Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The internal disclosure policies of private-sector employers: An initial look at their relationship to employee whistleblowing

  • Published:
Journal of Business Ethics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Whistleblowers have usually been treated as outcasts by private-sector employers. But legal, ethical, and practical considerations increasingly compel companies to encourage employees to disclose suspected illegal and/or unethical activities throughinternal communication channels. Internal disclosure policies/procedures (IDPP's) have been recommended as one way to encourage such communication.

This study examined the relationship between IDPP's and employee whistleblowing among private-sector employers. Almost 300 human resources executives provided data concerning their organizations' experiences.

Executives in companies with IDPP's reported a significant increase in the number of internal disclosures by employees after implementation. Respondents also reported a significant decrease in the number of external disclosures after implementation of their IDPP. When the level of employee disclosures in companies with IDPP's was compared to those in companies without IDPP's, the overall level of internal disclosures was significantly higher among employers who had the internal policies/procedures. Respondents also reported a marginally significant association between the responsiveness of management to employee-voiced concerns and the level of internal disclosures by employees. Possible interpretations of these results are discussed, and their implications for private-sector employers are addressed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Barnett, T. R.: 1992a, ‘WhyYour Company Should Have a Whistleblowing Policy’,SAM Advanced Management Journal, accepted for publication.

  • Barnett, T. R.: 1992b, ‘A Preliminary Investigation of the Relationship between Selected Organizational Characteristics and External Whistleblowing by Employees’,Journal of Business Ethics, accepted for publication.

  • Carroll, A. B.: 1978 (Summer), ‘Linking Business Ethics to Behavior in Organizations’,SAM Advanced Management Journal 43, pp. 4–11.

    Google Scholar 

  • Devine, T. M. and D. G. Aplin: 1988, ‘Whistleblower Protection: The Gap between Law and Reality’,Harvard Law Journal 31, pp. 223–240.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dworkin, T. M. and J. P. Near: 1987, ‘Whistleblowing Statutes: Are They Working?’,American Business Law Journal 25, pp. 241–262.

    Google Scholar 

  • Elliston, F. A.: 1982a, ‘Anonymity and Whistleblowing’,Journal of Business Ethics 1, pp. 167–177.

    Google Scholar 

  • Elliston, F. A.: 1982b, ‘Civil Disobedience and Whistleblowing: A Comparative Appraisal of Two Forms of Dissent’,Journal of Business Ethics 1, pp. 23–28.

    Google Scholar 

  • Graham, J. W.: 1986, ‘Principled Organizational Dissent: A Theoretical Essay’, in B. M. Staw and L. L. Cummings (eds.),Research in Organizational Behavior (JAI Press Inc.), pp. 1–52.

  • Hames, D. S.: 1988, ‘The Current Status of the Doctrine of Employment-at-will’,Labor Law Journal 39, pp. 19–32.

    Google Scholar 

  • Howard, J. L.: 1988, ‘Current Developments in Whistleblower Protection’,Labor Law Journal 39, pp. 67–80.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jensen, J. V.: 1987, ‘Ethical Tension Points in Whistleblowing’,Journal of Business Ethics 6, pp. 321–328.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jos, P. H., M. E. Tompkins, and S. W. Hays: 1989 (Nov–Dec), ‘In Praise of Difficult People: A Portrait of the Committed Whistleblower’,Public Administration Review, pp. 552–561.

  • Keenan, J. P.: 1988, ‘Communication Climate, Whistleblowing and the First-Level Manager: A Preliminary Study’, Paper presented at theSouthern Academy of Management Meeting, Atlanta.

  • Keenan, J. P.: 1990, ‘Upper-Level Managers and Whistleblowing: Determinants of Perceptions of Company Encouragement and Information About Where to Blow the Whistle’,Journal of Business and Psychology 5, pp. 223–235.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kohn, S. M. and M. D. Kohn: 1986, ‘An Overview of Federal and State Whistleblower Protections’,Antioch Law Journal 4, pp. 99–152.

    Google Scholar 

  • Laczniak, G. R. and E. J. Inderrieden: 1987, ‘The Influence of Stated Organizational Concern Upon Ethical Decision Making’,Journal of Business Ethics 6, pp. 297–307.

    Google Scholar 

  • Loeb, S. E. and S. N. Cory: 1989, ‘Whistleblowing and Management Accounting: An Approach’,Journal of Business Ethics 8, pp. 903–916.

    Google Scholar 

  • Malin, M. H.: 1983, ‘Protecting the Whistleblower from Retaliatory Discharge’,University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform 16, pp. 277–318.

