Bullying in New Zealand: comparing NAQ findings to European and USA studies
RIS ID
76956
Abstract
While attention towards workplace bullying is growing internationally, it is an under researched area in New Zealand. This paper provides an initial insight into workplace bullying in a New Zealand context, using an internationally recognized instrument, the Negative Acts Questionnaire. The study used data gathered from workers in higher education institutions and then compared it to findings from similar studies from Norway, Denmark, Turkey and the USA. The results showed that New Zealand workers reported a high occurrence of negative acts and bullying. The frequencies were far higher than found in the comparable European studies, especially relating to the frequency of bullying, but similar to those from the USA. After proffering some suggestions for the higher levels of bullying, related to national culture and national attention to bullying, we conclude by recommending that more research is needed to identify whether these results can be considered as representative of the general New Zealand workforce.
Publication Details
Thirlwall, A. & Haar, J. M. 2010, 'Bullying in New Zealand: comparing NAQ findings to European and USA studies', New Zealand Journal of Human Resources Management, vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 99-115.