Journal of Managerial Psychology

“Is this bullying?” Understanding target and witness reactions

Al-Karim Samnani
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JMP
28,3 “Is this bullying?” Understanding
target and witness reactions
Al-Karim Samnani
290 School of Human Resource Management, York University, Toronto, Canada

Abstract
Purpose – This paper seeks to theorize the interpretations and reactions of targets and witnesses to
subtle forms of bullying.
Design/methodology/approach – A theoretical approach was used to understand target and
witness interpretations and reactions. Learned helplessness theory and social influence theory are
drawn upon.
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Findings – This paper revealed that subtle forms of bullying behaviors will be more likely to induce
confusion from both targets and witnesses. Targets will tend to be more confused in response to subtle
bullying and attribute environmental factors for the behaviors. This will decrease their likelihood to
react against the bullying. Witnesses will also experience greater confusion and will tend to side with
the perpetrator, particularly when the perpetrator is an important organizational member
(e.g. supervisor). Witnesses may internalize the behaviors, leading to greater permeability of the
bullying through the organization.
Originality/value – This paper sheds light on two important and under-researched aspects of
workplace bullying, i.e. subtle bullying behaviors and witnesses of bullying. This paper
counter-intuitively suggests that subtle bullying behaviors may in fact be more harmful to targets
than explicit bullying behaviors. Also, witnesses may represent a “dark side” of bullying in which they
enable the bullying to be increasingly difficult to defend against. This contributes to our
understanding of the intensification of bullying.
Keywords Workplace bullying, Subtle bullying, Witness reactions, Witnesses, Behaviour
Paper type Conceptual paper

Journal of Managerial Psychology
Vol. 28 No. 3, 2013
pp. 290-305
q Emerald Group Publishing Limited
0268-3946
DOI 10.1108/02683941311321196
Introduction
Over the past 20 years, research on workplace bullying has increased considerably.
Prevalence studies revealing the widespread nature of bullying in the workplace has
played a critical role in fueling this research. For instance, a study in the USA reported
a prevalence rate of workplace bullying at approximately 47 percent of employees
(Lutgen-Sandvik et al., 2007). In addition, Fox and Stallworth (2005) found that over 95
percent of employees have experienced some form of general bullying at work over the
past five years. In contrast, studies in Europe have generally reported lower prevalence
rates (5-10 percent) (Einarsen et al., 2011), which may be partially accounted for by the
use of varying definitions and estimation methods, as well as national culture
(Lutgen-Sandvik et al., 2007; Loh et al., 2010). Nonetheless, these studies reveal that
bullying is a significant problem in the workplace.
While researchers often conceptualize workplace bullying as explicit behaviors
(Einarsen et al., 2011), when closely examining the survey data in research on bullying
(e.g. Bulutlar and Unler Oz, 2009; Fox and Stallworth, 2005) the findings reveal that the
vast majority of bullying behaviors are relatively subtle (Lee and Brotheridge, 2006).
This has important implications for target and witness/bystander (used
interchangeably) interpretations and reactions. Indeed, with legislation having been
 passed in three Canadian provinces (Power et al., 2011) and proposed in over 15 states Target and
in the USA (Levitt, 2009) to protect employees from bullying, subtle forms may become witness reactions
even more prevalent as they replace explicit acts. In fact, similar developments
transpired in relation to racial discrimination in the workplace. As laws were passed to
protect workers from racial discrimination, explicit forms of racism transformed into
more subtle forms, labeled “modern racism” (Brief et al., 2000).
As a result of these developments and the existing prevalence of subtle bullying, I 291
focus specifically on these forms and the implications for targets and witnesses. In
doing so, this paper fills an important research void. The focus on targets and
witnesses sheds light on a critical group who are often indirectly affected by bullying.
Indeed, witnesses outnumber targets while also experiencing similar outcomes, albeit
to a lesser degree (Einarsen et al., 1994; Lutgen-Sandvik et al., 2007). Importantly,
D’Cruz and Noronha (2011, p. 269) contend, “Bystanders, while being important
constituents of the bullying scenario, have received very little research attention”.
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Therefore, this paper makes two important contributions to the field while making the
case for greater attention to these two under-researched aspects (subtle forms of
bullying and witnesses of bullying).
In this paper, I first provide an overview of the workplace bullying literature while
discussing the consequences of bullying for targets and witnesses. Second, I focus on
subtle bullying behaviors and theorize targets’ interpretations and reactions. Third, I
theorize the potential consequences of subtle bullying on witnesses. Finally, I discuss
the theoretical and practical contributions of this paper and offer areas for future
research.

