Abstracts
Abstract
In this paper, we share testimonies from interviews with 29 faculty deans from universities across Canada and Australia who have been targeted by bullies, and we examine how their institutions responded. Often silenced, we expose the consequences of institutional (in)actions on the identity and well-being of these leaders and document the impact of inadequate policies and procedures that deans are trusted to protect and support them. These stories combine to create a collective force calling for institutional courage to address incivility and bullying, as well as to challenge the culture that enables and reinforces it. We conclude with recommendations that institutions can implement to proactively protect and support deans to mitigate bullying in higher education.
Keywords:
- bullying,
- institutional betrayal,
- well-being,
- higher education,
- deans
Appendices
Bibliography
- Ahmed, S. (2021). Complaint!. Duke University Press. https://doi.org/10.1215/9781478022336
- Anderson, J. (2021). Clash of values: Workplace bullying and moral injury. Counseling and Family Therapy Scholarship Review, 3(2), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.53309/PWEX4999
- Ball, S. (2016). Neoliberal education? Confronting the slouching beast. Policy Futures in Education, 14(8), 1046-1059. https://doi.org/10.1177/1478210316664259
- Berg, L., Huijbens, E., & Larsen, H. G. (2016). Producing anxiety in the neoliberal university. The Canadian Geographer, 60(2), 168-180. https://doi.org/10.1111/cag.12261
- Bosetti, L. (2015). Academic identity within contested spaces of a university in transition. In K. Ragoonaden (Ed.), Contested Sites in Higher Education. Peter Lang.
- Bosetti, L., & Heffernan, T. (2021). Diminishing hope and utopian thinking: Faculty leadership under neoliberal regime. Journal of Educational Administration and History. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220620.2021.1910219
- Bosetti, L., Kawalilak, C., & Patterson, P. (2008). Betwixt and between: Academic women in transition. Canadian Journal of Higher Education, 38(2), 95-115.
- Boyko, L., & Jones, G. A. (2010). The roles and responsibilities of middle management (chairs and deans) in Canadian universities. In V. Meek, L. Goedegebuure, R. Santiago, & T. Carvalho (Eds.), The changing dynamics of higher education middle management (pp. 82-102). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9163-5_5
- Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2019). Reflecting on reflexive thematic analysis. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 11(4), 589-597. https://doi.org/10.1080/2159676X.2019.1628806
- Bryman, A. (2007). Effective leadership in higher education: Summary of findings. Leadership Foundation for Higher Education. 32(6), 693–710. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075070701685114
- Can’t Buy My Silence. (n.d.). Legislation — Can’t Buy My Silence. https://www.cantbuymysilence.com/canada-legislation
- Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety. (2022). Bullying in the workplace. https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/psychosocial/bullying.pdf
- Caponecchia, C., & Wyatt, A. (2011). Preventing workplace bullying: An evidence-based guide for managers and employees. Routledge.
- Center for Institutional Courage. (n.d.). The call to courage. https://www.institutionalcourage.org/the-call-to-courage
- Chochinov, H. M. (2023, May 2). Depression is a liar. The Globe and Mail. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-depression-is-a-liar/
- Cunningham, P., & Drumwright, M. (2021, December 13). Banning non-disclosure agreements isn’t enough to stop unethical workplace behavior. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/banning-non-disclosure-agreements-isnt-enough-to-stop-unethical-workplace-leader-behaviour-173574
- De Boer, H., Goedegebuure, L., & Meek, V. L. (2010). The changing nature of academic middle management: A framework for analysis. In V. Meek, L. Goedegebuure, R. Santiago, & T. Carvalho (Eds.), The changing dynamics of higher education middle management (pp. 229–241). Higher Education Dynamics (Vol. 33). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9163-5_12
- Einarsen, S., & Nielsen, M. B. (2015). Workplace bullying as an antecedent of mental health problems: A five-year prospective and representative study. International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, 88, 131-142. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-014-0944-7
- Finlay, K. (2023, April 19). Time to ban non-disclosure agreements. Policy Options. https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/april-2023/time-to-ban-non-disclosure-agreements/
- Friedenberg, J. (2008). The anatomy of an academic mobbing. The Edwin Mellen Press.
- Green, R. (2025, April 1). Rule of law: UK government acts to curb use and abuse of NDAs. International Bar Association. https://www.ibanet.org/Rule-of-law-UK-government-acts-to-curb-use-and-abuse-of-NDAs
- Harsey, S., & Freyd, J. J. (2020). Deny, attack, and reverse victim and offender (DARVO): What is the influence on perceived perpetrator and victim credibility? Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 29(8), 897-916. https://doi.org/10.1080/10926771.2020.1774695
- Heffernan, T., & Bosetti, L. (2020). The emotional labor and toll of managerial academia on faculty. International Journal of Leadership in Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603124.2020.1850870
- Heffernan, T., & Bosetti, L. (2021a). University bullying and incivility towards faculty deans. International Journal of Leadership in Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603124.2020.1850870
- Heffernan, T., & Bosetti, L. (2021b). Incivility: The new type of bullying in higher education. Cambridge Journal of Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/0305764X.2021.1897524
- Hochschild, A. (1983). The managed heart: Commercialization of human feeling. University of California Press.
