February 12, 2008

Recognizing and Dealing with Workplace Bullies

In a presentation Camilo Azcarate (University Ombuds Officer, Princeton University), Nicholas Diehl (Associate Ombuds, Princeton University), Howard Gadlin (Ombudsman, National Institutes of Health), and Patricia J. Lynch (Corporate Ombudsman, United Technologies Corporation) gave at the first annual International Ombudsman Association conference, held in April 2006, they cited ten characteristic behaviors of workplace bullies that managers need to be alert to:

A workplace bully:


1. is charming in public; this charm is used to seduce the victim with the aim of dominating and controlling.


2. spreads rumors in private to reduce the victim’s power and damage his/her reputation.


3. is apparently supportive in private but exposes the victim’s mistakes in public.


4. distorts reality to make him/herself look good and the victim look bad.


5. is hypocritical — says the right things but is exploitative and manipulative.


6. is evasive, does not provide straight answers, and gets angry when confronted.


7. is pompous and self-righteous and inflates his/her importance.


8. is passive-aggressive. For example, the bully withholds information and works to isolate the victim.


9. presents him/herself as a victim and blames others for his/her pain and suffering.


10. pretends to care, and humiliates the victim under the guise of caring
.

From: http://streamlinetraining.blogspot.com

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

This fits my situation exactly...

...does it help to have it written out like this...

....strangely yes...

... my bullies are I find...

...manipulative... evasive... pretend to care... hypocritical... distort reality... spread rumours about me... pompous....

I refuse to scream out in pain and give them the pleasure of witnessing my despair...

I scream inside my head... and smile sweetly when I meet them in the corridor...

Aphra Behn