Group Members:

• Ayesha Nazir• Beshama Sameul• Rao Asad• Asim Taimoor• Danish Bhutto• Ana Khattak

Unstructured and informal network founded on social relationships rather than organizational within an organization. (Nancy Borkowski, 2010)

Unofficial communication is the communication that flows throughout an organization without official sanction (Barron Wells).

An informal chat between people, seen as a network through which the information is really speedy. (Mc Shane, 2003)

It transmits data very rapidly in all directions. (Newstorm,2001).

Different Definitions:

Three may keep a secret; if 2 of them are dead. (Benjamin Franklin)

The most powerful force in the universe is gossip.

What is told in the ear of a man is heard 100 miles away. (Chinese Proverb)

The term can be traced back to US Civil War1860s.Since battlefronts moved frequently, army telegraph wires were strung loosely from tree to tree across battlefields, were wires used to support grapevines.

It is impossible to find the origin of information which results in the spread of rumors.

It spreads throughout the organization in all directions irrespective of the authority levels.

Why is it called Grapevine?

Rumor Unconfirmed reports Hearsay Gossip Talk Talk of the town Tittles Tattles Scandal Chat Whisper Buzz Noise Word of Mouth

Synonyms

It is not controlled by management. Undocumented. Ignored by some, feared by some and used

by many. Open to change and interpretation. Inaccuracy: exaggeration and

omission of crucial details.

Characteristics of Grapevine:

It is perceived by most employees to be more believable and reliable.

It is largely used to serve self-interest of those people within it.

Since it is unstructured and not under complete control of management, it moves through the organization in every direction. "It moves upwards, downward, and diagonally, within and without chains of command, between workers and managers, and even with and without a company.  

Grapevine is equally active both in management and among the workers

Transmits information rapidly in all direction

Follows a cluster chain pattern More active in homogeneous groups Transmits some degree of truth The peak time of the days are breaks and lunch hour during

which management has little or no control over the topics of conversation.

Early Research Findings:

Keith Davis reports from his research "that in normal business situations between 75 percent and 95 percent of grapevine information is correct.

Emails have now joined the grapevine communication channels, making it even faster. Messages from the grapevine are often lacking in all the details so that the message is subject to misinterpretation; while the grapevine generally carries the truth it seldom carries the whole truth.

Estimated 80% of grapevine information is oriented toward the individual while 20% concerns the company.

Advances in technology and recent trends in social networking have significantly transformed the modern grapevine. Informal communication now occurs through email, texting, Twitter, and on social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace.

Wedge Drivers Rumor Aggressive, unfriendly and damaging. They split groups and dissolve allegiancesA wedge driver rumor may be someone at x Company saying that v Company serves worms in their hamburgers

Home Stretchers RumorAnticipating final decisions or

announcements.They tend to fill the gap during times of

ambiguity

Types of Grapevine:

Wish Fulfillment Rumor these express the wishes and hopes of those who circulate

rumors and these are the most positive and they help to stimulate the creativity of others. often solutions to work problems are a result of employees verbally expressing desire for changes. These improvements sometimes result in increased efficiency for certain departments within the organization.

Bogey Rumor comes from employees' fears and anxieties causing

general uneasiness among employees such as during budget crunch. In this case, employees will verbally express their fears to others. These rumors are sometimes damaging, such as a rumor about possible lay-offs, and need a formal rebuttal from management.

Importance of the subject for both the listener and speaker

Ambiguousness of the facts Formula: R = I * a R = intensity of the rumor Importance of the rumors to the persons Ambiguity of the facts associated with the

rumors

According to Gordon Allport:

Spontaneous: When people are stressed or in an

untrustworthy environment they spread wrong information.

Premeditated: Premeditated rumors spread in a highly

competitive environment.

Situations for Grapevine:

Single strained chain: If A tells something to B who in

return tells something to C and so on a chain of rumors is formed

The longer the strand the more distortion and filtering effects.

