An Empirical Investigation of System Justification in the Context of Workplace Bullying

Abstract

Workplace bullying is prevalent, and substantial research has established its negative outcomes for employees. System justification theory (STJ) posits that people have a motivational tendency to justify the status quo of the systems in which they are embedded (i.e., their workplace), even if these systems are inequitable or unjust. This survey study (n=334) examined relations between system justification (SJ) and two important worker variables: engagement and organizational commitment, in the context of workplace bullying. Positive associations between SJ and engagement, and SJ and continuance commitment, were stronger for workers reporting higher levels of workplace bullying. But bullying also had direct effects on continuance commitment, suggesting that if workers experiencing higher levels of bullying felt they had better opportunities they would leave. These findings suggest that organizations need to understand the effects of system justification in the context of bullying in a more nuanced way than they have thus far. The role of system justification in organizations should be further studied.