Exploring the relationships between interpersonal misconduct within organisations and peoples’ understanding of their experiences.

Ruth is currently employed by the Department of Defence in the Directorate of Strategic Intelligence and Research. Among other things, this Directorate is tasked with administering the Unacceptable Behaviour Survey to Defence personnel. It is her experience with this project that launched her doctoral studies. In her PhD, Ruth aims to re-evaluate the constructs of bullying, harassment and other interpersonal misconduct in organisations. She supports the view that the constructs have a great deal in common both by definition and in the measurement tools used to assess prevalence. What is missing is a real appreciation of respondents’ understanding of their experiences. This has implications for the theory and measurement of interpersonal misconduct. In this TPR presentation, Ruth will review the literature on interpersonal misconduct in organisations, and outline her research proposal and preliminary outcomes.