https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/155120 2026-04-07T14:31:14Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/159824 The Post-Tailhook Navy Designs an Integrated Dispute Resolution System Rowe, Mary P. 1993-07-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/159816 Helping People Help Themselves: An ADR Option for Complaint Handlers Rowe, Mary P. Note from the author: This article was written for complaint handlers before current laws, but it includes a review of many points relevant for complainants who are interested in helping themselves, and for complaint handlers who support them. 1990-07-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/159813 People Who Feel Harassed Need a Complaint System with Both Formal and Informal Options Rowe, Mary P. 1990-04-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/159358 An Unusual Harassment Training That Was Warmly Received—and, as well, Inspired Bystanders—an Organizational Ombuds Story Rowe, Mary Harassment and bullying are hard to endure and hard to stop. Many targets and bystanders fear to ask for help, fearing loss of relationships and other painful consequences. All organizations need training. However, sensitivity training about harassment is now unwelcome to many, and it is hard to prove such training is effective in terms of achieving desirable outcomes. This essay describes an effort to teach supervisors how to receive harassment concerns competently and effectively. Faculty and staff supervisors were asked to critique the performance of peers on videos—who were kind but making common mistakes—for their strengths and weaknesses as complaint-handlers. The training was voluntary, very well received, and effective in several different ways. Many organizations might adapt such training for their frontline supervisors. (Note: This article illustrates the importance of training managers and faculty about complaint-handling and about being effective bystanders.) 2025-04-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/159311 The Colleague Who Would Not Take "No" for an Answer Rowe, Mary 2024-12-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/159310 The Poster War: An Ombuds Learns About Sources of Power, Helping People Help Themselves, and the Role of Affinity Groups in Bringing About Change Rowe, Mary 2024-10-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/159308 Is There a Right To Be Addressed as One Wishes To Be Addressed? Rowe, Mary; Rowe, Mary This teaching case was originally presented at the 1984 Corporate Ombudsman Conference. This is a fictional case study designed for teaching use. Many details, including names and facts, were changed from the real 1973 incident. 2024-06-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/159273 The Eavesdropping Manager Who Was a Hesitant Bystander Rowe, Mary 2024-02-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/159234 The Hesitant Bystander with Safety Concerns and a CEO Who Is a Bully Rowe, Mary Note: This is a fictional case study designed for teaching use. Many details, including names and facts, have been changed from the real case. 2024-02-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/158445 “'Drafting a Letter' for People Dealing with Harassment or Bullying" Rowe, Mary As an early ombuds, the author discovered that drafting a structured letter about being mistreated often helped constituents—with respect to both process and outcomes. This article describes the origins of “drafting a letter” with its uses, benefits, and sources of power. Drafting such a letter provides a tripartite structure (see the Appendix) for a mistreated person to present evidence—from diaries, calendars, communications, videos, photos, phone records, etc. This structure helps in considering many options for action, for example, just thinking things through, gathering more evidence, informal discussions, mediation, or a formal complaint. Or the writer may send the letter privately to the perceived offender; such letters may work to stop specific misbehavior. If the behavior then does not stop, a safe-guarded copy of the letter can be used as evidence that the writer tried to stop it. And—very importantly—just drafting a letter may help with pain, anger, and grief. 2023-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/158443 Mistreatment Experiences, Protective Workplace Systems, and Occupational Distress in Physicians Rowe, Susannah G.; Stewart, Miriam T.; Van Horne, Sam; Pierre, Cassandra; Wang, Hanhan; Manukyan, Makaila; Bair-Merritt, Megan; Lee-Parritz, Aviva; Rowe, Mary P.; Shanafelt, Tait; Trockel, Mickey Reducing physician occupational distress requires understanding workplace mistreatment, its relationship to occupational well-being, and how mistreatment differentially impacts physicians of diverse identities. A survey of 1505 physicians conducted from September to October 2020 found that 23.4% had experienced mistreatment in the last year, with patients and visitors as the most frequent source of mistreatment. Women were more than twice as likely as men to experience mistreatment. Mistreatment was associated with higher levels of occupational distress, whereas the perception that protective workplace systems exist was associated with lower levels of occupational distress. These findings suggest that health care organizations should prioritize reducing workplace mistreatment, and systems that prevent workplace mistreatment may improve physicians' occupational well-being. Note: This article is the first to provide quantitative data finding that the perception that bystanders intervene when someone is mistreated is associated with better occupational well-being. 2022-05-06T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/158150 An Unusual Harassment Training That Was Warmly Received and Also Inspired Bystanders Rowe, Mary P. Harassment and bullying are hard to endure and hard to stop. Many targets and bystanders fear to ask for help, fearing loss of relationships and other bad consequences. All organizations need to train people about harassment. But such training is now unwelcome to many, and it is hard to prove that it is effective. This essay describes an effort to teach supervisors how to receive harassment concerns competently and effectively. Faculty and staff supervisors were asked to critique the performance of peers on videos—who were kind but making common mistakes—for their strengths and weaknesses as complaint-handlers. The training was voluntary, very well received, and effective in several different ways. (Note: This essay illustrates the importance of training managers and faculty about complaint-handling and about being effective bystanders.) 