The exit coping response to workplace bullying: The contribution of inclusivist and exclusivist HRM strategies

摘要

Purpose - This paper aims to describe the role of human resource management (HRM) in targets'rncoping with workplace bullying.rnDesign/methodology/approach - The paper draws on a study rooted in van Manen's hermeneuticrnphenomenology, conducted with agents working in international facing call centres in Mumbai andrnBangalore, India. Exploring targets' lived experiences, conversational interviews and sententious andrnselective thematic analyzes were undertaken.rnFindings - Targets' experiences were captured by the core theme of "protecting my interests" whichrnsubsumes four themes, experiencing confusion, engaging organizational options, moving inwards andrnexiting the organization. The findings highlight targets' attempts to deal with the experience ofrnbullying, relying on their personal and social resources as well as on organizational options in order tornensure that their emotional well-being, task-related performance and long-term career goals were notrnhampered by victimization. Participants' endeavours displayed two prominent features: the presencernof turning points and the critical role of HRM in influencing multiple facets of the experience.rnResearch limitations/implications - The study achieves theoretical generalizability but furtherrnresearch is needed to establish statistical generalizability.rnPractical implications - The engagement of HRM as a truly unitarist ideology, the development ofrneffective employee redressal mechanisms and the relevance of pluralist approaches andrncollectivization endeavours emerge as crucial areas for application.rnOriginality/value - In addition to breaking new ground in empirically uncovering thernorganization's etiological role in workplace bullying, going beyond the existing work-environmentrnhypothesis and organization as bully conceptualization, the findings provide a new perspective onrntargets' exit coping response. To the authors' knowledge, workplace bullying has not been studied inrnIndia.