ABSTRACT
Background of the Study Further to understanding targets’ experiences of workplace bullying as highlighted in Chapter 3, D’Cruz (2009) studied the experiences of witnesses/bystanders. Of the 10 targets of bullying included in D’Cruz and Noronha’s (2009a) research, eight agreed to put the author in touch with colleagues who had witnessed/ observed the situation, and all the latter agreed to participate in the inquiry (n = 17). Van Manen’s (1998) hermeneutic phenomenology, relying on conversational interviews and sententious and selective thematic analyses, was adopted to study bystanders’ (henceforth also referred to as participants in this chapter) lived experiences. All interviews, held as per the convenience of the participant, were conducted in English by the author and recorded on audio-cassette with the permission of the participant. Data were later transcribed verbatim by the research staff and subjected to sententious and selective thematic analyses. Ethical practices of informed consent, voluntary participation and confi dentiality marked the inquiry.
