Abstract
After surviving 25 years in academia, one faculty member questions whether being the target of nefarious queen bees is worth the career impact, state of one's mental well-being, and bearing upon one's quality of life. After initiating an academic career as a novice assistant professor, attaining tenure and promotion to associate professor, and ultimately achieving promotion to professor, the case study focuses upon the faculty member's questions around relevancy and whether the impact of queen bees upon the creation of a toxic work environment is worth remaining in a situation that chips away at one's academic triad passions of teaching, research, and service. This case study will focus upon aspects of academia that are directly impacted by queen bees, sharing narrative understandings and experiences through a storytelling that takes on a Currere Method style of engagement in what may be described as a complex, difficult conversation.
TopWhat Is A Queen Bee?
Ah, the nefarious queen bee. The queen bee may be considered as a metaphoric figure of speech, that offers an analogy of someone of importance, someone perceived as special, in their own little world. This may be a true reflection of the environment in which a queen bee is enveloped, or it may be a strange perception of someone’s sense of self-importance. Is this a correct perception or a psychological issue? This is a question that is clearly up for debate. But towards extending the metaphor a bit further, the rest of the bees in the metaphoric environment of the hive are mere drones, that are merely common, easily replaced, as well as meant to do the bidding of the queen bee so as to ensure the comfort of the queen bee and sustaining of the hive environment that surrounds the queen bee. Of intrigue, is that the queen bee is nothing interesting, nothing novel, nothing important, beyond the bounds of the metaphoric hive. The drones are inconsequential in themselves, merely as something momentarily useful or perhaps even a threat to the queen bees. If a drone dares to question the viability of what is occurring in the hive, if the drone does not act as the queen bee desires or may even reflect a drone’s ability to be an upstart in the hive, it is the focus of the queen bee to dismantle and destroy the drone. This is the world in which so many queen bees thrive. Reflecting upon queen bees within academia, this metaphoric representation may not be too far from correct.
Within traditionally male-dominated work environments, one might imagine that women would be supportive of each other’s efforts and successes. This is a natural assumption and expectation, recognizing that supporting efforts of colleagues and more advanced women within organizations will only strengthen opportunities for women as well as equally strengthen the work environment’s inclusionary practices for all persons, no matter one’s gender or innumerable other diverse aspects that bring strength to an organization. Yet, as Baykal et al. (2020) recognize, the queen bee syndrome remains strong:
Many women even claim that they are excluded or not supported and even prevented by working women managers. In queen bee syndrome, it was argued that female managers preferred to stay away from and support their female subordinates, in order to suppress the feelings of inadequacy and exclusion exposed on them by male employees because of their gender. (p. 165)
Indeed, women may actively engage in discriminatory actions against other women. Yet, personalities and characteristics of women may in fact create an environment in which it actively becomes an us-versus-them mean girl mentality that reflects an academic mobbing situation that can easily develop. Khoo (2010) brilliantly reflects a description of academic mobbing as:
Academic mobbing is a non-violent, sophisticated, 'ganging up' behaviour adopted by academicians to “wear and tear” a colleague down emotionally through unjustified accusation, humiliation, general harassment and emotional abuse. These are directed at the target under a veil of lies and justifications so that they are “hidden” to others and difficult to prove. Bullies use mobbing activities to hide their own weaknesses and incompetence. Targets selected are often intelligent, innovative high achievers, with good integrity and principles. Mobbing activities appear trivial and innocuous on its own but the frequency and pattern of their occurrence over long period of time indicates an aggressive manipulation to “eliminate” the target. (p. 61)
Although persons who bully targets are not always women, and targets are not always women, the preponderance of queen bees who target and stigmatize others in the environment must be acknowledged. Indeed, the recognition of the Queen Bee Syndrome is prevalent on the global stage, initially labeling the phenomenon in an article by Staines et al. (1973), with the understanding of the Queen Bee Syndrome being that,
Key Terms in this Chapter
Complex Conversation: A discussion that occurs, within which numerous difficult and nuanced aspects are included as either explicit or implicit.
Currere: A biographical, normally autobiographical, analysis of their own experiences and understandings. This is normally focused upon persons who are in the field of education.
Critical Analysis: An examination and analysis that normally deconstructs and reconstructs a topic under focus.
Academic Mobbing: This is a form of bullying within academic environments, in which at least a couple people gang up on a targeted person or persons. In many situations, the target is the stronger faculty member, who is talented, hard-working, and recognized for their effort within the field. The bullies are insecure and jealous of the target’s success.
Transformative: Within the understanding of the Currere Method, this is a process through which a person in education travels while critically analyzing a topic through a regressive, progressive, analytical, and synthetical process. The result is marking a change in understanding, related to someone or something.
Faculty: A person or persons who are classroom instructors. Within higher education, a faculty member who is tenure-track or tenured holds the expectations of teaching, research, and service responsibilities, while non-tenure track faculty hold the responsibilities of teaching and service.
Higher Education: This is a post-K12 educational experience that includes universities and community colleges. Higher education institutions offer degrees that are bachelor, master, or doctoral.
Annual Review: Each year, a faculty member is mandated to complete a review of the work and associated successes throughout the years’ experience. The timeline within which the annual review is mandated to cover is designated by the university. Traditionally, the annual review covers three primary areas of teaching, research, and service, with additional areas of professional development and other potential areas of focused inquiry and effort.
Target: In an academic mobbing situation, the target is the focused person who is bullied and mobbed by others. The target is normally a talented, productive member of the academy, who is the focus of insecure others who desire to hurt or remove the target from the organization.