Most inaccuracies occur in this type.

Kinds of Grapevine Communication

Group of people gathering to discuss matters of mutual interest.

This chain passes a message regarding ‘not-on-the-job’ nature i.e. not job-oriented info.

Considered slow in passing information.

Gossip Chain

Information may move from anybody to anybody.

Found when information is somewhat interesting but nor really significant.

Only some people in the organization will come to know.

Probability Chain

A tells something to a few selected individuals and then some of these individuals tell some other selected individuals.

Individual communicates with only those individuals he/she trusts.

Most dominant pattern in an organization. Most informal message is flowed through this

chain.

Cluster Chain

Employees rely on Grapevine when: They sense uncertainty. Preferential treatment of managers with

certain employees. Their general talkative behavior. The feel threatened; Insecure Under stress When there is pending change When communication from the management

is limited.

Reasons Why Grapevine Develop:

may circulate because they are interesting or a source of diversion

can pull together events and fill in the gaps to make sense and provide explanations for what is going on

reconcile one's psychological state with what one sees as actually going on

are a means of getting attention. are a way of manipulating situations gossiping can raise people's self esteem – we

feel more important by getting information first and by the interest it creates.

Information Void : exists when the information demanded exceeds the information supplied. .  An information void will be filled with something – either rumors or valid information. The larger the information void is, the greater the amount of chatter in the grapevine.

What’s in it for me (WIIFM) : . Regardless of the situation, when change occurs our natural tendency is to translate this into a WIIFM context. This is what we are listening for. How does this change affect me, my pay, my family, my free time, etc. When people have a vested interest they will want information. The greater the impact is on WIIFM, the greater the amount of chatter on the grapevine. 

Grapevine Chatter = information void + WIIFM + recent news +insecurity

Recent News: Many organizations are stunned at how breaking news hits the grapevine at breakneck speed. The fresher the story is, the greater the chatter on the grapevine.

Insecurity : The greater the amount of insecurity that exists within the organization, the greater the amount of chatter that will exist on the grapevine. For example, with the current fragile state of the economy, one can easily see how this factor can become extremely high.

It wastes valuable working time. It spreads gossip and rumors and these can

be unsettling and lead to feelings of insecurity.

It may result in informal groups banding together to resist management decisions, even though they may not have been officially communicated yet.

Why Reduce Informal Communication:

All information communication can help create important feelings of belonging and social cohesion.

Management can use the grapevine to ‘test out’ new ideas and see what the unofficial reaction might be- if it is too negative, they might never make an official announcement.

Can help clarify official messages by talking them over with friends.

Informal Communication is Useful:

The organization should not eliminate the grapevine communication because it can help the employees in doing their work.

The grapevine communication among the employees and employers can not be stopped even though the upper level of management put an effort on it. Communication is after all, a natural human activity.

There are several ways on how to deal with grapevine communication and next it can be use as a medium channel between the employer and employee in the organization.

Managers should find out about what and why that information is being communicated

Managers should provide accurate information False info in the grapevine should be corrected by the

manager e.g : call for a meeting Fill information voids with accurate information before

rumors materialize. Proactively communicate when breaking news is expected. One of the tenets of a good communication strategy is

evaluating the effectiveness of your communication. This is accomplished by obtaining feedback.

Dealing with Grapevine:

Ronald R. Sim (2002). Managing organizational behavior. United States: Greenwood Publishing Group.

Peter Stimpson And Alastair Farquharson (2010). Cambridge International AS and A level Business Studies 2nd Edition.

Nancy Borkowski (2010). Organizational behavior in health care, 2nd edition. United States: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.

Fred C. Lunenburg, & Allan C. Ornstein (2007). Educational administration: concepts and practices, 5th edition . Belmont: Thomson Books/Cole.

J.W Newstrom & K. Davis (1993). Organizational behavior: human behavior at work, 9th edition. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company.

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