My workgroup or my desire to serve the society? The influence of workgroup identification and public service motivation on whistleblowing intentions

Socio-psychological processes are important when it comes to whistleblowing. While prior research has explored the direct relationship between workgroup identification and whistleblowing, it has overlooked individuals’ multiple identities. This article examines whether public service motivation (PSM) moderates this association and whether a public service identity salience prime amplifies this dynamic. Using a survey experiment with 582 Chinese public employees, we find that the relationship between workgroup identification on whistleblowing depends on PSM and that a salience prime marginally boosts this interaction. The discussion addresses the findings and provides directions for future research.