

Low self-confidence

x (assumption)

Sociopathic personality

x (assumption)

Possible fears

x (assumption)

Personality instability

x (assumption)

Low moral level

x (assumption)

Exaggerated characteristics

x (assumption)

Misqualification

x (assumption)

Personal power position

x

Social composition of the group

x

Ranking and role issues

x

Group pressure

Causes in the framework conditions

Scapegoat syndrome

x

Communication problems

x

Relationship problem

x

Deficits in the design of work

x

Lack of work organization

x

Errors in work performance

x

Situation change Poor working atmosphere

x

x = existing triggers Source Own evaluation including Merk, 2004, p. 68 ff.

3.4  Behavioral Analysis of the Involved Actors

23

primarily relate to communication and social reputation. From the perspective of the affected person, the constant denunciation, ignoring, and non-compliance with promises/assignments, withholding of information, the associated work obstruction, and the resulting consistently poor working atmosphere are particularly serious. Suggestions from the affected person for the further development of the branch are also sold as their own and can thus be seen as “intellectual theft” (see Table 3.2). The continuously relationship-oriented exchange also proves to be exhausting, which hardly allows for objective cooperation (based on: Kolodej, 2019, p. 17). The following checklist provides an overview of the strategies in colleague mobbing. Attacks on health and privacy are not covered due to capacity reasons, as they practically do not occur in this case.

Overview/Checklist: Mobber strategies in colleague mobbing (horizontal mobbing) Attacks on communication • Constantly interrupting while speaking • Conversations are abruptly ended when the person enters the room • Contact refusal through derogatory looks, gestures, and body movements • Colleagues leave the room together or sit at another table • No one reacts to the person’s statements • Information is withheld or passed on incorrectly • Colleagues cannot be addressed • The person is not addressed • Ignoring, treating the person like “air” • Doors are locked • News is withheld • Exclusion from social parts • Limited spatial isolation • Phone harassment and threats (verbal/written) • Assistance is not provided • Refusal of clarifying conversations • Promises are not kept

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3  Selected Mobbing Case Example from Psychological Counseling …

Attacks on social reputation • • • • •

Talking badly behind one’s back Malicious whispering, insinuations, and hints Incidents are exaggerated and generalized Slandering to superiors, insinuations, defamation and malicious gossip Negative incidents and grievances are attributed to the person

Attacks on work • • • • • •

Assignment of lower tasks by the work group Refusal of cooperation and support Work documents disappear or are not passed on Work equipment is damaged or disappears Falsification of work results Intellectual theft

Legend in individual cases: italic =occurred behavior, italic and bold = serious behavior Source: Own evaluation including Prosch (1995), p. 40, cited according to Merk (2004), p. 16 f.

Regarding superiors, hostile actions primarily relate to attacks on communication, social reputation, and work. From the affected person’s perspective, the most severe actions are the ongoing ignorance of superiors and thus the refusal of contact, unjustified criticism (when contact occurs), talking about (instead of with) the affected person, and the additional workload compared to other colleagues. It can also be noted that there is a breach of contract in personnel deployment planning outside the agreed working hours, which is denied and trivialized in a follow-up discussion. Feedback on work impairment by local colleagues is also ignored. A part-time application is followed by an immediate and unlawful withdrawal of work—as well as an uncoordinated/attempted permanent relocation to the home office after determining the unlawfulness of the pronounced termination. Upon the affected person’s inquiry, a dismissal for operational reasons is not denied when relocating to the home office and into a new business area of the employer, the current status of which is unclear, but the relocation is withdrawn without comment.

3.4  Behavioral Analysis of the Involved Actors

25

From the affected person’s perspective and in comparison with the LIPT, there is complete uncertainty from the beginning, as there are no concrete guidelines in the company, only criticism and negative feedback. Already within the probationary period, the collaboration is questioned for the first time. Research on other employers is carried out—returning to the former employer is also considered. Nevertheless, the desired and long-awaited career step is maintained. Overall, the attacks on the person lead to justifications and defensive reactions. However, the bullied person tries to set boundaries and convince through performance, which initially succeeds. However, increasing energy loss, listlessness, concentration and sleep disorders are noticeable. The person is completely shocked by the unfair deployment planning by the superiors, as this documents the preferential treatment of other colleagues in writing for the first time and requires a significantly higher work effort due to the repeated assignment of new tasks. At this point, affect regulation is hardly possible in phases (based on: Kuhl, 2010, p. 463; Meyer, 2019). It is already clear at this point that the additional workload that results from this is unlikely to be completed in the previous quality. Based on the previous conflicts, a written documentation of the leadership behavior is carried out—as well as an illness during the subsequent vacation time. Attempts are made to cope with the workload. In addition, there are “crusades of conviction” and the submission of solution proposals for the future, which are not desired by the mobbers and are therefore ignored. The supervisor’s behavior can be categorized and depicted as follows. In individual cases, the category of attacks on health and the body is also omitted.