    Google Scholar 

  • Massengill, D. and D. J. Petersen: 1989, ‘Whistleblowing: Protected Activity or Not?’,Employee Relations Law Journal 15, pp. 49–56.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miceli, M. P. and J. P. Near: 1984, ‘The Relationship Among Beliefs, Organizational Position and Whistleblowing: A Discriminant Analysis’,Academy of Management Journal 27, pp. 687–705.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miceli, M. P. and J. P. Near: 1985, ‘Characteristics of Organizational Climate and Perceived Wrongdoing Associated with Whistleblowing Decisions’,Personnel Psychology,38, pp. 524–544.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miceli, M. P. and J. P. Near: 1988, ‘Individual and Situational Correlates of Whistleblowing’,Personnel Psychology 41, pp. 267–281.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miceli, M. P. and J. P. Near: 1989, ‘The Incidence of Wrongdoing, Whistleblowing, and Retaliation: Results of a Naturally Occurring Field Experiment’,Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal 2, pp. 91–108.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miceli, M. P., B. L. Roach, and J. P. Near: 1988, ‘The Motivations of ‘Deep Throat’: The Case of Anonymous Whistleblowers’,Public Personnel Psychology 17, pp. 281–296.

    Google Scholar 

  • Molander, E. A.: 1987, ‘A Paradigm for Design, Promulgation and Enforcement of Ethical Codes’,Journal of Business Ethics 6, pp. 449–458.

    Google Scholar 

  • Near, J. P.: 1989 (Jan–Feb), ‘Whistle-blowing: Encourage It!’,Business Horizons, pp. 2–6.

  • Near, J. P. and T. C. Jensen: 1983, ‘The Whistleblowing Process: Retaliation and Perceived Effectiveness’,Work and Occupations 10, pp. 3–28.

    Google Scholar 

  • Near, J. P. and M. P. Miceli: 1985, ‘Organizational Dissidence: The Case of Whistleblowing’,Journal of Business Ethics 4, pp. 1–16.

    Google Scholar 

  • Near, J. P. and M. P. Miceli: 1986, ‘Retaliation Against Whistleblowers: Predictors and Effects’,Journal of Applied Psychology 71, pp. 137–145.

    Google Scholar 

  • Near, J. P. and M. P. Miceli: 1987, ‘Whistleblowers in Organizations: Dissidents or Reformers’, in B. M. Staw and L. L. Cummings (eds.),Research in Organizational Behavior (JAI Press Inc.), pp. 321–368.

  • Nunnally, J. C.: 1978,Psychometric Methods, 2nd ed. (McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York).

    Google Scholar 

  • Parliman, G. C.: 1987 (July), ‘Protecting the Whistleblower’,Personnel Administrator 32, pp. 26–32.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parmerlee, M. A., J. P. Near, and T. C. Jensen: 1982, ‘Correlates of Whistleblowers' Perceptions of Organizational Retaliation’,Administrative Science Quarterly 27, pp. 17–34.

    Google Scholar 

  • Raelin, J. A.: 1987, ‘The Professional as the Executive's Aidede-Camp’,Academy of Management Executive 1, pp. 171–182.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rongine, N. M.: 1985, ‘Toward a Coherent Legal Response to the Public Policy Dilemma Posed by Whistleblowing’,American Business Law Journal 23, pp. 281–297.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sculnick, M.: 1986 (Fall), ‘Disciplining Whistle-blowers’,Employment Relations Today, pp. 189–194.

  • Spencer, D. G.: 1986, ‘Employee Voice and Employee Retention’,Academy of Management Journal 29, pp. 488–502.

    Google Scholar 

  • Walters, K. D.: 1975 (July–Aug), ‘Your Employees' Right to Blow the Whistle’,Harvard Business Review 53, pp. 26–34.

    Google Scholar 

  • Waters, J. A.: 1978, ‘Catch 20.5: Corporate Morality as an Organizational Phenomenon’,Organizational Dynamics 6, pp. 3–19.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weller, S.: 1988, ‘The Effectiveness of Corporate Codes of Ethics’,Journal of Business Ethics 7, pp. 389–395.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Administration and Business, Louisiana Tech University, P.O. Box 10318, 71272-0046, Ruston, LA, USA

    Tim Barnett, Daniel S. Cochran & G. Stephen Taylor

Authors
  1. Tim Barnett
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Daniel S. Cochran
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. G. Stephen Taylor
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

Tim Barnett is an Assistant Professor of Management at Louisiana Tech University. His current research interests include ethical issues in human resources management and ethical decision making. His work has appeared in various journals, including theJournal of Business Research, theJournal of Business Communication, and theJournal of Business Ethics.

Dan Cochran is a Professor of Management at Mississippi State University, where he is the Arthur Anderson Business Ethics Coordinator. He has published in numerous national journals and conducts training programs for organizations in managerial skill areas to include ethical decision making. He is past president of the Southern Management Association.

G. Stephen Taylor is Associate Professor of Management at Mississippi State University, with emphasis in human resource management. His research and publication interests are in the areas of ethics and HRM, ethical implications of computer applications to business, and compensation management.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Barnett, T., Cochran, D.S. & Taylor, G.S. The internal disclosure policies of private-sector employers: An initial look at their relationship to employee whistleblowing. J Bus Ethics 12, 127–136 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00871932

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00871932

Keywords

Search

Navigation