2021-10-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/158144 If You Have Been Harassed or Bullied: Some Ideas to Consider Rowe, Mary 2021-09-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/156722 Concerns about Bullying at Work As Heard by Organizational Ombudsmen Cummings, Lydia; Rowe, Mary 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/156663 Dealing with—or Reporting—‘Unacceptable’ Behavior Rowe, Mary; Wilcox, Linda; Gadlin, Howard People in organizations often see behavior that they think is unacceptable, unsafe, illegal—even criminal. Why do people who observe such behavior hesitate to act on their own, or to come forward promptly—even when affected by that behavior? Why do they not immediately report those whom they see to be acting in an intolerable fashion? Hesitation of this kind has been recognized for years; for example, there is a controversial literature about the “bystander effect.” In real life hesitation is not confined just to bystanders. People in all roles may hesitate to act. Why do some people—including many managers—waver, rather than acting effectively to stop behavior they find to be unacceptable? The most common reasons for hesitation are: fear of loss of relationships, and loss of privacy, fear of unspecified “bad consequences” or retaliation, and insufficient evidence. There are many other barriers and they are often complex. Perceptions of the organization and of supervisors are important, as is a complaint system that is seen to be safe, accessible and credible. Some people do act on the spot or come forward when they see unacceptable behavior. Reviewing the reasoning of people with whom we have talked may provide ideas for employers designing or reviewing a conflict management system. 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/156662 Systems for Dealing with Conflict and Learning from Conflict—Options for Complaint-Handling: An Illustrative Case Bloch, Brian; Miller, David; Rowe, Mary 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/156456 Workplace Justice, Zero Tolerance, and Zero Barriers Rowe, Mary; Bendersky, Corinne 2003-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/156399 Requests for Personal Work May Pose a Conflict of Interest Rowe, Mary 2003-02-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/156383 What Should Jane Do About Her Top Performer's Mean Streak? Rowe, Mary This comment is part of a larger article: Sarah Cliffe, “What a Star—What a Jerk,” Harvard Business Review Vol. 79, No. 8 (September 2001): 37-48. 2001-09-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/155967 Dealing with Harassment: A Systems Approach. Rowe, Mary P. People who are concerned about harassment often feel they "know what is best" for a person who has been harassed. But those who have actually been harassed often have very strong -- and different -- points of view about what they are willing to do. Thus, procedures for dealing with harassment must first take into account the wide range of interests of various complainants, or complainants will not take action. This chapter explores the pros and cons of many possible elements of a complaint system and concludes by recommending an integrated dispute resolution systems approach, which provides options for complainants, respondents, bystanders, and supervisors. 1996-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/155966 People with Delusions or Quasi-Delusions Who "Won't Let Go" Rowe, Mary In recent years an increasing number of otherwise productive people, who appear to have delusions or quasi-delusions and who "won't let go," have come to the attention of workplace and university complaint handlers. These are people who have ideas which appear contrary to fact, and who, in addition, seem obsessed about these ideas. Complaint handlers come to hear about this sub-group of obsessed people with delusions or quasi-delusions in two ways. People with obsessive delusions may come in as complainants, and then continuously refuse to settle or give up the complaint. This may be true even after a court has ruled against them. Or they may be reported to the complaint handler as harassers when they follow, skulk, stalk, scare or anger others, and apparently cannot be persuaded to give up the object of their interest. There has been little published in the human resource or dispute resolution literature about otherwise productive persons who present in workplace or academic settings as both obsessed and quasi-delusional. In this article, the author sketches out characteristics of a specific group of people who have some obsessive beliefs and ideas that appear not to be based in reality. She suggests some ways individual complaint handlers and organizations may deal with questions and concerns posed by such persons. 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/155959 Rowe Effort Commended by Navy Ball, Charles H. 1993-02-03T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/155958 The Case of the Hidden Harassment Niven, Daniel; Wang, Cheryl; Rowe, Mary P.; Taga, Mikiko; Vladeck, Judith P.; Garron, Lee C. 1992-03-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/155759 Harassment at MIT: Think Prevention Rowe, Mary 1989-10-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/155742 Review of The Lecherous Professor: Sexual Harassment on Campus Rowe, Mary P. This is a book review. 1985-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/155713 Review of Sexual and Gender Harassment in the Academy: A Guide for Faculty, Students, and Administrators Rowe, Mary P. 1983-05-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/155559 Dealing with Sexual Harassment Rowe, Mary P. 1981-05-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/155452 Case of the Valuable Vendors Rowe, Mary P. This article discusses subtle discrimination as a management problem. Also reprinted in Dealing with Conflict, Harvard Business Review (Boston, MA: Harvard Business School, 1983), 167-173. 1978-09-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/155302 The Progress of Women in Educational Institutions: The Saturn's Rings Phenomenon Rowe, Mary P. This paper describes the minutiae of sexism in large educational institutions. These minutiae are usually not actionable; most are such petty incidents that they may not even be identified, much less protested. They are, however, important, like the dust and ice in Saturn's rings, because, taken together, they constitute formidable barriers. As Saturn is partially obscured by its rings, so are good jobs partially obscured for women by "grains of sand": the minutiae of sexism. Saturn's Rings phenomena are briefly discussed in this paper and then a fictional case study is introduced in an effort to illustrate the cumulative effect of many small events. This December 1973 report by Mary Rowe to the MIT Academic Council contributed to the discussion resulting in MIT's first policy against harassment. The article describes various aspects of structural sexism. 1973-12-01T00:00:00Z