Abstract
Research on whistleblowing has not yet provided a finite set of variables which have been shown to influence an employee's decision to report wrongdoing. Prior research on business ethics suggests that ethical business decisions are influenced by both organizational as well as intrapersonal variables. As such, this paper attempts to predict the decision to whistleblow using organizational and intrapersonal variables. External whistleblowing was found to be significantly related to supervisor support, informal policies, gender, and ideal values. External whistleblowing was not found to be significantly predicted by formal policies, organizational tenure, age, education, satisfaction, or commitment.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Barnett, T. R., D. A. Cochran and G. S. Taylor: 1990, The Relationship between Internal Dissent Policies and Employee Whistleblowing: An Exploratory Study, paper presented at the 50th Annual Meeting of the Management, San Franciso.
Bateman, T. S. and D. W. Organ: 1983, ‘Job Satisfaction and the Good Soldier: The Relationship between Affect and Employee “Citizenship”’, Academy of Management Journal 36, 587–595.
Blackburn, M. S.: 1988, August. Employee Dissent: The Choice of Voice Versus Silence, unpublished Doctoral Dissertation, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Clinard, M. B.: 1983, Corporate Ethics and Crime: The Role of Middle Management (Sage Publications, Beverly Hills).
Gaines, J: 1980, ‘Upward Communication in Industry: An Experiment’, Human Relations 33, 929–942.
Gibb, J. R.: 1961, ‘Defense Level and Influence Potential in Small Groups’, in L. Petrullo and B. M. Bass (eds.), Leadership and Interpersonal Behavior (Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., New York), pp. 66–81.
Graham, J. W.: 1986, ‘Principled Organizational Dissent: A Theoretical Essay’, in B. M. Staw and L. L. Cummings (eds.), Research in Organizational Behavior, Vol. 8 ( JAI Press, Greenwich, CT), pp. 1–52.
Isen, A. and A. Levin: 1972, ‘Effect of Feeling Good on Helping: Cookies and Kindness’, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 21, 384–388.
Keenan, J. P.: 1988, ‘Communication Climate, Whistleblowing, and the First-level Manager: A Preliminary Study’, Academy of Management Best Paper Proceedings, pp. 247–251.
Keenan, J. P.: 1989, Sex, Home Office, and whistleblowing: Implications Regarding Managers' Response to Fraud, Waste, and Mismanagement.Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Southwest Division of the Academy of Management.
Keenan, J. P.: 1990a, First-level Managers and Whistleblowing: An Exploratory Study of Individual and Organizational Variables. Working paper, School of Business - Management Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Keenan, J. P.: 1990b, ‘Upper-level Managers and Whistleblowing: Determinants of Perceptions of Company Encouragement and Information about Where to Blow the Whistle’, Journal of Business and Psychology 5(2), 223–235.
Keenan, J. P. and D. A. McClain: 1992,’ Whistleblowing: A Conceptualization and Model’, in J. L. Wall and K. R. Jauch, (eds.), Academy of Management Best Papers Proceedings, 10–12 August (Las Vegas, NV), pp. 350–352.
Mathews, M. C.: 1987, ‘Codes of Ethics: Organizational Behavior and Misbehavior’, in W. C. Frederick (ed.), Research in Corporate Social Performance and Policy 9, pp. 107–130.
McGee, G. W. and R. C. Ford: 1987, ‘Two (or more?) Dimensinos of Organizational Commitment: Reexamination of the Affective and Continuance Commitment Scales’, Journal of Applied Psychology 72, 638–642.
Miceli, M. P., J. B. Dozier and J. P. Near: 1987, Personal and Situational Determinants of Whistleblowing. Paper presented at the Meeting of the Academy of Management.
Miceli, M. P. and J. P. Near: 1984, ‘The Relationships Among Beliefs, Organizational Position, and Whistle-blowing Status: A Discriminant Analysis’, Academy of Management Journal 27, 687–705.
Miceli, M. P. and J. P. Near: 1985, ‘Characteristics of Organizational Climate and Perceived Wrongdoing Associated with Whistle-blowing Decisions’, Personnel Psychology 38, 525–544.
Miceli, M. P. and J. P. Near: 1988, ‘Individual and Situational Correlates of Whistleblowing’, Personnel Psychology 41, 267–281.
Miceli, M. P. and J. P. Near: 1992. Blowing the Whistle: The Organizational and Legal Implications for Companies and Employees (Lexington Books, New York).
Miceli, M. P., J. P. Near and C. R. Schwenk: 1991,’ Who Blows the Whistle and Why?’, Industrial and Labor Relations Review 45, 113–130.
Morrow, P. C. and J. C. McElroy: 1987, ‘Work Commitment and Job Satisfaction over Three Career Stages’, Journal of Vocational Behavior 30, 330–346.
Motowildo, S.: 1984, ‘Does Job Satisfaction Lead to Consideration and Personal Sensitivity?’, Academy of Management Journal 27, 910–915.
Murphy, K. R.: 1993, Honesty in the Workplace (Brooks/Cole, Belmont, CA).
Near, J. P. and M. P. Miceli: 1990, When Whistleblowing Succeeds: Predictors of Effective Whistleblowing.Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management, San Francisco.
Powell, D. E.: 1990, ‘Blowing It’, The Miami Herald (29 July), 5–11.
Sims, R. L.: 1994, August, The Development of Six Ethical Business Dilemmas.Paper Presented at the National Academy of Management Meeting, Dallas, TX.
Sims, R. L. and T. L. Keon: 1994, The Relationship Between the Organizational Environment and Ethical Decision Making.Working Paper. Business and Administrative Studies Division, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33314.
Sims, R. L. and T. L. Keon: In press, ‘Ethical Work Climate as a Factor in Assessment of Personorganization Fit’, Journal of Business Ethics.
Sims, R. L. and k. g. kroeck: 1994, ‘The Influence of Ethical Fit on Employee Satisfaction, Commitment and Turnover’, Journal of Business Ethics 13939–947.
Weiss, D. J., R. V. Dawis, G. W. England and L. H. Lofquist: 1967, Manual for the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire, Industrial Relations Center, University of Minnesota.
Westin, A. F. (ed.): 1981, Whistle-blowing: Loyalty and Dissent in the Corporation (McGraw-Hill, New York).
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sims, R.L., Keenan, J.P. Predictors of External Whistleblowing: Organizational and Intrapersonal Variables. Journal of Business Ethics 17, 411–421 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005763807868
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005763807868