Identifying and Ranking the Predictors of Whistle-blowing in Organization: A Meta-Synthesis Approach

Document Type : Research Article (with mixed approaches)

Authors

1 MBA graduated, Faculty of Management, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran.

2 Department of Human Resource Management and Business Administration, Faculty of Management, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Purpose:  In spite of developing different mechanism and tools for controlling and decreasing administrative corruption in our country, Whistle-blowing is still known as the most important factor for discovering the corruption. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is identifying and ranking the predictors of whistle‐blowing behaviors in organizations.
Design/ methodology/ approach: This paper was done through the Meta-synthesis Analysis. For this purpose, after searching data bases, 44 related researches were selected to extract factors affecting whistle‐blowing behaviors. Therefore, weighting and ranking indexes was completed by taking Shannon-Entropy method.
Research Findings:  The result showed that whistle‐blowing value, personal responsibility, cost of whistle‐blowing and center of control were the most important factors affecting on whistle‐blowing behaviors.
Limitations & Consequences:  The current paper was concentrated on identifying the predictors of whistle‐blowing in organizations. Future papers may be done to determine the consequences of whistle‐blowing.
Practical Consequences: Appearing whistle‐blowing behaviors in organizations is determined by different factors. Therefore, these factors should be identified in order to increasing employees’ participation in disclosing organizational deviant
Innovation or value of the Article:  Achieving a comprehensive model with Meta-synthesis Approach as a pattern for other researches.

