Showing papers by "Jerald Greenberg published in 2011"

What Is Insidious Workplace Behavior

Abstract: Headlines regularly chronicle audacious acts of criminal behavior that occur in the workplace. Whether it’s a disgruntled ex-employee who fires a gun at his former coworkers (Leavitt, 1995), an investment broker who swindles billions of dollars from his clients (Efrati, Lauricella, & Searcey, 2008), or a governor of a U.S. state who auctions off a vacant Senate seat to the highest bidder (Keen, 2008), accounts of gross misdeeds are all too common. Despite what their prevalence in the news may suggest, such extreme acts are merely the tip of the iceberg of deviant workplace behavior.

Issues and challenges in studying insidious workplace behavior

Abstract: In Chapter 1 of this volume we defined insidious workplace behavior (IWB) as a form of intentionally harmful workplace behavior that is legal, subtle and low level (rather than severe), repeated over time, and directed at individuals or organizations. In other words, IWB is not a unique type of behavior itself but a set of characteristics that describe various types of deviant behavior. Exemplifying this point, this book addresses several types of deviant behavior, including aggression, sabotage, revenge, incivility, sexist humor and harassment, and lying, as well as the challenges of measuring and researching IWB. Throughout their discussions, the authors emphasize that although IWB may appear innocuous, it can have genuine and significant negative implications for employees and organizations alike. It is our hope that this volume will inspire not only further theoretical work but ultimately efforts to reduce IWB in the workplace.