Restorative approaches to workplace bullying: Educating nurses towards shared responsibility
Marie Hutchinson
School of Health and Human Science, Southern Cross University, Lismore NSW
PP: 147 - 155
Abstract
This paper summarises what is known about bullying in the nursing workplace and approaches currently employed to address the problem. Synthesising the available evidence it is identified that restorative approaches which seek to foster shared responsibility and positively influence group norms are underdeveloped.
Based upon the principles of restorative justice this approach seeks to foster active responsibility for addressing bullying by building pro-social workplace relationships. Given the importance of socialisation processes in mediating and sustaining bullying among nurses, restorative approaches are proposed as a strategy that can be employed in nursing education to address bullying.
Keywords
bullying, nursing, restorative justice, workplace violence, shared responsibility, nursing teams
References
Ahmed E and Braithwaite J (2005) Forgiveness, shaming, shame and bullying. The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology 38: 298-323.
Alexy E and Hutchins J (2006) Workplace violence: A primer for critical care nurses. Critical Care Nursing Clinics of North America 18: 305-312.
Australian Nursing Foundation (2002) Zero tolerance (occupational violence and aggression). Melbourne: Australian Nursing Foundation, Victorian Branch.
Beech B (2001) Zero tolerance of violence against healthcare staff. Nursing Standard 15: 39-41.
Braithwaite J (2002) Repentance rituals and restorative justice. Journal of Political Philosophy 8: 115-131.
Braithwaite J, Ahmed E and Braithwaite V (2006) Shame, restorative justice and crime. In Cullen FT, Wright JP and Blevins KR (Eds) Taking stock: The status of criminological theory, pp.397-418. London: Transaction Publishers.
Braithwaite J, Healy J and Dwan K (2005) The governance of health safety and quality: A discussion paper. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia.
Daly K (Ed) (2002) Sexual assault and restorative justice. In Strong H and Braithwaite J (Eds) Restorative justice and family violence, pp.62-88. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Deans C (2004) Who cares for nurses? The lived experience of workplace aggression. Collegian 11: 32-36.
Dilek Y and Yildrium A (2008) Development and psychometric evaluation of workplace psychologically violent behaviours instrument. Journal of Clinical Nursing 17: 1361-1370.
Duffield CM, Roche MA, O'Brien-Pallas L, Diers D, Aisbett C, King MT et al (2007) Glueing it together: Nurses, their work environment and patient safety. Sydney: Centre for Health Services Management, University of Technology.
Duffy E (1995) Horizontal violence: A conundrum for nursing. Collegian 2: 5-17.
Dunn H (2003) Horizontal violence among nurses in the operating room. Association of Operating Room Nurses 78: 977.
Estryn-Behar M, van der Hejden B, Camerino D, Fry C, Le Nexer O, Conway PM and Hasselhorn HM (2008) Violence risks in nursing-results from the European 'NEXT' study. Occupation Medicine 58: 107-114.
Farrell G (2001) From tall poppies to squashed weeds. Journal of Advanced Nursing 35: 26-33.
Farrell GA, Bobrowski C and Bobrowski P (2006) Scoping workplace aggression in nursing: Findings from an Australian study. Journal of Advanced Nursing 55: 778-787.
Fredland NM (2008) Sexual bullying: Addressing the gap between bullying and dating violence. Advances in Nursing Science 31: 95-103.
Green L (2004) Breaking the code of silence to ensure quality care. Journal of Nursing Administration 4: 6-7.
Grenyer B, Ilkiw-Lavalle O, Diro P, Middlebyclements J, Commninos A and Coleman M (2004) Safer at work: Development and evaluation of an aggression and violence minimisation program. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 38: 804-810.
Griffin M (2004) Teaching cognitive rehearsal as a shield for lateral violence: An intervention for newly licensed nurses. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing 35: 257-263.
Hallberg L and Strandmark M (2006) Health consequences of workplace bullying: Experiences from the perspective of employees in the public service sector. International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-Being 1: 109-119.
