lecture 7-whistle blowing
TRANSCRIPT
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Whistle Blowing
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Action+Reason
Report a friend who was cheating on a quiz
Report to top management about a teacher who
gave marks as a special favor
Report a friend who didnt put his due share in
the group project
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What is Whistle Blowing?
An attempt by a member or former member ofan organization to disclose wrongdoing in or bythe organization.
Can be internal or external Internal- If wrongdoing is only reported to those
higher in the organization
External-When wrongdoing is reported to externalindividuals or bodies such as government agencies,
newspapers, or public interest groups
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Barriers to whistle Blowing
The ambivalent attitude toward
whistleblowers ensures that, even with legal
protection, they may face retaliation in subtle
ways:
being shunned by co-workers,
being closely supervised,
feeling alienated etc
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Barriers to
Internal Whistle Blowing
A lack of trust in the internal system
Unwillingness of employees to be "snitches"
Belief that management is not held to the same standard
Fear of retaliation
Fear of alienation from peers
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Steps for Creating a Whistle blowing
Culture
Create a Policy
A policy about reporting illegal or unethical practices
should include
Formal mechanisms for reporting violations, such ashotlines and mailboxes
Clear communications about the process of voicing
concerns, such as a specific chain of command, or the
identification of a specific person in the organization Clear communications about bans on retaliation
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In addition, a clear connection should exist
between an organization's code of ethics and
performance measures. For example, in the
performance review process, employees can beheld accountable not only for meeting their goals
and objectives but also for doing so in
accordance with the stated values or business
standards of the company.
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Get Endorsement From Top Management
Top management, starting with the CEO, should
demonstrate a strong commitment to
encouraging whistle blowing.
This message must be communicated by line
managers at all levels
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Publicize the Organization's Commitment
To create a culture of openness and honesty, it isimportant that employees hear about the policy
regularly. Top management should make every effort to
talk about the commitment to ethical behavior inmemos, newsletters, and speeches to company
personnel. Publicly acknowledging and rewarding
employees who pinpoint ethical issues
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Investigate and Follow Up
Managers should be required to investigate all
allegations promptly and thoroughly,
report the origins and the results of the
investigation to a higher authority
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Assess the Organization's Internal Whistleblowing System
Find out employees' opinions about the
organization's culture vis--vis its commitmentto ethics and values.
For example, Sears conducts an annualemployee survey related to ethics. Some
questions are: Do you believe unethical issuesare tolerated here? Do you know how to reportan ethical issue?
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External Whistle Blowing
Is whistle blowing always wrong because
employees have a contractual duty to be
loyal to their employer and to keep all
aspects of business confidential?
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Partially true but conclusion is false
Agreements and contracts are void if they
require a person to do something immoral
If an employee has a moral obligation to prevent
other people from being harmed and the only
way to prevent the harm is by blowing the
whistle on ones employer, an employmentagreement cannot require the employee to
remain silent
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External whistle blowing is morally justified if:
There is clear, substantiated evidence that theorganization is engaged in some activity that is seriouslywronging or will wrong other parties
Serious attempts to prevent the wrong through internalwhistle blowing have been tried and failed
It is reasonably certain that external whistle blowing willprevent the wrong
The wrong is serious enough to justify the injuries thatexternal whistle blowing will inflict on oneself, familyand other parties