The comparison of mobbing behavior at health institutions of Turkey and Kazakhstan

Abstract

Research Methodology
The basic purpose of the study is to determine whether the psychological mobbing behaviors to which employees are exposed in health organizations differ from each other in Turkey and Kazakhstan.
The main population of the study consisted of employees working in specific state hospitals in Turkey and Kazakhstan. The employees of three state hospitals in two cities in Turkey were involved in the study, and the employees of four hospitals in Kazakhstan were involved in the study. The fact that limited numbers of employees working in limited number of state hospitals in two countries were involved in the study is the limitation of the study. In spite of such a limitation, it is thought that the results of the study will provide important implications for those who will make research and investigations on that subject.
As it was not possible to reach the number of the employees working in the hospitals involved in the study in Turkey and Kazakhstan, simple random method was used for sampling. The number of employees involved in the sampling was 150 in Turkey and 165 in Kazakhstan. Questionnaire technique was used for colleting data. The scales used in the questionnaire were composed of psychological mobbing behaviors handled as Leyman Tipoji and grouped under five main titles. The scales used in the study are composed of the following dimensions: the behaviors directed towards showing yourself and affecting your initiation of communication (10 variables), the assaults towards your social relations (5 variables), assaults your dignity (15 variables), the assaults towards your life quality and professional position (9 variables) and the direct assaults towards health (4 variables) (Davenport, et al. 2003: 18-19). The opinions of the employees were taken using a 5-point-Likert scale (1. Never, 2. Rarely, 3. Sometimes, 4. Often, 5. Always).
The main hypothesis of the study is that the psychological mobbing behaviors differ from each other in Turkey and Kazakhstan.

Research Findings
SPSS 13.00 program was used to explain the research findings better as a whole. The research findings were put forward through putting forward the management type, socio-demographic properties, doing the structural reliability of the scales and testing the research hypotheses.
It has been determined that the hospitals have a guiding and directive management type in Turkey while there is an authoritarian and bureaucratic management understanding in Kazakhstan. The socio-demographic characteristics of the health employees involved in the study: 47.6 % (150) of the total number of the health employees are Turkish, 52.4 % (165) is Cossack; 61.3 % is female, 38.1 % is male; and their age range is between 18-45. Their level of education: 28.9 % is lycee, 30.2 % is high school and 31.7 % is university. It has been seen that the employees have been working in the health sector from 1 to 10 years and more than 10 years. The time duration the employees have been working in the same organization is less than 1 year, 1-10 years and more than 10 years.
For the reliability analysis about the scales used in this study Cronbach Alpha Coefficient method has been used. It has been determined that the alpha coefficients have taken a value above .60 which is accepted as the sub-level for the social sciences. In this framework, it can be said that the scales have had a conceptual whole at all levels. For the validity analysis of the scales Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) has been carried out. The psychological mobbing behaviors directed towards affecting the employees' self-showing and their communication are explained through two basic factors. They are named as: Factor 1: Bad communication, Factor 2: unfair criticism and threat. The total variation put forward by two factors is 55.077 %. The variables involving the psychological mobbing behaviors towards the social relations of the employees have been explained through 48.49 % variation under one factor; the variables about the self-esteem of the employees have been explained through 56.7  % variation under two basic factors; the variable about the life quality and professional position of the employees have been explained through 51.88 % variation under one basic factor and the variables about the direct assaults towards the health of the employees have been explained through 53.73 % variation under one factor.
T-Test that considers the differences between two independent groups has been conducted in order to determine whether the psychological mobbing behaviors to which the health employees involved in the study are exposed differ from each other in Turkey and Kazakhstan. As a result of the test, it has been determined that the psychological mobbing behaviors to which employees are exposed differ from each other in Turkey and Kazakhstan. It has been seen that the frequency at which the employees are exposed to psychological mobbing behaviors is higher in Kazakhstan. It ıs possible to put forward the management type of the hospitals and the work conditions as the reasons of the fact that the health employees in Kazakhstan are exposed to psychological mobbing more often. The fact that the management types of the state hospitals are usually authoratitative and bureaucratic causes the employees to be exposed to psychological mobbing.  
In order to prevent the psychological mobbing behaviors towards health employees, particularly in Kazakhstan, it is beneficial to consider certain points such as adopting democratic, participatory and directive management type, providing work-employee conformity, accepting organizational justice as a principle, lessening the excessive amounts of work inspection, improving the consciousness of work ethics and social responsibility, avoiding sudden changes, opening all the channels of communication, institutionalizing the education, defining the tasks and responsibilities clearly, preventing the monotonousness of work, improving the physical conditions, stimulate whole participation and team work, providing the participation in management, increasing the moral standards in organization, protecting the workers' health and security.
The fact that limited numbers of employees working in state hospitals only in two countries were involved in the study is the limitation of the study. Therefore, interpreting the results through generalizing them may lead to misunderstandings. However, handling the psychological mobbing behaviors to which health employees are exposed as whole in cultural terms will have important implications for the further research.