Management of bullying and bullying in management

Bullying can be defined as 'the improper and frequent use of power to affect someone's life adversely' (Patchett 1992) or simply coercion by fear (Adams 1992). Bullying is thought to be a significant problem within the National Health Service (NHS) but this is based on anecdotal literature by Adams (1992), Turnbull (1995) and Kline (1994). There is no clear evidence as to its exact prevalence. This is not least due to the nature of the problem that inhibits reports of the incidence of bullying. Bullying may manifest itself as a problem within a department as well as a misinformed management style. Recommendations are made to call for more awareness of the issue by research and the formation of written policies. Research based information may provide the impetus needed to introduce measures against bullying.