Beyond the Individual Victim: Linking Sexual Harassment, Team Processes, and Team Performance

Abstract

Previous sexual harassment research and theory have focused primarily upon the individual level, with little attention to team- or organization-level outcomes. In this article, we extend research on outcomes associated with sexual harassment to the team level with an examination of the relationships between team ambient sexual harassment, team conflict, team cohesion, team citizenship behaviors, and team financial performance. Practical implications and a multilevel model to guide future sexual harassment research are offered. Sexual harassment is widespread, and it has significant negative psychological and job-related consequences for victims (see Schneider, Swan, and Fitzgerald [1997] for a review). Despite the progress that has been made on understanding this phenomenon, researchers know surprisingly little about the impact of sexual harassment beyond the individual level. The exclusive focus upon individuals’ outcomes may lead to neglect of important consequences that sexual harassment has for work teams and for organizations as a whole. The purpose of this article is to advance a multilevel perspective on sexual harassment and to examine team-level processes and outcomes related to team incidence of sexual harassment. Following the results, we highlight future directions for multilevel research on sexual harassment and offer practical implications for management.