This book examines how insufficient policies can lead to the alleged abuse of power in
organisations. When independent ethical structures and processes are missing or weak practices
of abuse misconduct and cover-ups can easily arise at the leadership level. Even organisations
that specialise in good governance are no exception as illustrated by this case study on
arguably the world's most influential anti-corruption NGO Transparency International
(TI).Written by the former Managing Director of Transparency International this book
chronicles its ethical breakdown over a 5-year period starting in 2015. By comparing TI's
whistleblower policies with its internal whistleblower practices it demonstrates how the
organisation gradually became trapped in a vicious cycle of secrecy corruption and lies. The
author chronologically tracks TI's practices drawing on 12 whistleblower complaints filed with
TI since 2017 as well as communications with TI international donor agencies and other
international civil society organisations from 2015 to 2020 to do so. The chronological format
aptly reveals the snowball effect that ethical weaknesses can create over time as well as the
emotional warfare that whistleblowers are typically subjected to. The unfolding chronology also
shows what it means to be a whistleblower for an organisation that avoids public transparency
reporting on and scrutiny of its own practices.
