Negative behavior patterns at the workplace, such as exclusion, humiliation, and unfair treatment are not only detrimental for employees’ morale, they also impact performance, finds a study by the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Lucknow.
Bullying faced by workers in professional spaces kills creativity, enthusiasm, and reduces the likelihood of employees to engage in innovative side projects, the study has further revealed.
The researchers who undertook the study said they employed a mixed-method approach to gather necessary data. In the experimental scenario-based part of the research, the team gathered inputs from 112 participants, while in the survey-based part of the research, data was taken from 313 employees recruited in IT-enabled companies.
"Our study sheds light on how subtle forms of workplace mistreatment can silently erode employees’ creative potential. Organisations must create an environment where support, respect, and open dialogue are the norm to unlock true innovation," said Rishab Chauhan, PhD scholar, IIM Lucknow.
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It has been observed that in many organisations, employees ideate on projects that they feel drawn to, presenting the same to the management once they are ready to deliver significant results.
However, negative workplace behaviour at the managerial level drains employees’ “relational energy” which they gain from feeling supported or recognised. This prevents them from putting their minds to any innovative work, hampering potential business success that the company could have achieved from the employees' creativity.
To combat such an imbalanced workplace dynamic, the study suggests organisations to adopt open communication between managers and employees to encourage the flow of creative juices.
It also underscores the critical need for organisations to actively identify and address negative workplace behaviour and put in place anti-bullying policies to encourage employee-driven innovation.
"Organisations should establish a proper punitive system for detrimental workplace bullying at workplace. Firms can include employee behaviour as a significant metric for their performance assessment to mitigate workplace abuse. They should also offer secure avenues for employees to lodge appeals and enact proactive measures against workplace bullying," it said.
The study has bagged the prestigious ‘Best Paper in Proceedings Award’ in the conflict management division at the 85th Academy of Management (AOM) Conference, held at Copenhagen, Denmark.
"It is an honour to have our work recognised at a global platform like AOM. We hope these findings encourage companies to not only curb workplace bullying, but also actively nurture the creative spark in their employees," said Payal Mehra, Professor, Communications, IIM Lucknow.
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