Through the Eye of the Whistleblower: Some Psychological Factors Predicting Whistleblowing Intentions Cycle
Abstract
Whistleblowers may be discouraged by negative consequences of whistleblowing. Therefore, whistleblowers may have to effectively manage the apprehensions associated with whistleblowing, especially where there are weak whistleblower protection frameworks in order to engage and re-engage in whistleblowing. Against this background, two studies were conducted to investigate some psychological variables associated with whistleblowing intentions cycle. Results showed that perception of organizational injustice significantly increased employees’ whistleblowing intentions. Neutralization of whistleblowing anxiety significantly enhanced the levels at which perception of organizational injustice increased whistleblowing intentions. Mediation tests showed that whistleblowing anxiety reduced employees’ intentions to blow the whistle despite perceived injustice and neutralization of whistleblowing anxiety. In study 2, whistleblowers were significantly more apprehensive of the negative consequences of blowing the whistle than non-whistleblowers. Post-whistleblowing anxiety reduced employees’ whistleblowing intentions while neutralization of whistleblowing anxiety increased their intentions to blow the whistle. Neutralization of whistleblowing anxiety defused post-whistleblowing anxiety and increased employees’ intentions to blow the whistle against corruption. It was concluded that the employees would be willing to report wrongdoing repeatedly if they could adequately defuse the apprehension associated with whistleblowing intentions and provide justification for whistleblowing. Implications of the findings for theory, research, and practice are discussed
References
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Knoll, M., & van Dick, R. (2013). Do I hear the whistle…? A first attempt to measure four forms of employee silence and their correlates. Journal of Business Ethics, 113, 349-362. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-012-1308-4
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MacKinnon, D. P., Lockwood, C. M., Hoffman, J. M., West, S. G., & Sheets, V. (2002). A comparison of methods to test mediation and other intervening variable effects. Psychological Methods, 7, 83 – 104.
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McCullough, M. E., Kurzban, R., & Tabak, B. A. (2010). Evolved mechanisms for revenge and forgiveness. In P. R. Shaver & M. Mikulincer (Eds.), Understanding and reducing aggression, violence, and their consequences (pp. 221–239). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Mesmer-Magnus, J.R., & Viswesvaran, C. (2005). Whistleblowing in organizations: An examination of correlates of whistleblowing intentions, actions, and retaliation. Journal of Business Ethics, 62(3), 277-297. https://doi.org/10.1007/sl0551-005-0849-l
Near, J. P., & Miceli, M. P. (2015). After the wrongdoing: What managers should know about whistleblowing. Business Horizons, 59, 105-114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2015.09.007
Ogungbamila, B. (2014). Whistleblowing and anti-corruption crusade: Evidence from Nigeria. Canadian Social Science, 10 (4), 145-154.
Ogungbamila, B. (2017). An examination of the relationship between perceived injustice, workplace neutralization and corrupt tendencies: A study on employees in Nigeria. South Asian Journal of Management, 24(3), 7-27.
Ogungbamila, B. (In press). Relationship of punishment anxiety with corrupt tendencies in police personnel: Workplace neutralization and reward craving as moderators. ASUU Journal of Social Sciences.
Ogungbamila, B., & Olusa, A. O. (2016). Job-related frustration, work-family interference, and occupational burnout: Suppressive roles of perceived family supportiveness and emotional intelligence. International Journal of Education & Management, 6(3), 276-285.
Ogungbamila, B., & Udegbe, I. B. (2014). Gender differences in the effects of perception of organizational injustice on workplace reactivity. Europe's Journal of Psychology, 10(1), 150–167. https://doi.org/10.5964/ejop.v10i1.575
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) (2011). G20 anti-corruption plan: Protection of whistleblowers. Retrieved on April 29, 2016 from https://www.oecd.org/g20/topics/anti-corruption/48972967.pdf
Park, H, & Blenkinsopp, J. (2009). Whistleblowing as planned behavior: A survey of South Korean police officers. Journal of Business Ethics, 85(4), 545-556. https://doi.org/10.1007/sl0551-008-y
Park, H. S., & Levine, T. R. (1999). The theory of reasoned action and self-construal: Evidence from three cultures. Communication Monographs, 66, 199–218.
Pinder, C. C., & Harlos, K. P. (2001). Employee silence: Quiescence and acquiescence as response to perceived injustice. In G. R. Ferris (Ed.), Research in personnel and human resources management (Vol. 20, pp. 331–369). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
Price, J. L., & Mueller, C. W. (1986). Handbook of organisational measurement. Marshfield, MA: Pittman.