Workplace bullying: an overview

Conceptualizing workplace bullying
Definition. Einarsen et al. (2011, p. 22) provide a definition of workplace bullying that
has been commonly used in the literature:
Bullying at work means harassing, offending, socially excluding someone or negatively
affecting someone’s work tasks. In order for the label bullying (or mobbing) to be applied to a
particular activity, interaction or process it has to occur repeatedly and regularly (e.g. weekly)
and over a period of time (e.g. about six months). Bullying is an escalated process in the
course of which the person confronted ends up in an inferior position and becomes the target
of systematic negative social acts.
Four broad features of workplace bullying can be derived from this definition. First,
these negative acts must occur on a regular basis, generally once a week. Second, these
negative acts must occur over a certain period of time, generally at least six months.
Third, a power imbalance must exist between the perpetrator and the target whereby
the target finds it increasingly difficult to defend him or herself. Fourth, these negative
acts must be systematic and planned, suggesting the presence of negative intent of the
perpetrator. If the negative acts meet these four criteria, researchers generally agree
that such behaviors would constitute bullying (Hoel et al., 1999).
Furthermore, two other important factors can be cited that have been strongly
associated with bullying. First, workplace bullying has been associated with detrimental
effects on targets’ health (e.g. Djurkovic et al., 2006; Giorgi, 2010; Hoel et al., 2004; Lee and
Brotheridge, 2006). More specifically, health-related consequences for targets include
stress, anxiety, insomnia, a lower self-image, and poorer mental ill health (Vega and
 JMP Comer, 2005). Second, the environment can often play a critical role in stimulating and
28,3 facilitating bullying (Hoel et al., 1999). Bullying has been found to be more prevalent in
certain industries (e.g. manufacturing; hospitality) (Einarsen et al., 1994), work
environments (e.g. call centers) (D’Cruz and Noronha, 2010, 2011), work cultures
(Collinson, 1988), and when laissez-faire leadership is present (Skogstad et al., 2007).
The estimation methods used to measure workplace bullying have been subjected to
292 criticism (Einarsen et al., 2011). In particular, while the Negative Acts Questionnaire
measures frequency, its ability to capture other important features of workplace
bullying such as persistency, power imbalance, and negative intent is debatable (see
Hershcovis, 2011). Furthermore, the emergence of cross-cultural issues in bullying
(e.g. Giorgi, 2010; Loh et al., 2010) raises further questions. For instance, employees
from high power distance countries may view bullying behaviors from supervisors as
acceptable and normal (Loh et al., 2010). Therefore, the definition of bullying and the
wide variances found in prevalence studies should be viewed with some caution.
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Subtle bullying behaviors can include, but are not limited to:
. withholding important information;
. excessive monitoring;
. persistent criticism;
.
excessively high workloads;
.
social ostracism;
.
gossip;
.
shouting and yelling;
.
personal jokes and insults; and
.
taking credit for an employee’s work (Fox and Stallworth, 2005).

