Return to previous page

Whistleblowing on organizational wrongdoing is becoming increasingly prevalent. What aspects of the person, the context, and the transgression relate to whistleblowing intentions and to actual whistleblowing on corporate wrongdoing. Employee whistleblowing – loosely, the disclosure to a person or public body, outside normal channels and management structures, of information concerning unsafe, unethical or illegal practices – has emerged as a central issue in debates over quality and safety in organizations. Whistleblowing policies have been mandated and promoted for many years by employers and professional associations – aimed particularly at securing safe and effective services. Yet there is a disconnect between whistleblowing policies in theory and how such arrangements work in practice.

Voice and Whistleblowing in Organizations examines the decision to speak out in organizations or to keep silent, the roles of fear and courage, and why increasing valid information and truth is dominant to individual and organizational health. It aims to demonstrate the relevance of voice and silence – that is, whether employees contribute or withhold information, ideas, views and/or concerns at work – for the sustainable development of individuals, organizations and societies. It also identify emerging issues that include the relationship between voice and silence, how they may manifest in organizations, their manifold antecedents inside and beyond organizational boundaries, their potentially positive and negative effects for internal and external stakeholders.

Whistleblowing then, is often fraught with rival interpretations and always happens in a deeply cultural and highly situated organizational context. Organizational policies thus need very careful design, implementation and enacting to protect those raising legitimate concerns as well as offering support in cases of fallout from more vexatious whistleblowing.

The text, containing chapters by international researchers, examines the causes and consequences of exercising voice and ways individuals and organizations can support voice in the workplace. Including contributors who are internationally recognized academics from a range of countries, this book will prove to be an essential resource for scholars and students in the field of human resource management.