PLEASE RESPOND TO EACH DISCUSSION POSTS WITH 175 words each and point out either 2
weaknesses with their post or add 2 additional supporting points. also there must be 2 additional
references for each response!!
ORIGINAL DISCUSSION POST::
1. One of the most interesting items in the communication realm of organization management is
the informal grapevine. The informal grapevine has the capacity to undermine the official
communication function of a criminal justice organization. Discuss what a grapevine is and the
best methods to counteract it.
1)A grapevine has been used as slang terminology as it relates to communication. An informal
grapevine is described as an unofficial form of communication that happens in an environment or
organization as a result of a rumor (Jian, 2013). “Through the grapevine” communication has a tendency
to move quicker throughout the organization than information that is valuable and useful (Crampton &
Hodge, 1998). Most of times the rumors are not true, even though employees may believe the rumor.
Informal grapevine communication can be very damaging to an organization due to the potential harm
that it can cause. Most of the time, the rumors can be based on changing within the organization, job
security, or even the structure of the organization (Tucker, 2019). When employees who do not engage
in grapevine communication or rumors get involved it can be detrimental to the dynamics and trust of the
organization (Jian, 2013). Regulation of grapevine communication can be difficult due to the
communication spreading so quickly (Crampton & Hodge, 1998).
The best way to avoid informal grapevine communication is to effectively communicate from the
beginning. Once effective communication has been established, all persons involved will know the
situation at hand so there is no confusion as to what the situation is (Jian, 2013). Also, supervisors can
hold face to face meetings so that any questions or confusion can be cleared in the moment rather than
waiting until the statement or situation becomes a rumor. It should be the supervisor’s job to counteract
grapevine communication as soon as possible to protect the organization as a whole, as well as the
employees (Tucker, 2019). There are many ways grapevine communication can be handled. Employees
can report the rumors to their supervisors which will bring awareness to the situation, employees an
choose to ignore the rumors, or supervisors can advise employees of a specific plan in place which can
create a sense of honesty and stability for employees as they continue to be in the loop of things
(Tucker, 2019).
Crampton, S. M., Hodge, J. W., & Mishra, J. M. (1998). The informal communication network: Factors
influencing grapevine activity. Public Personnel Management, 27(4), 569-584.
doi:10.1177/009102609802700410
Jian, G. (2013). Informal communication and the grapevine
Tucker, B. P. (2019). Heard it through the grapevine: Conceptualizing informal control through the lens
of social network theory. Journal of Management Accounting Research, 31(1), 219-245.
doi:10.2308/jmar-52064
2)Informal grapevine information happens within both large and small organizations. What this is, is
when communication is rapidly being spread throughout an organization and the source is not a
supervisor. Grapevine information in a sense is “hear say”. Within large organizations, information is
constantly changing. In order to keep up with this ongoing transformation, employees will inherently
speak to each other to gather more information. They are surrounded by each other for hours and
hours, day after day. By nature, coworkers will begin to speak and converse with each other. Humans
also want to have a sense of belonging. Conversations about work allows them to bond because that is
something they have in common.
Grapevine information also happens because employees want to know what is going on. They do not
want to feel out of the loop because then they may lose confidence and trust within the organization.
Sometimes as a leader, this closeness between coworkers in beneficial. Now they may be more willing
to work together and feel like a team. They have a shared unity to accomplish the same goals. The
exact opposite can occur as well. For example, they could develop an “us against them” mentality.
Supervisors versus employees or coworker versus coworker. The mob mentality kicks in and if a
supervisor or other leader does not stop it, then the entire organization can be undermined.
Another downfall of grapevine information is its lack of authenticity. Information may not be repeated
verbatum and by the time it gets to the last person, the context has completely changed. Everyone has
played the telephone game and witnessed how a message is altered as more people listen and
respond. Exodus 23:1 (ESV) says, “You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with a
wicked man to be a malicious witness.” The intent of grapevine information may not be malicious, but
sometimes it will inevitably happen. The focus of the information being spread could be with kind spirits,
but may inadvertently be twisted and misconstrued. There are no supervisors or anyone with
authoritative positions listening to grapevine information so employees may be more willing to fabricate
information as well. Grapevine information spreads like wildfire and it may be hard to nip rumors as soon
as they happen. Rakess and Cox (1993) state, “Details frequently become omitted, declining sharply in
number at the beginning of the series a dropping at a slower rate afterwards. Messages are simplified or
shortened.” The most predominant issue is still how the intended information does not adequately reach
the anticipated receiver.
Additional issues with grapevine information is when an employee does not understand something.
They may have questions or require more information, but never receive it. Then if a leader does get
involved and tries to help the situation, other employees may feel like they are being micro managed.
This will cause friction between employees that are confident in their work and leaders that are trying to
ensure everyone understands the mission.
To counter grapevine information, as a leader I would be extremely transparent. I will filter the
information that I need to, while also providing necessary information to my employees. In theory, the
more information that I deliver to them, the less likely they will to spread grapevine information because
they already have the information that they are requesting. I would sit down and have syncs with them
with an open floor. Then, they would be able to bring up any rumors or misinformation so that I can
address it and set the record straight. I would explain why grapevine information could be detrimental to
an organization. I would also attempt to find out where the information is coming from. If I did find out
that employees were spreading false rumors, I would have a one on one conversation with them. Lyden
(1964) states, “Finally, the authors found that personality may be related to grapevine communications.”
During the hiring process, we must be aware of the types of people that we are considering for
employment. This will help us as leaders put the right people in the right positions. The boundaries of
spreading grapevine information would also be addressed so that I can explain why they can be
detrimental to the organization.
Reference:
Lyden, F. (1969). Communication by Grapevine. Public Administration Review, 29(3), 304-305.
doi:10.2307/973548
Rakes, T., & Cox, G. (1993). Using the "Grapevine" to Effect Change in Schools. The Clearing
House, 67(1), 17-20. Retrieved September 14, 2020, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/301887
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Week 5 Response
Student’s Name
Instructor’s Name
Institutional affiliation
Course
Date
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Week 5 Response
Response 1
I am glad that you elaborate on the meaning of grapevine communication. Informal
grapevine communication has an impact on the prevailing events on the environment. I agree
with you that rumors in any organization spread fast than real information (Prestia, 2020). If
employees in an organization focus on grapevine communication, then the organization is prone
to collapsing. Jian (2013) argues that it could be hard to control negative information that the
employees get about their job security or the institution's structure. I like your discussion in
general; however, you did not present the challenges associated with grapevine communication.
It would be best to mention the challenges that leaders face in establishing good communication
in the company. One problem is that the risk of messages being easily altered depends on the
individual giving the information. Distortion of the messages in the company leads to increased
disagreements. The workers, therefore, become confused concerning the distorted information.
When there is distorted information, no one wants an association with their involvement in the
message's communication. Managers should, therefore, ensure that there is a good flow of
information in the organization.
References
Iltis, M. E. (2017). Facing new challenges of digitalization in internal communications.
Jian, G. (2013). Informal communication and the grapevine
Prestia, A. S. (2020). Informal Communication: Coexisting with the Grapevine. Nurse Leader.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mnl.2020.04.004
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Response 2
I like the idea that you mention that informal grapevine communication can prevail in any
organization. People tend to focus more on gossips rather than seeking clarification where they
do not understand. Such indicates that each person gets their new type of information because of
continued alteration. Any company should ascertain that the workers receive the correct
information. I am glad that you mention that conversation in the organization bonds the workers,
and therefore through the continued communication they engage in, it might easy to distort
communication. Grapevine communication happens because employees want updates on the
happenings of the company. I want to add that the company should hold regular group meetings
to ensure that employees have the right information. Organizations should share information
quickly whenever there are ongoing rumors within the company (Tucker, 2019). The same case
in organizations can happen in society, whereby distortion of information could lead to adverse
effects. Leaders should, therefore, ensure that their followers are fed with the right information to
avoid conflict in society.
References
Carlson, T. N. (2019). Through the grapevine: Informational consequences of interpersonal,
political communication. American Political Science Review, 113(2), 325-339.
https://doi.org/10.1017/S000305541900008X
Tucker, B. P. (2019). Heard It through the Grapevine: Conceptualizing Informal Control through
the Lens of Social Network Theory. Journal of Management Accounting Research, 31(1),
219-245. https://doi.org/10.2308/jmar-52064
