Sexual harassment in non-profit organizations: organizational dysfunctions or harasser's behavior?
Fecha
2021Versión
Acceso abierto / Sarbide irekia
Tipo
Artículo / Artikulua
Versión
Versión aceptada / Onetsi den bertsioa
Identificador del proyecto
Impacto
|
10.5465/amp.2020.0028
Resumen
In 2018, the media spotlight fell on several high-profile non-profit organizations (NPOs) in
connection with sexual harassment (SH). Since then, a flood of SH cases has severely
impacted the image and reputation of the non-profit sector. NPOs have been accused of
attempting to cover up SH and, in some cases, of leniency towards the harassers. However,
these claims have not been rigorously inv ...
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In 2018, the media spotlight fell on several high-profile non-profit organizations (NPOs) in
connection with sexual harassment (SH). Since then, a flood of SH cases has severely
impacted the image and reputation of the non-profit sector. NPOs have been accused of
attempting to cover up SH and, in some cases, of leniency towards the harassers. However,
these claims have not been rigorously investigated. In this paper, we study the role and
behavior of harassers and argue that they may target organizations operating in the
nonprofit sector owing to specific conditions that enable them to avoid detection and
punishment. We argue that an environment advantageous to those who perpetrate
harassment is created by several exogenous (non-organizational) factors, such as the
vulnerability of aid recipients, the lack of legal protection of volunteers, and, in some cases,
the cultural tolerance of discrimination against women. From this novel perspective,
traditional anti-SH policies that focus on reacting to harassment and supporting the victim
are viewed as necessary—but insufficient—approaches to the problem. We therefore
propose a series of complementary policies that enable NPOs to adapt their operational
environments in order to curb SH. [--]
Materias
Sexual harassment,
Non-profit organizations,
Organizational dysfunction,
Harassers’ behavior
Editor
Academy of Management
Publicado en
Academy of Management Perspectives vol. 36, no. 3
Departamento
Universidad Pública de Navarra. Departamento de Gestión de Empresas /
Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa. Enpresen Kudeaketa Saila /
Universidad Pública de Navarra/Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa. Institute for Advanced Research in Business and Economics - INARBE
Versión del editor
Entidades Financiadoras
The authors wish to thank PID2020-114460GB-C32 and PID2020-115018RB-C31 for grants funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033.