The key step to an ethical

culture: linking workplace

bullying and corruption

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bullying and corruption

Andrew Patterson

Internal Ombudsman, Warringah CouncilAPSACC, Sydney, November 2013

Opening words

“Unlimited power is apt to corrupt

the minds of those who possess

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the minds of those who possess

it.”William Pitt, 1770

Bullying

• Unfair & unreasonable treatment

• Aggression, intimidation, threats,

belittlement, humiliation, harassment

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belittlement, humiliation, harassment

• Focus on behaviours

• 1 in 3 are bullied

• Australia: Costs between $6B and $36B

Corruption

• Dishonesty & greed

• Bribery, fraud, theft, embezzlement, favours,

decisions

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decisions

• Focus on outcomes

Bullying & Corruption

• Obsession with SELF

• Disdain for others

• Disdain for rules

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• Disdain for rules

• Lack of RESPECT

• Abuse of position and power

• Workplace Deviance

• Both cost Australian economy $B’s each year

The Usual Disconnect

Reflecting on your organizations:

•Q: How do you treat bullying?•Q: How do you treat bullying?

•Q: How do you treat corruption?

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The Usual Disconnect

• Bullying is relegated to being an HR grievance issue

• Codes of Conduct are too limited• We have developed a mature view towards

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• We have developed a mature view towards corruption, but we lag behind on bullying

• Both are seriously damaging to organizations• Both cost a huge amount of $$$• Both reflect poorly on us as human beings• The Disconnect: we fail to recognize the

overlap

Why the Disconnect

• It’s all too grey?

• It’s about behaviour rather than money?

• It’s likely to involve interpersonal conflict?

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• It’s likely to involve interpersonal conflict?

• We’ll have to make some value judgements?

• We’ll have to reflect on our own behaviours?

• As a society we have been enculturated into

accepting bullying as a legitimate exercise of power?

The Interrelation

• Bullying to Enable Corruption

• Bullying to hold a Power Base

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• Bullying to hold a Power Base

The Interrelation

• Bullying to Cover Up Corruption

• Bullying leading to Corruption

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• Bullying leading to Corruption

The Interrelation

• Bullying to Socialize into Norms of Corruption

• Bullying to Punish Whistleblowers

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• Bullying to Punish Whistleblowers

The Warringah Approach

• Bullying is classed as serious misconduct

• Anti-bullying provisions specified in the Code

of Conduct

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of Conduct

• Primary responsibility for dealing with

bullying rests with Internal Ombudsman, not

HR

• Mandatory training: “A Bully-Free Warringah”

“A Bully-Free Warringah”• Mandatory for all, including management

• Face to face workshops

• Sponsored by the General Manager

• Since February 2011 – over 800 staff trained (~80%)

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• Since February 2011 – over 800 staff trained (~80%)

• Defines bullying and harassment

• Teaches behaviours

• Establishes reporting and advice mechanisms

• Develops trust & promotes respect

Warringah – Internal Reporting

• 2008-2009: 10 (13.2%) T=76

Early 2010 - New anti-bullying framework

introduced:

• 2009-2010: 28 (17.5%)• 2009-2010: 28 (17.5%) T=160

• 2010-2011: 53 (21.0%) T=252

• 2011-2012: 63 (28.5%) T=221

• 2012-2013: 80 (46.8%) T=171

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Culture: Lessons & Approaches

• Zero tolerance of serious misconduct

• Corruption & Bullying – both serious

misconduct

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• Autonomous and proactive watchdog is

essential

Culture: Lessons & Approaches• Corruption is insidious and multi-faceted

• So is Bullying

• Corruption has to be addressed through theculture

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culture

• So does Bullying

• They both thrive on FEAR & SILENCE

Culture: Lessons & Approaches• An ethical culture will only survive and thrive

in a broader healthy organisational culture

• Workplace bullying is a significant factor inpoor culture

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poor culture

• Staff who feel aggrieved either through perceived unfairness or due to a culture of bullying, fear and silence will not regard ethics as a priority

Culture: Lessons & Approaches

• Approach and message – must be consistent

and comprehensive

• Corruption and Bullying drive poor culture &

arise from poor culture

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arise from poor culture

• Corruption and Bullying are both self-

sustaining if not tackled head on

• A holistic approach is crucial – Integrated &

Systematic

Further Reading

• Ashforth, B.E. & Anand, V. (2003) The Normalization of Corruption in Organizations.

Research in Organizational Behavior, 25, 1-52.

• Claybourn, M. (2011) Relationships Between Moral Disengagement, Work

Characteristics and Workplace Harassment. Journal of Business Ethics, 100,

283-301.

• Ethics Resource Center. (2010) The Importance of Ethical Culture: Increasing

Trust and Driving Down Risks. (Supplemental Research Brief: 2009

National Business Ethics Survey). Arlington, VA: Ethics Resource Center.

• Fisher, J. (2003) Surface and deep approaches to business ethics. Leadership &

Organization Development Journal, 24(1-2), 96-101.

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Further Reading

• Hutchinson, M., Vickers, M.H., Wilkes, L., & Jackson, D. (2009) “The Worse You

Behave, The More You Seem, to be Rewarded”: Bullying in Nursing as

Organizational Corruption. Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal, 21,

213-229.

• Litzky, B.E., Eddleston, K.A., & Kidder, D.L. (2006) The Good, the Bad, and the

Misguided: How Managers Inadvertently Encourage Deviant Behaviors. Misguided: How Managers Inadvertently Encourage Deviant Behaviors.

Academy of Management Perspectives, February, 91-103.

• McClelland, D.C. & Burnham, D.H. (1995) Power Is the Great Motivator. Harvard

Business Review, January-February, 126-139.

• Rhodes, C., Pullen, A., Vickers, M.H., Clegg, S.R., & Pitsis, A. (2010) Violence and

Workplace Bullying: What Are an Organization’s Ethical Responsibilities?

Administrative Theory & Praxis, 32(1), 96-115.

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Further Reading

• Stouten, J., Baillien, E., Van den Broeck, A., Camps, J., De Witte, H., & Euwema,

M. (2010) Discouraging Bullying: The Role of Ethical Leadership and its

Effects on the Work Environment. Journal of Business Ethics, 95, 17-27.

• Vega, G. & Comer, D.R. (2005) Sticks and Stones may Break Your Bones, but

Words can Break Your Spirit: Bullying in the Workplace. Journal of Business

Ethics, 58, 101-109.Ethics, 58, 101-109.

• Vickers, M.H. (2013) Towards Reducing the Harm: Workplace Bullying as

Workplace Corruption – A Critical Review. Employee Responsibilities and

Rights Journal, Online 30 August 2013.

• Yamada, D. (2008) Workplace Bullying and Ethical Leadership. The Journal of

Values-Based Leadership, 1(2), 1-13.

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Closing words

“I have tried as best I could to be a

man with an ethic, and that is

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man with an ethic, and that is

what cost me most.”Albert Camus, 1958