Abstract
Understanding the whistleblower’s ability to cope with the repercussions of showing ‘ethical
resistance’ in the workplace is a neglected area of research. Drawing on qualitative data from
narrative interviews with whistleblowers in South Africa, this article analyses the ways in which
whistleblowers deal with the hostile responses from employers that tend to follow their disclosures.
Most of the participants employed successful coping mechanisms showing that they remained
hopeful that justice would prevail, even amidst emotions of distress and fear due to organizational
reprisal. This study shows that the resilience perspective is an important frame for understanding
whistleblowers’ responses to the challenging consequences of their actions. Practitioners should
consider ways to enhance individual resilience to ensure a positive outcome of disclosures of
organizational wrongdoing.