Keywords

1. Alleyne, P., Hudaib, M., & Haniffa, R. (2018). The Moderating Role of Perceived Organisational Support in Breaking the Silence of Public Accountants. Journal of Business Ethics, 147(3), 509-527.
2. Alinaghian, N., Nasr Esfahani, A., Safari, A. (2016). Impact of Organizational Culture Factors and Organizational Structure Factors on Whistle-blowing Intention in Organization. Journal of Public Administration, 8(3), 437-458 (in Persian).
3. Arizi, H., Manjughi, N. (2013). Relationship Between Extraversion, Neuroticism and Whistle­-Blowing, Contemporary Psychology, volume8, issue 1 (8-2013), (in Persian).
4. Azab Daftar, A. & Hajieh Rajabi, F. (2019). Effect of Good Governance on Organizational Health According to the Mediating Role of Political Behavior. Journal of Public Management Perspective, 10 (1), 141-169 (in Persian). 
5. Callahan, E. S., Dworkin, T. M., Fort, T. L., & Schipani, C. A. (2002). Integrating Trends in Whistle-Blowing and Corporate Governance: Promoting Organizational Effectiveness, Societal Responsibility and Employee Empowerment. Am. Bus. LJ, 40, 177-215.
6. Cassematis, P. G., & Wortley, R. (2013). Prediction of Whistle-Blowing or Non-Reporting Observation: The Role of Personal and Situational Factors. Journal of Business Ethics, 117(3), 615-634.
7. Cheng, J., Bai, H., & Yang, X. (2019). Ethical Leadership and Internal Whistle-Blowing: A Mediated Moderation Model. Journal of Business Ethics, 155(1), 115-130.
8. Chung, J., & Monroe, G, S., & Thorne, L. (2004). An Examination of Factors Affecting External and Internal Whistle-Blowing by Auditors. Schulich School of Business York University.
9. Curtis, M. B., & Taylor, E. Z. (2009). Whistle-blowing in Public Accounting: Influence of Identity Disclosure, Situational Context, and Personal Characteristics. Accounting and the Public Interest, 9(1), 191-220.
10. Fakhari, H., Mohammadi, J. (2018). The Impact of Organizational Centralization on Mandatory and Voluntary Disclosure of Information. Applied Research in Financial Reporting, 7(1), 91-110 (in Persian).
11. Farhadi Nejad, M., Lagzian, M. (2011). Longitude Survey on the Administrative Corruption and its Control Methods (1378-1388). Journal of Public Management Perspective, 2 (8), 45-69 (in Persian).
12. Farooqi, S., Abid, G., & Ahmed, A. (2017). How Bad It Is to Be Good: Impact of Organizational Ethical Culture on Whistle-blowing (The Ethical Partners). Arab Economic and Business Journal, 12(2), 69-80.
13. Gupta, K. P., & Chaudhary, N. S. (2017). Prioritizing the Factors Influencing Whistle-Blowing Intentions of Teachers in Higher Education Institutes in India. Procedia Computer Science, 122, 25-32.
14. Kafash, L., Imani, H. (2018). The Effect of Organizational Commitment and Corporate Ethical Values on Whistle-blowing Intention of the Public Sector Accountants. Journal of Health Accounting, 6(2), 87-105. (in Persian)
15. Kaptein, M. (2011). From Inaction to External Whistle-blowing: The Influence of the Ethical Culture of Organizations on Employee Responses to Observed Wrong-doing. Journal of Business Ethics, 98(3), 513-530.
16. Keenan, J. P. (2007). Comparing Chinese and American Managers on whistle-blowing. Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal, 19(2), 85-94.
17. King, G. (1999). The Implications of an Organization's Structure on whistle-blowing. Journal of Business Ethics, 20(4), 315-326.
18. Latan, H., Ringle, C. M., & Jabbour, C. J. C. (2018). Whistle-blowing Intentions Among Public Accountants in Indonesia: Testing for the Moderation Effects. Journal of Business Ethics, 152(2), 573-588.
19. Latan, H., Jabbour, C. J. C., & de Sousa Jabbour, A. B. L. (2019). ‘Whistle-blowing Triangle’: Framework and Empirical Evidence. Journal of Business Ethics, 160(1), 189-204.
20. Latan, H., Jabbour, C. J. C., & de Sousa Jabbour, A. B. L. (2019). To Blow or Not to Blow the Whistle: The Role of Rationalization in the Perceived Seriousness of Threats and Wrongdoing. Journal of Business Ethics, 1-19.
21. MacNab, B. R., & Worthley, R. (2008). Self-efficacy as an Intrapersonal Predictor for Internal Whistle-blowing: A US and Canada Examination. Journal of Business Ethics, 79(4), 407-421.
22. Magnus, J. R., & Viswesvaran, C. (2005). Whistle-blowing in Organizations: An Examination of Correlates of whistle-blowing Intentions, Actions, and Retaliation. Journal of business ethics, 62(3), 277-297.
