Blow the whistle – or put up and shut up?

UQ Business School PhD student Marissa Edwards is investigating why some people stay silent after becoming aware that something is seriously wrong at work.

Ms Edwards said that although there was existing research into whistle-blowing, very little had been done to understand why some people decide to say nothing.

“We know that ‘bad’ behaviours such as discrimination, bullying, sexual harassment, sabotage, fraud, and negligence happen in organisations," she said.

"However, we know very little about how people who observe such incidents react, and how their emotions, thoughts, and the context influence their behaviour.”

“The first stage of my research was to do an in-depth study of a real case. I examined the publicly available transcripts of the Queensland Public Hospitals Commission of Inquiry to investigate why some employees chose to report their concerns about Dr Patel, and why others elected to remain silent.

“The case study supports existing theory around silence and whistle-blowing, particularly the idea that people are motivated to remain silent for different reasons, and the finding that contextual factors influence whether people choose to speak up.”

Ms Edwards is currently working on the second stage of her research which involves talking to people about their experiences of whistle-blowing or staying silent.

“I am interested in how people respond once they have witnessed or experienced wrongdoing in their workplace," she said.

"The interviews will be completely confidential and I’m hoping people will come forward to share their stories in a safe, non-judgemental environment.”

Ms Edwards will attend a national whistle-blowing conference in Brisbane from Saturday, November 25 and present her findings to date at the annual meeting of the Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management in Yeppoon from December 6, 2006.

To volunteer for the study phone 3346 9325 or e-mail m.edwards@business.uq.edu.au.

Media: For more information contact Cathy Stacey (07) 3365 6179 or 0434 074 372.