Corrosive Leadership (or Bullying by Another Name): A Corollary of the Corporatised Academy?

Australian Journal of Labour Law, Vol. 17, pp. 161-184, 2004

24 Pages Posted: 10 Dec 2008

Date Written: December 9, 2008

Abstract

The literature reveals that the incidence of bullying is increasing in corporate workplaces everywhere. While the data is scant, it suggests that bullying in universities is also on the increase. Interviews with Australian academics support this finding. It is argued that the trend has to be understood in light of the pathology of corporatisation, which is designed to make academics do more with less. The focus on productivity parallels the harassment to which workers in the private sector may be subjected in the hope that they will work harder and maximise profits. Avenues of redress are considered which show that dignitary harms remain inchoate as legal harms. While common law and anti-discrimination legislation regimes may occasionally offer a remedy to targeted individuals, it is averred that these avenues are incapable of addressing the causative political factors that induce corrosive leadership.

Keywords: bullying, universities, corporatisation, remedies

JEL Classification: I29, J71, K31

Suggested Citation

Thornton, Margaret, Corrosive Leadership (or Bullying by Another Name): A Corollary of the Corporatised Academy? (December 9, 2008). Australian Journal of Labour Law, Vol. 17, pp. 161-184, 2004, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1313528

Margaret Thornton (Contact Author)

ANU College of Law ( email )

Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 0200
Australia

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