Institutionalising a value enacted dominant organisational culture: an impetus for whistleblowing

Whistle blowing on organisational wrongdoing is becoming increasingly prevalent. However, a renewal of existing literature reveals that every potential whistle blower is not always inclined to blow the whistle, despite protection being accorded to whistleblowers through legislation. The cost of blowing the whistle can be a deterrent to potential whistle blowers. It is quite plausible that an organisational culture which institutionalizes a dominant value based system can decrease whistle blowers expectations of retaliation. The purpose of this artide is to provide a conceptual framework for a dominant value enacted organisational culture which can serve as an impetus for whistle blowing in the public sector. It is important that organisations make their value systems 'lived' practices to motivate potential whistleblowers to report on wrongdoing. It can be argued that the institutionalisation of enacted values can lead to low perceptions of retaliation, which is often a deterrent in blowing the whistle.