Organizational Dynamics (2012) 41, 52—61

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Hearing it through the grapevine:

Positive and negative workplace gossip
Travis J. Grosser, Virginie Lopez-Kidwell, Giuseppe (Joe) Labianca,
Lea Ellwardt

David Jodoin, the town administrator for the small New Hamp- of the gossip was similar, the outcomes associated with the
shire town of Hooksett, was upset. It had come to his attention gossip were very different. Gossip can be a tricky organiza-
that he and a fellow city employee were the targets of work- tional phenomenon in that it can be both positive and
place gossip. The gossip revolved around the type of relation- negative at the same time; this often depends on whether
ship David had with the employee, who happened to be of the one is viewing the gossip from the employee’s perspective or
opposite sex. David believed that the clear implication of this the organization’s perspective. Consider the following exam-
gossip was that he and the employee were having an affair. A ple. Amanda is a project manager charged with assembling a
married father of two children, David found this gossip to be cross-functional team to spearhead the development of a
personally and professionally damaging, so he informed the new product. Recruiting talented engineers within the orga-
Town Council, which promptly ordered an investigation into nization will be critical to the success of this new venture.
the matter. The investigator concluded that the actions of four Amanda is considering approaching Louis, an engineer who
individuals, the ‘‘Hooksett Four,’’ warranted disciplinary has enjoyed some success on previous cross-functional
action, resulting in the firing of these four city employees. teams, to be a part of the group. Before discussing the matter
The Town Council issued a statement indicating that the gossip with Louis, however, Amanda raises the issue with a trusted
of the four terminated employees had been spread as part of a co-worker, Ron. Ron knows Louis better than Amanda, and he
‘‘conscious and concerted effort to damage reputations, to tells her that he believes Louis is going through some diffi-
spread untrue stories with the knowledge that they were not culties in his personal life and may not be able to concentrate
true and evidently to retaliate for some perceived preferential on his work for some time into the future. After hearing this
treatment.’’ The incident caused difficulty for David both in his from Ron, Amanda attempts to recruit Louis, but isn’t sur-
career and in his family life. prised to hear that Louis turns down the assignment. From
Contrast that story with the following story that was Louis’s perspective it would appear that Ron was negatively
reported by the Montreal Gazette. Joy, an office assistant gossiping about him. Indeed, it might be upsetting to Louis if
interviewed by the Gazette, explains that although gossip he were to learn about the exchange. This type of gossip
can be dangerous, it can also be helpful. ‘‘It’s hard,’’ says Joy between Amanda and Ron could potentially lead to inter-
‘‘to do your job if you aren’t hip to what’s really going on.’’ personal conflict and hostile relations within the organiza-
Not long ago a co-worker informed Joy that her boss is having tion. If we look at it from another perspective though, this
an affair. Joy is glad to have received this particular piece of exchange may have been very helpful to the organization as a
gossip. She feels that the knowledge about her boss helps her whole. Assuming that Ron’s assessment of Louis is accurate,
to manage her job more effectively. Joy explains, ‘‘By know- the gossip exchange that occurred in this example saved
ing the true picture, I can figure things out when my boss Amanda from perhaps making an incorrect attribution about
doesn’t return my calls or he disappears for three hours.’’ why Louis was turning down her offer. Rather than perhaps
assuming that Louis might not support her or her project,
THE NATURE OF GOSSIP Amanda recognized that there might be external issues at
play that Louis might not feel comfortable discussing with her
The two stories above illustrate how complex the issue of directly. Thus, workplace gossip can have both positive and
workplace gossip can be. Although in both cases the content negative ramifications for organizations. Whether gossip

0090-2616/$ — see front matter # 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/[Link].2011.12.007

