Comments on “There’s a policy for that”: Interdisciplinary analyses of hostile work environments

Abstract

Comments on an article by J. L Hertzog, D. Wright, and D. Beat (see record 2009-02840-005) The article explores organizational variables related to reports of sexual harassment and other negative behaviors in organizations. The paper considers relatively new ground for behavior analysts in terms of broad organizational assessment and exploratory analyses of work contexts. A few key concepts such as reinforcement and stimulus control are elaborated to explain a great deal of behavior. Exploration of the National Organization Survey (NOS) provides an interesting high altitude window into organizational settings, and the authors provide and describe a molar level perspective on organizational climate that might influence behaviors such as sexual harassment and incivility. The author's seek to explore âunderlying mechanismsâ that perpetuate uncivil and threatening behaviors in organizations. The authors also consider the role of training to promote reporting of harassment and reduce its occurrence. The authors provide a service to readers of Behavior and Social Issues by calling attention to an important set of behaviors within organizations that vary across organizations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)