The Effect of Power Distance on Employee Whistleblowing Intention With the Mediating Role of Moral Courage

One of the most important parameters of any country's administrative system is the disclosure of corruption and misconduct in the workplace. Although factors such as authoritarian leadership and the dominance of silence culture encourage employees not to disclose corruption, their moral courage is very influential in their intention to expose deviations. The purpose of this research was to investigate the effect of power distance on the employee whistleblowing intention with the mediating role of moral courage. This quantitative research was applied in terms of purpose and descriptive-causal in terms of data collection and analysis. The statistical population of the research was all 420 employees employed in the customs center of Shahid Rajaee port. The sample size was calculated to be 200 based on Morgan table that were selected using simple random sampling. A questionnaire was used for data collection whose reliability was confirmed by Cronbach's alpha. Structural equation modeling and AMOS software were used to analyze the data. The results of the data analysis showed that employees who believe more in the power of managers and deem a complete freedom for them in doing their duties adopt smart silence and avoid talking about deviations. Moreover, despite all limitations and the potential for harms, employees with higher moral courage believe that it is incumbent upon them to disclose corruption. Finally, the mediating role of moral courage in the impact of power distance on disclosure intention was confirmed.