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Week of Integrity 2025: A Culture of Integrity

Feb 4, 2025

During an interview with a student a few weeks ago, I was reminded of why this year’s theme is so important. Coming from a very international study program, her teacher posed a simple question: Would you call the police? The answers were anything but uniform. Depending on their cultural backgrounds, the students’ trust in law enforcement varied significantly.


This reminded me of an experience I had a few years ago while traveling to Vietnam. I was waiting for my colleague to pick me up at the hotel to visit a supplier’s office. Hours passed without any updates, and I grew increasingly frustrated by the apparent waste of time. Eventually, she arrived and explained what had happened. She had been stopped by a police officer who demanded a bribe to let her pass. When she refused, he took her to the station and made her wait for hours, only to release her without any fine or formal charge.

At the time, I couldn’t understand why she didn’t pay. I thought, She can’t change the system by refusing to pay a small bribe if this is standard practice. But for her, staying true to her principles and refusing to participate in corrupt behavior was more important. That experience left a lasting impression on me and reinforced why promoting integrity in both the public and private sectors is essential. Even in the Netherlands, where such overt corruption might not be common, the challenges around integrity—such as fostering trust and accountability—remain pressing.


Experiences like these highlight the stark differences in how integrity is perceived and practiced across cultures. As businesses become increasingly global and more foreign workers join Dutch companies, fostering a culture of integrity becomes not just desirable but essential. Employees must feel safe to speak up, report issues, and understand the principles outlined in their organization’s code of conduct.

Culture—whether company, local, or national—is complex. But at its core, culture can be understood as a shared set of values, beliefs, and practices that guide behavior within a group or society.

 

The Role of Integrity Culture in Whistleblowing

This critical need—to foster a culture of integrity within organizations—was also highlighted in Transparency International’s recent report on whistleblowing frameworks in Dutch businesses. The report emphasizes that while many companies have formal whistleblowing policies in place, they often fail to address the cultural aspects that ensure these frameworks are effective. Employees must feel safe, supported, and confident that their concerns will be taken seriously and acted upon. Without a strong foundation of trust and accountability, even the best policies risk falling short of their purpose.

The report identifies several key areas for improvement:

  1. Building Trust: Many employees fear retaliation or being ostracized if they report unethical behavior. This fear prevents them from coming forward, even when they witness serious misconduct.

And for me this reluctance often has roots in childhood and education. From an early age, children who report issues are sometimes labeled as "tattletales" by their peers or dismissed by teachers who may tell them not to make a fuss or not to be so sensitive. These experiences shape how individuals perceive speaking up, associating it with negative consequences rather than constructive action. Addressing this ingrained mindset is essential to fostering a culture where reporting concerns is valued and encouraged.

  1. Embedding Integrity in Decision-Making: Ethical practices must be integrated into daily operations at every level. From the boardroom to frontline employees, integrity should guide decisions and behaviors.

  2. Encouraging a Safe Speak-Up Culture: Organizations must go beyond policies and create an environment where employees feel confident their concerns will be taken seriously and addressed fairly.

  3. Whistleblower Protection: While legal protections exist, businesses must ensure they actively safeguard whistleblowers and promptly address reports to reinforce trust in the process.

The findings are a wake-up call for organizations to look beyond compliance and foster a genuine culture of integrity. However, this is not an issue for the private sector alone.


Embracing the Complexity of Culture and Integrity

I come from a multicultural family—my mother’s side has roots in Russia, Morocco, and Madagascar, while my father’s side is from Gascogne, proudly French. I was born and started school in Senegal, shaped by diverse cultures along the way. I then grew up in Marseille, a city full of contradictions, shaped by both vibrant diversity and complex integrity challenges. My teenage years were marked by the influence of the infamous Bernard Tapie—a businessman both admired and controversial. Marseille wasn’t exactly a model for integrity, but it was my home.


This personal background makes me especially eager to explore this year’s theme. Integrity isn’t just about rules and compliance; it is deeply embedded in culture. Whether on a national level, within organizations, or even in childhood experiences, the way we perceive and act on integrity is shaped by the environments we grow up in and the societies we work and live in.

The findings from Transparency International highlight how much still needs to be done—not only in the private sector but also in the public sphere. A strong integrity culture goes beyond policies and legal frameworks; it requires trust, leadership, and a willingness to create environments where speaking up is encouraged and protected.


I look forward to engaging in discussions, hearing different perspectives, and exploring how integrity can be strengthened across cultures. This year’s theme invites us to challenge assumptions, learn from diverse viewpoints, and work together to build stronger integrity cultures in business, government, and society.


Let’s start the conversation & please feel free to join our first partner meeting of 2025.

Laure Jacquier, Secretary General Week of Integrity

 


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