THE INFLUENCE OF INDIVIDUAL AND SITUATIONAL FACTORS ON LOWER-LEVEL CIVIL SERVANTS’ WHISTLE-BLOWING INTENTION IN INDONESIA

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to examine empirically the influence of individual and
situational factors on the whistle-blowing intentions among lower-level civil servants in Indonesia.
This research proposes a conceptual model where individual and situational factors influence
the whistle-blowing intention among lower-level civil servants. More precisely this study
used three variables as individual factors based on the theory of planned behaviour (the attitude
toward whistle-blowing, the subjective norm, and the perceived behavioural control).
Two vignettes were used to manipulate three situational factors (the seriousness of wrongdoing,
the status of the wrongdoer, and the personal cost of reporting). A survey questionnaire was
distributed to 106 civil servants from government institutions in Indonesia by using convenience
sampling. There are six hypotheses that were tested by using multiple regression analysis.
This research found that individual and situational factors successfully predicted a whistleblowing
intention. Specifically, research results indicate there are five antecedents of whistleblowing
intention among lower-level civil servants in Indonesia labelled: the attitude toward
whistle-blowing, the subjective norm, the perceived behavioural control, the seriousness of
wrongdoing, and the status of the wrongdoer. Further implications for practice and research
are also discussed.
Keywords: whistle-blowing intention, lower-level civil servants, theory of planned behaviour,
individual factors, situational factors.