What Is Grapevine Communication?

(And
How To Handle It)
1. Career development
2. What Is Grapevine Communication? (And How To Handle It)

Grapevine communication is a type of informal social interaction in the workplace.

This type of communication focuses on how professionals share information. If you're
a manager or leader in your workplace, it's helpful to recognize the types of grapevine
communication occurring within the company. In this article, we define what
grapevine communication is, explain the different types and share tips to teach you
how to handle this type of communication.

What is grapevine communication in the workplace?

Grapevine communication is a type of communication that forms mostly from
unintentional social interactions. This means that the information being conveyed may
not necessarily be the primary intention of the initial conversation or message.
Grapevine communication is an informal method of communicating, so businesses
and management professionals often try to use formal communication channels for
important news instead. Because this type of communication originates from casual
social interaction, it's often inevitable for workplaces.

For example, if a professional is earning a promotion, it's often best to make a formal
announcement to inform others. With grapevine communication, the professional may
tell a colleague they share a close relationship with about the promotion, and, in turn,
this colleague may spread the news to others, creating grapevine communication.

Types of grapevine communication

Grapevine communication often varies because it relies on people, who also often
have differences from each other. There are four main types of grapevine
communication, which professionals differentiate by the pattern in which the
communication spreads. Here's an explanation of each type:

1. Single strand chain

A single strand chain of grapevine communication involves passing information from

professional to professional in the form of a singular column. This means that one
professional shares information with one colleague and that colleague does the same.
This pattern continues until each professional has the information.

If you recognize this type of communication within the company for which you work,
try to ensure that each professional passes along the same piece of information.
Sometimes, when professionals use this type of grapevine communication, the
information may alter as it passes from professional to professional, which causes the
original message to change.

2. Gossip chain

In gossip chain grapevine communication, one professional shares a piece of

information with multiple colleagues at one time. This professional also typically
seeks the information with the purpose of sharing it. If you notice this type of
information within the place you work, you might want to ensure that the professional
who starts the communication is well-informed. It's also helpful for this professional
to have access to their colleagues so everyone can have the same information.
Consider having the main point of the gossip chain share the information in a meeting
or other event where many professionals are present.

3. Probability chain

In this type of grapevine communication, the information originates from one source
by spreads randomly. This can mean that the main point of communication shares
information with one or more colleagues. Then, each individual may spread the
information to one or more professionals. For example, if a professional learns of a
new policy, they may share this information with their colleagues at lunch, who then
may tell professionals who work in offices near them.

Because probability chain communication is random, it's helpful to ensure that each
professional within the company is well-informed. you might do this by creating a
group messaging system or company newsletter.

4. Cluster chain

Cluster chain grapevine communication involves a primary professional sharing

information with a specific set of colleagues, who then each share this information
with another set of colleagues. This type of communication may include a head
manager telling team leaders information, which they then pass on to professionals
who work on the team they lead. When using cluster chain communication, it's
important to be intentional about how the information should spread. This ensures
each professional within the company eventually receives the news.
For example, if a head manager wants to share the news of a revised company policy,
they may specifically ask other managers to tell the professionals who work on the
team they lead. This ensures each team lead passes on the information to their team
members.

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How to handle grapevine communication at work

As a member of the management team of a company, you can handle grapevine
communication at work with these methods:

1. Communicate often

Communicate with your colleagues often to help ensure each professional is well-
informed. Keeping effective communication practices and updating professionals
often can also build trust between you and your colleagues, as they can recognize that
the communication practices you set in place are reliable. When trying to
communicate more often, be sure to share only the most relevant information. This
can include streamlining information and editing it so it includes the necessary details
without overloading professionals with information.

2. Ask for employee opinions

Providing time and space for employees to share their opinions helps reduce gossip
and shows that the company values its employees' feelings. Requesting feedback can
also help improve the workplace. Consider enabling employees to submit their
opinions anonymously and present options to share publicly. Enabling them to share
their ideas can make employees feel that they're contributing to company goals more
directly and making an important difference.

Finding a channel to share these opinions with everyone may contribute to workplace
transparency. For example, an employee newsletter would be a good source of
information where employees have a space to share thoughts and opinions on the
work environment and projects.

3. Recognize natural leaders

Analyze the workforce and identify natural leaders. These are employees who share
information, motivate others and serve as role models in the workplace. Determining
who employees go to for information may help better distribute the information when
there is news to share. Recognizing the natural leaders and influential employees can
also help identify how employees like to communicate. For example, if the leaders in
the workplace use email to communicate, it's likely many employees become
comfortable with this form of communication and follow the lead of this influencer.

To find a natural leader, observe how employees interact. If you use a social platform
in the workplace, you may be able to track interactions. You can also talk to
employees to discover who they feel is an influential presence in the workplace.

4. Ensure the communication medium is accessible

Ensuring that the communication medium you use in the workplace is easily
accessible to all employees is a key aspect of being able to handle grapevine
communication. If everyone has access to the same information, it's less likely that
there may be miscommunications or misunderstandings. It's a good idea to designate
one platform as a communication channel. By doing this, employees know where to
look for information and have a place to share it.

Consider social platforms or communication applications that employees can access

remotely and online. An accessible platform can encourage employees to engage more
often with managers and their coworkers.

5. Analyze workplace communication

It's important to analyze the communication of your workplace, as this can help
provide insight into which communication practices work well. Test how often
professionals interact with different types of communication mediums. For example,
you may find that professionals check their emails more often than their voicemails.
You can also run analytics on electronic communication, such as newsletters, by
finding out how many professionals click on the newsletter to read it.

Analyzing the different forms of communication that professionals use within the
company for which you work can help you build a strategy for more effective
communication and personalize it for the professionals within the organization.

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