Grapevine: An overview of its antecedents, functions and consequences

Surabhi Grover
March 2nd, 2015

She did what? He was talking to who? Rumor has it, she is being promoted. From hallways to office cubicles, from roadsides to coffee shops and from library to classrooms, rumors and/or gossip can be heard anywhere and everywhere. This almost inevitable phenomena has made its way into organizations where gossip and gossipmongers are mostly seen in a negative light. But is that always the case? How about when you hear from a third person that one of your peers might be rewarded for his/her outstanding performance, for the most part you are motivated to perform well. Gossip has its downside but not always.
Introduction
Exchange of information through informal communication network or channel i.e. unverified information, often referred to as grapevine activity; rumor or gossip, is circumstantially derived, comes into existence unplanned (Michelson & Mouly, 2004) and is almost unavoidable in organizations (Michelson & Mouly, 2002). Although it can affect workplace such as by decreasing productivity and creating stress (DiFonzo, Bordia, & Rosnow 1994), it’s not a very well-researched phenomena (Noon, & Delbridge, 1993). Rumor is defined as unsubstantiated talk that lacks evidence whereas gossip is regarded as idle talk that ignores factuality (Noon, & Delbridge, 1993). According to Rosnow (1988), “Sometimes it is impossible to separate rumor from gossip. When, according to unattributed hearsay, a female executive is alleged to have “slept her way to the top,” is this rumor or gossip?” (p. 14). Hence, rumor and gossip although distinctive terms by definition, are often used interchangeably.
Antecedents of Rumor or Gossip The three main antecedents that help define why people indulge in gossiping are as follows.
Demographic Variables Demographic variables such as gender and age can influence rumor/gossip to a very small extent. For example, there is some evidence to the view that women are more likely to indulge in gossip than men but not much difference was found in gossip frequency among both the genders (Michelson, & Mouly, 2000). Although due to different interests gossip indulgence was found to be present in individuals irrespective of their organizational level, for example, people involved in decision making rely on gossip to gather information and those who are not involved in decision making rely on it to diminish uncertainty and draw comparisons (Michelson & Mouly, 2004).
Personality Variables The personality variables are found to play an important role in explaining an individual’s inclination to engage in rumors. The first factor is the individual’s behavior at work, which can be either need based or goal based. Individuals who feel the need for social approval and dominance are likely to gossip more frequently however frequent gossipers are found to be less liked by their colleagues (Michelson & Mouly, 2004). Additionally, the individuals providing accurate information were found to be regarded as trustworthy and the one’s providing inaccurate information were found to generate resentment and hostility in the recipients of gossip (Kurland & Pelled, 2000).
Hence it can be concluded that the need for control/power and social approval, can influence an individual’s propensity towards gossiping to a certain extent.
Role of Context
Studies suggest that rumors tend to arise in situations where people are not in control of their existential development such as military and quasi-military organizations (Michelson & Mouly, 2004). Furthermore, Michaelson and Mouly (2004) found out that an insecure and threatening organizational environment, e.g. job layoffs and where employees do not trust the channel of formal communications are also prone to high levels of rumor and gossip.
Functions of Rumor/Gossip The function and nature of rumor/gossip tends to change according to the situation. Firstly, the function that rumors/gossip serve is the elimination of chaos and uncertainty (Michelson & Mouly, 2004). According to Rosnow and Fine, (1976) “When the truth is not directly forthcoming we piece together information as best we can, giving rise to rumors, rationalizations, and the search for a definition of the situation. The reason rumors circulate is that they explain things and relieve the tensions of uncertainty.” (Michelson, & Mouly, 2000, p.341).
It has been found that individuals who are motivated to draw social comparisons in order to self- evaluate and self – improve their own lives also indulge in gossip (Wert & Salovey, 2004). Also other than acquiring information that might not be easily available otherwise, rumor and gossip may serve the function to enhance the gossiper’s power at workplace (Kurland & Pelled, 2000). Additionally, gossip can also serve as a survival mechanism or a pleasure and fun activity that is not necessarily focused on to bring negative outcomes. (Gabriel, 1995; Michelson & Mouly, 2004)
Consequences of Grapevine
Rumors and gossip can result both in expected and unexpected outcomes but it is usually assumed to waste time, result into unproductivity, decrease profits (Baker & Jones, 1996; DiFonzo, Bordia & Rosnow, 1994; Esposito & Rosnow, 1993). Such assumptions and claims ignore the potential benefits of rumor/gossip. “Not only is rumor or gossip an extremely widespread form of communication, but it may also provide a range of organizational benefits. These include, for example, the means to more rapidly transmit information to employees, the ability to test or gauge employee reactions to new management initiatives and the role played by rumor/gossip in reinforcing social bonds and formal work structures” (Michelson, & Mouly, 2000, p.344). Since the information spreads faster through informal channels, managers can tap into this to gauge the effects of new policies and procedures through employee’s response (Mishra, 1990). Mishra (1990) also argues that grapevine helps employees in relieving stress that can affect their productivity otherwise.
Hence it can be concluded that gossip is not simply idle talk causing negative outcomes for organizations, but can have positive outcomes as well.

Conclusion Rumor/gossip is a common but not well understood phenomena by organizations. As it is an extremely widespread and hard to avoid form of communication, by understanding the reasons for engaging in grapevine activity, its functions and consequences, managers can channel it into positive outcomes for their organizations.

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