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Positive and negative workplace gossips 53

results in enhanced organizational performance or in conflict in gossip with just as many people as women do. Although the
and damaged relationships depends not only on the perspec- content of gossip among men and women differs, the fre-
tive from which one is viewing the situation, but also on the quency appears to be similar. Men may label their gossip
intentions behind the gossip. This article is intended to exchanges with such colloquialisms as ‘‘shooting the breeze,’’
provide managers with a deeper understanding of the various ‘‘chewing the fat,’’ or ‘‘bullshitting,’’ but this only amounts to
functions gossip serves within organizations. We argue that a semantic tactic that makes their communication appear
gossip is a fundamental human activity that will never be more socially acceptable. Anthropological studies have
completely eliminated from the workplace. It can, however, demonstrated that gossip is prevalent in cultures around the
be managed to some extent. We therefore conclude with a world. It is not a practice that is specific to any one group or
discussion of practical actions managers can take to encou- region. Researchers who take an evolutionary perspective
rage an optimal gossip environment. Before we proceed, argue that gossip became pervasive among early humans
however, we will provide a definition of, and some general because it played a crucial role in maintaining social groups
background on, gossip. by fostering cohesion and helping to police deviant behavior.
We can surmise that gossip has been with us for a long time and
What is Gossip? is sure to be a part of life well into the future, both inside and
outside of organizations. It is thus necessary for managers to
understand this most human of activities. Because it is essen-
Although there isn’t complete agreement on a definition,
tially impossible to eliminate gossip by imposing a simple edict
there is enough consensus to settle upon a set of minimum
or anti-gossip policy, managers need to understand gossip at a
criteria for what constitutes gossip. For a social exchange to
deep level if they hope to manage it in the workplace. Given
be considered gossip we argue that it must be evaluative talk
that sharing gossip can come at a social cost, its pervasiveness
(i.e., concerned with making judgments) between two or
in organizations means that it must be providing some value to
more persons about a third party that is absent from the
compensate for the risk. Indeed, individuals take the social risk
conversation. Beyond that definition we can also distinguish
of sharing gossip because it can serve certain beneficial func-
between different types of gossip. A common distinction that
tions. Toward this end, we now turn our attention to describing
is often found in the study of gossip has to do with the nature
the primary functions served by gossip.
of its content. Is the information being exchanged about the
absent party generally constructive or destructive? Are the
gossips praising or blaming the target of their communica- THE FUNCTIONS OF GOSSIP
tion? We can therefore specify the content of the gossip as
being positive, negative, or neutral. As we explain, the In the following section we discuss the six primary functions
credibility of the gossip being communicated, as well as that gossip serves in organizational contexts. The six func-
how work-related the gossip is, also both have important tions include: getting information, gaining influence, releas-
ramifications. Our definition distinguishes gossip from rumor, ing pent-up emotions, providing intellectual stimulation,
a concept that is often thought to be synonymous with gossip. fostering interpersonal intimacy, and maintaining and enfor-
Whereas rumors can be about persons or events, gossip is cing group values and norms. It is important to note that any
strictly about other individuals that are typically personally one gossip exchange can serve more than one function
known by both the gossiper and the gossip recipient. Spec- simultaneously.
ulation about a potential organizational merger (an event) or
the latest news about the exploits of a celebrity (a third party Getting Information
this is not personally known) would be categorized as rumor.
In addition, whereas gossip may or may not be based on a Provided that the gossip one receives is verifiable or is, at a
known fact, rumor is always unsubstantiated, making its minimum, coming from a trusted source, it can provide indi-
validity less certain. Despite these subtle differences, there viduals in organizations with useful information. There are
exists considerable overlap between the two concepts, and several reasons why gossip provides value above and beyond
there are many instances where a social exchange can be the more legitimate channels of formal communication that
considered to be both an example of gossip and rumor. Many exist in the workplace. First, gossip can be timely. Information
scholars have noted that gossip and rumor are mutually tends to move through informal communication networks with
generative of one another. Moreover, the relational ties greater speed than when it travels through formal channels.
through which gossip is disseminated are often the same ties The timeliness with which individuals receive information can
that convey rumor. While the focus of this article is primarily often make the difference as to whether or not a manager can
on gossip, our discussion will at times also extend to include act on it. It doesn’t matter how reliable the information is if a
rumor due to the interrelation between the two concepts. manager is getting it too late to respond effectively to it.
Managers are often willing to sacrifice assurances of reliability
in order to get timely information, and gossip is a primary
Who Gossips?
vehicle by which this information travels. Consider the follow-
ing words from Henry Mintzberg:
The ubiquity of gossip in organizations makes it an activity that
every manager will have to contend with throughout his or her Managers seem to cherish ‘‘soft’’ information, especially
career. Our research on organizations in both the United States gossip, hearsay, and speculation. Why? The reason is time-
and Western Europe suggests that over 90% of the workforce liness; today’s gossip may be tomorrow’s fact. The manager
engages in at least some gossip activity on the job. Further- who is not accessible for the telephone call informing him
more, in contrast to popular gender stereotypes, men engage that his biggest customer was seen golfing with his main

