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R
“ umour” according to the major psychological work on
the topic is “a specific (or topical) proposition for belief,
passed along from person to person, usually by word of
mouth without secure standards of
evidence being present” .
Rumour research, largely borne out of the need to manage a crisis – from the Second World War (its
beginnings) to work redundancies in a company. There seems to have been no clear indication as to
whether members of organisations might have defined rumours as ‘knowledge’ and if this was
especially so during times most associated with rumour activity. If so, – seeing the characteristic of
rumours (without formal endorsement from an organisation) as being a weakness. Informal social
networks which allow knowledge transfer are, in knowledge management terms, a valuable asset.The
knowledge they have transferred, like rumour, is not officially endorsed by an organisation. There is a
1 need to untangleNO:1
ASSIGNMENT rumour and knowledge (if indeed they can be). ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR
Types of rumour:
In an age where communicating with each other is easier than ever, there is potential for rumour and
gossip to spread electronically (Kimmel, 2004:196). This must be considered by today’s manager
wherever informal communications is considered. Kimmel (2004:17) talks of the ‘electronic water
cooler’ and Greenberg and Baron (2008:356) refer to ‘today’s high tech grapevine’ in that the internet,
the ultimate communication tool, magnifies the potential for the spreading of rumours at ‘lightning
speed’.
Michelson and Mouly (2002) suggest further research is required into technology’s impact on rumour
and gossip. They recognise many writers’ views that gossip occurs in face to face situations so that it
is undocumented, however there is little research to prove that technology does not play an active role
in the grapevine (despite the fact that it does not guarantee this non-accountability). This argument is
even more prominent today, six years later, with the rise of social networking which must therefore be
considered within study.
Research shows that grapevine information tends to be about 80% accurate. Since many
rumors start from someone's account of an actual event, there are strong elements of truth
in many rumors. However, grapevine information often contains big errors as people put
their own interpretation onto an event or information they have seen, and then pass it on in a
process of partial or selective recall.
Preventative measures should include keeping staff regularly, fully and honestly informed of
planned changes through a range of tailored formal and informal communication avenues
such as emails and face-to-face meetings at various levels. Sometimes external
stakeholders also need to receive timely messages to prevent a harmful rumor from
spreading outside the organization.
An early warning system is a good way to reduce harmful rumors that are already circulating:
staff in various locations can be informally appointed to monitor and report on early
indications of rumors. Depending on the nature of the rumors, similar distribution channels to
those in the previous paragraph could be established. In addition, a rumor ‘hotline’ – an
internal telephone service or email address – could be set up to receive questions from
employees about rumors in circulation.
The appropriate manager should confirm true rumors or true parts of rumors to staff as soon
as possible. Management should avoid playing word games with the truth or parts of the
truth in order to minimize bad news.
False rumors should be refuted by an authoritative source. For instance, the chief financial
officer should deal with a rumor about cash flow, and the human resources manager should
deal with a rumor about pay changes.
4 ASSIGNMENT NO:1 ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR