Acts of mobbing on the basis of the understanding of managing diversity: A study of the poultry sector in Bolu, Turkey

Thesis Supervisor: Asst. Prof. Dr. Hülya ERKANLIThis study aims to understand how individuals have conceived differences in the Turkish workforce in recent years and how such differences in the workforce affect the presence of acts of mobbing, to determine whether employees are exposed to acts of mobbing resulting from such differences, to examine how the relationship and communication among people in a working group is affected by such differences, what is done to ensure management of diversity, and to reveal a relationship between the understanding of managing diversity and acts of mobbing. To this end, the study first introduces a conceptual and institutional framework regarding "acts of mobbing on the basis of the understanding of managing diversity", aiming to contribute to the Turkish perspective of the issue.Within this context, following the presentation of the framework in the second, third and fourth chapters, the results of surveys are analyzed in the fifth chapter. The study makes use of both quantitative and qualitative methodology. Two surveys have been conducted for the purposes of the study. The first survey aims to assess whether employees are exposed to acts of mobbing in the framework of the understanding of managing diversity. The second survey has been conducted to evaluate the management's perspective on the issue.In light of the findings of this study, it is clear that businesses need qualified and easy-to-adapt workforce in order to keep pace with changes in today's competitive environment and make quick moves. Therefore, effective and efficient management of a workforce having different features of gender, race, ethnic origins, culture, sexual preferences, education, personality and disability status is of strategical importance. It has been confirmed that the understanding of managing diversity is crucial for corporate image, the improvement of performance through understanding of the differences and the use of human capital as a competitive edge. Furthermore, based on the definition of mobbing as systematic, immoral, and hostile acts exercised upon employees in a workplace by one or more people, acts of mobbing, also referred to as workplace terrorism, emotional harassment, or intimidation through tactics such as suppression, intimidation, oppression, bullying or threatening are regarded as the main source of job dissatisfaction, organizational conflicts and non-productivity. The presence of unfavourable conditions such as mobbing in a workplace might cause the organization to lose its competitive advantage. The understanding of managing diversity plays an important role in eliminating such unfavourable conditions since this understanding expresses a perspective that could contribute to elimination of mobbing and therefore prevent workforce loss resulting from acts of mobbing. Furthermore, through the understanding of managing diversity, differences can be welcomed as competence and thus contribute to competitive advantage.As a second important point, by revealing differences of race, gender, education, ethnic origin, personality and culture at the workplace, this study concludes that employees might experience persistent, systematic, humiliating acts of mobbing based on such differences. Such acts of mobbing in the workplace are due to the lack of understanding and tolerating differences. Such unfavourable obstacles can be overcome by integrating the understanding of managing diversity into the workplace and making it a part of the organizational culture.Last but not least, this study has revealed that, in the organizations the study was conducted, the understanding of managing diversity and prevention of mobbing are practiced solely as procedures necessitated by legislation. Even such a limited practice of prevention of mobbing has been found to decrease the number of mobbing acts. However, it is stressed that the integration of the understanding of managing diversity into the organization not only as a legal requirement but also as part of its organizational culture could provide competitive advantage to the business as a whole, and that organizations need to raise their awareness on this issue.Keywords: Acts of Mobbing, Diversity, Understanding of Managing Diversity, White Meat Sector