Violence in the Workplace: A Strategic Crisis Management Issue

Organizational leaders and academicians seem to view workplace violence, crisis management, and strategic management as independent concepts. However, they are interdependent. The first step toward workplace security and strategic crisis management is to establish a workplace violence prevention system. Workplace violence involves violence or threats of violence from workers against co-workers and includes bullying and harassment as well as threats and acts of violence. From moral and legal perspectives, organizational leaders have an obligation to establish violence prevention systems as an integral part of strategic crisis management. Such violence prevention systems include anti-violence policies, procedures, and processes as well as physical and structural means of preventing violence. Improvements have been made in terms of violence prevention. However, compared to advances in communication and technology, many violence prevention systems are limited in scope and capability because bullying, harassment, threats, and acts of violence are still rampant in the workplace