Try as you might, you can\u2019t eliminate grapevine communication<\/strong>. It will continue to occur for as long as we have to collaborate and communicate with one another. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The solution, then, is to accept this inevitable phenomenon and learn how to manage it<\/strong>. This is exactly what this article will help with as we try to answer questions such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s dive in. <\/p>\n\n\n Grapevine communication is an informal type of social interaction in the workplace, during which formal information may be exchanged unintentionally<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This formal information is not necessarily something that should remain private. Rather, it may include details you may expect to hear from formal <\/strong>communication channels<\/strong><\/a> during the process of <\/strong>downward communication<\/strong><\/a> <\/strong>(i.e., an executive sharing a company-wide announcement). <\/p>\n\n\n\n In line with it being informal, grapevine communication doesn\u2019t follow a predetermined set of rules<\/strong> \u2014 it can happen during chit-chat, instant messaging, phone calls, and more. In short, all instances of organizational communication<\/a> that are informal fall under the grapevine umbrella.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But is the grapevine good or bad for the company?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, in theory, informal conversations aren\u2019t bad by default. It\u2019s just that they can have detrimental consequences when they emerge as a reaction to a lack of formal communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And, like most types of communication<\/a>, grapevine communication doesn\u2019t happen in a straight line, and we can categorize it into several distinct subtypes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udca1 PUMBLE PRO TIP<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Informal communication can take the form of the grapevine, which can lead to less than formal workplace conversations. To learn why formal communication matters and how it differs from informal communication, check out this blog post:<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the division by Prof. Keith Davis<\/a> \u2014 the most widely used categorization \u2014 grapevine communication comes in 4 flavors: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s more detail about each. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Imagine the following scenario: your cubicle neighbor is getting up to make coffee. You know that they need to walk by the finance department, so you tell them to pass a message along to the accountant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s how the single strand chain subtype of grapevine communication functions \u2014 instead of relying on emailor anything even remotely formal, you employ an informal courier to pass the message from one person to the next.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n As the example below shows, the same scenario can unfold in an instant messaging app<\/a>, too.<\/p>\n\n\n However, it\u2019s important to note that the information can pass through more than one pair of hands before reaching the intended recipient. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The more people you include in a single strand chain, the more it all begins to look like a game of Telephone. A secret message is whispered through a single strand chain, and hilarity ensues when the final recipient says aloud the contents of the message they received. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And just like in the game, the more players there are in your <\/strong>communication process<\/strong><\/a>, the higher the likelihood of the message getting warped before reaching the final recipient<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n Simplify your work with Pumble by CAKE.com \u2014 the all-in-one communication app.<\/p>\n\n Gossip chains are the easiest to imagine \u2014 we all know how gossip works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This subtype of grapevine communication is characterized by a single person who relays all the latest info to their coworkers.<\/p>\n\n\n It\u2019s important to mention that the information spread by gossip isn\u2019t always negative<\/strong>. Even though the word \u201cgossip\u201d doesn’t exactly carry positive connotations, gossip chains are only characterized by their epicentral nature whereby information spreads indiscriminately to everyone from a single direct source<\/strong> \u2014 it has nothing to do with the content of the information. <\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Kurland and Pelled, what separates positive gossip<\/a> from negative gossip is that it doesn\u2019t give the gossiper coercive power. In fact, as an integral part of interpersonal communication<\/a>, gossip can sometimes even spark creativity by bringing forward new ideas \u2014 as long as you don\u2019t get swept up in unnecessary rumors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udca1 PUMBLE PRO TIP<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n As we\u2019ve mentioned, gossip isn\u2019t necessarily a prime example of negative communication, but you should still stay vigilant. For a better understanding of how positive and negative communication can affect team dynamics, head to this blog post:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Probability chains are by far the most difficult to conceptualize because there\u2019s no method to their madness \u2014 they are governed by the laws of probability alone, making them completely random in nature<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, let\u2019s say you ask a coworker whether they\u2019ve done something interesting during the weekend, and they inform you that they \u2014 for whatever reason \u2014 watched this amazing documentary on beaver dams. This is the kind of irrelevant information that probability chains deal in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In any case, you receive this info and then you go on about your work, knowing that this documentary is out there. If the context in which you could share this information arises, you will share it, but there\u2019s no way to predict this. <\/strong>Likewise, the other people you inform about the documentary may then go on to spread the word further, again completely randomly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thus, probability chains are the rarest form of grapevine communication <\/strong>in the workplace, and the one least likely to concern the employer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Remember the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge? This phenomenon is a perfect example of a cluster chain<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It functioned like this: you film yourself pouring a bucket of ice-cold water on yourself to spread awareness for ALS (a nervous system disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord). You nominate (in most cases) 3 other people to do the same. The nominated people who rise to the challenge also nominate 3 people they know, and so on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Mathematically speaking, only 15 iterations of this challenge would be enough to include over 14 million people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, these numbers aren\u2019t something you have to worry about within your team, but the basic principle is the same. Perhaps the boss will share some information with team leaders and expect them to pass that info on to a select few employees<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This sometimes occurs with recruiting and hiring. If the company wants to hire a new employee for a certain position, HR might reach out to employees most likely to know the relevant people and ask them to spread the word.