1. BY:
DR. RENU
JAIN

2.  Meaning
 Organizational grapevine
 Characteristics
 Definition
 Examples
 Types
 References
 Advantages
 Disadvantages
 Prevention
 Conclusion

3. 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.

4. Early research findings
 Transmits information rapidly in all
direction.
 More active in homogeneous groups.
 Transmits some degree of truth.

5. Oral -> mostly documented
Fast (hours instead of day)
Crossing organizational boundaries
inaccuracy:-deletion of crucial details
Not controlled by management

6.  Grapevine-> unstructured and informal network founded
on social relationship rather then organizational.
(By Nancy Borkowksi)
 An informal chat between people , seen as a network
through which the information is reliably spread.
(By Mc Shane)

7.  Suppose the profit amount of company
is known. Rumor is spread that this
profit is there on that basis bonus is
declared.
 CEO may be relation to the production
manager. They may have friendly
relations with each other

8. Single strand chain
Gossip chain
Probability chain
Cluster chain

9. It flows like a chain i.e. A tells to B , who tells it to C
and so on.
The larger the strand the more distortion & filtering
effects.
Most inaccuracies occur in the chain.

10. One person tells to other people.
This chain passes a message regarding a `not-on-job’
nature.
Generally consider to be slowly passing the information.

11.  Information may move from anybody to anybody.
 This chain is found the information is somewhat interesting but
not really significant.
 Only some people in the organization will get to know the
information.

12.  Individual communicates with only those individual 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
the individuals inform a few other selected individuals.

13. Spreads rapidly
Feedback is quick
Group cohesiveness
Good news that exist
Substitute for formal channel of communication

14. 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.

15.  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.

16. “The grapevine cannot be abolished,
rubbed out, hidden under a basket, chopped
down, tied up, or stopped”

17. THANK YOU