Snitches Get Stitches and End Up in Ditches: A Systematic Review of the Factors Associated With Whistleblowing Intentions

Nicholls, Adam R.; Fairs, Lucas R W; Toner, John; Jones, Luke; Mantis, Constantine; Barkoukis, Vassilis; Perry, John L.; Micle, Andrei V; Theodorou, Nikolaos; Shakhverdieva, Sabina; Stoicescu, Marius; Vesic, Milica V; Dikić, Nenad; Andjelkovic, Marija; Grimau, Elena García; Amigo, Javier A; Schomöller, Anne

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.631538

Cited by 11 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 209 publications

(437 reference statements)

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“…It is also important to note that although an increased likelihood of reporting organizational dysfunctions is beneficial to the organization, it may well be detrimental to the individuals themselves if they are subject to retribution (see Nicholls et al, 2021 for a review of the research literature on consequences of whistleblowing). Future work should address what organizational systems need to be implemented in order to reap the benefit of autistic employees while shielding them from potential negative repercussions.…”

Section: Organizational Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Organizational benefits of neurodiversity: Preliminary findings on autism and the bystander effect

Hartman,

Farahani,

Moore

et al. 2023

Autism Research

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Although the bystander effect is one of the most important findings in the psychological literature, researchers have not explored whether autistic individuals are prone to the bystander effect. The present research examines whether autistic employees are more likely to report issues or concerns in an organization's systems and practices that are inefficient or dysfunctional. By bringing attention to these issues, autistic employees may foster opportunities to improve organizational performance, leading to the development of a more adaptive, high performing, and ethical culture. Thirty‐three autistic employees and 34 nonautistic employees completed an online survey to determine whether employees on the autism spectrum (1) are more likely to report they would voice concerns about organizational dysfunctions, (2) are less likely to report they were influenced by the number of other witnesses to the dysfunction, (3) if they do not voice concerns, are more likely to acknowledge the influence of other people on the decision, (4) are less likely to formulate “elaborate rationales” for their decisions to intervene or not, and (5) whether any differences between autistic and nonautistic employees with regards to the first two hypotheses, intervention likelihood and degree of influence, are moderated by individual differences in camouflaging. Results indicate that autistic employees may be less susceptible to the bystander effect than nonautistic employees. As a result, autistic employees may contribute to improvements in organizational performance because they are more likely to identify and report inefficient processes and dysfunctional practices when they witness them. These preliminary findings suggesting potential benefits of neurodiversity in the workplace are promising. However, further research is required.

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Section: Organizational Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Organizational benefits of neurodiversity: Preliminary findings on autism and the bystander effect

Hartman,

Farahani,

Moore

et al. 2023

Autism Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Hence, in this study, exploratory analysis will be undertaken in relation to the potential influence of personality on bystander decision-making when witnessing IPV. Systematic reviews have also found a link between morality and whistleblowing (Nicholls et al, 2021). According to the moral foundations theory (Graham et al, 2009), individuals consider five moral values (harm, fairness, loyalty, authority and purity) when deciding whether a certain behaviour is right or wrong.…”

Section: Personal Factors Of the Whistleblowermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Systematic reviews have found mixed findings in relation to gender and whistleblowing (Nicholls et al , 2021), with some studies finding females are more likely to report misconduct than males (Keil et al , 2010) and others finding the opposite effect (Cheng et al , 2015). This is likely due to the moderating effect of system variables and failing to consider the gender of the: whistleblower; wrong-doer; and victim.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Additionally, prior research indicates that whistleblowing may be impacted by personality traits (Nicholls et al , 2021). Using the big five dimensions of personality, neuroticism has been found to be negatively correlated with whistleblowing and social responsibility (Digman, 1997; LePine and Van Dyne, 2001), whilst conscientiousness, openness, extraversion and agreeableness are positively associated with whistleblowing behaviour (Banyard, 2008; Digman, 1997; LePine and Van Dyne, 2001).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Systematic reviews have also found a link between morality and whistleblowing (Nicholls et al , 2021). According to the moral foundations theory (Graham et al , 2009), individuals consider five moral values (harm, fairness, loyalty, authority and purity) when deciding whether a certain behaviour is right or wrong.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

To stay silent or to blow the whistle? Bystander’s intervening acts when witnessing intimate partner violence (IPV)

Griffin

Worthington

2023

JACPR

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Purpose Social psychology has focused on an individual’s reaction to emergencies and witnessing a crime, which has developed theories of bystander intervention and bystander apathy. The purpose of this study is to explore why people choose to intervene when they are a bystander to intimate partner violence (IPV) and the psychological processes that underpin this. Decision-making was explored drawing on literature from the whistleblowing field. Design/methodology/approach Through a mixed methods epistemology, this study explored factors that explained intervening behaviour concerning IPV. In total, 212 participants who had known someone who was a victim of IPV were recruited from the general population. Findings A logistic regression model indicated that conscientiousness and fairness were found to predict intervening behaviour. Being a child witness was found to predict non-intervening behaviour. Qualitative analysis revealed three types of bystander apathy: those who lacked capability as they were children; those who were indifferent and did not see it as their place to intervene; and those who wanted to intervene but did not as they were frightened of exacerbating the situation. Practical implications IPV has significant physical and psychological effects on victims. However, the choice to intervene is complex, and bystander intervention in this study was also associated in some cases with not only a continuation of the IPV behaviour towards the victim but also aggression and physical violence towards the bystander (whistleblower retaliation). Based on the findings of this study, recommendations are made for how to support bystanders and victims of IPV. Originality/value This study involved participants with real-life experience of being a bystander to IPV. The mixed methodology provided an insight into the psychological processes, which underpin bystander experiences of IPV and maps onto the literature in relation to whistleblowing.

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Internal whistleblowing systems without proper sanctions may backfire

Krügel

Uhl

2023

J Bus Econ

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Internal whistleblowing systems are supposed to fight misconduct within organizations. Because it is difficult to study their efficacy in the field, scientific evidence on their performance is rare. This is problematic, because these systems bind substantial resources and might generate the erroneous impression of compliance in a company in which misconduct is prevalent. We therefore suggest a versatilely extendable experimental workhorse that allows the systematic study of internal whistleblowing systems in the lab. As a first step, we tested the efficacy of whistleblowing systems if internal punishment for misconduct is mild and hesitant which is usually the case in practice, as several fraud surveys confirm. Our results show that under these conditions almost nobody blew the whistle, and misconduct occurred even more frequently with than without a whistleblowing system. The institutionalization of whistleblowing seemed to crowd out the intrinsic motivation to act compliantly. Moreover, when a whistleblowing system was either unavailable or not used, misconduct was highly contagious and spread quickly. Yet, when we implemented severe and ensured punishment for misconduct, whistleblowing systems could deter wrongdoing. In such a setting, people were willing to blow the whistle and the prevalence of misconduct dropped substantially. Altogether, our results highlight the interaction between institutions and preferences and can support the design of compliance measures within organizations. For compliance managers a key takeaway is that if companies preach a zero-tolerance policy, they should practice it as well. Otherwise, they might even worsen the situation.

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Snitches Get Stitches and End Up in Ditches: A Systematic Review of the Factors Associated With Whistleblowing Intentions

Cited by 11 publications

References 209 publications

Organizational benefits of neurodiversity: Preliminary findings on autism and the bystander effect

Organizational benefits of neurodiversity: Preliminary findings on autism and the bystander effect

To stay silent or to blow the whistle? Bystander’s intervening acts when witnessing intimate partner violence (IPV)

Internal whistleblowing systems without proper sanctions may backfire

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