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54 T.J. Grosser et al.

competitor may read about a dramatic drop in sales in the the firm’s employees believed these official channels of com-
next quarterly report. But then it’s too late. (p. 13) munication to be unfairly manipulated by senior management.
She explains that the senior management had previously been
Gossip can be such an important source of up-to-the-minute
guilty of withholding information regarding an imminent
information that managers sometimes cultivate elaborate
downsizing and lying to employees about it when questioned
networks of strategic ‘‘intelligence gatherers.’’ These indivi-
by them. The trust employees had in information provided by
duals act as a manager’s eyes and ears in the field and
senior management was destroyed when the employees even-
immediately report back any gossip that might be of use to
tually learned the truth regarding the downsizing. With all
the organization and/or the manager. Indeed, we have found it
formal sources of information in the firm suspect, gossip and
to be the case that managers maintain larger gossip networks
rumor was seen by employees as one of the most effective
than lower level employees. Executive chef-turned-author
forms of communication available. This is the kind of situation
and television personality Anthony Bourdain speaks of culti-
that breeds excessive amounts of gossip and rumor within an
vating just such an intelligence network when working as a
organization. Indeed, we have seen in our own research a
head chef. In Kitchen Confidential, Bourdain’s memoir of his
similar case where organizational change led to a breach of
time working in kitchens throughout New York City, he says:
trust in management, which led to an increase in negative
[Bourdain’s mentor, Bigfoot] taught me the value of a gossip about managers of the firm. It is also important to note
good, solid and independently reporting intelligence net- that gossip can provide employees with information about the
work, providing regular and confirmable reports that can culture, norms, and expectations that are unique to each
be verified and cross-checked with other sources. I need to organization. This is an issue we will treat in greater detail.
know, you see. Not just what’s happening in my kitchen,
but across the street as well. Is my saucier unhappy? Is the
Gaining Influence
chef across the street ready to make a pass, maybe take
him away from me at an inopportune moment? I need to
Gossip can affect the amount of informal power one has
know! Is the saucier across the street unhappy? Maybe he’s
within an organization. Power in this context can be thought
available. I need to know that, too. Is the cute waitress
of as an individual’s ability to influence others to do things
who works Saturday nights [having an affair with] my
that they would not otherwise do. The individual who always
broiler man? Maybe they’ve got a scam running: food
knows the latest juicy piece of gossip is seen by his or her
going out without [properly accounting for it]! I have to
peers as being well-connected in the workplace social net-
know everything, you see. What might happen, what could
work and therefore influential. Our own empirical research
happen, what will happen. And I have to be prepared for
supports the idea that individuals who gossip the most in
it, whatever it is. (p. 101, original emphasis)
organizations are seen by their peers as being highly influ-
