Exploring the Impacts of Leader Integrity and Ethics on Upward Dissent and Whistleblowing Intentions

Cheng Zeng*, Stephanie Kelly & Ryan GokeCorrespondence to: Cheng Zeng, Department of Communication, North Dakota State University, Department #2310, P.O. Box 6050, Fargo, ND 58108, USA. E-mail: cheng.zeng@ndsu.eduCheng Zeng, Assistant Professor, Department of Communication, North Dakota State University; Stephanie Kelly, Associate Professor, School of Business and Economics, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State; Ryan Goke, Doctoral student, Department of Communication, North Dakota State University.This study examined internal dissent and external whistleblowing, two constructs examined extensively as individual concepts but not in tandem. Participants were given one of four scenarios based on a 2 (high unethical case vs. low unethical case) × 2 (high leader integrity vs. low leader integrity) experimental design to test their whistleblowing and dissent intentions. Results indicated leader integrity influenced an employee’s level of dissent intentions with ethics having a significant effect on whistleblowing intentions when controlling for managerial position and organizational tenure. Future research should continue exploring whistleblowing and dissent tendencies in organizational settings.