- Hodgins, M., & Mannix-McNamara, P. (2021). The neoliberal university in Ireland: Institutional bullying by another name? Societies, 11(52), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc11020052
- Hollis, L. P. (2015). Bully university? The cost of workplace bullying and employee disengagement in American higher education. SAGE Open, 5(2), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244015589997
- Keashly, L., & Neuman, J. H. (2010). Faculty experiences with bullying in higher education: Causes, consequences and management. Administrative Theory and Praxis, 32(1), 48-70. https://doi.org/10.2753/ATP1084-1806320103
- LaBier, D. (1986). Modern madness: The emotional fallout of success. Addison-Wesley.
- Maclean, M., Harvey, C., Gordon, J., & Shaw, E. (2015). Identity, storytelling and the philanthropic journey. Human Relations, 65(10), 1623-1652. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726714564199
- Mandzuk, D. (2023). On the edge of chaos: How the deans at one Canadian university have managed to lead in the face of the pandemic and other sources of uncertainty and complexity. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management. https://doi.org/10.1080/1360080X.2023.2238335
- Morrison, L., & Weatherhead, A. (2025, January 28). Government to ban NDAs related to sexual misconduct, bullying and harassment cases in higher education sector. UK People, Reward and Mobility Hub. https://www.ukemploymenthub.com/government-to-ban-ndas-related-to-sexual-misconduct-bullying-and-harassment-cases-in-higher-education-sector/
- Namie, G. (2017). WBI U.S. workplace bullying survey. Workplace Bullying Institute. https://workplacebullying.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/2017-WBI-Report.pdf
- Namie, G., & Namie, R. (2009). The bully at work: what you can do to stop the heart and reclaim your dignity on the job. Sourcebooks Inc.
- Reiger, K., Schofield, T., & Peters, M. (2015). Innovating universities: Technocratic reform and beyond. In R. Agarwal, W. Selen, G. Roos, & R. Green (Eds.), The handbook of service innovation (pp. vii-viii). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-6590-3_33
- Rock, D., & Verplanck, J. (2022, June 1). This could be the root cause of employees’ low engagement according to neuroscience. Fast Company. https://www.fastcompany.com/90756676/this-could-be-the-root-cause-of-employees-low-engagment-according-to-neuroscience
- Rubin, J., Shield, H., & Montpetit, K. (2023). University of Prince Edward Island review. University of Prince Edward Island. https://files.upei.ca/publications/university_of_prince_edward_island_review.pdf
- Savage, L., & Ross, S. (2024, March-April). Academic staff associations and collegial governance. CAUT. https://www.caut.ca/bulletin/academic-staff-associations-and-collegial-governance/
- Sedivy-Benton, A., Strohschen, G., Cavazos, N., & Boden-McGill, C. (2014). Good ol’ boys, mean girls, and tyrants: A phenomenological study of the lived experiences and survival strategies of bullied women adult educators. Adult Learning, 26(1), 35-41. https://doi.org/10.1177/1045159514558411
- Sims, M. (2019). Bullying is not tolerated here: We have policies and procedures which protect staff. An auto-ethnography of frustration. Sociology Insights, 3(1), 1-10. https://rune.une.edu.au/web/bitstream/1959.11/27629/
- Smidt, A. M., Adams-Clark, A. A., & Freyd, J. J. (2023). Institutional courage buffers against institutional betrayal, protects employee health, and fosters organizational commitment following workplace sexual harassment. PLoS ONE, 18(1), e0278830. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0278830
- Smith, C. P., & Freyd, J. J. (2013). Dangerous safe havens: Institutional betrayal exacerbates sexual trauma. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 26(1), 119-124. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.21778
- Smith, C. P., & Freyd, J. J. (2014). Institutional betrayal. American Psychologist, 69(6), 575-587. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0037564
- Smyth, J. (2017). The toxic university: Zombie leadership, academic rock stars and neoliberal ideology. Palgrave Macmillan.
- Speak Out Revolution. (n.d.). The Speak Out Revolution — About us. https://www.speakoutrevolution.co.uk/
- Sumara, D. (2021). On the power of not passing: A queer narrative hermeneutics of higher education leadership. Journal of Educational Administration and History, 53(2), 144-157. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220620.2020.1814224
- Sutton, P. (2017). Lost souls? The demoralization of academic labor in the measured university. Higher Education Research & Development, 36(3), 625-636. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2017.1289365
- Sveningsson, S., & Alvesson, M. (2003). Managing managerial identities: Organizational fragmentation, discourse and identity struggle. Human Relations, 56, 1163-1193. https://doi.org/10.1177/001872670356100
- Taylor, S. E. (2006). Tend and befriend: Biobehavioral bases of affiliation under stress. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 15(6), 273-277. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8721.2006.00451.x
- Tight, M. (2023). Bullying in higher education: An endemic problem? Tertiary Education and Management, 29, 123-137. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11233-023-09124-z
- Twale, D. J., & De Luca, B. M. (2008). Faculty incivility: The rise of the academic bully culture and what to do about it. Jossey-Bass.
- Westhues, K. (2006). The unkindly art of mobbing. Academic Matters, 18-19. https://academicmatters.ca/assets/AM-Fall-2006-Issue.pdf
- Young, K. Z. (2017). Workplace bullying in higher education: The misunderstood academicus. Practicing Anthropology, 39(2), 14-17. https://doi.org/10.17730/0888-4552.39.2.14