Overview/Checklist: Mobbing strategies in supervisor mobbing (vertical mobbing) Attacks on communication • • • • • • •

Supervisor does not respond to the situation Clarifying meeting appointments are not kept Conversations about the situation are refused Writing and loud scolding Oral and written threats Refusal of contact Constant interruptions while speaking

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3  Selected Mobbing Case Example from Psychological Counseling …

• Ignoring • Colleagues are forbidden to speak to the employee Attacks on social reputation and privacy • Allegations and creation of incidents • Sexual advances, verbal sexual attacks or offers • Performance and abilities are doubted and questioned, exposure Attacks on work • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Decisions are questioned Constant criticism of work Compulsion to perform tasks that hurt self-esteem (Achilles heel tactic) Overburdening with tasks far beyond qualification and requirements Under-challenging with tasks far below actual abilities Constant assignment of new tasks Assignment of pointless tasks that have no use Slow withdrawal of competencies Withdrawal of all tasks and employment Being kept away from meetings Downgrading in performance evaluation Continuous relocation, spatial isolation Not allowing further training and denying vacation Suggestions are ignored, dismissed Withholding information Slander with one’s own superiors Disadvantage regarding working hours, breaks, vacation regulations Person receives no work documents, no or poor material

Legend in individual cases: italic =occurred behavior, italic and bold = serious behavior Source: Own evaluation including Prosch (1995), p. 45, cited after Merk (2004), pp. 22 f.

3.5 Systematic Cause Analysis

27

Overall, the mobbing situation is not recognized or recognized too late by the affected person due to lack of experience and lack of knowledge. To make the situation bearable, a reduction in working hours is carried out, which the employer does not support and which, despite labor law basis, is accompanied by unjustified criticism and further insinuations. After about thirteen months, in combination with acute stress situations in the private sphere, a medium-severe burnout with sleep disorders and early waking is diagnosed in supervision (Hochstrasser et al., 2016, p. 562; Hochstrasser, 2018, p. 219). The employer’s withdrawal of work thus provides relief and is perceived as a relief. A partial return to a previous activity with immediate start of work immediately ensures financial balance, exchange with others, and thus a rapid stabilization of the affected person (based on: Leymann, 2006, cited after Burfeind, 2020, p. 28). Likewise, the exchange on a legal level leads back to the factual level and is perceived as positive. Further coping strategies include further training, reduction of working hours, and focusing on one’s own and higher goals. The examined company thus becomes a temporary “assistant” for one’s own and further goals; the situation is thus limited and foreseeable. The behavior of the non-involved colleague in the role of the outsider can be described as passive. She officially ignores the situation in order not to provide a target for attack herself. According to Burfeind, however, no one who learns of mobbing can be uninvolved, but rather consciously decides for inaction (2020, p. 42).

3.5 Systematic Cause Analysis As already explained, the analysis of the causes for the derivation of suitable measures is essential (Merk, 2014, p. 195; Zuschlag, 1997, p. 230). This is followed by an analysis of general mobbing triggers and motives. After an initial trigger screening and a first assessment of the situation, personal aspects and the social system are once again specifically analyzed, as well as the benefits of the conflict, and supplemented by the examination of operational framework conditions (Table 3.4) Analysis of personal aspects and the social system The mobbing process was initiated by colleagues who have been with the company for a longer time and form a team against new and more highly qualified