When using the term “subtle bullying”, this paper refers to bullying acts that are not
immediately obvious and can be interpreted in various ways. Acts of incivility in the
workplace (Andersson and Pearson, 1999) when repeated and prolonged also constitute
bullying. Indeed, a number of researchers have contended that bullying can be difficult
to detect (e.g. Hoel et al., 2010), misinterpreted (e.g. Hoel and Beale, 2006), and
implicit/hidden (e.g. Leymann, 1996). Consistent with this, Hoel and Beale (2006, p. 242)
suggested that “the presence of bullying behavior may exist independently of how these
behaviors are being interpreted and construed”. Subtle bullying behaviors also have
important implications for targets’ and witnesses’ sense-making processes (Weick, 1995).
For instance, some employees may re-enact their environments by cognitively
re-structuring events, such as subtle bullying, to be construed as normal (Weick, 1995).
When conceptualizing subtle bullying, a number of key distinctions can be identified.
Interpersonal versus depersonalized bullying. One important distinction is between
interpersonal and depersonalized bullying. While interpersonal bullying has received
far more attention in the literature, depersonalized bullying refers to the contextual and
structural elements of organizational design, which in effect bully the employee
(D’Cruz and Noronha, 2009). This can be differentiated from interpersonal bullying,
whereby the latter entails malicious personal intentions (D’Cruz and Noronha, 2009). A
few studies have similarly examined the way in which work conditions itself can
represent bullying (e.g. Liefooghe and Davey, 2001; D’Cruz and Noronha, 2010).
 In this paper, both forms are described. To explain, some employees may perceive Target and
the work environment as a bully, while other employees subjected to these same witness reactions
behaviors may ascribe a supervisor or co-worker as the perpetrator. This could be
interpreted based on the findings presented by D’Cruz and Noronha (2010) wherein
certain employees attributed the oppressive work environment as the bully, while other
employees attributed their team leader as the bully. This raises an important question
about the role of subjective assessments by the target. 293
Objective versus subjective assessments of the bullying. There is debate in the
literature on the distinction between objective versus subjective assessments of
bullying (Einarsen et al., 2011). While much of the European-based research on
workplace bullying has emphasized the importance of subjective assessments by the
target (Einarsen et al., 2011), North American research has focused more heavily on
perpetrator intentionality and objective behaviors (Keashly and Neuman, 2005). The
perspective taken in this paper, particularly since the focus is on subtle bullying, is that
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bullying may occur without the target necessarily recognizing the behaviors as
bullying. In other words, bullying can occur beyond the subjective assessments by the
target. Nevertheless, we deem it important to also understand how employees attribute
these behaviors.
This perspective is adopted based on findings from various qualitative studies
(e.g. Baillien et al., 2009; D’Cruz and Noronha, 2010) that have revealed instances in
which targets were bullied but did not initially realize it. Because perpetrators may be
driven by a number of possible motives to mask their bullying behaviors (e.g. to hide it
from management because of possible repercussions), they often engage in subtle
bullying whereby the behaviors may not be overtly apparent to the target.
Nevertheless, both overt and subtle forms of bullying have been associated with
several consequences.

Consequences of workplace bullying

The consequences that workplace bullying can have on targets are numerous. In
relation to work-related consequences, researchers have found that targets have a
higher intent to leave (Djurkovic et al., 2008), lower levels of commitment (McCormack
et al., 2006), and higher levels of absenteeism (Hoel et al., 2003). Moreover,
Lutgen-Sandvik et al. (2007) found that both targets and witnesses of bullying had
lower levels of job satisfaction, job rating, and higher levels of stress. In addition,
Einarsen et al. (1994) also found detrimental consequences for both targets and
witnesses when revealing that both types reported a lower quality work environment.
In relation to physiological and psychological consequences, targets suffer lower
physical and mental health (Giorgi, 2010; Hoel et al., 2004), while experiencing higher
levels of depression (Mikkelsen and Einarsen, 2002), negative affect (Djurkovic et al.,
2006), alcohol abuse (Rospenda, 2002), and even suicide (Rayner et al., 2002). Finally,
D’Cruz and Noronha (2011) found that witnesses also reported deterioration in their
own physical and mental health including guilt and fear, insomnia, headaches, and
fatigue. Subtle bullying can also have key implications for sense-making processes. To
explain, such behaviors will tend to be more difficult to interpret and defend against.
This will lead to diverse sense-making processes across employees, since subtle
bullying can be interpreted in a number of ways. This perspective will now be
described in more detail.
 JMP The implications and consequences of subtle bullying
28,3 In this section, two important factors are explored in relation to subtle bullying
behaviors. First, the implications of subtle bullying on target interpretations and
reactions are explored. Second, the influence of subtle bullying on witnesses is examined.

Target interpretations and reactions

294 Target interpretations and work environment. Targets who were able to halt bullying
behaviors were often those who reacted strongly towards the perpetrator (Leck and
Galperin, 2006). Conversely, targets who fail to recognize the bullying often find that
the bullying intensifies (Baillien et al., 2009). Subtle bullying behaviors are more likely
to induce weaker reactions and greater misinterpretation from targets. This is because
such behaviors are often difficult to identify.
Based on a review of qualitative studies, and particularly studies in which the
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bullying behaviors were relatively subtle, I found a number of interesting findings.

Most importantly, employees often looked to the work environment to explain the
negative behaviors they were experiencing. This, at first glance, would be in line with
the social interactionist framework, which suggests that situational and external
factors play a key role in stimulating certain behaviors from others (Felson, 1992).
Indeed, workplace bullying researchers have used the social interactionist perspective
to understand bullying (Hoel et al., 1999). However, researchers should be careful when
measuring the role of the environment, because:
.
employees may misattribute the environment as the key driver of negative
behaviors; and
.
employees who are bullied may be more likely to view the environment in a
negative manner.

