What Makes Whistle-Blowers Effective? Three Field Studies

Organization members face difficult choices when they encounter situations which they consider illegitimate, immoral, or unlawful, but lack corrective power. They can ‘blow the whistle’ to authorities, but often, their organizations do not change the objectionable practice. Circumstances under which...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Human relations (New York) 2002-04, Vol.55 (4), p.455-479
Main Authors: Miceli, Marcia P., Near, Janet P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Case studies
Credibility
Effectiveness
Efficacy
Employees
Federal employees
Human relations
Human resource management
Human resources
Hypotheses
Organizational Behavior
Organizational behaviour
Organizational Change
Organizational Crime
Organizational Power
Perception
Power
Qualitative research
Regression analysis
Sex discrimination
Sociology
Sociology of organizations and enterprises. Bureaucracy and administration
Sociology of work and sociology of organizations
Studies
Whistleblowing
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Summary:Organization members face difficult choices when they encounter situations which they consider illegitimate, immoral, or unlawful, but lack corrective power. They can ‘blow the whistle’ to authorities, but often, their organizations do not change the objectionable practice. Circumstances under which whistle-blowers succeed in terminating perceived wrongdoing have not been studied, so this study tests portions of a preliminary model of effectiveness derived from power theories. Results from three field studies show that whistle-blowers perceive that wrongdoing is more likely to be terminated when: (i) it occurs less frequently, is relatively minor in impact, or has been occurring for a shorter period; and (ii) whistle-blowers have greater power - reflected in the legitimacy of their roles and the support of others. Implications for research and for would-be whistle-blowers, their organizations, and policy makers, are discussed.
ISSN:0018-7267
1741-282X
DOI:10.1177/0018726702055004463