In a study of experts in the field of whistleblowing held by whistleblowergov.org, the psychology behind whistleblowers, employees and employers was looked at. Included in the study was MTSU professor Dr. Cary A. Greenwood. Here is an excerpt from the study by Dr. Greenwood:
Whistleblower expert Dr. Cary A. Greenwood, Assistant Professor of Public Relations at Middle Tennessee State University, serves on the Affiliated Faculty Committee for the Government Accountability Project, a whistleblower defense organization in Washington D.C. and has presented her research findings on whistleblowing both nationally and internationally.
A recent study by Dr. Greenwood asked corporate public relations executives and practitioners in the largest publicly traded U.S. corporations about their involvement in developing and/or publicizing internal whistleblowing channels to report financial fraud, their awareness of wrongdoing, their view of their responsibility to report wrongdoing, and the consequences of reporting wrongdoing.
The study found that almost half (44.4%) said they or someone they knew had been aware of wrongdoing. Nearly 66% with knowledge of wrongdoing reported it, while more than 81% said reporting was not part of their job. One-third (33.3%) of those who reported wrongdoing and were identified suffered employer retaliation.
To read the whole 2 part study click here.
