Grapevine (gossip)

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To hear something through the grapevine is to learn of something informally and unofficially by means of gossip and rumour.

The usual implication is that the information was passed person to person by word of mouth, perhaps in a confidential manner among friends or colleagues. It can also imply an overheard conversation or anonymous sources of information. For instance "I heard through the grapevine that Brad was getting fired."

A study quoted in Forbes magazine concludes that 75 percent of employees hear about matters first through rumors on the grapevine. Robbins states that rumors flourish in an organization because of three elements. They are a response to situations that are important to employees, where there is some ambiguity, and under conditions that arouse anxiety. From a management perspective, the grapevine acts as a filter and a feedback mechanism to identify issues that employess consider important and relevant.

According to Robbins, the grapevine in an organization has three significant characteristics.

1. It is not controlled by formal management.
2. Most employees perceive it to be more believable and reliable than formal communication issued by top management.
3. It is largely used for the self-interests of the people within the organization.

The term gained a boost in popularity through its use in the Motown song "I Heard It Through The Grapevine", a major hit single for both Marvin Gaye and Gladys Knight & the Pips in the late 1960s.

[edit] See also

• "Heard It Through the Grapevine". (February 10, 1997). Forbes, pp. 22
• Robbins, Stephen; Essentials of Organizational Behavior (8th ed.) New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall. ISBN 0-13-144571-5.