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16 Emp. Resp. & Rts. J. 1 (2004)

handle is hein.journals/emprrj16 and id is 1 raw text is: Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal, Vol. 16, No. 1, March 2004 (( 2004) Organizational Culture: A Framework and Strategies for Facilitating Employee Whistleblowing Benisa Berry 12 Seven dimensions of organizational culture that influence the employee reflection process that ultimately leads to whistleblowing behavior are presented. These include 1) vigilance, 2) engagement, 3) credibility, 4) accountability, 5) empowerment, 6) courage, and 7) op- tions. Key considerations within each dimension are discussed and a compliance framework is used to identify strategies for encouraging a culture that supports employee communi- cation, questioning, and reporting of illegal, unethical, and illegitimate practices within organizations. KEY WORDS: whistleblowing; organizational culture; corporate governance; organizational integrity; corporate compliance. As organizations seek to enhance standards and controls for effective corporate gover- nance the important role of whistleblowing has become increasingly evident. Whistleblow- ing is an avenue for maintaining integrity by speaking one's truth about what is right and what is wrong. It is a strategy for asserting rights, protecting interests, influencing justice, and righting wrongs. Whistleblowing is the voice of conscience. Whistleblowing is commonly defined as the disclosure by organization members (for- mer or current) of illegal, immoral, or illegitimate practices under the control of their em- ployers, to persons or organizations that may be able to effect action (Near & Miceli, 1985, p. 4). While whistleblowing includes disclosures both internal and external to the organiza- tion, organizations benefit when employees choose to report internally. Internal reporting facilitates early detection of misconduct and creates opportunity for timely investigation and corrective action. Internal reporting also positions organizations to proactively manage, or even avoid public embarrassment, government scrutiny, costly fines, and litigation. To encourage internal reporting organizational ethics and compliance programs often include the availability of an anonymous or confidential reporting channel that enables employees the opportunity to report, without fear of retaliation, their concerns regard- ing organizational conduct ranging from slight indiscretions and unprofessional behaviors to criminal acts warranting felony convictions. Employee utilization of these reporting 1California School of Organizational Studies, Alliant International University, California. 2To whom correspondence should be addressed at Kaiser Permanente, Regional Compliance and Privacy Department, 1950 Franklin Street, 4th Floor, Oakland, California 94612; e-mail: benisa.berry@kp.org; benisaberry@aol.com. 1 0892-7545/04/0300-0001/0 © 2004 Plenum Publishing Corporation

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