Rehg, M. T., Miceli, M. P., Near, J. P., & Van Scotter, J. R. (2008). Antecedents and outcomes of retaliation against whistleblowers: Gender differences and power relationships. Organization Science, 19(2), 221–240.
Richardson, B. K., Wang, Z., & Hall, C. A. (2102). Blowing the whistle against Greek hazing: The theory of reasoned action as a framework for reporting intentions. Communication Studies, 63(2), 172–193. https://doi.org/10.1080/10510974.2011.624396
Rodriguez, P., Siegel, D. S., Hillman, A., & Eden, L. (2006). Three lenses on the multinational enterprise: Politics, corruption, and corporate social responsibility. Journal of International Business Studies, 37, 733–746.
Rupp, D. E., & Cropanzano, R. (2002). The mediating effects of social exchange relationships in predicting workplace outcomes from multifoci organizational justice. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 89, 925-946. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0749-5978(02)00036-5
Schmocker, D., Tanner, C. & Katsarov, J. (2019). An advanced measure of moral sensitivity in business. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 14(4), 344-366. https://doi.org/10.1027/1015-5759/A000564
Schultz, D., & Harutyunyan, K. (2105). Combating corruption: The development of whistleblowing laws in the United States, Europe, and Armenia. International Comparative Jurisprudence, 1, 87–97.
Sobel, M. E. (1982). Asymptotic intervals for indirect effects in structural equations models. In S. Leinhart (Ed.), Sociological methodology (pp. 290 – 312). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Svensson, J. (2005). Eight questions about corruption. Journal of Economics Perspectives, 19, 19–42.
Sykes & Matza, (1957).Techniques of neutralization. American Sociological Review, 22, 664-670.
Tanner, C., & Christen, M. (2014). Moral Intelligence: A framework for understanding moral competences. In M. Christen, C. van Schaik, J. Fischer, M. Huppenbauer, & C. Tanner (Eds.), Empirically informed ethics: Morality between facts and norms (pp. 119–136). Berlin: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-01369-5
Torrubia, R., Avila, C., Molto, J., & Caseras, X. (2001). The sensitivity to punishment and sensitivity to reward questionnaire (SPSRQ) as a measure of Gray’s anxiety and impulsivity dimensions. Personality and Individual Differences, 31, 837–862.
Transparency International. (2010). Whistleblowing: An effective tool in the fight against corruption. Retrieved on January 28, 2011 from http:// cism.mycismv2uploadsarticlesarticle201106151722010.TI_PolicyPosition_Whistleblowing_17_Nov_2010.pdf
Ugowe, A. O., & Adebayo, A. A. (2018). The role of whistle blowing for public interest and the protection of the whistle blower in Nigeria. Commonwealth Law Bulletin, 44(4), 563-587. https://doi.org/10.1080/03050718.2019.1634607
Wells, A., & Davies, M. I. (2004). The thought control questionnaire: A measure of individual differences in the control of unwanted thoughts. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 32(8), 871-878.
Yoo, W., Mayberry, R., Bae, S., Singh, K., He. Q., & Lillard, J. W. (2014). A study of effects of multicollinearity in the multivariable analysis. International Journal of Applied Science and Technology, October, 4(5), 9–19.
Zakaria, M. (2015). Antecedent factors of whistleblowing in organizations. Procedia Economics and Finance, 28, 230 – 234.
Airhihenbuwa, C. O., & Obregón, R. (2000). A critical assessment of theories-models used in health communication for HIV-AIDS. Journal of Health Communication, 5, 1–15.
Ajzen, I., & Fishbein, M. (1980). Understanding attitudes and predicting social behavior. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Anya, S., & Iwanger, G. (2019). The role of whistle blowing policy as an anti-corruption tool in Nigeria. Journal of Law and Criminal Justice,7(1), 35-50. https://doi.org/10.15640/jlcj.v7n1a4
Baron, R. M., & Kenny, D. A. (1986). The moderator – mediator variable distinction in social psychology research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51(6), 1173 – 1183.
Basu, K., Basu, K., & Cordella, T. (2016). Asymmetric punishment as an instrument of corruption control. Retrieved on April 29, 2016 from www.econ,hunter.cuny.edu/kbasu/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2015/03/bribery-draft-01-13karna.pdf
Becker, G. (1968). Crime and punishment: An economic approach. Journal of Political Economy, 76, 169-217.
Colquitt, J. A., Conlon, D. E., Wesson, M. J., Porter, O. L. H., & Ng, K. Y. (2001). On the dimensionality of organizational justice: A construct validation of a measure. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 86, 386-400. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.86.3.386
Cook, P. (1982) Research in criminal deterrence: Laying the groundwork. In N. Morris & M. Tonry (Eds.) Crime and Justice: A Review of Research (vol. 2, pp. 211-268). Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press.
