The trajectory of forgiveness in workplace bullying: a hermeneutic phenomenological study of target coping

Abstract

Forgiveness as a coping strategy in the context of workplace bullying has been largely overlooked, being evidenced by only few studies (D'Cruz & Noronha, 2012a and 2018b). Alternatively, forgiveness which is often conceptualized as a constructive means of dealing with adverse interpersonal experiences, has also received a paucity of research attention in the workplace. The current study fills these gaps by exploring the trajectory of forgiveness in targets' experiences of coping with workplace bullying. Van Manen's (1990) hermeneutic phenomenology was adopted to understand targets' subjective experiences of forgiveness in relation to workplace bullying. Data, gathered through semi-structured conversational interviews from employees working in IT/ITES-BPO organizations in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, India, was thematically analysed. Three core themes, namely 'enacting genuine forgiveness', 'moving on without forgiving' and 'maintaining unforgiveness' representing the trajectory of targets' forgiveness responses emerged from the data, which also showed the influence of religion, spirituality and Indian socio-cultural context on targets' forgiveness responses.

The study extends earlier insights by D'Cruz and Noronha (2012a, 2018b) by showing that not only 'genuine forgiveness', but 'moving on without forgiving' and 'unforgiveness' can also yield positive outcomes for targets of workplace bullying, such that they experience well-being and healing, having gone through their bullying experience. In doing so, the study shows that irrespective of whether the targets forgive their bullies or not, they exhibit pro-activeness and agency in striving towards well-being, and consequently come out stronger and better prepared to handle similar situations in future. Further, the study contributes to the understanding of workplace forgiveness by showing the intra-psychic cognitive and emotional sub-processes encompassed by the trajectory of the three forgiveness responses. While the study suggests that these intra-psychic strategies can feed into workplace interventions, which can be used as tools to reduce harm and enhance recovery of targets in the aftermath of workplace bullying, it also cautions that workplaces should not (mis)use forgiveness as an alternative to their attempts to resolve the problem of workplace bullying.