Hart E and Hazelgrove J (2001) Understanding the organisational context for adverse events in the health services: The role of cultural censorship. Quality in Healthcare 10: 257-262.
Holmes C (2006) Violence, zero tolerance and the subversion of professional practice. Contemporary Nurse 21(2): 212-225.
Hubert AB and van Veldhoven M (2001) Risk sectors for undesirable behaviour and mobbing. European Journal of Work and Organisational Psychology 10: 415-424.
Hutchinson M, Jackson D, Wilkes L and Vickers MH (2008) A new model of bullying in the nursing workplace: Organisational characteristics as critical antecedents. Advances in Nursing Science 31: E6-E71.
Hutchinson M, Vickers M, Jackson D and Wilkes L (2005) 'I'm gonna do what I wanna do!': Organisational change as a legitimised vehicle for bullies. Health Care Management Review 30: 331-338.
Hutchinson M, Vickers MH, Jackson D and Wilkes L (2006a) 'They stand you in a corner; you are not to speak': Nurses tell of abusive indoctrination in work teams dominated by bullies. Contemporary Nurse 21(2): 228-238.
Hutchinson M, Vickers MH, Jackson D and Wilkes L (2006b) Like wolves in a pack: Stories of predatory alliances of bullies in nursing. Journal of Management and Organization 12(3): 235-251.
Hutchinson M, Wilkes L, Vickers MH and Jackson D (2008)The development and validation of a bullying inventory for the nursing workplace. Nurse Researcher 15(2): 19-29.
Jackson D, Clare J and Mannix J (2002) Who would want to be a nurse? Violence in the workplace: A factor in recruitment and retention. Journal of Nursing Management 10: 13-20.
Karp D and Conrad S (2005) Restorative justice and college student misconduct. Public Organization 5: 315-333.
Kivimäkia M and Virtanen M (2003) Workplace bullying and the risk of cardiovascular disease and depression. Occupational and Environmental Medicine 60: 779-783.
Lewis M (2006) Nurse bullying: Organisational considerations in the maintenance and perpetration of health care bullying cultures. Journal of Nursing Management 14: 52-58.
Lewis S and Orford J (2005) Women's experiences of workplace bullying: Changes in social relationships. Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology 15: 29-47.
Longo J and Sherman R (2007) Levelling horizontal violence. Nursing Management 38: 34-37.
Maguire J and Ryan D (2007) Aggression and violence in mental health services: Categorising the experiences of Irish nurses. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing 14: 120-127.
Mayhew C and Chappell D (2002) An overview of occupational violence. Australian Nursing Journal 9: 34-36.
Morrison B (2002) Bullying and victimisation in schools: A restorative justice approach. Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, No. 219, Australian Institute of Criminology Canberra, Australia.
Morrison B, Blood P and Thosborne M (2005) Practicing restorative justice in school communities: The challenge of culture change. Public Organization Review 5: 335-357.
Pikas A (2002) New developments of the shared concern method. School Psychology International 23: 307-326.
Quine L (2001) Workplace bullying in nurses. Journal of Health Psychology 6: 73-84.
Randle J (2003) Changes in self-esteem during a 3-year pre-registration Diploma in Higher Education (Nursing) Programme. Journal of Clinical Nursing 12: 42-143.
Rippon T (2000) Aggression and violence in health care professions. Journal of Advanced Nursing 31: 452-460.
Roberts S (2000) Development of a positive professional identity: Liberating oneself from the oppressor within. Advances in Nursing Science 22: 71-82.
Royal College of Nursing (2002) Working well, Royal College of Nursing, UK. Accessed 04 February 2006 at http://www.rcn.org.uk.
Vartia M and Hyyti J (2002) Gender differences in workplace bullying among prison officers. European Journal of Work and Organisational Psychology 11: 113-126.
Welch T and Welch M (2008) Dramatic insights: A report of the effects of a dramatic production on the learning of student nurses during their mental health course component. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing 17: 261-269.
eContent Home