Second, gossip is a relatively inexpensive way to gather ential. Individuals can use gossip to change or affect attitudes
information. Gossip can be an efficient means by which to get and opinions about others. This makes the process of gossip a
updates about those in one’s social network. For example, process of social influence. For example, Amanda critiquing
Ron tells Louis about the latest ‘‘news’’ regarding Amanda, the abilities of Ron in front of Nagesh, Anna, and Justin could
whom Louis rarely speaks directly with. Because Louis rarely have an important influence on the perceptions that these
speaks with Amanda, the gossip related to him by Ron is likely three individuals have of Ron. Gossip can greatly affect the
to be the only way he would have received that information. reputations of individuals in organizations, for better or for
In some cases the information will be trivial. In other worse, and that is powerful. Indeed, there are a number of
instances, however, it may end up being very useful. Psy- anecdotes from the organizational culture literature that
chologists have made the important point that gossip enables highlight how gossip can circulate throughout an organization
easy social comparisons because it provides an individual and turn into a lasting legend that has significant effects upon
with information about third parties that would have been the reputations of the individuals involved.
quite costly to gather directly. For example, it would be Gossip can be used by individuals and groups that occupy
awkward for Jim to ask Aaron directly about his compensa- positions of low status to exert informal power. It can be an
tion, but it is conceivably less awkward for him to ask his effective tool to manipulate the actions of those in positions of
close friend David (who happens to have this information) authority. In her ethnographic observations of Japanese orga-
about Aaron’s pay. With this information in hand, Jim can nizational life, the author noted that female ‘‘office ladies’’
begin to think about how equitably he is being paid. used gossip in this way. Gender inequality was still very much
Third, gossip provides employees with information that is evident in Japanese organizations at the turn of the 21st
not available through formal channels. Gossip, rumor, and century. Females were typically employed as office ladies
other forms of informal social exchange among employees (OLs), which is a low status administrative position in Japanese
often fill in the gaps when information from management is companies. Indeed, OLs are still employed at many Japanese
either disingenuous or is wholly lacking. Gossip and rumor are firms such as Komatsu Limited, Mitsubishi Motors, and Pana-
sometimes the only means by which employees can obtain sonic Corporation. The author found that the limited scope of
information about the happenings in an organization. In her responsibility and meager compensation given to OLs stood in
analysis of gossip and rumor at a Korean-owned manufacturing contrast to males, who were the only ones to occupy positions
firm in the United Kingdom, the author found exactly this of power and prestige. Most of the OL gossip was targeted at
phenomenon to be occurring. Although the firm had a number the males in the company. The gossip ranged from comments
of communication-related human resources management about the appearance of the men to how well each man
(HRM) practices in place to keep the workforce informed, treated the OLs when requesting administrative support.

