Exploring and Explaining The Components of organizational bullying in Bojnourd Municipality

Subject Areas : title1

hosein faraji ¹ , Hamed Khorasani Toroqi ^{2 *} , vahid mirzaei ³

1 - Ph.D. Student in Public Administration, Faculty of Humanities, Islamic Azad University, Bojnourd, Iran.
2 - Department of Management, Faculty of Management, Islamic Azad University, Bojnord, Iran
3 - Department of Management, Faculty of Humanities, Islamic Azad University, Bojnord, Iran

Received: 2025-07-23 Accepted : 2025-09-21 Published : 2025-10-08

Keywords: Deviant behavior, Bojnourd Municipality, Workplace bullying,

Abstract :

The present study aimed to identify the components of workplace bullying among employees of the Bojnourd Municipality by adopting a mixed-methods strategy, utilizing both qualitative and quantitative approaches. In the qualitative phase, a phenomenological strategy was employed. The statistical population for this phase consisted of Bojnourd Municipality employees with at least a bachelor’s degree, 10 years of work experience, and a minimum of 5 years in managerial positions. Data were collected through interviews, and a purposive non-random sampling method was used to analyze responses from 18 employees. The qualitative data were analyzed using the Colaizzi method, resulting in the identification of 31 components. These components were categorized into six key factors: Abuse of position and unfair managerial behaviors; Formation of informal groups and destructive group behaviors; Destructive interpersonal relationship behaviors; Organizational resistance and disregard for rules; Unfair and irrational decision-making; Unethical behaviors and workplace distrust. In the quantitative phase, a survey strategy was adopted, and a questionnaire derived from the qualitative findings was distributed among Bojnourd Municipality employees. Simple random sampling was used, with 292 participants completing the questionnaire. The proposed model was evaluated and confirmed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) in AMOS software.It is expected that identifying these bullying components will enhance managerial awareness of this phenomenon and improve its mitigation within the organization.

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