Throughout history, the motivations that essentially provoke individuals to blow the whistle are often misunderstood. As evident in the cases of Edward Snowden and Grigory Rodchenkov, compensation from their government had no factor on their decision to blow the whistle. Instead, along with thousands of whistleblowers across the globe, Snowden and Rodchenov flee persecution at the hands of their very own governments who ironically, have a duty to protect their citizens. Likewise, if not for money then why do certain people decide to blow the whistle? Why do these men and women choose to blow the whistle on their own country or corporations? What is the motive behind their actions?
In a paper published by multiple authors in Oxford, United Kingdom, it conducted a study on the true motive behind a group of nurses who chose to blow the whistle as a result of improper “patient management'' on their respective companies. The authors grouped the results into three main themes for their decision to blow the whistle: The first theme being that the nurses simply “couldn’t advocate” and that “they had been unable to gain support for their concerns any other way” . As a nurse, being a patient's advocate is crucial due to the fact certain companies will not manage a patient properly unless they hear the concerns. Likewise, the nurses noted they often felt “silenced” in the sense that “nobody speaks out” about unethical practices . One nurse noted that “Nobody speaks out, because they’ve seen that you can lose your job. Everybody’s insecure. It’s a terrible way to be employed…” . Lastly, “the climate of fear” often left nurses befuddled of how they could help their patients without bringing harm down upon them both . Fear left them in a state of moral conflict in which they could only find solace by eventually blowing the whistle on their company. The individual narratives the nurses gave revealed a pattern that indicated they felt an internal “tension” in their own perception of themselves. By having a well respected job among society and simultaneously revealing this controversial information the nurses were fearful of their new public perception as a whistleblower; “a role that is stigmatized and looked upon negatively” in society (Jackson et al).
The findings of this study support the notion that whistleblowers who choose to blow the whistle on their respective corporations or governments feel an internal conflict of moral ethics. It is not simply compensation nor fame these types of whistleblowers seek but rather an inner peace of mind. These whistleblowers seek to inform and expose corruption that is inherently wrong while empowering thousands of citizens with knowledge needed to make educational decisions for the greater good of their country.
Citations:
Jackson, Debra, et al. “Understanding Whistleblowing: Qualitative Insights from Nurse Whistleblowers.” Journal of Advanced Nursing, vol. 66, no. 10, 2010, pp. 2194–2201., doi:10.1111/j.1365-2648.2010.05365.x.
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