A two-wave study on workplace bullying after organizational change: a moderated mediation analysis

The role of organizational change in the process leading to the development of bullying has received only little attention so far. The present longitudinal study aimed at filling this gap by examining a moderated mediation model through Structural Equation Modelling where the mediating effect of psychological strain in the relationship between workload and workplace bullying is moderated by the experience of organizational change. Data were available for 141 university employees (65.2% females). The moderating role of organizational change was tested through the multi-group method by including in the analysis two groups of employees of the same organization: employees who directly experienced organizational change (e.g. change of job tasks and supervisor) and employees who were not involved in organizational change. Bootstrap test of the indirect effects provided evidence of a mediating effect of strain in the relationship between workload and workplace bullying in the group of employees who directly experienced the organizational change process. Implications and limitations of the obtained results are discussed, together with suggestions for future research.