EFFECTIVE WHISTLE-BLOWING

Whistle-blowing is often assumed to benefit society at large-whether from the view of 66 Minutes or from that of the members of the nearly 40 state legislatures that have passed statutes to protect whistle-blowers. Yet empirical research on conditions that lead whistle-blowers to be effective in getting organizational wrongdoing stopped is woefully absent. Encouraging whistle-blowing is inappropriate unless a person knows something about those variables that increase the likelihood that whistle-blowing will be effective. We present a model of effective whistle blowing. from which we derive ct set of propositions, based on theory and preliminary research in the area. It is hoped that this model will provide a research agenda for exploring a question of obvious importance practically as well as theoretically.