The systematic development of workplace violence interventions: using the Intervention Mapping protocol

This contribution attempts to explain why violence prevention interventions have mixed effects. Such interventions are effective when violent behaviour between individuals is viewed as embedded within the environment in which the violence occurs (organization or school). This notion is first strengthened by examples from health care, retail industries, and primary schools. Second, by applying Intervention Mapping (IM) to explain the (in)effectiveness of these interventions. The paper completes with a discussion on violence prevention assuming a cultural change in an organization and how IM may be elaborated to develop and implement a cultural change to prevent violence in an organization.