Applying a Lens of Temporality to Better Understand Voice About Unethical Behaviour in Healthcare Organisations

The various ways in which employees attempt to raise concerns about problems within an organisation is collectively termed “voice”. For complex healthcare organisations such as the NHS voice often involves crossing boundaries of expertise and perspective, most obviously when clinical staff voice their concerns to managers. Voice can act as an early prevention system, but sufficient evidence needs to have been collated to warrant suspicion and investigation by organisational managers. Analysing key events using a ‘time-based perspective’ enables us to problematise dilemmas regarding voice about unethical behaviour in organisations, including for example, to develop awareness of unethical issues, support the timely enactment of voice, and encourage managerial action in response to voice.

In this talk I draw on several organisational examples of unethical behaviour to present a temporal lens which can act as a guide for others wishing to better understand the role of time and voice. I will draw conclusions about the role of time in relation to voice about unethical behaviour and speak to three insights; a) it takes time for voices to generate evidence for unethical behaviour, b) perceptions of unethical behaviour change over time, and c) it is most difficult to voice about unethical behaviour at the time it is most needed.

• Brooks, S., Richmond, J. & Blenkinsopp, J. Applying a Lens of Temporality to Better Understand Voice About Unethical Behaviour. J Bus Ethics 188, 681–692 (2023). 

Speaker

John G. Richmond is a Lecturer and MPH Programme Director in Healthcare Management and Leadership at the University of Sheffield. John achieved his PhD in Business & Management at Warwick Business School supported by a National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Doctoral Fellowship where he investigated healthcare improvement, including how organisations learn and enhance patient safety.

John’s research is based in the field of organization studies. He focuses on organizational resilience, learning, effective communication, and crisis management.     Specifically, he explores the resilience of healthcare organizations in response to extreme events. This includes events such as pandemics and extreme weather caused by climate change, as well as those resulting from professional misconduct and human error. He also completed studies examining employee voice and whistleblowing when patient safety is at risk.

His work has been published in highly ranked peer-reviewed journals including those on the Financial Times 50 Journal list: Journal of Business Ethics; Work, Employment and Society; Journal of Health Organization and Management; British Medical Journal; British Medical Journal Leader; International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction; and Public Health.