Northouse, Leadership, 9e
SAGE Publishing, 2022
The Ethical Follower
This project asks students to research a whistleblower who exposed unethical behavior in an
organization and the outcome of that exposure or investigation.
The research can be scaffolded in stages over the term:
1. Definitions of whistleblowing—legal and otherwise. For example, when actors report
being sexually harassed by a film producer, is that a variety of whistleblowing?
2. Online research of whistleblowing in the U.S. government—what offices exist, what
cases have been tried, and what protections are offered to whistleblowers. For
example, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has an Office of the
3. Online and library research of whistleblowing in the professions students want to go
into, such as the film industry, marketing, the military, and human resources.
4. Selection of a whistleblower to study (e.g., Sherron Watkins, Enron; Edward
Snowden, NSA; Jeffrey Wigand, tobacco industry). Suggest that students consider
5. Analysis of the follower’s ethical decision-making process. What considerations were
weighed? What pressures (internal and external) did the whistleblower experience
before and after deciding to expose a company’s unethical behavior?
6. What was the effect of the whistleblowing on the accused individual(s) and company?
Acceptance of responsibility? Denial?
7. Summary of the outcome. Was there a trial? A verdict? An appeal? A settlement out
of court? Was the follower changed in some way because of this experience?