Our project aims to instigate a change in how society perceives whistleblowers and promote a whistleblowing culture in Türkiye that is inspired by the global trends in internal whistleblowing mechanisms in the US and Europe. Whistleblowing is one of the most effective means of exposing and deterring wrongdoing, even though those who blow the whistle on such misconduct are often subjected to social and organizational stigma despite their vital role in uncovering corruption. They face reprisal, demotion, harassment, and even dismissal from their jobs. Whistleblowers play a crucial role in unveiling internal and/or external organizational misconduct, fostering a culture rooted in integrity and transparency. To support this culture, organizations need to establish robust whistleblowing channels that promote open communication without the fear of reprisals. To that end, this project aims to reshape attitudes towards whistleblowers through normative ethics training, assess the global effectiveness of whistleblowing mechanisms, and design internal reporting systems that take into account the psychological factors influencing potential whistleblowers, ultimately fostering a culture that encourages whistleblowing.
This project fills significant gaps in examining the psychology behind whistleblowing and moves beyond existing scholarship by integrating global and local perspectives and mechanisms for whistleblowing and connecting business ethics, organizational behavior, and law literature to foster a culture of whistleblowing. Through investigating the psychological perspectives on whistleblowing and integrating the whistleblowing mechanisms in the European Union, the United States, and beyond, our project offers unique opportunities for internal whistleblowing mechanisms in Türkiye and Europe.
Our project is well aligned with the EU policies concerning the evolving trends in whistleblowing practices and the HE Work Programme, effectively addressing current developments in whistleblowing. It integrates literature from business ethics, law, and organizational behavior to provide a comprehensive understanding of the subject. Furthermore, despite Türkiye’s business connections to the EU, currently, there are no specific legislations or guidelines for whistleblowing in Türkiye. Given that Türkiye requires an alignment with the EU’s whistleblower mechanisms, we believe that it is timely to examine whistleblower perceptions in society and implement effective internal reporting mechanisms that are flexible to fit different organizations.
With this gap in mind, we developed a comprehensive project proposal with four objectives that span various academic fields:
- Examining and comparing current attitudes toward whistleblowing in the US, Europe, and Türkiye to create a positive change in whistleblower perceptions through normative ethics training in organizations.
- Providing an intercultural perspective on the psychology behind whistleblowing by systematically comparing the effectiveness of different whistleblowing mechanisms in the US and Europe.
- Bridging the gap between legislative whistleblowing procedures and implementation of organizational internal whistleblowing mechanisms by focusing on operating effectiveness.
- Developing internal whistleblowing mechanisms for organizations in Türkiye that provide moral and economic benefits for all stakeholders.