28

3  Selected Mobbing Case Example from Psychological Counseling …

colleagues. At the same time, the new colleagues are under performance pressure due to probationary period evaluations—even if the (technical) framework conditions for this are not available at the start and at least partially a reasonable working basis is missing. Based on Zuschlag (1997), a categorization and analysis of the essential mobbing causes according to fears, goals, deficiencies, and misconduct is carried out, whereby the goals and fears of other people can only be inferred from the literature in the context of this work. Likewise, the derivation of possible benefits from the situation and thus of possible starting points for coping and prevention is carried out (see Table 3.5). Analysis of the Operational Framework Conditions The company-related evaluation shows that there are numerous internal framework conditions that favor the mobbing process. These include deadline pressure, stress, hectic pace, unclear work organization and role distribution, as well as the opacity of decisions. Within the first year, there is a change in technical management, a lack of willingness to talk on the part of disciplinary management, and a defensive conflict attitude of the executives. Decisions are made opaquely topdown without involving or at least informing the employees. Further conflicts arise as tasks are outsourced to external parties—without considering the wishes of the employees. Overall, there is a tense working atmosphere. According to the approach of agile organizations, the team should work independently at the branch level and thus have the greatest possible scope for action on site. Appropriate training (also in the principles and methods of agile collaboration) was not provided or was provided too late. Overall, the most significant causes and resulting benefits, especially for the company management, can be presented as follows (see Table 3.2). All in all, it becomes apparent that, according to the subjective assessment of the affected person, a combination of triggering causes and unpleasant events has started the mobbing process—but also that all parties involved benefit from the conflict, even though this occurs for the affected person only with a time delay and is primarily due to a growth- and opportunity-oriented crisis management (Table 3.6).

3.5  Systematic Cause Analysis

29

Table 3.4   Checklist: Operational influencing factors on mobbing (Mobbing Report, according to the assessment of those affected), in general and in individual cases

Mobbing Report Situation/ Framework condition Frequency Poor working atmosphere

65.3%

Lack of willingness to 60.9% talk on the part of the manager

Main influencing factors

Individual case analysis

Ranking: “Top 10” (by frequency)

x x

Deadline pressure, stress, hectic

55.1%

x

Ambiguous work organization/ responsibilities

55.0%

x

Opacity of decisions

50.3%

x

Rigid hierarchies

46.4%

Defensive conflict atti- 42.2% tude of the supervisor Fear for job

36.9%

Restructuring

32.5%

Change of supervisor

27.5%

Poor economic situation in the company

21.8%

New IT system

19.1%

Outsourcing tasks to external parties

14.0%

x

x Further framework conditions

Monotonous and bor- 10.6% ing work design Introduction of team and group work

8.7%

Other

8.4%

x = existing triggers. Source Own evaluation including Meschkutat et al., 2002, p. 124

x

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3  Selected Mobbing Case Example from Psychological Counseling …

Table 3.5   Literature-based analysis of mobbing causes and conflict benefits (in individual cases)

Mobbing Causes

Benefits

Mobbers (Supervisors and Colleagues) Self-esteem/Instability of Personality Fears: Loss of recognition Goals: Enhancement through conflict, exercise of power Fears Fears: Existential fear, job loss, overwhelm Goals: Passing on responsibility for one’s own failure to the “scapegoat” vs. pointing out errors/criticism Misqualification Fears: Fear of failure, job loss, loss of face Goals: Delegating one’s own poor performance evaluation Victim/Affected Person

• Securing one’s own position/power • Upgrading one’s own position • “Scapegoat” for possible personal failure • Emergency exit for anger, hatred, frustration, stress/tension, dissatisfaction, envy

Illness/Overload Fears I: Exploitation by others who benefit from delegating new tasks to the affected person Fears II: Job loss (personal-related termination due to non-performance) Fears III: Overload/Burnout Deficiencies/Misbehavior: Failure to assume the intended role, unsolicited criticism while performing

Delayed (within the framework of growthand opportunity-oriented crisis intervention): • Withdrawal from the conflict-laden work situation through part-time work • Reorientation • Building inner strength • Further education/development • Legitimation for work-to-rule • Separation of professional and private life • Time for oneself and the family • Increasing self-determination through other activities • Collaboration with a great other team

Displayed Weakness Fears: Burnout, as stressors accumulate due to private situation with illness cases in the family Goals: Support/Understanding Deficiencies/Misbehavior: Prioritizing one’s own interests over those of the organization Other Deficiencies Deficiencies: Different thinking, success (unique selling point) Goal: Expansion of one’s own successful position and financial independence (continued)

3.5  Systematic Cause Analysis

31

Table 3.5   (continued)