This review reveals that employees often failed to recognize bullying behaviors when
experienced and even misattributed these negative acts. For instance, D’Cruz and
Noronha (2010: 109) found that:
Participants maintained that it was only in retrospect that they were able to identify when the
experience of bullying began. During the initial onset period, being immersed in their work,
they did not realize that they were being bullied [. . .] When they did become aware of the
change in the bully’s behavior towards them, they attributed it to the oppressive work
environment.
The bullying was often perpetrated by a supervisor (team leader) and characterized by
verbal attacks towards the employee and his/her work. Employees, in turn, often felt
that the work environment was to blame for the bullying as a result of working in a
busy call-center firm. This limited their ability and willingness to react towards the
perpetrator. In an earlier study, Liefooghe and Davey (2001, p. 381) found that targets
often blamed the work environment for bullying. For instance, one employee had
stated “For me it’s [bullying] not really an individual bullying. I don’t ever feel bullied
on a one-to-one it’s more the environment”.
These findings are interesting, because they reveal the possibility that employees
may not perceive bullying behaviors as bullying. If employees do not perceive such
behaviors as bullying, they may be less likely to develop serious health-related
consequences. While the form of bullying (i.e. subtle) provides one explanation for why
 targets may be less likely to recognize bullying when it occurs, cultural and Target and
environmental factors may also provide important insights (Giorgi et al., 2011). For
instance, Giorgi (2010) suggests that Japanese employees, due to their collectivistic
witness reactions
culture, may be less likely to perceive negative behaviors as harmful. Moreover, these
employees may have more effective collective coping strategies as a result of their
cultural values (Giorgi, 2010). Therefore, having certain cultural values may in fact
represent a positive attribute in protecting against bullying behaviors (e.g. more 295
adaptive group coping mechanisms).
Nevertheless, target interpretations can allow subtle bullying to persist and
intensify over time. In these instances, employees’ sense-making processes (Weick,
1995) enabled them to enact their environment in a way that blamed the work
conditions or other environmental factors rather than the actual perpetrator. In several
cases, both the interpretations and reactions towards the bullying were influenced by
the form of bullying (i.e. subtle) and the work environment, which had key implications
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for sense-making processes due to the confusion and ambiguity that these behaviors
elicited.
While the interpretations above may have been influenced by intense work
environments, Baillien et al. (2009, p. 7) reported a case in which the target initially
believed that the negative behaviors reflected increased comfort levels from
co-workers:
Tim is pleased with the colleagues’ interest in non-work-related issues such as his hobbies
and his family status. Tim notices that making jokes is very important too, and he feels
accepted when he is the object of these jokes. Gradually, these jokes become more personal
[. . .] When the colleagues soil his keyboard, Tim cannot handle it anymore [. . .] All cases are
similar [. . .] The bullying stops as soon as they find another victim.
In this case, Tim’s sense-making processes played an important role in his attribution
about the bullying behaviors. In fact, Tim had made a positive attribution about the
behaviors. To explain, he initially felt that the personal jokes were important and felt
accepted when these jokes were made. However, when these acts intensified over time,
Tim recognized that he was being bullied. This case also reveals the potential for
subtle bullying to be misinterpreted, which results in targets believing that such
behaviors represent an aspect of the climate or culture.
Subtle bullying also tends to exist in certain work environments that are described
as “tough” (Salin, 2003), which affect targets’ sense-making processes whereby they
may interpret and rationalize these behaviors as normal (Collinson, 1988). Similarly,
employees who experience forms of ostracism in the workplace (Williams, 2007) may
make sense of these experiences based on the work environment. For instance, while
some employees may feel malicious intent from others when experiencing ostracism,
other employees may attribute that they themselves do not fit in with the group culture
as a rationale for why co-workers do not interact with him/her. In these cases, targets
may find it easier to blame the culture of the workgroup rather than actively confront
the perpetrator:
P1. Employees who experience subtle forms of bullying will be more likely to
blame the climate or culture of the workgroup or organization.
Target interpretations and learned helplessness. While much of the above discussion
has focused on target interpretations of subtle bullying, these interpretations will have
 JMP implications for how targets subsequently react. Employees who interpret the bullying
28,3 as environmentally driven will be less likely to actively react. In fact, employees may
even make positive attributions while feeling that being subjected to these behaviors
(e.g. personal jokes) signals that they “fit in” with their workgroup (see Baillien et al.,
2009). Hence, there may be a range of positive and negative reactions towards the
received bullying behaviors while the target fails to recognize the bullying.
296 There are a number of important factors that will influence how a target reacts. As
mentioned, the way that targets conceptualize the behaviors will play an important
role. Tied with this, the conceptualization of power represents another critical factor.
From a cultural perspective, employees with high power distance will be more limited
in the possible ways in which they can react towards bullying (Hofstede, 1980). For
example, high power distance employees may view bullying behaviors from a
supervisor to be justified due to the greater degree of power they accept as legitimate in
organizations.
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Targets may also have different ways of coping with bullying. To date, Hogh et al.
(2011) contended that “research on targets’ coping with bullying is far from abundant”.
In one of the few studies that did examine targets’ coping strategies, Djurkovic et al.
(2005) found that most targets cope with bullying through avoidance-based reactions,
rather than reacting with assertiveness or seeking further help. Furthermore, Baillien
et al. (2009) suggested four types of coping responses towards bullying:
(1) exit (leaving the organization);
(2) voice (discussing the problems):
(3) loyalty (optimistically waiting for the bullying to stop); and
(4) neglect (passively ignoring the situation).