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Positive and negative workplace gossips 55

In her observations, the author found that gossip among the emotional displays, such as in the retail and service sectors,
OLs circulated quickly and widely. Moreover, whenever an OL where face-to-face contact with the general public is com-
heard negative gossip about a man, she began to take a dim mon. It is therefore not unusual to see gossip serving this
view of him. Most managers in the firm agreed that being purpose across a wide range of industries.
disliked by one OL was tantamount to being disliked by them
all. As one manager remarked, ‘‘If one girl decides that this Providing Intellectual Stimulation
man is no good, then all the girls start thinking in the same
way.’’ Being disliked by the OLs made it extremely difficult for Gossip is an activity that can intellectually stimulate employ-
a man to get quality administrative support, not to mention the ees. This is an especially important function for individuals
damage it did to his reputation among his male co-workers. As who work in monotonous jobs that require little variety or
one would imagine, the males in this firm feared the gossip cognitive challenge. A number of studies have shown that
among OLs and therefore made attempts to stay on their good factory workers rely upon gossip and banter to ‘‘keep from
side by doing things like frequently taking them to lunch and going nuts.’’ Sociologist Donald F. Roy wrote specifically
even bringing them expensive gifts from their business trips about this in a classic article about a small group of machine
abroad. This case provides a good example of how one rela- operators in a Chicago factory. Roy himself spent two months
tively low status group can use gossip to counterbalance formal doing the factory work, which consisted of ‘‘standing all day
power differentials. in one spot beside three old codgers in a dingy room looking
Gossip can also be used as a strategic means by which to out through barred windows at the bare walls of a brick
enhance one’s own status. Individuals tend to spread posi- warehouse’’ with ‘‘intellectual activity reduced to comput-
tive information about friends and relatives and negative ing the hours until quitting time.’’ Roy found, however, that
information about enemies and rivals. It is easy to see how the workers in this factory kept their minds active with an
one’s status might be elevated as one basks in the reflected array of informal communications, including gossip. Roy soon
glory of a close friend, or as one makes light of the flaws of a came to realize that these informal communications made it
rival. In summary, gossip leads to influence because it can easy for him to endure 12-hour shifts of exceedingly boring
alter reputations, cause recipients to view gossipers as work. It is of particular relevance here to note that one of the
more powerful, and elevate the relative status of strategic highlights of the workers’ day was when the ‘‘pickup man’’
gossipers. would make his daily call to pick up completed materials for
further processing in another part of the factory. The pickup
Releasing Pent-up Emotions man was important because he brought with him news and
gossip about all the other workers throughout the factory.
Gossiping with another about an especially tense relationship Roy concludes his study by observing the important function
or about an especially difficult person can serve as an emo- played by communication forms like gossip: ‘‘The enjoyment
tional outlet for the gossiper. Gossip can thus serve as a kind of communication for ‘its own sake’ . . . brings job satisfac-
of safety valve whereby an individual can ‘‘vent’’ to another tion, at least job endurance, to work situations largely bereft
person. This venting can help to reduce stress and feelings of of creative experience.’’ Thus, gossip can play an important
anxiety. Two co-workers who commiserate with one another role in preventing boredom, perhaps even misery, for workers
about how unfair their boss is find it a little easier to deal with in certain occupations.
the situation after talking to one another. This is especially so
when the gossiper cannot directly address the third party Fostering Interpersonal Intimacy
that is the target of the gossip. For example, Walt Disney Co.,
IBM, J.C. Penney and other organizations have cultures that The exchange of gossip between two employees is a way to
prevent employees from being confrontational with custo- form and maintain relationships within an organization.
mers and other external (as well as internal) stakeholders. Moreover, certain forms of gossip can bring individuals closer
Gossip ‘‘behind closed doors’’ with a trusted other is often a together. Research shows that individuals who share their
means by which employees deal with the stress and frustra- negative attitudes about third parties feel closer to one
tion caused by such professional norms. In their work on another as a result. The transmission of negative gossip
gossip in the nursing profession, the authors address the requires a trusting relationship. We find that negative gossip
relationship between gossip and emotion. These researchers tends to only be shared among friends and not among casual
describe the pressure that nurses are under to ensure that co-workers or acquaintances. A gossiper must feel assured
their outward expressions of emotion remain in accordance that a potential gossip recipient will not misuse the sensitive
with professional and organizational norms. For example, information inherent to negative gossip, as such misuse could
nurses are expected to remain courteous toward a patient no have negative consequences for the originator of the gossip.
matter how demanding or difficult the patient is. This emo- For example, Ron’s relationships and general reputation
tional regulation is typically referred to as emotional labor. could suffer if he decides to trust Amanda with negative
High levels of emotional labor indicate that there is a dis- gossip regarding the personal life of Louis — but Amanda then
crepancy between what an individual is feeling internally and betrays that trust by disseminating the gossip to many others
the emotion that he or she must display. Nurses used gossip as throughout the organization. When an individual divulges
a way to cope with the stress caused by emotional labor. negative gossip, a message is implicitly sent to the recipient
Emotional labor, however, is not unique to the nursing field. It that the gossiper trusts him or her, and this is an effective way
exists in many professions where employees are expected to to strengthen a bond between two people. Trust and intimacy
conform to certain behavioral scripts and to maintain certain is therefore both a cause and a consequence of certain forms

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56 T.J. Grosser et al.

