Critical Analysis of Whistleblowing in Construction Organizations: Findings from Hong Kong

AbstractEffective whistleblowing in construction organizations can forestall severe consequences and economic losses that may result from undetected misconduct. Aiming at facilitating whistleblowing procedures, this research investigates current whistleblowing practices in the construction organizations in Hong Kong. Nineteen in-depth semistructured interviews were conducted focusing on three critical dimensions in relation to whistleblowing: effective mechanisms; barriers; and recommendations. The results show that, although the hotline is receiving infrequent usage, it is one of the most common means of reporting wrongdoings. Whistleblowers can choose either external or internal procedures to disclose observed misconduct, yet they tend to keep silent or report internally, mostly to their direct supervisors within their organizations. Obstacles that could hinder the effective whistleblowing including cultural barriers, negative management attitude, fear of retaliation, inaccurate estimations of severity of misbehaviors, are identified from the interviews. At last, practical recommendations are suggested that anonymous reporting channels along with a protection scheme for whistleblowers should be firmly introduced to enable convenient and safe disclosures. Conducting training programs to foster favorable culture is also a strategy to promote effective whistleblowing in organizations. The results have appealing implications for both researchers and construction practitioners.