Mary Chavez Rudolph
University of Colorado, Denver
Mary.chavezrudolph@ucdenver.edu
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Thomas Sebok
University of Colorado, Boulder
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Sebok@colorado.edu
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Student Incivility
Factors that Affect Conflict
◦ Perceptions
◦ Emotion
◦ Communication
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Incivility in Academia
Faculty Incivility & Bullying
Interventions
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STUDENT INCIVILITY IN THE COLLEGE
CLASSROOM FROM A FACULTY PERSPECTIVE:
RACE AND GENDER DIFFERENCES IN
PERCEPTION, ATTRIBUTION, EFFECT, AND
RESPONSE
Mary Chavez Rudolph, 2005
Doctoral Dissertation
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sleeping in class
prolonged chattering
excessive lateness
poor personal hygiene
overt inattentiveness
eating, drinking, gum
chewing, smoking
carrying pagers and
beepers
passing notes
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unexcused exits from
class
verbal or physical
threats to students or
faculty
disputing the
instructor’s authority
and expertise
Incivility by one student or by many students
has the potential to severely compromise the
effectiveness of the classroom instruction and
learning.
“In related studies, where I tracked new faculty
longer, these traumatic events (CI)
[Classroom Incivility] and resulting
impressions of undergraduates as adversaries
were among the few early turning points that
derailed careers.”
(Boice, 1998)
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Nature of Students
◦ Student Mental Health
◦ Consumer Attitude
◦ Student Learning vs. Faculty Teaching
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Nature of Society, the Classroom, the Course
◦ Incivility in Society
◦ Informality of Organizations
◦ Large Classrooms
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Instructor Behaviors
Increasing ethnic and gender diversity of
students and instructors, and that SI and
conflict is a reflection of cultural differences.
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What are the different perspectives of the
parties in this situation? How does this affect
this conflict?
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How is emotion affecting this conflict?
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How is communication affecting this conflict?
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Perceptions
◦ Identity, History
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Emotion
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Communication
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“…conflict lies not in objective reality, but in
people’s heads.”
Fisher and Ury, 1991
Check out Assumptions
◦ Put yourself in their shoes
◦ Ask / Discuss
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Perceptual Errors
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Emotion and (is) Motivation
◦ Both move us in some way, as implied by the
common Latin root of both words (movere, to
move).
Brian Parkinson and Andrew M. Colman, 1995
◦ Emotions are often precursors of motivational
phenomena.
Oatley, 1992
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“Emotion as Insight”
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Managing Emotion
Jones & Brinkert, 2008
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Timing and Setting
Active Listening
Open-ended questions
I language
Limit-Setting
Issue Consequences
DEFINING “INCIVILITY”
“Civility” – concern, regard, and respect
“Behavior that helps to preserve the norms for
mutual respect at work.”
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“Incivility” – rudeness, disregard, and
mistreatment
Andersson and Wegner (2001)
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Norms for the organization erode
Spiraling and Cascading
“Incivility goes unchecked and can escalate
leading to a chain of more aggressive,
coercive behaviors possibly leading to
violence.”
Pearson, Andersson, and Porath, 2000
Unique Factors
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Culture of Critique
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Student Development
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Tenure and Rewards for Faculty
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Department Chair (Head) Role
Unique Factors
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Funding
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Free Speech/Academic Freedom
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Free Speech/Right of Dissent
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Conflict Avoidant Culture
Not So Unique Factors
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Physical Separation
External and Internal Customer Service
Challenges
Evaluative Relationships
Peer/Colleague Relationships
 Susan
and George
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Definition of Workplace Bullying:
◦ Workplace Bullying is repeated, health-harming
mistreatment of one or more persons (the targets)
by one or more perpetrators that takes the forms
of: verbal abuse, offensive conduct/behaviors
(including nonverbal) which are threatening,
humiliating or intimidating, and/or work
interference -- sabotage -- which prevents work
from getting done.
(Workplace Bullying Institute)
Threat to professional status
(e.g., belittling opinion, public professional humiliation,
accusation regarding lack of effort);
Threat to personal standing
(e.g., name-calling, insults, intimidation, devaluing with
reference to age);
Isolation
(e.g., preventing access to opportunities, physical or
social isolation, withholding of information);
Overwork
(e.g., undue pressure, impossible deadlines, unnecessary
disruptions);
Destabilization
(e.g., failure to give credit when due, meaningless tasks,
removal of responsibility, repeated reminders of
blunders, setting up to fail).
(Rayner, Charlotte, 1997)
Bullies
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50% men / 50% women
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81% of bullies are bosses
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14% peers, or co-workers
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5% bully a higher ranking
target
Targets
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Women are the majority
of targets (3/4 of all)
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Men bully women in 69%
of the cases / women
bully women 84% of the
time
Rank
Health Item
1
Anxiety, stress, excessive worry
2
Disrupted sleep / Exhaustion
3
Loss of Concentration
4
Feeling edgy, irritable, easily startled, on guard (paranoia)
5
Obsession over details of bully’s tactics
6
Stress Headaches
7
Racing Heart Rate
8
Diagnosed Depression
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42% of the cases - perpetrator’s immediate
bosses directly helped the Bully or punished the
complaining Target
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40% of the cases - Bullies’ managers did
nothing to intervene (tacit support)
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32 % of the cases - HR supported the Bully or
did nothing (51% of the cases)
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11% of the cases - the Target’s co-workers sided
with the Bully
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7% of the cases - negative sanctions against the
bully (censure, transfer, or termination)
United States
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In the U.S. the law is attentive to harassment or
discrimination when it relates to sex and race (Title
VII).
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U.S. Courts have consistently ruled that rude and
even abusive behavior does not violate federal EEO
laws unless it is directed at an individual (or group of
individuals) because of his or her race, color, religion,
sex, national origin, age or disability.
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The “equal opportunity harasser” defense.
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Awareness raising
Policy or code - gives victims the
confidence to seek redress and reduce the
benefit/cost balance for those tempted to
bully others
Anger and frustration management for
bullies
Work w/individuals – assertiveness training,
make changes in the structure (physical
space, reporting, etc.), conflict
management, mediation
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Training to encourage intervention
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Training to identify options for bystanders
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Encourage the identification and discussion
of unacceptable behavior
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Goals and Interests
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Strategies
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Conflict Styles
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Communication
 Maslow’s
Hierarchy of Needs
◦ Physiological
◦ Security
◦ Social
◦ Esteem
◦ Self-Actualization
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Generate Options
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Identify Pros and Cons
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Evaluate Options based on Goals & Interests
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Most people have one or two preferred styles
of responding to conflict
Thomas and Kilmann developed an
instrument to help people determine their
preferred style
Utilization of a particular style should be
situation-dependent
 Compete
Collaborate
 Compromise
 Avoid
Accommodate
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How to set up an environment that is
respectful or turn a disrespectful environment
around…
What do you want?
◦ What respectful behaviors do you want to increase?
 3-4 minutes brainstorms