of gossip. Although the content of the gossip may not be MANAGING ORGANIZATIONAL GOSSIP
beneficial to the greater organization — in fact it may be
quite harmful — it is likely serving an intimacy function for Although gossip can serve many functions within an organiza-
the individuals exchanging it. tion, it is not always the preferable means to achieve an end.
For example, gossip has been shown to help relieve the
Maintaining and Enforcing Group Values and stresses that occur as a result of emotional labor, but there
Norms likely exists a healthier mechanism by which employees can
relieve this stress. Gossip is often used in organizations to
The gossip that gets circulated within work teams, divisions, serve a certain function because there is no better, more
and organizations says a lot about the culture of those groups. legitimate way to do so. There can be many negative side
For example, the gossip in companies with highly competitive effects associated with gossip. For every dyad that grows
cultures, such as E-Trade, Goldman-Sachs, and PepsiCo, is closer by sharing negative gossip about somebody, there is
likely to be highly work-related and extremely critical. In the gossip target who could potentially suffer by learning
contrast, the gossip in companies with more collegial cultures, about the exchange. For every individual who gains influence
such as Mary Kay, Southwest Airlines, and Zappos, is likely to be by maliciously making light of the mistake made by a co-
less critical and to include substantial amounts of personal worker, there is a person who must contend with a damaged
gossip. Organizational gossip can also be indicative of what is reputation. When taken to an extreme, negative gossip can
acceptable within an organization and what isn’t. If there is create a hostile work environment for both the targets of
disapproving gossip circulating in the office that John went gossip and those who must listen to the gossip. We have seen
home yesterday before 7:00 pm without a valid reason, then negative gossip exacerbate negative relationships between
one can infer that working long hours is the norm. Gossip can two individuals. It also perpetuates the social exclusion of
maintain a group’s norms and values by circulating judgmental low-status organizational ‘‘outcasts,’’ who are often the
information about deviant group members; the threat of targets of negative gossip. Even trivial, ‘‘idle’’ gossip that
becoming the target of disapproving gossip is often enough is not meant to be negative or destructive can be a waste of
to prevent an individual from violating group norms. At the company resources and a major distraction if it is taken to an
group level, gossip can therefore be an effective means by extreme. It is not likely, however, that we will ever get rid of
which to maintain conformity and control over individuals. gossip in organizations, nor is that desirable. There are some
Let’s examine how gossip serves to enforce norms within forms of gossip that can be quite valuable, as seen in exam-
the context of a college rowing team. Rowing teams are ples above. What a manager would ideally be able to do is to
inherently interdependent, which makes them particularly reduce all of the destructive and unnecessary forms of gossip
relevant to the study of gossip. Interdependency increases while allowing the positive and functional forms of gossip to
interest in gossip. We have found that there tends to be more remain. In the section that follows, we will discuss some
gossip within teams where individuals must depend upon one practices and some actions that managers can take that may
another to accomplish goals. Rowing is very much a team- help them accomplish that task.
based sport, where each team member’s cooperation and
effort is necessary for success. If one member doesn’t show
up to a meeting, then the entire team is unable to practice that Formally Communicate Information
day. There are therefore strict norms within rowing teams that
are aimed at promoting cooperation and commitment. The information void that results from a breakdown in formal
Researchers studied one such rowing team for a total of three communication is often filled by gossip and rumor. An uncer-
semesters. They observed and recorded all of the gossip tain marketplace and pending organizational change often
interactions that transpired among this group of athletes. create anxiety among employees, which makes effective
They explain in their case study that, during one of the managerial communication even more important in these
semesters, there was one member of the team who refused circumstances. A number of studies have shown that both
to ‘‘pull his weight.’’ This member, dubbed ‘‘the slacker,’’ gossip and rumor substantially increase during times of orga-
regularly skipped team practices and was generally perceived nizational change, especially when organizational commu-
to not work as hard as every other member of the team. The nication doesn’t address the concerns and uncertainties of
negative gossip that was exchanged during the one semester the workforce. Clear, frequent, and — most importantly —
that the slacker was on the team was drastically higher than sincere communication from management is an important
the amount exchanged in the other two semesters of their antidote to excessive levels of negative gossip and rumor. The
study, when the slacker was absent. The target of much of the importance of effective communication strategies is illu-
negative gossip that semester was the slacker. In cases like strated in a case study of an organization undergoing change.
this, the negative gossip is serving two functions. First, it acts In one of his first company addresses, a newly hired chief
as a means to control deviant behavior. There were two things executive officer (CEO) of the organization (‘‘CorpB’’)
the slacker could do to end the negative gossip against him: (1) announced that his top management team would be examin-
he could alter his behavior so as to conform to team norms, or ing ways to cut costs in several of CorpB’s business units.
(2) he could leave the team. In this case the deviant chose the Naturally, this announcement was a cause for concern among
latter course of action. Second, the gossip acted as a message employees of CorpB. As a result, CorpB headquarters experi-
to all other members of the team that such deviant behavior enced a flurry of calls from employees requesting further
would not be tolerated. Any team member in this situation information. In response to this call for information, CorpB
would surely think twice about skipping a practice session after did several things. First, management informed employees of
witnessing the fate of the slacker. the extent of the layoffs to come. Second, management