<\/p>\n\n\n We may also look at cluster chains as a different type of gossip, where we don\u2019t have a single person spreading the word to everyone. Instead, people spread the word only to a select few individuals, who then relay the information to their select few, and so on<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that we’ve covered several examples of grapevine communication, we come to two important questions: why does it happen in the first place and what are its consequences?<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n Strengthen your business communication and collaboration process with Pumble by CAKE.com.<\/p>\n\n Formal channels \u2014 like emails, meetings, conference calls, speeches, and handouts \u2014 all follow a fixed rule system. These predefined conventions set certain expectations in the workplace, and employees across all levels of the organization are expected to abide by them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, a consistent failure to meet these expectations (with insufficient transparency about new changes or silence regarding updated PTO policies, for example) can push the rumor mill at work into overdrive. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This information vacuum leads employees to fall back onto gossip in search of information<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Furthermore, the silence from leadership and management<\/a> can be interpreted in a negative light, sometimes even leading to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unfortunately, it seems that some companies have a lot of work to do to catch up with the grapevine. According to data from the AMA<\/a> (American Management Association), an estimated 70% of all workplace communication travels through the grapevine<\/strong>. Moreover, while nearly all lower-level managers are aware of the activity within the grapevine, it is lost on 30% of upper-level managers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because we\u2019re so inclined to communicate through the grapevine while leadership underestimates it, several events can make gossip and rumors more widespread, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Optimize communication with Pumble<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Clearly, managing grapevine communication and preventing rumors in the workplace is important. So, what are some tried-and-true practices you can start implementing today?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dealing with office gossip takes more work than simply eliminating bad communication habits<\/a>. Here\u2019s where to start. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The first step in preventing gossip and rumors is getting ahead of them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The easiest way to do so is through regular and timely communication<\/strong>. This doesn\u2019t mean you should overcommunicate and overwhelm employees with information<\/a> non-stop. Rather, it means you should:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Streamline communication in Pumble<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Establishing yourself as a reputable source of information<\/strong> means employees will be less likely to turn to the grapevine to fill in the gaps. Communicating with your team, even during challenging times, shows you value their skills and competence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This, in turn, assures team members that you have their performance in mind when handling tasks other than communication, such as project allocation and organizational restructuring. Not to mention, another welcome side effect of effective communication<\/a> is increased trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A lack of transparency<\/strong> is one of the main reasons many people turn to the grapevine. Employees want to be in the know about important decisions \u2014 be that layoffs, acquisitions, mergers, hirings, or something else. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Even if their position at the company renders them unable to influence these decisions, they still want to be informed. After all, their livelihoods are tied to the company, so they will have opinions either way. Why not make sure that they have a favorable view of leadership and management?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unless you want your team to think, \u201cWhy the silence? What are they hiding?\u201d<\/em>,<\/strong> transparency is the way to go. Filtered or hidden information sends the wrong message, and that message gets further twisted in the grapevine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead of letting employees come to the \u2014 often wrong \u2014 conclusion, be transparent about what\u2019s going on. If you have to break bad news, so be it. Your openness will be applauded, even in the face of crisis or change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A concise \u201cThis is what’s happening,\u201d \u201cHere\u2019s what we can expect,\u201d<\/em> or \u201cSo far, this is what we can share,\u201d<\/em> goes a long way in promoting open communication. Eventually, the trust you have built<\/a> will compel employees to also be open about their concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udca1 <\/strong>PUMBLE PRO TIP<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n To see what else you can do to make your team communication more transparent, check out these posts:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Simplify team communication and collaborate more effectively. Try Pumble.<\/p>\n\n The grapevine can also be an invaluable tool<\/strong> for helping you make the right decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s the beating pulse of the employees, so use it as a barometer to measure public opinion<\/strong> within your organization. If you\u2019re not sure how a proposed decision will register with employees, give it a test run by passing it through the grapevine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By the same token, you can use the grapevine as a feedback mechanism<\/strong><\/a> to determine employee sentiment about virtually anything \u2014 workflows, management, products, decisions, etc. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This is info you\u2019re not likely to get through formal means of communication. Listening to it and making adjustments where necessary can bring long-term benefits, like increased trust between leadership and employees, who will appreciate that their voices are being heard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Connect with teams via Pumble<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the problems with formal communication channels is that they are annoyingly slow. Take emails, for example. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Most people have cluttered inboxes, and spam filters are known to gobble up important emails at the worst times. Moreover, emails function as asynchronous communication tools<\/strong><\/a>, meaning that an immediate read-and-reply isn\u2019t always expected.<\/p>\n\n\n Replace email with Pumble<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Async communication isn’t necessarily a bad thing. After all, information vacuums are most often symptoms of a deeper underlying issue<\/strong>, such as miscommunication or no communication<\/a> whatsoever. