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Grapevine Communication: Pros and Cons

Grapevine communication is an informal channel that spreads throughout an organization regardless of authority levels. It develops when employees interact and sense uncertainty or lack of confidence. Rumors spread through casual conversations in places like cafeterias about topics like promotions, transfers, or executive behavior. While grapevine can spread information quickly and provide feedback, it risks spreading partial or false information that undermines productivity and trust in management. Effective managers acknowledge both advantages and disadvantages of the grapevine.

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Pavan Koundinya
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264 views1 page

Grapevine Communication: Pros and Cons

Grapevine communication is an informal channel that spreads throughout an organization regardless of authority levels. It develops when employees interact and sense uncertainty or lack of confidence. Rumors spread through casual conversations in places like cafeterias about topics like promotions, transfers, or executive behavior. While grapevine can spread information quickly and provide feedback, it risks spreading partial or false information that undermines productivity and trust in management. Effective managers acknowledge both advantages and disadvantages of the grapevine.

Uploaded by

Pavan Koundinya
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Grapevine Communication (Informal Business

Communication)
Grapevine is an informal channel of business communication. It is called so because it stretches throughout the
organization in all directions irrespective of the authority levels. Man as we know is a social animal. Despite existence
of formal channels in an organization, the informal channels tend to develop when he interacts with other people in
organization. It exists more at lower levels of organization.
Grapevine generally develops due to various reasons. One of them is that when an organization is facing recession, the
employees sense uncertainty. Also, at times employees do not have self-confidence due to which they form unions.
Sometimes the managers show preferential treatment and favour some employees giving a segregated feeling to other
employees. Thus, when employees sense a need to exchange their views ,they go for grapevine network as they cannot
use the formal channel of communication in that case. Generally during breaks in cafeteria,the subordinates talk about
their superior’s attitude and behaviour and exchange views with their peers. They discuss rumours about promotion and
transfer of other employees. Thus, grapevine spreads like fire and it is not easy to trace the cause of such communication
at times.

Examples of Grapevine Network of Communication


1. Suppose the profit amount of a company is known. Rumour is spread that this much profit is there and on that
basis bonus is declared.
2. CEO may be in relation to the Production Manager. They may have friendly relations with each other.
Pros and Cons of Grapevine Communication
Advantages of Grapevine Communication
1. Grapevine channels carry information rapidly. As soon as an employee gets to know some confidential
information, he becomes inquisitive and passes the details then to his closest friend who in turn passes it to other.
Thus, it spreads hastily.
2. The managers get to know the reactions of their subordinates on their policies. Thus, the feedback obtained is
quick compared to formal channel of communication.
3. The grapevine creates a sense of unity among the employees who share and discuss their views with each other.
Thus, grapevine helps in developing group cohesiveness.
4. The grapevine serves as an emotional supportive value.
5. The grapevine is a supplement in those cases where formal communication does not work.
Disadvantages of Grapevine Communication
1. The grapevine carries partial information at times as it is more based on rumours. Thus, it does not clearly depicts
the complete state of affairs.
2. The grapevine is not trustworthy always as it does not follows official path of communication and is spread more
by gossips and unconfirmed report.
3. The productivity of employees may be hampered as they spend more time talking rather than working.
4. The grapevine leads to making hostility against the executives.
5. The grapevine may hamper the goodwill of the organization as it may carry false negative information about the
high level people of the organization.
A smart manager should take care of all the disadvantages of the grapevine and try to minimize them. At the same time,
he should make best possible use of advantages of grapevine.

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