Prepared By :-Sameer Kumar SahooB-Tech (ME)Centurion University

GRAPEVINE COMMUNICATION

Contents :-

Introduction Organizational Grapevine Characteristics Examples Grapevine chains Benefits Disadvantages Prevention Conclusion

What’s Grapevine ??

To hear something through the grapevine is to learn of something informally and unofficially by mean of gossip and rumor.

Informal vehicle through which message flow throughout the organization.

Organizational Grapevine

Early research findings Transmits information rapidly in all direction.

More active in homogeneous groups.

Transmits some degree of truth.

Grapevine Characteristics:-

• oral mostly undocumented• fast (hours instead of days)• crossing organizational

boundaries• inaccuracy:– deletion of crucial details

• Not controlled by management.

Examples of Grapevine Network of Communication

Suppose the profit amount of a company is known. Rumor is spread that this much profit is there and on that basis bonus is declared.

CEO may be in relation to the Production Manager. They may have friendly relations with each other.

Four Types of Grapevine Chains

Single Strand Chain

Gossip Chain

Probability Chain

Cluster Chain

Single strand chains :-It flows like a chain i.e. A tells to B , who

tells it to C & so on.The larger the strand the more distortion &

filtering affects.Most inaccuracies occur in this chain.

One person tells to other people.

This chain passes a message regarding a ‘not-on-job’ nature.

Generally considered to be slow in passing the information.

Gossip Chains :-

Information may move from anybody to anybody.

This chain is found when the information is somewhat interesting but not really significant.

Only some people in the organization will get to know the information.

Probability Chain:-

Individual communicates with only those individuals he/she trust.

Cluster chain is the dominant grapevine pattern in an organization.

Most informal communication flows through this chain.

‘A’ tells something to a few selected individuals and then some of these individuals inform a few other selected individuals

Cluster Chain :-

Spreads Rapidly

Feedback is Quick

Group Cohesiveness

Signals that Problems/Good news exist

Substitute for formal channel of communication

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3

Benefits :-

The grapevine is not trust worthy always as it doesn’t follow official path of communication & is spread more by gossips and unconfirmed report.

Untruth information most of the time

Partial information only spreads (rumors)

Hampers the goodwill of the organization or the people

Disadvantages :-

Preventing Rumors :-• provide information through the

formal system of communication on the issues important to the employees

• supply employees with a steady flow of clear, accurate and timely information

• present full facts• keep formal communication lines

open and the process as short as possible

Conclusion

“the grapevine cannot be abolished,rubbed out, hidden under a basket, chopped down, tied up, or

stopped“

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