Mobbing Causes

Benefits

Cause in the social system “Cyclist mentality” (kowtowing to superiPersonal Power Position ors, kicking sideways and downwards) Deficiencies: Formation of cliques by colleagues who have been around longer Goals: Defending and expanding one’s own position and thus concealing one’s own inadequacies, power and control Social Composition of the Group Deficiencies: A mixed, heterogeneous team with a qualification gap, lacking technical and social (leadership) competence/conflict management Goal: Rapid position filling according to availability/budget, e.g., without diagnostic hiring

Benefits for system/organization: rapid growth, replacement of unsuitable colleagues, fluctuation is accepted

• Taking on more interesting tasks Hierarchy/Roles Issues Fears: Loss of one’s role/position, demotion • Enhancing one’s own person Goal: Defend and expand one’s position with the desire for a more advanced role perception, assert one’s interests through mobbing • Delegating one’s own failures Scapegoat Syndrome Fears: Failures and lack of qualification fall • Reducing stress/tension back on respective colleagues Goal: Maintain the benefits of mobbing Only remaining means of influence is Communication Problems Fears: Loss of power, loss of pressure means preserved Goal: Covert conflict resolution, open resolution and clarification leads to the abandonment of additional benefits Asserting one’s own interests Relationship Problems Fears: Exposure of lesser/missing qualifications Goal: Concealing the deficiency, preserving one’s own interests Deficiencies: Personalizing problems, lack of conflict resolution skills and reference to the factual level Source Own representation, based on: Merk, 2014, p. 195; Zuschlag, 1997, p. 230

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3  Selected Mobbing Case Example from Psychological Counseling …

Table 3.6   Analysis of internal mobbing causes and benefits (in individual cases)

Mobbing Causes

Benefits

Causes in the operational framework conditions • Budget/Cost Deficiency in work design Deficiencies: too many tasks for too few and • Focus on growth only inexperienced staff, no training (e.g. Agile Working) Lack of work organization Deficiencies: Unclear responsibilities, constantly changing contact persons and processes, stress/haste

• Rapid growth • Compliance with shareholder interests

• No (meaningful) group formation Poor working atmosphere • full control by management • resulting from the other factors – Deficiencies: Lack of prevention measures, such as works council, mobbing officer, etc. Deficits in leadership Deficiencies: Lack of presence and willingness to talk of managers, lack of transparency in decisions (primarily top-down), defensive conflict attitude of superiors, separation of employees during probationary period or at contract expiration after two years, insufficient leadership experience

• Laissez-faire leadership creates capacities for other tasks and saves additional employees (costs) • enables rapid growth

Source Own representation, based on: Merk, 2014, p. 195; Zuschlag, 1997, p. 230

3.6 Derivation of Possible Approaches for Coping and Prevention In general, in addition to the LIPT, coping and prevention strategies of affected individuals as well as internal prevention strategies can be identified according to the Mobbing Report for Germany. Based on the cause analysis, possible starting points for coping and prevention are derived for the selected case example of the individual case analysis. The aim is to minimize the benefit from the situation for the involved actors and to replace harmful behavior as much as possible with a positive and supportive interaction. The interventions can take on a curative or preventive character (Zuschlag, 1997, p. 230) Table 3.7.

3.6  Derivation of Possible Approaches for Coping and Prevention

33

Table 3.7   Derivation of possible starting points for coping and prevention

Mobbing causes/ Benefits Categories Person-related aspects

Possible starting points I. Curative II. Preventive

Mobbers: Securing one’s own position/power, upgrading one’s own position, “scapegoat” for possible personal professional failure, “emergency exit” for anger, hatred, frustration, stress/tension, dissatisfaction, envy

I. Sanctions, separation of employee/manager, II. clear statement that mobbing will not be tolerated Selection of suitable employees

Victim: Withdrawal from the work situation, reorientation, building inner strength, further education and thus development, working according to regulations, separating professional and private life, time for oneself, increasing selfdetermination through renewed freelance work, collaboration with a great other team

I. Employee reintegration (not desired by both parties) II. Integration of new employees into the team, revising the onboarding process with appropriate training time, employee meetings

Causes in the social “Cyclist mentality” (kowtowing I. Sanctions, possibly separation system upwards, kicking sideways) II. Rewarding team behavior/goals Benefits for system/organization: rapid growth, replacement of unsuitable colleagues, fluctuation is accepted Taking on more interesting tasks, upgrading one’s own person

I. n/a II. Revising personnel selection with a focus on selecting suitable applicants who fit the company situation and the team

Delegating own failures, reduc- I. Realistic task load ing stress/tension II. Revising onboarding with appropriate training time Preserving the “only” means of I. Sanctions, reassignment influence II. Team goals Asserting own interests

I. Training, team development with appropriate rewards II. Establishing team goals (continued)

34

3  Selected Mobbing Case Example from Psychological Counseling …

Table 3.7   (continued)

Mobbing causes/ Benefits Categories

Possible starting points I. Curative II. Preventive

Rapid growth, meeting investor I. / II. Committees (works council interests etc.) to ensure social framework conditions and compliance with labor law principles Laissez-faire leadership creates capacity for other tasks and saves additional employees (costs), enables rapid growth

I. / II. Training of managers, replacement of managers with employees with (more) growth experience, linking goals to employee satisfaction and low turnover

No group formation, full control by management

I. / II. Establishment of an employee-side counterweight

Source Own illustration, based on: Merk, 2014, p. 195; Zuschlag, 1997, p. 230

3.7 Summary of the Individual Case-Related Results in the Agile Environment As the individual case analysis shows, in the present case, there is a stereotypical mobbing process involving horizontal and vertical participation. The number of mobbers is slightly above the average value determined by Meschkutat et al. (2002). Regarding the duration, the process in the advanced stage approaches the upper third of mobbing cases with over two years. Both the behavior of the mobbers and the affected person can be found in relevant literature. Regarding the question of how to prevent mobbing situations, it can be concluded that in the present case of an agile organization, there is a lack of any structures and roles for mobbing prevention, so there is a comprehensive need for action, ranging from the establishment of a works council to training and mobbing contact points. In the examined unit, a local works council was established at another location, but its founding was accompanied by threats of dismissal from the disciplinary supervisor. This makes it clear that employee representation and thus a counterbalance to the current sole power position of management is not desired, is sanctioned accordingly, and the establishment of mobbing prevention

3.7  Summary of the Individual Case-Related Results …

35

is blocked top-down. Thus, the benefits of rapid growth and the associated indirect costs seem to outweigh, even if this is at the expense of the workforce. Hired are those who are available in the short term and fit the company’s budget expectations—there is no targeted personnel selection and team building according to appropriate selection procedures to exclude critical personnel-related aspects in advance. For the mobbing colleagues, this situation also results in a corresponding benefit—especially when it comes to reducing their own stress, which is at least partly due to working conditions, and covering up their own inadequacies. Further personal frustration reasons can only be speculated upon within the scope of this case study. It is all the more important at the personal level to have the basics for coping with such a (potential) extreme stress situation. Because “mobbing processes are usually carried out to the bitter end and only ended when the affected persons

Starting points for prevention Absence in the present case largely

I. Operational working and general conditions II. Personal aspects

III. Social system

Negative affect Primitive associative response Aggression-related thoughts, memories, physiological and motor responses. Rudimentary anger

Elaborated thinking (attribution, expectations about action outcome, social rules about appropriate emotions in this situation, etc.).

Irritability, bad temper or anger

Differentiated feelings

Mobbing process

Escape-related thoughts, memories, physiolgical and motor responses. Rudimentary fear

Starting points for coping I. Operational working and general conditions II. Personal coping strategies

Fear

Possible feedback on sanctioning measure/benefit minimization.

Goal: Avoid unpleasant event, minimize risk/stress (ex. frustration, pain, social stress).

Absence in the present case III. Social system

Fig. 3.3   Approaches for prevention and coping in agile organizations based on the chosen theory. Source Own illustration, based on: Berkowitz, 1993, p. 57; cited in Jonas et al., 2014, p. 327; Leymann, 1996; Merk, 2014

