Do transformational-oriented leadership and transactional-oriented leadership have an impact on whistle-blowing attitudes? A longitudinal examination conducted in US federal agencies

摘要

The benefits of effective leadership practices have often been examined. However, little is known about how these practices impact the perceptions of agency employees regarding whistle-blowing. For instance, only two cross-sectional studies were found to examine an association between transformational leadership (the most often studied leadership practice) and whistle-blowing attitudes. To extend these studies, we examined the relationship between transformational-oriented leadership behaviours and whistle-blowing attitudes using panel data. The findings revealed that transformational-oriented leadership increased the extent to which employees in agencies felt they could disclose wrongdoing without facing retaliation. Transactional-oriented leadership was also found to have a positive effect on these whistle-blowing behaviours; however, the effect size was smaller. The implications of these findings are thoroughly discussed in the article.