The rash of bullying incidents within schools, universities, and
workplaces has prompted a public outcry and a call to action. To address
the growing problem of interpersonal violence, schools have engaged in
anti-bullying rallies, businesses have enacted civility policies, states
have passed legislation, and efforts have been made to educate
individuals on what constitutes good behavior. Increasingly,
institutions are realizing from a cost/benefit perspective that a
hurtful environment can negatively impact their bottom line.
Correspondingly, the rising number of climate surveys to address
bullying at work is a testament to the importance of this topic and its
potential negative impact.
Colleges and universities confirm the need to create a more welcoming
culture, as reflected in the current dialogue to promote civility.
Publisher offerings in business ethics are inadequate to address this
issue, as they focus on the importance of social responsibility and the
fallout from moral turpitude. There is a pressing need for materials
that will educate students on "civil" concepts and provide them with
applied learning. Institutions of higher education would like to inform
students about bullying, its ramifications, and how it can be avoided,
but a compendium of related exercises is in most cases non-existent.
To solidify student learning about positive citizenship, an established
author (and anti-bullying activist) has proposed How to Transform
Workplace Bullies into Allies. This unique groundbreaking text will
provide hands-on, experiential exercises that will engage students with
the material, and create a multi-dimensional focus to enable concept
retention. Considered a hallmark of applied education, "learning by
doing" will be this book's primary emphasis. Exercises are designed to
sharpen critical thinking, immerse students in real world dilemmas, and
provide them with tools for conflict resolution. The emotional
intelligence promoted by working through in-text scenarios is a
sought-after employee trait--one that is desired by classmates and
career centers alike. Unfortunately, people skills at work have long
been ignored in traditional college curricula. As a result, schools are
creating graduates who possess technical know-how but not the skill set
to effectively navigate personal encounters. The "soft skills" of people
savvy, which have been deemed crucial to employee success, are in large
part absent from college offerings.
By navigating carefully constructed scenarios, web quests, learning
modules, and "teachable moments," readers will develop a keen awareness
of what it takes to be a respectful person. Moreover, they will gain
expertise in what has been deemed a critical skill set by many
organizations, including the Society for Human Resource Management.
Exercises to strengthen incivility awareness are designed not only to
prevent potential conflict, but to create change agents within the
business arena. Completion of this workbook will provide people with a
competitive advantage--and their institution and workplace with a more
courteous populace.
