Creating a Voice That Promotes a Speak-Up Culture

Encouraging Whistleblowing

I have previously blogged about the “speak up” culture that supports internal whistleblowing within organizations. To summarize that blog, I draw from an article online by Jasmin Stollhof who addresses the “speak up” culture that some organizations build into their whistleblowing policies. This is an important issue as it addresses workplace accountability and transparency, and fosters intra communication of problems before they get overwhelming.

Stollhof defines a speak up culture as “giving people an environment where open communication is genuinely encouraged. Employees feel safe raising concerns, sharing ideas, and giving feedback. They can question how things are done and offer a different opinion without losing trust or respect. That openness drives both personal growth and a stronger organization. Speaking up, in ethics and compliance terms, means everyone has a voice, and that voice gets heard, respected, and acted on. The result is an organization that is more ethical, more compliant, and harder to blindside.”

Encouraging whistleblowing is a means to uphold ethical standards within organizations. It’s a means to an end and conforms to utilitarian reasoning. Here are some of the factors to consider in creating a speak up culture.

Moral Conflict
Whistleblowing often presents a conflict between two moral values: fairness and loyalty. For instance, promoting an employee based solely on talent may conflict with loyalty to a long-standing but less skilled employee.

Organizational Culture
Creating a supportive organizational culture is crucial. Ethical leadership plays a significant role in fostering an environment where employees feel safe to report unethical behavior without fear of retaliation.

Consequences of Whistleblowing
The act of whistleblowing can lead to positive changes within an organization, helping to prevent misconduct and promote integrity.

In short, I advocate for a balanced approach that recognizes the complexities of whistleblowing while promoting ethical behavior in the workplace. In this way, a roadmap can be developed to guide employees in deciding whether to blow the whistle and, then, how to do it most effectively to promote change in the culture of the organization.

Encouraging Ethical Leadership

The Institute of Business Ethics provides guidance for boards and leaders to consider by answering seven questions.

• “Do we have an ethical culture, and how do we know?
• Do people experience fairness, dignity, respect and inclusion in their everyday working lives?
• Do people feel safe to raise concerns, challenge decisions and speak openly about ethical issues without fear of negative consequences?
• Do people understand what is expected of them in terms of behavior, conduct and ethical decision-making when facing uncertainty?
• How well equipped are our people managers and leaders to respond to concerns and facilitate ethical conversations?
• Where might targets, incentives, performance measures or ways of working create ethical pressure or unintended harm?
• When concerns are raised, do people feel heard, supported and treated fairly throughout the process?”
• Why it matters in practice
• Ethics is experienced in the everyday culture of an organization.
• People strategies, including recruitment, performance management, incentives, goals and leadership development, can either support or undermine an ethical culture. They help shape whether organizational values such as fairness, inclusion, dignity and respect are reflected in employees’ daily experiences.
• This element focuses on creating a workplace where people feel respected, safe to speak up and empowered to do the right thing. In other words, it is about creating the conditions for people to exercise agency, use their judgement and raise concerns when they believe something is wrong.
• A strong ethical culture encourages employees at all levels to raise concerns, challenge decisions and engage in ethical conversations without fear of negative consequences. This helps organizations identify issues early, learn from mistakes, and turn potential problems into opportunities for improvement, innovation and collaborative problem-solving.
• Trusted Speak Up arrangements are an important part of this, but ethical culture depends equally on fair people practices, supportive leadership, well-equipped managers and a consistent commitment to treating people with dignity and respect.

Stephen Hart discusses the elements of a speak up culture. He points out that “Silence is not neutral—it’s a signal. It indicates that people are afraid to speak up. This fear often increases in organizations where retaliation, dismissal, or indifference greet those who raise concerns. However, ethical cultures do not thrive in silence; they flourish in sunlight—where truth-telling is welcomed, protected, and acted upon.”

It’s important to understand that creating a culture of ethical voice isn’t solely the responsibility of individual leaders. It’s a systemic issue. It involves how your organization listens, what it rewards, what it overlooks, and what it protects. It also addresses whether your formal and informal systems enable individuals to speak up and be heard safely. Hart also addresses how to encourage speaking up out loud. He calls this the “ethical voice” and characterizes it as follows.

Six Leadership Practices That Encourage Ethical Voice

1. Lead Out Loud

People closely observe their leaders—not just the decisions they make but the thought processes behind them. When leaders articulate their reasoning, especially during ethical dilemmas, they normalize moral reflection. Rather than simply stating, “Here’s the decision,” leaders should say, “Here’s what we decided, why we decided it, and how we balanced results with our values.” This approach signals that ethics is central to decision-making and allows others to do the same. He also addresses the trust factor:

2. Create Channels of Trust

Most organizations have reporting systems, but do employees trust them? Do they know where to go when something feels wrong? Do they believe they will be protected, heard, and taken seriously? It’s essential to audit your channels—both formal and informal. Survey your teams anonymously to assess the existence of these systems and the belief in their effectiveness. Trust is built on a channel’s presence and the belief that speaking up will not lead to regret. Speaking up usually occurs in situations that are gray—not 100% clear as to the steeps to take.

3. Train for the Gray Areas

Most ethical dilemmas do not come with clear warning signs; they exist in the gray areas —between profits and principles, speed and care, loyalty and honesty. Conduct workshops where teams can explore these gray areas together, using real (anonymized) scenarios. Ask questions like, “What would we do here? What risks are involved? What values are at play?” These conversations build ethical muscle, helping people feel more prepared and less isolated when faced with difficult choices.

Ethical cultures are built not just on answers but also on questions. Make it a practice to ask your team: “What are we not seeing? Where do we feel tension between our goals and values? Is there a conversation we’ve been avoiding?” Curiosity opens doors. It signals that feedback is welcome, not threatening and that doubt is part of the process rather than a problem to fix. Over time, these questions can become ingrained in the team’s culture.

To encourage a work team or individual to speak up, an organization can start with one conversation, one question, or one signal. In other words, incorporate the speak up culture one step at a time with intentionality.

Blog posted on August 6, 2026, by Steven Mintz, PhD, professor emeritus Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Visit Steve’s website to find out more about his activities. You can contact Steve at: smintz@calpoly.edu.