The escalation process of workplace bullying: A scoping review

Bullying in the workplace refers to a series of negative actions directed toward an employee that escalates and lasts a long time. This study aims to acquire a deeper understanding of workplace bullying and develop an integrative model for the escalation process of this phenomenon by synthesizing existing qualitative studies and clarifying its pattern and elements. The systematic searching of relevant articles published in Scopus listed journals between 1990 and 2020 yielded 67 articles for detailed review, and 25 studies that have the main focus on the escalation process were included. The included articles were analysed using thematic analysis. We identified escalating or spiralling covert and overt patterns of workplace bullying. The analysis revealed six themes or elements that generated a cycle of helplessness trial, referred to as an integrated model and the escalation of these cycles leave the victim in a learned state of helplessness. The study will enrich the literature on the workplace bullying process and support management in understanding the escalation pattern to frame the intervention strategies effectively. So far, there are no attempts to integrate and assimilate the knowledge on the escalation process derived from qualitative studies.