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Organizational dissidence: The case of whistle-blowing

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Abstract

Research on whistle-blowing has been hampered by a lack of a sound theoretical base. In this paper, we draw upon existing theories of motivation and power relationships to propose a model of the whistle-blowing process. This model focuses on decisions made by organization members who believe they have evidence of organizational wrongdoing, and the reactions of organization authorities. Based on a review of the sparse empirical literature, we suggest variables that may affect both the members' decisions and the organization's responses.

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Authors
  1. Janet P. Near
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  2. Marcia P. Miceli
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Additional information

Janet P. Near is Associate Professor at the School of Business, Indiana University. She has written papers on whistle-blowing (with Marcia Miceli) in Administrative Science Quarterly, and Academy of Management Journal, and on job and life satisfaction in Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Basic and Applied Social Psychology, Human Relations, Social Indicators Research, and Journal of Applied Social Psychology.

Marcia P. Miceli is Assistant Professor of Management and Human Resources at the College of Administrative Science of the Ohio State University.

The authors wish to thank H. Randolph Bobbitt and Jeffrey Ford for their comments on an earlier draft of this manuscript.

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Near, J.P., Miceli, M.P. Organizational dissidence: The case of whistle-blowing. J Bus Ethics 4, 1–16 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00382668

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