36

3  Selected Mobbing Case Example from Psychological Counseling …

give in” (Litzcke et al., 2013, p. 119). Starting points for those affected are to create distance from the mobbing events, make decisions about their future professional career, and initiate steps to achieve this goal (Schwickerath & Holz, 2012, p. 46 ff.; cited in Burfeind, 2020, p. 43). In addition, victims are usually advised to keep a mobbing diary to document the systematic nature, duration of mobbing actions, the actors involved, and the corresponding psychological or physical reactions, also with regard to a possible legal process (Burfeind, 2020, p. 44). Self-regulation and affect regulation also play a significant role (based on: Kuhl, 2010, p. 463). In the present case, it can be noted that the affected person already has a broad repertoire of coping strategies. A mobbing process documentation is still missing and thus offers an option for supplementation. According to Merk (2014) and Zuschlag (1997), undesirable behavior should be sanctioned. However, when considering the cognitive neo-association model of aggression, the question arises whether further frustrations would not merely trigger additional aggressions, which could exacerbate the situation as in the present case and thus provoke further indirect and covert aggressions—especially if the process is not professionally implemented and accompanied. Overall, Berkowitz’s (1993) model can be supplemented with the possible approaches for prevention and coping derived in the context of this publication, as shown below Fig. 3.3

4

Critical Reflection and Conclusion

Using the methodical approach, it is possible to verify and analyze the mobbing situation in the considered study unit as such. The LIPT was used as a recognized mobbing analysis tool and supplemented with additional measurement variables to accurately depict the situation. There are additional expansion options, for example, to record the frequency of events and create a systematic and chronological mobbing process protocol. Limitations are also provided by the choice of the cognitive neo-associationistic model of aggression as a theoretical basis. Although this provides an explanation for the emergence of aggressive behavior based on negative affect and unpleasant stimuli, it does not specifically consider other factors. Likewise, an explication of the research instruments and an identification of the quality criteria, which were assumed to be appropriate, were omitted in this analysis. Further limitations are experienced by the results from the retrospective and subjective assessment of behavior and situations by the affected person within the context of psychological counseling, which are thus subject to assumptions, distortions, and memory errors—although the evaluations of the situation and behavior analysis show high agreement with the literature and are also reflected in the perception of other people with regard to operational framework conditions. As the present analysis shows, mobbing can be based on various triggers. It also becomes apparent that there is no clear, characteristic profile of mobbing victims. However, this also means that affected persons can become involved in such a situation through no fault of their own and involuntarily, for example, because stress at work is increasing in an increasingly complex, volatile, and agile VUCA world, and mobbing processes can thus be favored (based on: Burfeind, 2020, p. 17). At the perpetrator level, it is shown that especially people with a lower or fluctuating self-esteem and insufficient qualifications can tend © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer-Verlag GmbH, DE, part of Springer Nature 2023 K. Meyer, Extreme Stress Mobbing, Springer essentials, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-67590-8_4

37

38

4  Critical Reflection and Conclusion

towards aggressive behavior (Litzcke et al., 2013, p. 113) and mobbing can thus be understood as a discharge of one’s own frustration or stress onto colleagues (Leymann, 2006; cited in Burfeind, 2020, p. 17). This increases the importance of self-leadership, stress management, and social skills to be able to react appropriately even in unforeseen, complex situations of the VUCA world or to be able to prevent mobbing—especially if companies do not strive for conducive working and framework conditions. Even though possible approaches to mobbing coping and prevention for the considered agile organization could be derived within the scope of this analysis, implementation is questionable if, as in the present case, top management executives are actively involved and essential contact points for internal conflict resolution within the company are missing or even undesired. Because in such cases, affected persons actually have no choice but to seek external support—especially if the mobbers are not interested in a joint and internal solution to the conflict situation and their intentions are thus completely contrary to the intentions of the affected person. Due to the high economic damage and an increasing establishment of agile and thus self-organized working methods far from classic corporate structures, increased interdisciplinary support from politics and jurisprudence is desirable (based on: Deutscher Bundestag, 2020)—possibly also from the medical side and thus a definition of mobbing as an independent diagnosis (Burfeind, 2020, p. 43).

What You Can Take Away From This essential

• You have an overview of essential aspects and phases of mobbing • You know relevant triggers/causes and behavioral patterns of involved actors • You understand the connections and relevance for the operational and macroeconomic practice of the working world 4.0 • You reflect on existing approaches to dealing with conflicts and the VUCA world • You improve and expand your diagnostic skills with the aim of deriving approaches for prevention and coping at an early stage

© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer-Verlag GmbH, DE, part of Springer Nature 2023 K. Meyer, Extreme Stress Mobbing, Springer essentials, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-67590-8

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