DAD - Bullying & difference

Guest faculty

Dr. Jana Hollá

Why participate

On the rise in both academia and the workplace, adult bullying compromises the psychological and social safety for all stakeholders within an organization.

In today’s diverse, interconnected professional settings, this issue is further complicated by how culture influences our perceptions of what is considered appropriate or inappropriate behaviour: One person’s idea of behaving in a professional manner can easily be experienced by another person as unskilled, offensive or harmful. This can lead to miscommunication and escalate interpersonal conflicts as individuals struggle to resolve misunderstandings. 

Additionally, bullies can exploit a lack of collective awareness of cultural differences, using their own cultural knowledge to mistreat colleagues from other backgrounds. Cultural Humility, with its focus on deep self-reflection and temporarily suspending judgment, plus increased awareness of cultural differences, respectively, can be powerful antidotes.

If you work in a multicultural setting where adult bullying is a concern, this course can help you better understand how, alongside power differences, various intercultural factors may be at play — and how to help yourself and those around you successfully negotiate these dynamics:

• In Part 1, learn about the nature of adult bullying in academia and workplaces, learn how seemingly “normal” behaviours may (unintentionally) constitute harm in intercultural settings.
• In Part 2, explore how Cultural Humility practices can help minimize or prevent bullying.
• In Part 3, develop bullying mitigation skills, developing your ability to respond constructively to bullying behaviours that you encounter or observe as a bystander.

While the workshop prioritizes interpersonal skill-building, it also provides insights into how to analyze and begin to change the broader institutional context in which bullying behaviours occur.

The course is led by Dr. Jana Hollá, an intercultural trainer(-of-trainers) and diversity management consultant who assists organizations in building workplaces characterized by trust, respect, and civility.

Participant profile/requirements

This course is for you if you are — or are helping those who are —

• Leading, working, or teaching in a setting where (adult) bullying behaviours are a concern — or you would like to prevent them from becoming one,
• Looking to create a more inclusive work environment, enhance cohesion, and improve overall workplace culture among diverse employees / team members,
• Serving in a role that supports individuals and teams to improve cooperation and performance (e.g., HR, people development, management, leadership or organizational development).

Please note that while this course focuses on those working in higher education, it is open to those who work across differences and seek interpersonal strategies for preventing and mitigating bullying behaviours in other workplace settings. Contact us if you have questions about the suitability of this course for your circumstances.

Learning outcomes

In this course, you will learn how to help yourself and those you work with so that you/they can better: 

• Understand how culture and power dynamics shape perceptions of appropriate communication and behaviour, including if and when such behaviour crosses a line,
• Identify different kinds of bullying behaviours in adult workplace encounters, notably in higher education settings,
• Apply interpersonal level strategies to minimize instances of bullying behaviours and foster a culture of trust, respect, and civility,
• Gain practical strategies to address bullying using culturally-adaptive conflict resolution and communication skills.

Upon successful completion of the program, you will receive a Certificate of Participation listing 12 contact learning hours. 

For additional course details see the Institute for Developing Across Differences website. 

€ 1050
 

Available dates