[Perceptions and representations of workplace bullying: a comparative analysis between Italy and France]

G Ital Med Lav Ergon. 2020 Sep;42(3):160-173.
[Article in Italian]

Abstract

The aim of this research is to analyse the phenomenon of workplace bullying in two countries: Italy and France and trying to understand the differences among them. The words used to refer to it are respectively "mobbing" in Italy and "harcèlement moral" in France. The research analyse the phenomenon's characteristics through the opinion of an expert sample, belonging to different areas linked to their cultural background. They were selected by the researchers for their expertise and experience on this topic. The tool used was a semi-structured interview conducted in vivo by the researcher. The data resulting were processed as follow: a qualitative analysis was conducted through the production of short synthesis for each interview; a quantitative analysis was conducted through the attempt to standardize the qualitative answers in percentage data. The results shows the existence of different phenomenon's characteristics in the two countries.

Il presente lavoro di ricerca indaga il fenomeno del “workplace bullying” in due paesi, l’Italia e la Francia. Il focus della ricerca sono le caratterizzazioni e la rappresentazione sociale del fenomeno, sono indagate le differenze nella definizione condivisa nel panorama scientifico e i suoi diversi aspetti tra cui le conseguenze e l’origine di esso. I termini utilizzati per riferirsi al fenomeno nei due paesi sono rispettivamente “mobbing” e “harcèlement moral”. L’indagine utilizza le opinioni di testimoni privilegiati appartenenti a diverse aree professionali. Gli esperti sono selezionati dai ricercatori per la loro expertise in materia. Lo strumento utilizzato è un’intervista semistrutturata costruita ad hoc e somministrata in vivo dallo sperimentatore. I dati sono stati elaborati come segue: analisi qualitativa mediante la raccolta °e la sintesi in testi brevi delle risposte; analisi quantitativa mediante un tentativo di standardizzazione delle risposte qualitative in dati percentuali. I risultati mostrano l’esistenza di diverse caratterizzazioni del fenomeno nei due paesi di riferimento.

Keywords: Comparative study; France; Italy; violence at work; workplace bullying.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Observational Study

MeSH terms

  • Bullying / prevention & control
  • Bullying / psychology*
  • Bullying / statistics & numerical data
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Cultural Characteristics
  • Expert Testimony*
  • Female
  • France
  • Humans
  • Information Dissemination
  • Italy
  • Male
  • Mental Disorders / epidemiology
  • Mental Health
  • Middle Aged
  • Organizational Culture
  • Perception
  • Qualitative Research
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Terminology as Topic