So, what is `incivility’?
“Incivility” refers to a `lower grade’ form of harassment which occurs regularly in many organizations.
One definition for incivility is: “low intensity deviant behaviour that violates workplace norms for mutual respect. It may or may not be intended to harm the target. Low intensity connotes verbal rather than physical, passive rather than active, and indirect.” (Pearson and Porath, 2005)
There are no laws that prohibit incivility. As a result, incivility and its repercussions generally occur without organizational awareness.
Although the effects of incivility often go unnoticed by the organization and unreported by the target, research shows a spiralling effect, often involving `getting even’. The means of getting even when incivility occurs are often enacted covertly, so they are extremely hard to quantify.
For example, research demonstrates that many targets of a `Serial Instigator’ who holds a powerful position (you know, the Director who’s allowed to have temper tantrums in public, break into meeting anytime, scold people in public etc) will:
• Seek retribution by engaging in deviant behaviours that adversely affect the organization.
• May intentionally decrease the effort, time and quality that they put into their work
• Male targets will strive to get even. Female targets tend to reinforce their support, regain their balance, and recoup their strength so that they are ready to take recourse when the best opportunity arises.
• Most targets will spread the news about what has happened to them
A 2005 survey of 1253 employees in an Ontario public organization by researchers at Brock University’s Workplace Health Research Laboratory showed that “Higher exposure to negative acts was clearly related to poorer organizational outcomes such as lower organizational and job satisfaction, lower satisfaction with manager, and lower satisfaction with the quality of the employment relationship…… Also, those respondents’ reporting higher exposure to negative acts are less likely to remain working in their organization”.
Furthermore, a study of more than 2,400 workers, managers and executives in the U.S. and Canada who represent organizations in all industrial classifications, ranging in size from two to more than 100,000 employees showed that “When targets (of incivility) believe that someone at work has treated them disrespectfully, half will lose work time worrying about future interactions with the instigator, and half will contemplate changing jobs to avoid a recurrence, one-fourth of research respondents who feel that they have been treated uncivilly will intentionally cut back their work efforts. A few will steal from their instigators or their organizations. Some will sabotage equipment. Most will tell friends, family, and colleagues about how badly they have been treated”.
Interesting stuff, isn’t it?
The bottom line is this: not following your grandma’s good advice about treating people with respect can be very costly to organizations!
