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The Ethical Follower (C, H)
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 for whistleblowers. For
example, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has an Office of the
Whistleblower. The U.S. Department of Labor offers a Whistleblower Protection
Program. The Department of Energy lists the whistleblowing cases it has been
involved in.
3. Online and library research of whistleblowing in the professions students want to go
into, such as the film industry, marketing, the military, human resources, and so on.
4. Selection of a whistleblower to study (e.g., Sherron Watkins, Enron; Edward
Snowden, NSA; Jeffrey Wigand, tobacco industry). Suggest that students consider
looking for local whistleblowers who may have been profiled in regional newspapers,
to make this project more “real.” There needs to be enough information publicly
available to develop a substantive profile of the person’s organizational role and
motivations for exposing unethical behavior.
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?
8. What take-away lessons about followership are there from this event?
