Whistleblowing stories are all over the news. Some observers have attributed this to a systemic change in society. There are more stories about whistleblowing, the argument goes, because there are more crimes to report.
Throw Out Your Assumptions About Whistleblowing
Accountability is good for business.
January 14, 2020
Summary.
The authors observe an increase over time in the volume of internal whistleblowing reports, but discover that it is not because of increased fraud. Rather, they find, we may be entering the golden age of internal whistleblowing systems where employees are speaking up more than ever, to the benefit of those companies that elicit and effectively investigate these reports. They find three ways companies can better understand and use their whistleblower systems. First, understand that more reports is better than fewer reports. Second, place more trust in reports that include secondhand information. Finally, don’t ignore reports that include few details.
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Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor®. HBR Learning’s online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Leading People. Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies.
What you need to know about being in charge.