Abusive supervision in the workplace: A restorative justice perspective

Source: (2002) Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in the College of Business and Economics, University of Kentucky. Lexington, Kentucky.

In this dissertation written for a doctor of philosophy in the sphere of business and economics, Jennifer Hoobler investigates workplace aggression. More specifically, she examines one type of nonphysical workplace aggression – abusive supervision. Nonphysical workplace aggression can be expressed in verbal and passive forms, such as yelling, bullying, and humiliation. Nonphysical aggression occurs far more frequently than active violence. It can be extremely damaging – contributing eventually to physical violence, workplace stress, workforce demoralization, and problems in relationships outside the workplace. Drawing partly from social psychology in her approach, Hoobler views workplace aggression not solely as a phenomenon involving individuals. Rather, she pursues a more comprehensive investigation that takes into account the interaction of individual, cognitive, social, situational, and environmental factors. Her dissertation consists of the following sections: an introduction; a discussion of the theoretical model, a literature review, and her hypotheses; the research methods; the research results; and discussion of her findings.