Bibliometric analysis of mobbing studies: Developing an interdisciplinary approach by finding points of contact between two research fields

Background Although many researchers of workplace mobbing refer to the similarities with animal mobbing noted by Leymann, animals that attack their enemies remain graphic illustrations in descriptions of workplace violence. Objective This study aims to examine the differences and similarities between animal and workplace bullying, identify trends in these studies through bibliometric analysis, and discover which common themes may be helpful for further interdisciplinary research. Methods A narrative literature review and bibliometric analysis were used to identify common themes and topics. The data were downloaded from the Scopus database, and 1264 studies published between 1919 and 2024 were examined. A comprehensive bibliometric analysis was performed via the Biblioshiny application of the Bibliometrix package and the VOSviewer program. Results Five themes common to both fields of research were identified, including environmental factors influencing mobbing, attacking group mobilization, causes of mobbing attacks, mobbing behavior, and neurophysiological reactions. The two connecting themes (aggression and communication) were also identified, and directions for possible interdisciplinary research were discussed. Conclusions By providing comprehensive information on mobbing literature, this study offers a different perspective on what we can learn from animal behavior to understand workplace mobbing better and stimulates an important discussion for future researchers.