Expressions of workplace collective aggression. Navigating through concepts and views on mobbing, bullying and harassment

Abstract

Aggression at the workplace has been defined under many forms and instances across the scholarly literature, and also throughout time, the organizational sector constantly systematizing incoming approaches, paradigms, theories and trends. Since the early ‘80s and all the way through the ‘90s the concept development and expansion on the specific collective aggression at work have led to numerous discussions and term approval. This theoretical article presents in short the major trends and updates on most known forms of collective aggression at work, in order to structure concisely several acceptances and interpretations of organizational pathology expressions such as mobbing, workplace bullying and workplace harassment, updating the existing state of the art. The overview results highlight several directions of comprehension and analysis outcomes, which in turn solicit a conceptual refining and the establishment of a unitary acceptance in addressing collective aggression at work, sources and effects, term similarities and distinctions.