Socio-organizational mechanisms of institutional exclusion – a challenge for multicultural organizations

The article provides theoretical considerations supported by empirical results of own research on the socio-cultural determinants of mobbing/bullying at workplaces, carried out on samples of adults working in different organizations in Poland (2007/8: N = 465; 2010: N = 260). Referring to the selected elements of Berger and Luckman’s theory of social construction of reality (1966) as well as certain socio-organizational phenomena such as mobbing, organizational climate, and organizational culture, the author proposes a hypothesis that mobbing can be seen as a kind of socio-organizational sanction applied to culturally different and poorly-socialized employees. The results of own research show that mobbing behaviours are mostly experienced by non-conformist employees who do not support the objectives and organizational procedures and negatively evaluate various factors of organizational climate. Nevertheless, numerous research results [Durniat K., 2009, 2011, Grzesiuk L., 2008, Hoel H., Zapf D., Cooper CL, 2002, Høgh A., and Dofradottir EG, 2002, Einarsen S., Mikkelsen EG , 2003] clearly show that the incidence of mobbing entails a number of negative consequences for both individuals and entire organizations. The presented course of consideration is a voice in the scientific discussion which has a direct impact on practical management - about bullying/mobbing at work as a particular threat to multicultural organizations and a challenge for their managers.