Jie Jin’s scientific contributions

Purpose As less is known about how internal communication can influence employees’ whistleblowing intention, this study aims to explore how participatory communication, organizational listening and organizational responsiveness influence employees’ external whistleblowing intention. Design/methodology/approach An online survey was conducted with 657 employees across various industries in the United States. Findings The results revealed that participatory communication, organizational listening and organizational responsiveness can fulfill the organization’s relational contract with their employees. As a communication-charged outcome, the fulfillment of employees’ relational psychological contract is associated with a lower intention to blow the whistle externally. Originality/value This study is among the first to examine internal communication strategies, namely, participatory communication, organizational listening and organizational responsiveness, as the antecedents of employees’ relational psychological contract and external whistleblowing intention.

Purpose Facilitated by social media, employee activism is on the rise, often in response to organizations' own socially irresponsible behavior. Given that digital employee activism is a vital yet underexplored research arena, the purpose of this study is to propose and test a theoretical model for understanding this phenomenon. Design/methodology/approach A survey was launched on Dynata, a US-based consumer panel company. A total of 657 representative full-time employees working at different levels of positions participated the survey to indicate their perceptual and behavioral responses to organizational social irresponsibility. Findings Moral obligation was a significant factor in mediating the relationship between organizational social irresponsibility and digital employee activism. Ideological psychological contract adds supplemental weights moderating the mediation effect on digital employee activism. Originality/value This study, based on social regulation theory, explores the rise of employee activism in response to organizations’ socially irresponsible behavior. The study identifies moral obligation and ideological psychological contract as the driving forces behind digital employee activism. This study advances digital employee activism scholarship by incorporating the normative lens of moral obligation and ideological psychological contract.