Because subtle bullying is characterized by behaviors that are difficult to detect,

targets may be more likely to engage in avoidance forms of coping (exit, loyalty, or
neglect). This is because they may be unsure of the perpetrator’s intent. Moreover, they
would not want to create conflict situations whereby others view the targets’ reactions
as unnecessary and inappropriate.
In many organizations, employees are not accustomed to a bounded emotionality
framework whereby employees control and regulate their emotions (Sheehan and
Jordan, 2003). In fact, Sheehan and Jordan (2003, p. 362) assert that organizations often
“overlook” the development of these abilities. When this form of personal mastery is
overlooked (Senge, 1992), targets will more likely struggle with how to best cope with
the bullying. This will often result in targets’ inability to recognize the impact of the
bullying on them and make less likely to identify the appropriate steps needed to
address the situation (Sheehan and Jordan, 2003).
Finally, employees may differ in their causal attributions about the bullying. The
locus of control (i.e. internal versus external attributions) is important (Hershcovis and
Barling, 2010). Internal attributions refer to perceptions that dispositional factors
played a significant role in causing an event. Conversely, external attributions refer to
perceptions that broader environmental factors, such as organizational culture, were
responsible for the occurrence of an event (Heider, 1958). When employees make
external attributions, they may become less likely to react towards the perpetrator
because of perceptions that the behaviors are beyond the perpetrator’s control
 (e.g. work climate). Because subtle bullying is often difficult to detect, targets may Target and
often ascribe the broader environment as a driver of bullying (e.g. Liefooghe and witness reactions
Davey, 2001).
Learned helplessness theory can be particularly useful to understand the potential
consequences associated with external attributions of bullying. Learned helplessness
theory (Seligman, 1975) suggests that when an individual experiences a negative
situation or event that he/she perceives as uncontrollable, he/she is likely to believe that 297
his/her efforts will be unrelated to subsequent outcomes (i.e. being bullied) and will feel a
sense of helplessness. This theory is useful because targets who believe that bullying is
driven by broader environmental factors will tend to feel more helpless towards the
behaviors because of lower perceived control over the events (Hershcovis and Barling,
2010). Moreover, avoidance forms of coping, which were associated with subtle bullying,
can also increase the potential for targets to experience learned helplessness.
Abramson et al. (1978) suggest that three deficits will be encountered when one
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perceives that an event is beyond his/her control. First, individuals will experience
motivational deficits through their resulting expectation that outcomes will also be
uncontrollable in the future. Second, individuals will experience cognitive deficits by
learning that events are uncontrollable and encounter challenges in learning appropriate
responses to future events. Third, an individual will experience emotional deficits such
as depressed affect through their perception that outcomes are beyond control. Thus,
this illustrates how employees’ helplessness during bullying situations can generate
cognitive and emotional deficits, which further makes the target unlikely to retaliate:
P2a. Employees who blame bullying on the broader environment (i.e. making an
external attribution) will be less likely to react to bullying situations.
P2b. Employees who fail to react to bullying situations in its early stages
experience increased cognitive and emotional deficits.