23. Mayer, D. M., Nurmohamed, S., Treviño, L. K., Shapiro, D. L., & Schminke, M. (2013). Encouraging Employees to Report Unethical Conduct Internally: It Takes a Village. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 121(1), 89-103.
24. Miceli, M. P., & Near, J. P. (1984). The Relationships Among Beliefs, Organizational Position, and Whistle-Blowing Status: A Discriminant Analysis. Academy of Management journal, 27(4), 687-705.
25. Miceli, M. P., Near, J. P., & Dworkin, T. M. (2009). A word to the Wise: How Managers and Policy-Makers Can Encourage Employees to Report Wrong-doing. Journal of Business Ethics, 86(3), 379-396.
26. Miller, A. (2013). Would You Blow-the-Whistle on a Friend?. (Doctoral dissertation). Baylor University, USA.
27. Motarjemi, Y. (2018). Whistle-Blowing: Food Safety and Fraud. In Food Ethics Education (pp. 147-156). Springer, Cham.
28. Oran, F. Ç., & Ünsar, A. S. (2020). The Effects of Leadership Styles on Organizational Trust and Disclosure of Unethical Behaviors (Whistle-blowing): A Practical Research. In New Approaches to CSR, Sustainability and Accountability, Volume I (pp. 103-137). Springer, Singapore.
29. Owusu, E. K., Chan, A. P., Yang, J., & Pärn, E. (2020). Towards Corruption-Free Cities: Measuring the Effectiveness of Anti-Corruption Measures in Infrastructure Project Procurement and Management in Hong Kong. Cities, 96, 102435.
30. Park, H., Blenkinsopp, J., Oktem, M. K., & Omurgonulsen, U. (2008). Cultural Orientation and Attitudes Toward Different Forms of Whistle-Blowing: A Comparison of South Korea, Turkey, and the UK. Journal of Business Ethics, 82(4), 929-939.
31. Park, H., Vandekerckhove, W., Lee, J., & Jeong, J. (2018). Laddered Motivations of External Whistle-Blowers: The Truth About Attributes, Consequences, and Values. Journal of Business Ethics, 1-14.
32. Pillay, S. (2014). Exploring Whistle-Blowing Intentions in South Africa. In Development Corruption in South Africa (pp. 129-161). Palgrave Macmillan, New York.
33. Reckers-Sauciuc, A. K., & Lowe, D. J. (2010). The Influence of Dispositional Effect on Whistle-Blowing. Advances in Accounting, 26(2), 259-269.
34. Rothschild, J., & Miethe, T. D. (1999). Whistle-Blower Disclosures and Management Retaliation: The Battle to Control Information about Organization Corruption. Work and Occupations, 26(1), 107-128.
35. Sandelowski, M., Barroso, J. & Voils, C.I. (2007). Using Qualitative Met Summary to Synthesize Qualitative and Quantitative Descriptive Findings. Research in Nursing & Health, 30(1), 99-111.
36. Schmolke, K. U., & Utikal, V. (2018). Whistleblowing: Incentives and Situational Determinants. Available at SSRN 3198104.
37. Seifert, D. L., Sweeney, J. T., Joireman, J., & Thornton, J. M. (2010). The Influence of Organizational Justice on Accountant Whistle-Blowing. Accounting, Organizations and Society, 35(7), 707-717.
38. Sims, R. L., & Keenan, J. P. (1998). Predictors of external whistleb-lowing: Organizational and Intrapersonal Variables. Journal of Business Ethics, 17(4), 411-421.
39. Skivenes, M., & Trygstad, S. C. (2010). When Whistle-Blowing Works: The Norwegian Case. Human Relations, 63(7), 1071-1097.
40. Stansbury, J. M., & Victor, B. (2009). Whistle-Blowing Among Young Employees: A Life-Course Perspective. Journal of Business Ethics, 85(3), 281-299.
41. Tavakoli, A. A., Keenan, J. P., & Cranjak-Karanovic, B. (2003). Culture and Whistle-Blowing an Empirical Study of Croatian and United States Managers utilizing Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions. Journal of Business Ethics, 43(1-2), 49-64.
42. Valentine, S., & Godkin, L. (2019). Moral Intensity, Ethical Decision Making, and Whistle-Blowing Intention. Journal of Business Research, 98, 277-288.
43. Watts, L. L., & Buckley, M. R. (2017). A Dual-Processing Model of Moral Whistle-Blowing in Organizations. Journal of Business Ethics, 146(3), 669-683.
44. Waytz, A., Dungan, J., & Young, L. (2013). The Whistle-blower's Dilemma and the Fairness–Loyalty Tradeoff. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 49(6), 1027-1033.
45. Zhang, J., Chiu, R. K., & Wei, L. (2009). Decision-Making Process of Internal Whistle-Blowing Behavior in China: Empirical Evidence and Implications. Journal ofBusiness Ethics, 88, 25-41.
46. Zhuang, J., Thomas, S., & Miller, D. L. (2005). Examining Culture’s Effect on whistle-blowing and peer reporting. Business & Society, 44(4), 462-486.
47. Zimmer, Lela (2006). Qualitative Meta-Synthesis: A Question of Dialoguing with Texts. Methodological Issues in Nursing Research, 53(3), 311-318.