"In the Grip of King Kong": Making Sense of Whistleblower Retaliation Experiences Through Metaphor.
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| Title: | "In the Grip of King Kong": Making Sense of Whistleblower Retaliation Experiences Through Metaphor. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | McGlynn, Joseph1 (AUTHOR) Joseph.McGlynn@unt.edu, Richardson, Brian K.1 (AUTHOR), Tran, Jacinta T.2 (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Journal of Business Ethics. Dec2025, Vol. 202 Issue 4, p691-705. 15p. |
| Subject Terms: | *Workplace retaliation, Whistleblowing, Whistleblowers, Sensemaking theory (Communication), Metaphor |
| Abstract: | Whistleblowers frequently endure retaliation from organizations for exposing wrongdoing, but struggle to effectively communicate their experiences of ostracism, exile, and physical intimidation. This qualitative study used a metaphor framework to examine whistleblower experiences of retaliation. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with whistleblowers (N = 21), each of whom had experienced organizational retaliation. Guided by sensemaking theory and reflexive thematic analysis, themes were generated to categorize the metaphors that whistleblowers used to make sense of their experiences, and to portray participant experiences of organizational retaliation through the metaphors identified. Whistleblowers described two primary types of metaphors to describe their experiences of organizational retaliation, including metaphors of violence and metaphors of isolation. Metaphors of violence included metaphors comparing whistleblower experiences to forms of physical harm and mental harm. Metaphors of isolation described whistleblower experiences of professional isolation and relational solitude. The findings of this study inform whistleblowing research by increasing understanding of whistleblower experiences of organizational retaliation, extending knowledge of the types of support needed throughout the whistleblowing process, and providing empirically grounded recommendations to assist past, present, and future whistleblowers in their efforts to fight organizational corruption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Journal of Business Ethics is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Education Research Complete |
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| FullText | Links: – Type: pdflink Text: Availability: 1 |
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| Header | DbId: ehh DbLabel: Education Research Complete An: 189910676 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: "In the Grip of King Kong": Making Sense of Whistleblower Retaliation Experiences Through Metaphor. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22McGlynn%2C+Joseph%22">McGlynn, Joseph</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> Joseph.McGlynn@unt.edu</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Richardson%2C+Brian+K%2E%22">Richardson, Brian K.</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Tran%2C+Jacinta+T%2E%22">Tran, Jacinta T.</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR) – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+Business+Ethics%22">Journal of Business Ethics</searchLink>. Dec2025, Vol. 202 Issue 4, p691-705. 15p. – Name: Subject Label: Subject Terms Group: Su Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Workplace+retaliation%22">Workplace retaliation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Whistleblowing%22">Whistleblowing</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Whistleblowers%22">Whistleblowers</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sensemaking+theory+%28Communication%29%22">Sensemaking theory (Communication)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Metaphor%22">Metaphor</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: Whistleblowers frequently endure retaliation from organizations for exposing wrongdoing, but struggle to effectively communicate their experiences of ostracism, exile, and physical intimidation. This qualitative study used a metaphor framework to examine whistleblower experiences of retaliation. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with whistleblowers (N = 21), each of whom had experienced organizational retaliation. Guided by sensemaking theory and reflexive thematic analysis, themes were generated to categorize the metaphors that whistleblowers used to make sense of their experiences, and to portray participant experiences of organizational retaliation through the metaphors identified. Whistleblowers described two primary types of metaphors to describe their experiences of organizational retaliation, including metaphors of violence and metaphors of isolation. Metaphors of violence included metaphors comparing whistleblower experiences to forms of physical harm and mental harm. Metaphors of isolation described whistleblower experiences of professional isolation and relational solitude. The findings of this study inform whistleblowing research by increasing understanding of whistleblower experiences of organizational retaliation, extending knowledge of the types of support needed throughout the whistleblowing process, and providing empirically grounded recommendations to assist past, present, and future whistleblowers in their efforts to fight organizational corruption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of Business Ethics is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=ehh&AN=189910676 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1007/s10551-025-05987-x Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 15 StartPage: 691 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Workplace retaliation Type: general – SubjectFull: Whistleblowing Type: general – SubjectFull: Whistleblowers Type: general – SubjectFull: Sensemaking theory (Communication) Type: general – SubjectFull: Metaphor Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: "In the Grip of King Kong": Making Sense of Whistleblower Retaliation Experiences Through Metaphor. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: McGlynn, Joseph – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Richardson, Brian K. – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Tran, Jacinta T. IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 25 M: 12 Text: Dec2025 Type: published Y: 2025 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 01674544 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 202 – Type: issue Value: 4 Titles: – TitleFull: Journal of Business Ethics Type: main |
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