Witness interpretations and reactions

With the exception of a few studies (e.g. D’Cruz and Noronha, 2011; Einarsen et al.,
1994; Lutgen-Sandvik et al., 2007), limited attention has been devoted to witnesses of
bullying. Witnesses can play a number of important roles in a bullying situation. Three
types of witness roles are explored in this analysis. First, witnesses may support the
target. Researchers have reported instances in which witnesses overtly supported the
target (Leck and Galperin, 2006; Lutgen-Sandvik, 2006). When this occurred, the
perpetrator was more likely to stop his/her bullying behaviors. Second, witnesses may
support the perpetrator. Third, witnesses may become silent spectators. With respect
to the latter two witness roles, D’Cruz and Noronha (2011) found that witnesses who
fear becoming the next target tend to either support the perpetrator or maintain a more
neutral position (i.e. silent spectator).
Social influence theory can help explain witness interpretations and reactions to
bullying situations. Social influence theory suggests that as a result of direct or indirect
pressures to conform, individuals may often learn aggressive behaviors “either by
reinforcement histories or modeling” (Tedeschi, 1983, p. 142). Tedeschi (1983) focuses
primarily on coercive and aggressive behaviors as a form of social influence; however,
this conceptualization can have key implications for witnesses. In addition to learning
processes, Tedeschi (1983) also discusses the importance of fear. Extending this
 JMP theoretical framework, I posit that such social influence processes will cause witnesses
28,3 to fear punishment if they do not engage in or support certain behaviors that other
members, who are perceived as influential, exhibit. Consequently, these pressures will
tend to shape subsequent behaviors of the witness. Social influence theory will be used
as a basis for theorizing witness behaviors.
Witness appraisals and support. When employees experience bullying, the closest
298 individuals to whom they may turn to are their co-workers (Coyne et al., 2004).
Furthermore, when the bullying behaviors are subtle, this may provoke targets to turn
towards their social context (e.g. team members) to understand whether they are
interpreting the behaviors correctly. Indeed, D’Cruz and Noronha (2011, p. 276) asserted:
“It was to participants [team members] that targets first turned to when the latter
realized that there was something amiss”. However, researchers have found that
witnesses do not often realize the severity of the issue (Tracy et al., 2006). Moreover,
common responses to a target’s experience of bullying may often be: “She’s just a
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disgruntled employee” (Tracy et al., 2006, p. 149). In the qualitative literature, researchers
have found that bullying behaviors are often disregarded by co-workers, while targets
felt they received little support (e.g. Baillien et al., 2009; Strandmark and Hallberg, 2007).
While researchers have suggested that bullying can be difficult to detect for targets
(Hoel and Beale, 2006), one may expect that subtle bullying would be even more difficult
to detect for witnesses. Researchers have suggested that perpetrators, in an attempt to
mask their true intentions, may engage in more subtle forms of bullying that make such
behaviors difficult to identify for others (Parzefall and Salin, 2010). Moreover, Parzefall
and Salin (2010) argue that when perpetrators blend subtle bullying behaviors with
demands for work efficiency and work goals, these behaviors can evoke strong levels of
confusion for the target. Witnesses may be even more likely to convey disbelief that such
behaviors represent bullying. As a result, witnesses who do not believe that an employee
is experiencing bullying will be less likely to lend support to him/her.
D’Cruz and Noronha (2011) found that witnesses who were friends of the target were
fearful that their support may lead to negative consequences for themselves. This often
led them to maintain a distance from the target and not overtly show support. As
described, social influence theory can provide a potent explanation for these pressures
on the witness to withhold support for the target (Tedeschi, 1983). Because the bullying
was subtle, HRM often took the perpetrator’s side, which made witnesses even more
fearful to demonstrate support. Furthermore, subtle bullying is more likely to create
doubts in observers’ minds about whether the target is actually being bullied.
Therefore, subtle bullying is more likely to result in witnesses becoming silent
spectators or supporters of the perpetrator than supporters of the target.
Leck and Galperin (2006) found that targets who were able to halt the bullying
successfully were those who reacted strongly against the behaviors and who received
support from co-workers. Some witnesses had indeed defended the target and stood up
against the perpetrator. Similar findings were reported in a study by Lutgen-Sandvik
(2006). Several employees collectively supporting each other will tend to represent a
stronger form of resistance than resistance from a single employee, and especially
stronger than a single non-retaliating employee. Nevertheless, subtle bullying will
more likely invoke disbelief amongst witnesses that bullying is occurring; thus,
making them less likely to support the target. This lack of support will be particularly
