Blowing the whistle
About: This article is published in The Lancet.The article was published on 2000-09-30. It has received 205 citations till now.
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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that there are powerful forces in many organizations that cause widespread withholding of information about potential problems or issues by employees and refer to this collective-level phenomenon as "organizational silence".
Abstract: We argue that there are powerful forces in many organizations that cause widespread withholding of information about potential problems or issues by employees. We refer to this collective-level phenomenon as “organizational silence.” In our model we identify contextual variables that create conditions conducive to silence and explore the collective sensemaking dynamics that can create the shared perception that speaking up is unwise. We also discuss some of the negative consequences of systemic silence, especially for organizations' ability to change and develop in the context of pluralism.
1,874 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated a neglected form of extrarole behavior called taking charge and sought to understand factors that motivate employees to engage in this activity and found that taking charge is disc...
Abstract: In this study, we investigated a neglected form of extrarole behavior called taking charge and sought to understand factors that motivate employees to engage in this activity. Taking charge is disc...
1,348 citations
TL;DR: There has been a rapidly growing body of conceptual and empirical research focused on better understanding the motives underlying voice, individual, and situational factors that increase employee voice behavior, and the implications of voice and silence for employees, work groups, and organizations.
Abstract: Within organizations, employees continually confront situations that put them face to face with the decision of whether to speak up (i.e., voice) or remain silent when they have potentially useful information or ideas. In recent years, there has been a rapidly growing body of conceptual and empirical research focused on better understanding the motives underlying voice, individual, and situational factors that increase employee voice behavior, and the implications of voice and silence for employees, work groups, and organizations. Yet this literature has notable gaps and unresolved issues, and it is not entirely clear where future scholarship should be directed. This article, therefore, is an attempt to review and integrate the existing literature on employee voice and also to provide some direction for future research.
1,041 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a field study of 441 full-time employees in 95 work groups examined voice behavior (constructive challenge to the status quo with the intent of improving the situation rather than merely criticizing) as a function of person-centered (satisfaction with the work) and situational factors.
Abstract: This field study of 441 full-time employees in 95 work groups examined voice behavior (constructive challenge to the status quo with the intent of improving the situation rather than merely criticizing) as a function of person-centered (satisfaction with the work. group, global self-esteem) and situational factors (group size, self-managed vs. traditional style of management). Using a measure of voice with demonstrated construct validity, the study showed that these person and situation factors explained 10% of the variance in peer-rated voice assessed 6 months later. Significant Person x Situation interactions suggested that individuals with low global self-esteem or high satisfaction with their group were more responsive to the situational factors than individuals with high global self-esteem or low satisfaction. The authors discuss the importance of including personcentered characteristics, situational factors, and their interactions as predictors of voice. For over 50 years, scholars have recognized the importance of behavior that goes beyond normal role expectations or job requirements and that benefits or is intended to benefit the organization (Barnard, 1938; George &
962 citations
TL;DR: This paper examined 82 accounts of "issue selling" to understand managers' implicit theories for successfully shaping change from below by directing the attention of top management, and found that most of the accounts were based on the same model.
Abstract: In this study, we examined 82 accounts of “issue selling” to better understand managers' implicit theories for successfully shaping change from below by directing the attention of top management. T...
751 citations
Cites methods from "Blowing the whistle"
...Following Miles and Huberman (1994), we developed the coding scheme inductively, adding new codes as the interviewees mentioned new types of moves in the different interviews....
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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that there are powerful forces in many organizations that cause widespread withholding of information about potential problems or issues by employees and refer to this collective-level phenomenon as "organizational silence".
Abstract: We argue that there are powerful forces in many organizations that cause widespread withholding of information about potential problems or issues by employees. We refer to this collective-level phenomenon as “organizational silence.” In our model we identify contextual variables that create conditions conducive to silence and explore the collective sensemaking dynamics that can create the shared perception that speaking up is unwise. We also discuss some of the negative consequences of systemic silence, especially for organizations' ability to change and develop in the context of pluralism.
1,874 citations
TL;DR: Based on nationwide data the authors collected on whistle-blowers and on silent observers, this paper reported that whistle-bling is more frequent in the public sector than in the private sector.
Abstract: Based on nationwide data the authors collected on whistle-blowers and on silent observers, this article reports, that (a) whistle-blowing is more frequent in the public sector than in the private; ...
344 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explore the difference between explicit and tacit collusion by investigating the impact communication has in experimental markets, and find strong evidence that talking helps to obtain higher profits for any number of firms, however, the gain from communicating is non-monotonic in the number of companies, with medium-sized industries having the largest additional profit from talking.
319 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the influence of the ethical culture of organizations on employee responses to observed wrongdoing was examined, and different dimensions of ethical culture are related to different types of intended responses.
Abstract: Putting measures in place to prevent wrongdoing in organizations is important, but detecting and correcting wrongdoing are also vital. Employees who detect wrongdoing should, therefore, be encouraged to respond in a manner that supports corrective action. This article examines the influence of the ethical culture of organizations on employee responses to observed wrongdoing. Different dimensions of ethical culture are related to different types of intended responses. The findings show that several dimensions of ethical culture were negatively related to intended inaction and external whistleblowing and positively related to intended confrontation, reporting to management, and calling an ethics hotline.
266 citations
TL;DR: This paper showed that people are more likely to accept others' unethical behavior when ethical degradation occurs slowly rather than in one abrupt shift. But they also pointed out that at least part of this effect can be attributed to implicit biases that result in a failure to notice ethical erosion when it occurs slowly.
216 citations