Correlates of Whistle-Blowers' Perceptions of Organizational Retaliation

Abstract

1 Since whistle-blowing may also occur in nonbureaucratic organizations, our study was not limited to bureaucratic organizations. The process of public whistle-blowing and the organizational responses to it are explored, with particular emphasis on retaliation. Individuals who had filed complaints of unfair employment discrimination completed questionnaires about the organizational retaliation that followed their whistle-blowing. Correlation and regression analyses revealed that organizations were more likely to retaliate both against whistle-blowers who were valued by the organization because of their age, experience, or education, and against whistle-blowers whose cases lacked public support, than against other whistle-blowers.*