Cortina, L. M. & Magley, V. J. (2003). Raising voice, risking retaliation: Events following interpersonal mistreatment in the workplace. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 8(4), 247-265.
Cropanzano, R., Byrne, Z. S., Bobocel, D. R., & Rupp, D. E. (2001). Moral virtues, fairness heuristics, social entities, and other denizens of organisational justice. Journal of Vocational Behaviour, 58, 164 – 209.
Farooqi, S., Abid, G., & Ahmed, A. (2017). How bad it is to be good: Impact of organizational ethical culture on whistleblowing (the ethical partners). Arab Economic and Business Journal, 12, 69 – 80. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aebj.2017.06.001
Felstiner, L. W., Abel, R. L., & Sarat, A. (1980). The emergence and transformation of disputes: Naming, blaming, and claiming. Law & Society Review, 15, 631 – 654.
Foltz, C. (2000). The impact of deterrent countermeasures upon individual intent to commit misuse: A behavioral approach, unpublished PhD dissertation, University of Arkansas.
Gibbs, J. P. (1975). Crime, punishment, and deterrence. New York: Elsevier.
Gollwitzer, M., Meder, M., & Schmitt, M. (2011). What gives victims satisfaction when they seek revenge? European Journal of Social Psychology, 41, 364-374. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.782
Heywood, P. M., & Rose, J. (2014). “Close but no Cigar”: The measurement of corruption. Journal of Public Policy, 34, 507–529.
Hu, Q., Xu, Z., Dinev, T., & Ling, H. (2010). Why individuals commit computer offences in organizations: Investigating the roles of rational choice, self-control, and deterrence. Supply Chain and Information Management Conference Papers, Posters and Proceedings. Retrieved from http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/scm_conf/13 on October 10, 2014.
Knoll, M., & van Dick, R. (2013). Do I hear the whistle…? A first attempt to measure four forms of employee silence and their correlates. Journal of Business Ethics, 113, 349-362. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-012-1308-4
Lennick, D., & Kiel, F. (2005). Moral competence: Enhancing business performance and leadership success. New Jersey: Wharton School Publishing.
MacKinnon, D. P., Lockwood, C. M., Hoffman, J. M., West, S. G., & Sheets, V. (2002). A comparison of methods to test mediation and other intervening variable effects. Psychological Methods, 7, 83 – 104.
Makinde, w. A. (2018). Whistle blowing policy in Nigeria: Issues and challenges. International Journal of Politics and Good Governance, IX (9), 1 - 13.
McCullough, M. E., Kurzban, R., & Tabak, B. A. (2010). Evolved mechanisms for revenge and forgiveness. In P. R. Shaver & M. Mikulincer (Eds.), Understanding and reducing aggression, violence, and their consequences (pp. 221–239). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Mesmer-Magnus, J.R., & Viswesvaran, C. (2005). Whistleblowing in organizations: An examination of correlates of whistleblowing intentions, actions, and retaliation. Journal of Business Ethics, 62(3), 277-297. https://doi.org/10.1007/sl0551-005-0849-l
Near, J. P., & Miceli, M. P. (2015). After the wrongdoing: What managers should know about whistleblowing. Business Horizons, 59, 105-114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2015.09.007
Ogungbamila, B. (2014). Whistleblowing and anti-corruption crusade: Evidence from Nigeria. Canadian Social Science, 10 (4), 145-154.
Ogungbamila, B. (2017). An examination of the relationship between perceived injustice, workplace neutralization and corrupt tendencies: A study on employees in Nigeria. South Asian Journal of Management, 24(3), 7-27.
Ogungbamila, B. (In press). Relationship of punishment anxiety with corrupt tendencies in police personnel: Workplace neutralization and reward craving as moderators. ASUU Journal of Social Sciences.
Ogungbamila, B., & Olusa, A. O. (2016). Job-related frustration, work-family interference, and occupational burnout: Suppressive roles of perceived family supportiveness and emotional intelligence. International Journal of Education & Management, 6(3), 276-285.
Ogungbamila, B., & Udegbe, I. B. (2014). Gender differences in the effects of perception of organizational injustice on workplace reactivity. Europe's Journal of Psychology, 10(1), 150–167. https://doi.org/10.5964/ejop.v10i1.575
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) (2011). G20 anti-corruption plan: Protection of whistleblowers. Retrieved on April 29, 2016 from https://www.oecd.org/g20/topics/anti-corruption/48972967.pdf
Park, H, & Blenkinsopp, J. (2009). Whistleblowing as planned behavior: A survey of South Korean police officers. Journal of Business Ethics, 85(4), 545-556. https://doi.org/10.1007/sl0551-008-y
Park, H. S., & Levine, T. R. (1999). The theory of reasoned action and self-construal: Evidence from three cultures. Communication Monographs, 66, 199–218.
