Date of Conferral

2016

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Public Policy and Administration

Advisor

Gabriel M. Telleria

Abstract

Walden University

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

This is to certify that the doctoral dissertation by

Sinsey E. Johnson

has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects,

and that any and all revisions required by

the review committee have been made.

Review Committee

Dr. Gabriel Telleria, Committee Chairperson,

Public Policy and Administration Faculty

Dr. George Larkin, Committee Member,

Public Policy and Administration Faculty

Dr. Tanya Settles, University Reviewer,

Public Policy and Administration Faculty

Chief Academic Officer

Eric Riedel, Ph.D.

Walden University

2016

Workplace bullying is a source of distress and contributes to productivity losses and poor mental health among workers in the United States. Little, though, is known about how organizational structure and culture may impact the frequency of bullying within the context of federal public organizations. Using Schein's theory of organizational climate as the foundation, this correlational study examined the relationship between organizational size, type including protective services, the United States Postal Service, or other government agencies, and climate as defined by Schein. Survey data using the modifications of the Negative Acts Questionnaire and the Psychosocial Safety Climate Scale were used to collect data from a sample of 78 employees of the federal government. Data were analyzed using a linear regression technique. Results indicate that organizational size and type are not predictive of bullying behavior, but there is a statistically significant relationship between organizational climate and bullying (p = .001). The positive social change implications stemming from this study includes recommendations to federal government executives to explore organizational policies and rules to mitigate bullying behaviors through attention to organizational climate, thereby potentially increasing organizational efficiency and improving the work experience of federal employees.

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