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Cultural Orientation and Attitudes Toward Different Forms of Whistleblowing: A Comparison of South Korea, Turkey, and the U.K.

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Abstract

This article reports the findings of a cross-cultural study that explored the relationship between nationality, cultural orientation, and attitudes toward different ways in which an employee might blow the whistle. The study investigated two questions – are there any significant differences in the attitudes of university students from South Korea, Turkey and the U.K. toward various ways by which an employee blows the whistle in an organization?, and what effect, if any, does cultural orientation have on these attitudes? In order to answer these questions, the study identified six dimensions of whistleblowing and four types of cultural orientation. The survey was conducted among 759 university students, who voluntarily participated; 284 South Korean, 230 Turkish, and 245 U.K. Although all three samples showed a preference for formal, anonymous and internal modes of whistleblowing, there were significant variations related to nationality and cultural orientation. The findings have some key implications for organizational practice and offer directions for future research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Political Science & Economics, Chung-Ang University, 221, Heukseok-dong, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, 156-756, Korea

    Heungsik Park

  2. Teesside Business School, University of Teesside, Middlesbrough, TS1 3BA, UK

    John Blenkinsopp

  3. Department of Political Science and Public Administration, Hacettepe University, Beytepe Kampusu, Ankara, 06800, Turkey

    M. Kemal Oktem

  4. Department of Political Science and Public Administration, Hacettepe University, Beytepe Kampusu, Ankara, 06800, Turkey

    Ugur Omurgonulsen

Authors
  1. Heungsik Park
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  2. John Blenkinsopp
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  3. M. Kemal Oktem
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  4. Ugur Omurgonulsen
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to John Blenkinsopp.

Additional information

Heungsik Park is Professor of Public Administration at Chung-Ang University, South Korea. He has written a number of articles in the areas of whistleblowing, public ethics, government secrecy, and information behavior.

John Blenkinsopp is Reader in Management at the University of Teesside, UK. He has published a number of articles on careers and cross-cultural management, and is currently developing research on the impact of emotion on employee silence and whistleblowing.

M. Kemal Oktem is an Associate Professor of Public Administration at Hacettepe University in Ankara/Turkey. He has published two edited books, several papers and journal articles in the fields of public administration and public service ethics.

Ugur Omurgonulsen is an Assistant Professor of Public Administration at Hacettepe University. He is a co-author of two books and has published a number of papers and journal articles in the fields of public administration, public management and public service ethics.

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Park, H., Blenkinsopp, J., Oktem, M.K. et al. Cultural Orientation and Attitudes Toward Different Forms of Whistleblowing: A Comparison of South Korea, Turkey, and the U.K.. J Bus Ethics 82, 929–939 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-007-9603-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-007-9603-1

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