Words of Caution About the E-Grapevine and “Blogs”

Web logs (“blogs,” or online diaries) vastly and instantly extend the reach of the grapevine. Writers of blogs and senders of e-gossip leave electronic trails that may prove embarrassing or worse at a later date. Lawmakers, ethics specialists, and company policy makers are racing to catch up with new technology.

The Grapevine has a Positive Side Despite It’s Bad Reputation

Managers have predominately negative feelings about the grapevine. The grapevine is more prevalent at lower levels of the managerial hierarchy. The grapevine is likely to be more influential in larger organizations. Grapevine communication is usually accurate and can help managers learn how employees truly feel about policies and programs.

Coping with the Grapevine

The grapevine cannot be extinguished. Attempts to stifle the grapevine are likely to stimulate it instead. Monitoring and officially correcting grapevine information is perhaps the best strategy for coping with the grapevine. “Management by walking around” is an excellent way to monitor the grapevine in a nonthreatening manner.