Can whistleblowing reshape public organizations? Examining the consequences of whistleblowing on procedural justice and perceived organizational performance

There has been a significant increase in whistleblowing research in public administration. However, less is known about what happens to public organizations after a whistle is blown. Based on insights from whistleblowing consequence studies and theories of procedural justice, we examine the effects of whistleblowing outcomes on public organizations. The purpose is to discover how whistleblowing claims handled by a neutral resolution mechanism—the U.S. Office of Special Council—reshape public employees’ justice perceptions and perceived organizational performance that are connected to organizational change. The dynamic panel findings from a decade (2009-2020) indicate that whistleblowing alters the collective perceptions either in a positive or negative manner. Therefore, this study claims that management plays an important role in dealing with whistleblowers. Moreover, this study discusses implications for advancing our understanding of whistleblowing in the public sector as well as developing policies to translate employee voices into organizational resources.