Violence in the workplace: Why does it happen?

IN THE MIDDLE of the road, he pulled a gun and shot his ex-employer. That is what happened in the middle of New York few days ago. What an extreme act of violence that leaves you but wondering, how is it possible for such kind of anger to grow and fester in the workplace?
Violence in the workplace is not new, in the US, nearly 2 million American workers report being victims of some kind of workplace violence every year. Life threatening acts are not the only kind of violence there is, violence comes in many forms, such as verbal abuse, intimidation, threats etc., and of course it is mostly physical. It could be external, between an employee and a client or a customer, between an employee and a supplier or vendor, and it could be internal between employees of the same organization.
In all cases, the major question that is always demanding an answer is ‘why?’ Why do such forms of aggressive emotions and behavior, of hatred and the intent to inflect harm on others, could grow in a workplace? Most researchers of the topic agree that such incidents do not happen on the spur of the moment. Negative emotions build over time; they accumulate till reaching the critical point of no return, the moment of explosion. The answer is there in the workplace itself, in its culture. Environments where employees are comfortable, motivated and enjoying a well-balanced career life, are less likely to fight with their fellow employees or fight with customers. Their professional behavior is usually empowered by the culture of the organization he or she is working for. On the other hand, those employees living under constant stress, underpaid, and under-appreciated are more likely to snap at any moment. Yes it does not always lead to shooting a colleague in the middle of the road, but some form of violence is definitely inevitable.
I could not find published data on the topic of violence in the Saudi workplace, but that does not mean it not exist. It is there, we read about it in local newspapers all the time, we hear stories from here and there, or we sometimes witness it first hand. A friend of mine who used to work in a call center, witnessed a live fist fight between a fellow employee and his manager in the middle of the office. This particular incident highlights one of the major catalysts of violence in the workplace; managers abusing their position of authority. And given that the Saudi culture is considered amongst the high-power-distance cultures (see Hofstede’s cultural dimension theory) where managers are actually expected to show their power, it is a must to create an organizational culture where this exercise of power is kept low key, so it would not reach the level of abuse.
This topic is very serious and could have grave ramifications on any work organization. Aside from crafting policies to protect the workplace form violence, creating a vibrant culture where respect, cooperation, tolerance, continuous improvement, and balance is the smartest move instead of having burnt-out and unappreciated staff who could snap at any moment.