Making Sense of Workplace Bullying

This page summarizes the work “Chaos, reports, and quests: Narrative agency and co-workers in stories of workplace bullying” by Stacy Tye-Williams and Kathleen J. Krone (referenced below).

Workplace bullying is widespread and damaging. Studies estimate that 35% of U.S. employees—around 54 million people—will experience it at some point [6]. Beyond the human toll, bullying costs organizations millions each year in turnover, absenteeism, and lost productivity. Targets report anxiety, depression, burnout, even physical illness [2][4]. Witnesses, too, are affected: they suffer stress, declining morale, and health problems simply from observing bullying [3].

Yet numbers tell only part of the story. How people narrate their experiences—and how co-workers feature in those narratives—matters deeply. In a study published in Management Communication Quarterly, Stacy Tye-Williams and Kathleen J. Krone interviewed 48 people who had been bullied at work. They found three distinct types of stories: chaos, report, and quest narratives. Each reflects not only the impact of bullying but also the role co-workers play in shaping voice and agency.

Chaos Narratives: Tales from the Brink

The most common type of story told by participants was the chaos narrative. These accounts were fragmented, nonlinear, and unfinished, mirroring the ongoing and repetitive nature of abuse. People spoke of devastating losses of health, jobs, dignity, or relationships, and emphasized isolation, noting that colleagues shunned them or remained silent.

The researchers note that chaos narratives lacked the conventional order of storytelling. Rather than beginning neatly, moving in sequence, and concluding with resolution, they were often “punctuated by an ellipsis”—accounts that broke off or shifted abruptly, reflecting the unfinished nature of bullying. These stories did not culminate in closure but conveyed experiences that were still ongoing, with targets struggling to “describe the indescribable” [2].

In chaos narratives, co-workers were framed as:

• Bullies — joining in the abuse, sometimes as part of mobbing.

• Bystanders — aware but unwilling to intervene, often out of fear for their own jobs.

• Chameleons — unpredictable, at times sympathetic but at other times siding with the bully.
  
  

Without co-worker validation, participants found it harder to narrate their experiences coherently. The study highlights that chaos stories are frequently dismissed by managers or others as “improper storytelling” because they seem incoherent. Yet, as the authors stress—drawing on Arthur Frank’s work—such stories must be honored: “To deny a chaos story is to deny the person telling the story” [2].

Report Narratives: Just the Facts

A second group of participants constructed what the researchers call report narratives. These accounts were linear, factual, and largely unemotional. Report tellers described what happened, who was involved, and when events took place, with an emphasis on accuracy rather than feelings. These stories often gave the impression of “just the facts” reports, more like workplace documentation than personal testimony.

For many, report narratives reflected a belief that the bullying was temporary. Often, these tellers were earlier in their careers and assumed that once they moved jobs, earned a promotion, or gained seniority, the abuse would end. The matter-of-fact style conveyed endurance rather than despair: the bullying was real, but it was something to get through rather than something that defined them.

In report narratives, co-workers were framed as:

• Comrades — peers who offered solidarity, sharing stories and venting together, but rarely intervened directly against the bully.
  
  

This sense of camaraderie was valuable, providing companionship and relief. But because the focus was on surviving until circumstances changed, bullying itself often went unchallenged. Report narratives, then, represent a middle ground: neither the despair of chaos nor the transformation of quest, but a factual account sustained by peer solidarity.

Quest Narratives: The Transformative Journey

Quest narratives stood in sharp contrast to chaos stories. They were coherent and orderly, with a clear beginning, middle, and end. In these accounts, bullying was framed as a difficult journey that, despite the pain, led to growth or new insight. Participants described how suffering had forced them to confront vulnerabilities, seek counseling, or discover new strengths. The quest narrative offered a way of reclaiming the story: the bullying was not meaningless torment, but part of a larger struggle that produced wisdom.

Unlike report narratives, quest stories often featured co-workers who played an active role in helping targets cope or resist. Some groups developed creative strategies—such as “weather reports” to warn one another of a supervisor’s moods—that brought people together and turned individual suffering into collective resistance. Others provided quiet acknowledgment and validation, creating space for targets to speak with greater clarity and strength.

In quest narratives, co-workers were framed as:

• Supporters — colleagues who actively collaborated, strategized, or created systems of mutual aid.

• Sympathizers — peers who validated the target’s suffering, often privately, and offered emotional backing even if they could not take risks themselves.
  
  

Quest narratives reflect the greatest degree of narrative agency. They show how co-worker validation and support can make it possible for targets to retell their experiences as more than a catalogue of pain, instead framing them as meaningful journeys of resilience and survival.

Why Co-Workers Matter

Across all three narrative types, the role of colleagues was pivotal:

• In chaos stories, silence or complicity deepened isolation and made experiences harder to articulate.

• In report stories, camaraderie offered temporary relief but left bullying largely unaddressed.

• In quest stories, active support and sympathy gave targets the space to frame their suffering as a transformative journey.
  
  

The study makes clear that workplace bullying is not only a dyadic issue between bully and target. It is a communal experience, shaped by how colleagues respond.

Lessons for Organizations

The research points to several implications:

• Listen differently. Chaos narratives may lack coherence, but they reflect genuine trauma and must be taken seriously.

• Train co-workers. Witnesses often remain silent from fear or uncertainty; with training, they can validate colleagues and provide meaningful support.

• Encourage collective storytelling. Sharing and validating experiences can equalize power and resist abuse.

• Change organizational culture. For bullying to end, organizations must create climates where support is encouraged and rewarded.
  
  

Conclusion

The stories of workplace bullying reveal not only the pain of targets but also the responsibility of co-workers. Whether framed as bullies, bystanders, chameleons, comrades, supporters, or sympathizers, colleagues profoundly shape how individuals experience mistreatment and whether they can find their voice.

Chaos narratives, though difficult to follow, are central because they express the reality of ongoing abuse. Report narratives show how camaraderie helps people endure. Quest narratives reveal the potential for transformation when support is present.

By listening carefully to all forms of storytelling—chaotic, factual, or transformative—organizations can create the conditions where healing and change become possible.

References

[1] Tye-Williams, S., & Krone, K. J. (2015). Chaos, reports, and quests: Narrative agency and co-workers in stories of workplace bullying. Management Communication Quarterly, 29(1), 3–27. https://doi.org/10.1177/0893318914552029

[2] Einarsen, S., & Mikkelsen, E. G. (2003). Individual Effects of Exposure to Bullying at Work. In S. Einarsen, H. Hoel, D. Zapf, & C. L. Cooper (Eds.), Bullying and Emotional Abuse in the Workplace (pp. 127–144). Taylor & Francis. https://portal.findresearcher.sdu.dk/en/publications/individual-effects-of-exposure-to-bullying-at-work

[3] Lutgen-Sandvik, P., Tracy, S. J., & Alberts, J. K. (2007). Burned by bullying in the American workplace: Prevalence, perception, degree and impact. Journal of Management Studies, 44(6), 837–862. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6486.2007.00715.x

[4] Workplace Bullying Institute. (2010). 2010 and 2007 U.S. Workplace Bullying Survey. https://workplacebullying.org/multi/pdf/2010_WBI_US_Survey.pdf

[5] Frank, A. W. (1995). The Wounded Storyteller: Body, Illness, and Ethics. University of Chicago Press. https://archive.org/details/woundedstorytell0000fran

[6] Namie, G., & Namie, R. (2009). The Bully at Work: What You Can Do to Stop the Hurt and Reclaim Your Dignity on the Job. Sourcebooks. https://archive.org/details/bullyatworkwhaty0000nami