Miceli, Marcia P.; Near, Janet P. --- "When do Observers of Organizational Wrongdoing Step Up? Recent US Research on the Factors Associated with Whistleblowing" [2010] ELECD 546; in Lewis, B. David (ed), "A Global Approach to Public Interest Disclosure" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2010)

Book Title: A Global Approach to Public Interest Disclosure

Editor(s): Lewis, B. David

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

ISBN (hard cover): 9781848448995

Section: Chapter 6

Section Title: When do Observers of Organizational Wrongdoing Step Up? Recent US Research on the Factors Associated with Whistleblowing

Author(s): Miceli, Marcia P.; Near, Janet P.

Number of pages: 17

Extract:

6. When do observers of
organizational wrongdoing step up?
Recent US research on the factors
associated with whistleblowing
Professors Marcia P. Miceli and Janet P. Near1

Whistleblowing ­ organization members' disclosure of perceived organi-
zational wrongdoing to parties thought to be able to stop it ­ frequently
is in the headlines (Frey, 2002). During 1989­95, 30 major newspapers
published over 1000 articles on the uncovering of wrongdoing (Brewer,
1996). Since then, countless others have appeared, often describing nega-
tive consequences of organizational wrongdoing. For example, annual
costs of corruption ­ just one type of organizational wrongdoing ­ have
been estimated at $1 trillion (The World Bank, 2004). More importantly,
wrongdoing often jeopardizes the safety, health, and well-being of organi-
zation members, customers, and entire societies.
Because large organizations are so complex, current or former workers
are the best source of information about wrongdoing (Miethe, 1999).
In a PriceWaterhouseCoopers survey of more than 5000 corporations
worldwide, whistleblowers were viewed as the most effective means for
the initial detection of corporate fraud ­ better even than internal audi-
tors and law enforcement (Government Accountability Project, 2009).
Therefore, societies must better understand what happens when organiza-
tional members encounter possible wrongdoing and find mechanisms for
encouraging whistleblowing. After nearly 30 years of empirical research
about whistleblowing, we have learned quite a lot about why people blow
the whistle when they encounter wrongdoing. Many research findings are
counterintuitive to the common wisdom propagated in the popular press,
perpetuating a mythology that can be problematic for scholars, practition-
...