likely when the perpetrator is a manager or supervisor.
 Social influence theory suggests that employees often fear punishment when they Target and
do not adhere to the influence exerted (Tedeschi, 1983). Interestingly, D’Cruz and witness reactions
Noronha (2011) found that witnesses often kept a distance from both the target and
supporters of the target in order to remain in the perpetrator’s favor. Through
sense-making processes, witnesses may rationalize that the target is unnecessarily
complaining and risking team cohesion. Consequently, the blame may be placed on the
target. In this scenario, the target may feel that his/her co-workers, by siding with the 299
perpetrator, are in fact participating in the bullying.
Heames and Harvey (2006) argued that bullying behaviors can come to be viewed and
rationalized as normal in an organization. This would make witnesses resistant towards
those who complain, which also represents a social influence force. Hence, when the
perpetrator is an important organizational member (i.e. supervisor or manager), this will
increase the likelihood that a witness sides with the perpetrator. Witnesses may take the
perpetrator’s side based on their own sense-making processes. For instance, witnesses
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may have political reasons for supporting the perpetrator (Salin, 2003), which can include
the expectation of future reciprocity in the form of advancement or favors in the
organization. Furthermore, witnesses may believe that supporting the target will be a
losing battle, since the perpetrator’s hierarchical status will attract the favor of senior
management. Thus, supporting the perpetrator may be seen as a “safe” strategy.
Alternatively, witnesses may feel that the perpetrator, because of his/her
hierarchical status in relation to the target, is more likely to be justified in his/her
actions. Culture can play a particularly telling role. Employees from high power
distance countries will often feel obligated to support their manager because of the
latter’s authority (Hofstede, 1980). Moreover, employees from high power distance
countries may be less likely to view bullying behaviors as bullying when perpetrated
by a manager (Hoel et al., 1999). Because employees from high power distance cultures
ascribe greater levels of power and authority to their managers, they will view a wider
variety of behaviors from their manager as normal and justified. Therefore, power
distance can moderate the role between subtle bullying and perpetrator status:
P3a. Perpetrator status will moderate the relationship between subtle bullying and
witness type, whereby witnesses of subtle forms of bullying will more likely
become supporters of the perpetrator, rather than supporters of the target,
when the perpetrator is a supervisor or manager of the target.
P3b. Power distance will moderate the relationship between subtle bullying and
perpetrator status, whereby witnesses from high power distance cultures will
more likely support perpetrators who are managers or supervisors of the
target.
Witnesses’ internalization of bullying behaviors. Workplace bullying has the potential to
penetrate across employees, workgroups, and departments in an organization (Salin,
2003). Social influence theory can help explain this permeability of bullying. According
to this theory, witnesses may fear that if they do not engage in similar behaviors they
may also be targeted (D’Cruz and Noronha, 2011). Empirical research has supported
this notion of imitating negative behaviors and the resulting spiraling effects of
negative acts (Cortina et al., 2001). Moreover, Robinson and O’Leary-Kelly (1998) found
that employees who engaged in antisocial behaviors were more likely to have
coworkers who also engaged in antisocial behaviors.
 JMP In seminal social influence research, Kelman (1958) found that employees may
28,3 respond to social influence with internalization. This process of internalization may be
particularly prevalent in workgroups (Robinson and O’Leary-Kelly, 1998). For
instance, employees who regularly bully other team members may come to accept
these behaviors as a normal aspect of the workday (Collinson, 1988). Moreover, when
employees do not internalize such behaviors, they may fear that others will view them
300 as an outsider (Kelman, 1958). Finally, subtle bullying will more likely be internalized,
since these behaviors can be more easily rationalized to one’s own self and others. For
instance, personal jokes may be rationalized as part of the group’s culture; thus, not
actually harmful to anyone.
Earlier discussion had proposed contexts in which employees are more likely to
support the perpetrator. That is, subtle bullying perpetrated by a supervisor or
manager was posited to less likely result in witnesses supporting the target. Witnesses
who support the perpetrator, as opposed to silent spectators or supporters of the target,
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will be more likely to internalize the perpetrator’s bullying behaviors. This is because
such supporters will want to demonstrate their support for the perpetrator, which may
often be driven by political reasons (Salin, 2003). This support can be easily
demonstrated through joining the perpetrator in exhibiting such behaviors towards the
target:
P4. Witnesses who support the perpetrator will be more likely than silent
spectators to internalize bullying behaviors in the workplace.

