Whistleblowers and organizational protesters: Crossing imaginary borders

Abstract

The article contemplates a new alliance between whistleblowing and protesting. This is done in the context of seeking more powerful interventions in the fight against corruption in business and government. The prevailing view that whistleblowing and protesting are unconnectable forms of ethical resistance is challenged. The article argues that whistleblowing and protesting may have enormous untapped synergistic potential. This position is considered within a two-level analysis that recognizes the twin intersecting realities of people and structures in the fight against corruption. On the first level, the article elucidates how men and women of conscience use individual and/or collective strategies to expose and correct wrongdoing across two landscapes: the organization and the `street' (public protests). On the second level, the focus goes beyond engaged individuals and collectivities using different landscapes for moral purposes, to a position that treats these landscapes as more than passive backdrops. They are seen as highly interactive action zones that variously promote or obstruct anti-corruption measures despite individual and collective action to the contrary. The article concludes with pointers for future research in this largely unexplored area.