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But, to create easy-to-use, accessible communication channels, you need a tool that gives you the option of responding immediately or<\/em> later, at your own convenience. Real-time business messaging apps<\/a>, like Pumble by <\/strong>CAKE.com<\/strong><\/a>, do exactly that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Furthermore, with your business communication centralized in one handy app, you can expect less grapevine communication to occur in other, unofficial channels.<\/p>\n\n\n Get started with Pumble<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n For instance, if managers, team leaders, and employers communicate primarily through email, that leaves employees with plenty of wiggle room to engage with the grapevine. In contrast, when you get all the info you need through Pumble, you\u2019re less likely to use the same workplace communication app<\/a> to engage with the grapevine regarding the same topic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udca1 PUMBLE PRO TIP<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n For even more tips on how you can use Pumble to streamline business communication, check out this detailed resource:<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can also use Pumble to create an organizational infrastructure to make your group communication<\/a> less reliant on the grapevine. Here\u2019s how. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead of letting employees figure everything out through a mix of emails and instant messaging apps<\/a>, what if you switched to a single place for sharing knowledge<\/strong>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s what channels<\/strong><\/a> are \u2014 spaces where teamwork and collaboration can move forward with purpose and clarity.<\/p>\n\n\n For example, when you post a major update in the #announcements<\/strong> channel, team members get firsthand news immediately \u2014 and you get ahead of the rumor mill and fill the information vacuum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Work in channels with no restrictions<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n You don\u2019t need to overexplain yourself the way you would in an email. To ensure your message contains the necessary context, you can simply attach a:<\/p>\n\n\n\n With all this transparency imbued in your messages, your team will immediately understand what\u2019s going on and why it matters. And, for any additional questions or comments, there are threads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can further organize channels<\/a> using threads<\/strong><\/a>. Not only do they group together all related messages, but they also allow you to easily add information you may have originally left out.<\/p>\n\n\n This openness and responsiveness<\/strong> helps build trust while giving you the opportunity to directly observe the grapevine. Instead of resorting to other means of communication, employees can now use threaded messages to express their:<\/p>\n\n\n\n That means you can follow the shift of employee sentiment without playing catch-up. Address points of employee interest as soon as you can, and keep forging a communication-first culture<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Organize conversations with threads<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ve already mentioned transparency as one of the foundational pillars of collaborative communication<\/a>. However, when transparency disintegrates, grapevine communication takes the spotlight. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n For this reason, it\u2019s essential to establish a single source of truth <\/strong>\u2014 a digital headquarters<\/a> that provides teams with information in real time, without forcing them to comb through multiple apps and folders.<\/p>\n\n\n Access unlimited message history<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s why working in Pumble by CAKE.com makes sense for remote and hybrid teams<\/a>. Each sent message and shared file instantly becomes part of your searchable database<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This means that whenever you need to retrieve information \u2014 regardless of when it was originally shared \u2014 a few keywords will guide you to it. This ease of use ensures that every employee has full access to \n
![\"Grapevine](\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Grapevine-Communication-cover.jpg\")
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What is grapevine communication?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The four types of grapevine communication<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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#1 Single strand chain<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/A-single-strand-chain-example-occurring-in-Pumble-a-business-communication-app0D0A0D0A.png\")
![\"Illustration\"](\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/cake-blog\/theme\/images\/banners\/features@2x.png)
\n <\/picture>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n\n\n\n#2 Gossip chain<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"An](\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/An-example-of-a-gossip-chain-occurring-due-to-a-lack-of-formal-announcements0D0A0D0A.png\")
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#3 Probability chain<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#4 Cluster chain<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/A-cluster-chain-example-occurring-in-Pumble-a-business-communication-app0D0A0D0A.png\")
![\"Illustration\"](\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/cake-blog\/theme\/images\/banners\/templates@2x.png)
\n <\/picture>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n\n\n\nWhy does grapevine communication occur at work?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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How to manage grapevine communication<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
#1 Be the first (and best) source of information <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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#2 Build trust through transparency <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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![\"Illustration\"](\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/cake-blog\/theme\/images\/banners\/landing-1@2x.png)
\n <\/picture>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n\n\n\n#3 Listen to the grapevine to understand concerns<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#4 Create clear, accessible formal channels<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Emails](\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Emails-deflate-productivity-internal-communication-apps-accelerate-it0D0A0D0A.png\")
![\"Pumble,](\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Pumble-a-business-communication-app0D0A0D0A.png\")
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The right infrastructure to make the grapevine irrelevant<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
#1 Use channels for speed & transparency<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Channels](\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Channels-in-Pumble-1.png\")
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#2 Use threads to build trust<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Threads](\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Threads-in-Pumble0D0A0D0A.png\")
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#3 Use unlimited message history to create a single source of truth<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Store](\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Store-and-find-information-in-Pumble0D0A0D0A.png\")