Rumors, fortunately or unfortunately, affect us in more ways than we want to realize. Let’s take this juicy example for a moment: You’re working in a small facility in the middle of nowhere and everyone knows your name. With a married woman, not once but Two people see the two of you together and tell their friends that a relationship is developing. These friends tell others and so on. Two weeks later, this information reaches you again. You know that nothing has happened and that the lady is innocent. How can you counter this shame and this shame? According to the author of “Rumors and Rumor control: A Manager’s Guide to Understanding and Combating Rumors”, Kimmel (2004) writes that rumors often appear in situations of extreme stress, mistrust and confusion. Rumors cause a lot of anxiety, uncertainty and ambiguity.
On the other hand, rumors can promote positive information. Gossip is particularly useful in organizations. Some researchers credit the grapevine for conveying 75 to 90 percent of factual information.
Therefore, rumors can harm an individual or group, and rumors can promote an ideal that you want to expose to others in your organization.
In their landmark study, “Psychology of Rumors” (1947), Allport and Postman concluded that as rumors travel, they can become shorter and easier to understand. Seventy percent of the message details were lost during the repetitive transmission of the rumor.
Why do people bother with rumors? What are some of the intrinsic values of rumors? Kimmel (2004) evaluates that rumors present basic elements of how humans interact.
Benefit for organizations
Organizations can benefit from the spread of rumors and gossip in the workplace. In “News from behind my hand: Gossip in Organizations” (1993) Noon and Dell Bridge claim that rumors or gossip in organizations can sustain and perpetuate positive factors, and these positive factors perpetuate clarity and understanding of the structure. social within the organization. Second, they point to important ramifications for the relationship and formal structure within the workplace.
I heard it out there
Organizations can positively influence the flow of communication by controlling the information transmitted through the vine. The vine serves as an informal form of communication. According to Robbins (2004), the grapevine experience can be beneficial to managers by revealing morale within the organization. Second, the experience of the grapevine can help managers understand the uncertainties and stress among their employees. Third, managers can understand and evaluate how formal and informal communication is effectively assimilated within the organization.
Stop the rumors
Lastly, if you want to stop rumors or gossip, there are several methodologies, both credible and non-credible. It depends on your situation and how effectively you want the result to manifest. The best advice is to deal with rumors and gossip head-on.
Conclution
In short, rumors or gossip can be disturbing, they can convey both positive and negative messages in any organization, and rumors and / or gossip will always be present as long as people communicate.