The Implications of Organizational Structure, Political Control, and Internal System Responsiveness on Whistleblowing Behavior

Abstract

This study examines how organizational structure, political control, and internal system responsiveness to employee complaints or grievances influence U.S. federal employees’ internal and external whistleblowing. Although prior research has investigated a number of personal, organizational, and social factors that affect whistleblowing, very little research has examined the three factors that are the focus of this study and the roles that they might play in whistleblowing behavior. The results show that (a) wider spans of control of middle-level versus upper-level managers have opposite effects on internal whistleblowing, (b) fixed terms for agency leaders are negatively related to internal whistleblowing, and (c) internal system responsiveness to employee complaints or grievances has mixed effects on internal whistleblowing. This study concludes by discussing the implications of these findings and proposing effective ways to manage whistleblowing within public organizations.