1. Changes in the Workplace
Office Grapevine
Assimilation Process

2. Informal communication
• Informal communication consists of
information shared without any formally
imposed obligations or restrictions
• The grapevine refers to the pathways
along which unofficial information travels
• Rumors are messages that transmit
information that is almost totally without
any basis in fact and is unverifiable

3. Types of grapevine chain
• Single Strand Chain
– Flows like a chain
– A tells something to B who tells it to C and so
on
– The longer the strand the more distortion and
filtering effects
– Most inaccuracies occur in this chain

4. • Gossip chain
– One person tells to other people
– Generally considered to be slow in passing
the information
• Probability chain
– Information may more from anybody to
anybody
– This chain is found when the information is
somewhat interesting but not significant.
– Only some people in the organization will get
to know the information

5. • Cluster chain
– Individual communicates with only those
individual he/she trust
– Dominant grapevine pattern
– A tells something to a few selected individuals
and then some of these individuals inform a
few other selected individuals

6. Grapevine Characteristics
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Oral  mostly undocumented
Open to change
Fast (hours instead of days)
Crossing organizational boundaries
Inaccuracy:
– levelling
deletion of crucial details
– sharpening
exaggeration of the most dramatic details
while the grapevine generally carries the truth it seldom
carries the whole truth

7. Factors Influencing Grapevine
• Importance of the subject for both listener
and speaker
• Ambiguousness of the facts
• Employees rely on the grapevine when:
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They feel threatened,
Insecure,
Under stress
When there is pending change
When communication from management is
limited

8. Positive Aspects of the
Grapevine
• Social function
– 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.
• Vehicle for creating a common
organizational culture

9. • Reduction of anxiety
• Release mechanism for stress
– The grapevine serves as an emotional supportive
value.
• Identification of pending problems
– 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.
• Early warning system for organizational change

10. Negative Aspects of the Grapevine
• 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.
• The grapevine is not trustworthy always as it does not
follows official path of communication and is spread
more by gossips and unconfirmed report.
• The productivity of employees may be hampered as they
spend more time talking rather than working.
• The grapevine may hamper the goodwill of the
organization as it may carry false negative information
about the high level people of the organization.

11. Preventing grapevine
• 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

12. Organizational Assimilation Theory
• The Organizational Assimilation Theory attempts
to explain how individuals new to an
organization (newcomers) assimilate into the
organization by using communication. Jablin
describes three stages that occur as one enters
an organization as Anticipatory Socialization, the
Encounter Stage, and Metamorphosis. An
individual's socialization into an organization
determines his/her success within the
organization.

13. Organizational Assimilation
• The process by which an individual becomes
integrated into the culture of an organization
(Jablin, 2001)
• How well the new member adapts to norms of
behavior and adopts new attitudes valued by
the organization

14. Assimilation as a Dual
Process
• Socialization
– an individual learns about the requirements of
the job or decides certain things that will help
them fit in
• Individualization
– employees change some aspect of the
organization to better suit their needs

15. • Can also be viewed as having phases
–Anticipatory socialization
–Encounter phase
–Metamorphosis phase

16. Organizational Assimilation
• Anticipatory Socialization
– Newcomers form expectations regarding particular occupations and what it
would be like to be a member of a particular organization
– Two Forms
• Vocational Anticipatory Socialization - gathered during childhood & adolescence
• Organizational Anticipatory Socialization - gathered during interactions with
potential employing organizations (RJPs)
• Organizational Encounter (Entry Phase)
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Newcomer confronts the reality of his or her organizational role
Not yet an “insider” (uncertainty vs. information seeking)
Not socialized by the organization
Not individualized role requirements - affect organizational situation
• Metamorphosis
– When new employees begin to change some of his behaviors and
expectations in order to meet the standards of the new environment
– Create an individual identity
– A time of ethical dilemmas

17. • What must be learned to adapt
–Role-related information
–Information about organizational culture

18. Examples of Communication During
Assimilation
• The Employment Interview
• Newcomer Information Seeking
• Role Development Processes
18

19. • Employment interview
– Recruitment and screening
– Information-gathering

20. • Information-seeking tactics
–Employees active info seekers, not just
passive receivers

23. 
How people interact to define their role in
the organization

24. • Role-taking phase
• Role-making phase
• Role-routinization phase