Pinder, C. C., & Harlos, K. P. (2001). Employee silence: Quiescence and acquiescence as response to perceived injustice. In G. R. Ferris (Ed.), Research in personnel and human resources management (Vol. 20, pp. 331–369). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
Price, J. L., & Mueller, C. W. (1986). Handbook of organisational measurement. Marshfield, MA: Pittman.
Rehg, M. T., Miceli, M. P., Near, J. P., & Van Scotter, J. R. (2008). Antecedents and outcomes of retaliation against whistleblowers: Gender differences and power relationships. Organization Science, 19(2), 221–240.
Richardson, B. K., Wang, Z., & Hall, C. A. (2102). Blowing the whistle against Greek hazing: The theory of reasoned action as a framework for reporting intentions. Communication Studies, 63(2), 172–193. https://doi.org/10.1080/10510974.2011.624396
Rodriguez, P., Siegel, D. S., Hillman, A., & Eden, L. (2006). Three lenses on the multinational enterprise: Politics, corruption, and corporate social responsibility. Journal of International Business Studies, 37, 733–746.
Rupp, D. E., & Cropanzano, R. (2002). The mediating effects of social exchange relationships in predicting workplace outcomes from multifoci organizational justice. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 89, 925-946. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0749-5978(02)00036-5
Schmocker, D., Tanner, C. & Katsarov, J. (2019). An advanced measure of moral sensitivity in business. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 14(4), 344-366. https://doi.org/10.1027/1015-5759/A000564
Schultz, D., & Harutyunyan, K. (2105). Combating corruption: The development of whistleblowing laws in the United States, Europe, and Armenia. International Comparative Jurisprudence, 1, 87–97.
Sobel, M. E. (1982). Asymptotic intervals for indirect effects in structural equations models. In S. Leinhart (Ed.), Sociological methodology (pp. 290 – 312). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Svensson, J. (2005). Eight questions about corruption. Journal of Economics Perspectives, 19, 19–42.
Sykes & Matza, (1957).Techniques of neutralization. American Sociological Review, 22, 664-670.
Tanner, C., & Christen, M. (2014). Moral Intelligence: A framework for understanding moral competences. In M. Christen, C. van Schaik, J. Fischer, M. Huppenbauer, & C. Tanner (Eds.), Empirically informed ethics: Morality between facts and norms (pp. 119–136). Berlin: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-01369-5
Torrubia, R., Avila, C., Molto, J., & Caseras, X. (2001). The sensitivity to punishment and sensitivity to reward questionnaire (SPSRQ) as a measure of Gray’s anxiety and impulsivity dimensions. Personality and Individual Differences, 31, 837–862.
Transparency International. (2010). Whistleblowing: An effective tool in the fight against corruption. Retrieved on January 28, 2011 from http:// cism.mycismv2uploadsarticlesarticle201106151722010.TI_PolicyPosition_Whistleblowing_17_Nov_2010.pdf
Ugowe, A. O., & Adebayo, A. A. (2018). The role of whistle blowing for public interest and the protection of the whistle blower in Nigeria. Commonwealth Law Bulletin, 44(4), 563-587. https://doi.org/10.1080/03050718.2019.1634607
Wells, A., & Davies, M. I. (2004). The thought control questionnaire: A measure of individual differences in the control of unwanted thoughts. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 32(8), 871-878.
Yoo, W., Mayberry, R., Bae, S., Singh, K., He. Q., & Lillard, J. W. (2014). A study of effects of multicollinearity in the multivariable analysis. International Journal of Applied Science and Technology, October, 4(5), 9–19.
Zakaria, M. (2015). Antecedent factors of whistleblowing in organizations. Procedia Economics and Finance, 28, 230 – 234.
Published
2022-06-01
How to Cite
OGUNGBAMILA, Bolanle; FOLAMI, Olakunle M.; OGUNGBAMILA, Adepeju.
Through the Eye of the Whistleblower: Some Psychological Factors Predicting Whistleblowing Intentions Cycle.
Asian Journal of Behavioural Sciences, [S.l.], v. 4, n. 2, p. 57-90, june 2022.
ISSN 2710-5865.
Available at: <https://myjms.mohe.gov.my/index.php/ajbs/article/view/17947>. Date accessed: 20 sep. 2024.
Section
Articles
