Perceptions of workplace bullying in New Zealand : a communication-centred analysis : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Communication at Massey University, Manawatū Campus, New Zealand

Abstract

Workplace bullying has long been conceptualised as a behavioural and psychological phenomenon, yet persistent definitional ambiguity underscores the importance of approaching it through a communication lens. This thesis, presented by publication, reconceptualises workplace bullying as an interpretive and communicative process situated within the Aotearoa New Zealand context. It comprises three published or publishable studies: (1) a qualitative analysis of managers’ sensemaking of “disputed acts” of bullying, (2) a quantitative study situating bullying within organisational dissent and conflict processes, and (3) a quantitative trait-state analysis testing predictors of bullying perceptions. Together, these studies advance theoretical, methodological, and practical understandings of workplace bullying. The thesis demonstrates that bullying is socially constructed, communicatively enacted, and culturally contingent, with significant implications for organisational practice and workplace policy. The research demonstrates that the same behaviours may be interpreted differently depending on organisational roles, communicative practices, and cultural expectations. The first study shows how managers distinguish between bullying and legitimate managerial action, revealing the interpretive labour undertaken in defining contested behaviours. The second study situates bullying within conflict processes, demonstrating that dissent and voice behaviours can be positively or negatively associated with bullying perceptions. The third study introduces a novel trait-state framework, illustrating how communication predispositions and situational dynamics interact to predict perceptions of bullying. Together, these studies illustrate that bullying cannot be reduced to a checklist of behaviours but must be understood as relational, communicative, and context dependent. The thesis makes three principal contributions. Theoretically, it advances bullying research by integrating communication and conflict perspectives, reframing bullying as perception-driven and interactional. Methodologically, it demonstrates the limits of widely used measures such as the NAQ-R in the Aotearoa New Zealand context and introduces the trait-state framework as a new way to investigate bullying perceptions. Practically, it offers guidance for managers and organisations, by showing that effective communication training, policies acknowledging interpretive ambiguity, and cultural sensitivity are crucial to managing bullying. By situating bullying within a communication framework and grounding it in Aotearoa New Zealand, the thesis provides insights that are both locally relevant and internationally significant.