Abstract
In this article, Samnani discusses a topic that is a natural fit for the Journal of Management Inquiry: workplace bullying. Although this hotly debated topic has received an increasing amount of coverage and discussion in the popular press, it has not received the same level of attention in the management literature. And, surprisingly, it is a topic that has not appeared previously in this journal. This article is therefore a very welcome addition that will hopefully start a conversation on what is an important and timely management issue.
True to the journal’s editorial mission, the author takes an original approach to examining this important topic. Moving beyond the standard functionalist assumptions that characterize most of the existing discussions of bullying in the management literature, Samnani draws on Burrell and Morgan (1979) and uses paradigmatic analysis to rethink theories of workplace bullying. This approach connects the article with a long stream of articles already published in the Journal of Management Inquiry that use the concept of paradigm in various ways to draw new and interesting insights into familiar themes. For example, Kriger and Malan’s (1993) early article arguing for the need for a paradigm shift in management research or Hin and Serpa’s (1997) article arguing for a paradigm shift in strategy draw on the concept of paradigm to radically challenge existing and taken-for-granted ways of thinking in management. More recently, Davis (2006) used the concept again to challenge not just particular areas of theorizing in management but the whole field of study. Samnani builds on this tradition to raise the visibility of an important issue and to challenge those interested in bullying to think more broadly as they work to understand this important issue. The result is an original and timely contribution that connects to many themes of interest of Journal of Management Inquiry readers.