Exploring nature of workplace bullying and psychometric properties of negative acts questionnaire-revised (NAQ-R) in Indian organizations

Abstract

PurposeAn extensive amount of literature is available on workplace bullying in the Western context. With specific reference to the Indian context, there is limited literature on nature of workplace bullying in Indian organizations as well, as there is no valid instrument to measure the prevalence of workplace bullying in Indian organizations. This paper aims to explore the nature of workplace bullying in Indian organization and examine the psychometric properties of Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised (NAQ-R) in Indian context.Design/methodology/approachData were collected through a hardcopy version of a survey from 835 Indian managers during working hours.FindingsThe analysis identified three major categories and constituent sub-categories of bullying behaviors. The NAQ-R was found appropriate on psychometric criteria.Research limitations/implicationsGender-blind perspective towards approaching bullying and no sector-wise differentiation in nature of bullying are the limitations of the study.Practical implicationsAn understanding of nature of workplace bullying in Indian organizational may help managers to identify and timely intervene the bullying situations. This study can help to strengthen the potentialities of NAQ-R as a major organizational diagnosis measure for examining bullying in Indian organizations. A validation of NAQ-R would also help to stimulate the academic work on bullying in India and allow for cross-cultural comparison of studies.Originality/valueThis is the first study to examine psychometric properties of the NAQ-R in Indian settings.