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Whistleblowing and power: A network perspective

R. Guy Thomas

Business Ethics, the Environment & Responsibility2020https://doi.org/10.1111/beer.12290article
AJG 2ABDC B
Weight
0.65

Abstract

This article presents a network perspective on whistleblowing. It considers how whistleblowing affects, and is affected by, the preexisting distribution of power inside and outside an organization, where power is conceptualized as deriving from the network positions of the key actors. The article also highlights four characteristic features of whistleblowing: third‐party detriment, local subversion, appeal to central or external power, and reasonable expectation of concern. The feature of local subversion succinctly explains why whistleblowing is difficult. The feature of appeal to central or external power highlights that contrary to the perception of a democratizing phenomenon, whistleblowing tends to redistribute discretion away from local power toward more central power. This suggests a need for caution about institutional measures to promote whistleblowing in contexts where governance is already highly centralized.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/beer.12290

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@article{r.2020,
  title        = {{Whistleblowing and power: A network perspective}},
  author       = {R. Guy Thomas},
  journal      = {Business Ethics, the Environment & Responsibility},
  year         = {2020},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/beer.12290},
}

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Whistleblowing and power: A network perspective

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Evidence weight

0.65

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.77 × 0.4 = 0.31
M · momentum0.80 × 0.15 = 0.12
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.