Whistleblowing Motivation and Gender: Vignette-Based Study in a Local Government

• Author: Palina Prysmakova,Michelle D. Evans
• DOI: 10.1177/0734371X20967982
• Date: 01 March 2022
• Published date: 01 March 2022
• Subject Matter: Articles

https://doi.org/10.1177/0734371X20967982

Review of Public Personnel Administration

2022, Vol. 42(1) 165 –190

© The Author(s) 2020

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DOI: 10.1177/0734371X20967982

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Article

Whistleblowing Motivation

and Gender: Vignette-Based

Study in a Local Government

Palina Prysmakova1

and Michelle D. Evans2

Abstract

Public administration literature has been building more evidence about whistleblowing

and gender, and whistleblowing and public service motivation. Yet, despite the well-

developed theoretical argument of the socialization effect on public service motivation

and gender, little effort has been undertaken to study their simultaneous relationships

with whistleblowing. This study fills this gap suggesting that whistleblowing mechanisms

for the public sector should allow no room for gender differences and should

guarantee equal access to the procedure. A constant-variable-value vignette study

conducted with 799 respondents from a large local government in Poland reveals

strong gender effects, that overshadow previously supported positive association

between public service motivation and corruption reporting. Namely, despite the

confirmed positive association between PSM levels and whistleblowing intentions,

highly public service motivated women are less inclined to report a misconduct of

their supervisors than men. The socialization context relevant to the study location

is discussed in the conclusion.

Keywords

socialization theory, public service motivation, constant-variable-value vignette,

gender, Poland, Central Europe

Introduction

Whistleblowing is the exposure or reporting of alleged wrongdoing committed

by an individual, group, or organization, often by a co-worker or a member of the

1Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, USA

2The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Chattanooga, USA

Corresponding Author:

Michelle D. Evans, Political Science & Public Service, The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga,

304 Pfeiffer Hall, 615 McCallie Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37403, USA.

Email: Michelle-Evans@utc.edu

967982ROPXXX10.1177/0734371X20967982Review of Public Personnel AdministrationPrysmakova and Evans

research-article2020

166 Review of Public Personnel Administration 42(1)

organization (Nisar et al., 2019; Rehg et al., 2008). In the public sector, whistleblow-

ing, as a form of “prosocial behavior” in support of public interest, is expected, and

sometimes legally required (Taylor, 2018, p. 718). The likelihood to report a miscon-

duct, however, is potentially influenced by the demographics of the actors involved.

Recent research on whistleblowing studies points to the personal qualities of supervi-

sors (Hildebrand & Shawver, 2016; Kalyanasundram, 2018) and the whistleblowers

(Bjørkelo et al., 2010; Cassematis & Wortley, 2013; Dananjaya & Mawardi, 2018;

Liyanarachchi & Adler, 2011; Nisar et al., 2019; Piquero et al., 2013).

One of the demographic characteristics referred to is gender. Yet, the management

research on gender differences for whistleblowing intentions lacks overall consensus.

While several studies have indicated little or no differences in ethical decision-making

or whistleblowing based on gender (Brennan & Kelly, 2007; Cassematis & Wortley,

2013; Fatoki, 2013; Soni et al., 2015), there have been equally as many studies that

suggest gender differences in reporting behaviors, ranging from likelihood to engage,

influences of methods for reporting, expectations and severity of retaliation, and career

stage (Dananjaya & Mawardi, 2018; Kaplan et al., 2009; Keil et al., 2010; Liyanarachchi

& Adler, 2011; Miceli et al., 2012; Near & Miceli, 2008; Piquero et al., 2013; Seifert

et al., 2010). No precise answers can be found in the public administration literature

either, where the whistleblowing-gender research is even more scarce.

To establish effective whistleblowing mechanisms in the public sector that reduce

gender differences in reporting propensity that impact not just likelihood or desire to

whistleblow, but ultimately ensure equal access to the opportunity, we need to look

closer at the cause of possible deviation from the desire to report a misconduct. The

overall organizational openness for whistleblowing is often cited for being a determi-

nant as to whether or not a person takes an action. Many of these issues are structural

and systemic, based in organizational culture and leadership, as well as in human

resource policies (Berry, 2004; Cook, 2008; Eaton & Akers, 2007; Kaptein, 2011), the

structure of which have notable impact in terms of either facilitating, mitigating, or

even punishing the reporting of wrongdoing (Brennan & Kelly, 2007; Kaplan et al.,

2009). Fear of retaliation and punishment, as well as risk versus rewards, is also a

common focus in whistleblowing research (Domfeh & Bawole, 2011; Fatoki, 2013;

Keil et al., 2010; Liyanarachchi & Adler, 2011; Miceli et al., 2012; Moloney et al.,

2019; Rehg et al., 2008), and is commonly linked to the availability of both internal

and external, as well as anonymous, reporting avenues (Feldman & Lobel, 2010;

Kaplan et al., 2009; Miceli et al., 2012; Moloney et al., 2019).

Meanwhile, previous whistleblowing research has highlighted the importance of

the individual motivation (Brewer & Selden, 1998; Feldman & Lobel, 2010), which

might also differ by gender. On the one hand, reporting a misconduct is determined by

the differences in how men and women assess the personal costs and risks of reporting

(Kaplan et al., 2009; Liyanarachchi & Adler, 2011; Rehg et al., 2008), with women

perceiving more potential for blowback and therefore more likely to be self-protective

and engage in whistleblowing only when anonymous reporting mechanisms are avail-

able (Feldman & Lobel, 2010). On the other hand, general ethics research has pointed

to the possibility that women might be more ethical than men (Bossuyt & Kenhove,