Discussion
In this paper, I explored the potential interpretations and reactions of targets and
witnesses towards subtle forms of bullying. Moreover, I proposed that targets will
often attribute bullying to broader aspects of the environment such as the intense work
environment or the culture of the workgroup. When targets fail to recognize that they
are experiencing bullying, they are less likely to retaliate. The longer targets stay idle
without resisting, the more difficult it will become for them to halt the bullying. While
subtle bullying can be difficult for targets to identify, witnesses will often be even less
likely to recognize that such behaviors constitute bullying. Perpetrators may often
behave very differently in front of others and hide their bullying (Tracy et al., 2006).
Social influence theory was used to explain witness interpretations and reactions. The
hierarchical position of the perpetrator can shape witnesses’ likelihood to support the
target. When the perpetrator is a supervisor or manager, witnesses will be less inclined
to support the target overtly. According to social influence theory, witnesses may be
more likely to side with the perpetrator to avoid their own possible victimization.
Finally, witnesses may potentially internalize bullying behaviors and assume that
such behaviors are acceptable. Theoretical contributions, directions for future research,
and implications for practice are offered.

Theoretical contributions and directions for future research

This paper makes a number of theoretical contributions. First, it advances an
important perspective on subtle bullying. The subtlety of bullying may help explain
why targets often fail to recognize that they are being bullied. In addition, targets may
be less likely to gain support from co-workers, who often experience disbelief that the
behaviors represent bullying. Future research should further investigate the
 differential consequences associated with subtle bullying and its duration. It is quite Target and
possible that subtle bullying is found to be more detrimental for targets than overt witness reactions
bullying. Future research should trace the effects of subtle bullying in the same work
site on both targets and witnesses over time to investigate the relationship between
behavioral responses and health outcomes (e.g. Lovell and Lee, 2011).
This paper has shed light on the vital role of witnesses in the bullying process. This
paper theorizes the potential for witnesses to internalize such behaviors, particularly 301
when subtle. This analysis contributes a potential “dark side” of witnesses to bullying.
This may help explain why bullying tends to become increasingly difficult for the
target to defend against. Future research should further explore the decisions made by
witnesses and the rationale underlying such decisions.
Finally, this paper theorizes how subtle bullying behaviors can be misinterpreted,
which represents a theoretical perspective that has received little attention.
Interpretations and reactions towards bullying may indeed be influenced by
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subtlety, which implies adverse consequences. These relationships should be tested in

future research to understand target reactions to subtle forms of bullying and how
their reactions affect their physical and psychological well-being. Moreover, the role of
cultural and environmental factors on target perceptions should also be further
explored in future research. Cultural factors may play a significant role in influencing
employees’ interpretations of bullying and may lead to various collective coping
strategies (Giorgi, 2010). While I focused predominantly on power distance, other
cultural dimensions should also be investigated in future research.

Implications for policy and practice

There are two important practical contributions that emerge from this analysis. First,
employees should receive training that provides them with greater awareness about
bullying. As bullying may become increasingly subtle with further legislation, these
behaviors will be difficult to identify. Targets should be made aware of such types of
behaviors and encouraged to report them when experienced. Second, potential
witnesses should also be sensitized towards bullying. Importantly, witnesses should
understand that they can play an important role in the bullying process and that such
behaviors should be reported when observed. Witnesses should not feel political
pressures to partake in bullying or fear that they may be victimized if they do not
partake. Training and socialization processes can be critical.

Conclusion
This paper investigated subtle forms of bullying and the influence these forms can have
on target and witness interpretations and reactions. Subtle bullying can have many
effects on these two types of employees. Specifically, targets experience greater
confusion and become less likely to react, while witnesses (particularly those who
support the perpetrator) may find internalizing such behaviors easier to rationalize. This
paper advocates further inclusion of witnesses into the study of workplace bullying
while suggesting that subtle bullying may have differential consequences for targets.

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About the author

Al-Karim Samnani is a PhD candidate in the School of Human Resource Management at York
University. He received his Master’s degree from the London School of Economics. He has
published research on topics such as workplace bullying and strategic human resource
management. Other areas of interest include abusive supervision, cultural diversity, and the
integration of immigrants into the workplace. Al-Karim Samnani can be contacted at:
alkarim@yorku.ca

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