Abstract
The Connection between the Bystander Effect and Workplace Bullying in Organizations and the Ways to Overcome its Major Negative Outcomes
This study focuses on to outline the bystander behavior and its effects including bystander decisions, actions and outcomes within the concept of workplace bullying and to describe the correlation between them and its main outcomes in organizations. There is a phenomenon called the bystander effect in social psychology and it is mainly deal with the individuals who are less likely to offer help to a victim when another individual is present and watching the scene. The question is to explain the behavior of employees who watch workplace bullying but fail to intervene, often don’t ignore, or even sometimes join the perpetrator. It can be assumed that bystanders witnessing bullying will restore justice; it has been underlined in previous studies that they might also behave in ways that continue or worsen its progression. So, it can be argued that there is a threesome influence between bystanders, victims, and the perpetrator of the bullying in the organizations. In sum, the goal of this conceptual study is to focus on the connection with the workplace bullying and the bystander effect in organizations and to outline the reasons of the employees who choose to be remaining silent and pretend not to see or hear and prefer not to do anything instead of acting against bullying. Then, in conclusion section, the recommendations will be made to decrease the negative consequences of the workplace bullying and bystander effects in organizations.
Keywords
Workplace Bullying, Bystander Effect, Diffusion of Responsibility