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Positive and negative workplace gossips 57

provided employees with a timeline for when layoff No type of gossip seems to travel as far or be discussed so much
announcements would be made, and they stuck to it. Third, as when it concerns incivility. A culture of incivility can quickly
management was very clear and honest with employees spread within an organization, especially when senior man-
regarding the extent to which they could or could not reveal agers are exemplars of this kind of behavior. Incivility has a
detailed information. Employees were always given an expla- contagion-like effect that leaves negative emotion in its wake.
nation as to why further information was not available; this Being the victim of incivility generates negative affect within a
was usually because either (1) management themselves person and makes it more likely that he or she will, in turn, be
didn’t know the answer, or (2) because divulging the infor- uncivil to somebody, thereby perpetuating the chain of inci-
mation would adversely affect the company’s customer base. vility. Research has found a number of negative outcomes
This proactive and honest communication strategy caused associated with workplace incivility, and we argue that nega-
the requests for communication to quickly subside, and it tive gossip is one of them. Thus, a significant amount of
also led to a substantial reduction in rumor and gossip negative gossip can be eliminated by fostering a climate of
circulating throughout the company. civility.
In this case, CorpB did a number of things right. First, the How does one promote such a climate? There are a number
CEO made the announcement to employees early, thereby of actionable suggestions to managers. First, training pro-
giving them time to adequately prepare for the pending grams on interpersonal skills can be an effective means to
change. Second, management established a clear timeline reducing incivility. Courses about dealing with difficult peo-
for when to expect information and stuck to it. Third, the top ple, conflict resolution, negotiation, and classes on effective
management team honestly explained their inability to pro- communication skills would all be helpful in promoting more
vide further information. Fourth, managers attempted to civility. Training on these topics would provide employees
learn about the concerns of employees by tapping into with the skills required to diplomatically deal with stressful
informal communication networks to find out what was being interpersonal situations. Importantly, these courses should
said ‘‘on the shop floor.’’ Finally, management involved the be experiential in nature. For example, classes that involve
workforce in as much of the planning process as possible, role-play are especially effective in promoting retention and
thereby providing employees with some measure of control self-efficacy among employees. A second suggestion for pro-
over the change. It is also important to note that this com- moting a civil workplace is to implement 3608-feedback
munication strategy was successful largely because the man- surveys into the performance appraisal process. Supervisors
agers of CorpB had a reputation for honestly communicating are rarely subjected to the uncivil behaviors that their
information to employees. As we saw above in the case study subordinates display. Moreover, victims of uncivil behavior
of the Korean-owned manufacturing firm, trust among man- rarely make formal complaints about the perpetrators of
agers and employees is a necessary precondition for commu- such behavior. This means that uncivil behavior is usually
nication effectiveness. invisible to supervisors, and is therefore not a factor in the
Managerial communication isn’t only important during traditional performance appraisal process. Uncivil behavior
times of major organizational change. There are plenty of is therefore relatively easy to get away with in traditional
uncertainties that arise among employees during the course systems. If, however, companies institute systems where
of normal operations as well. Thus, managers would be well they also collect anonymous input from an individual’s peers
advised to encourage frequent and honest formal commu- and subordinates, then uncivil behavior can be more effec-
nication within their organizations no matter how stable the tively monitored. Additionally, uncivil behavior has to be
company is. A number of simple practices can be implemen- included as a dimension upon which employees are rated,
ted to disseminate information, including: regular meetings so that there are real consequences associated with such
between top management and all employees, frequent behavior. Instituting 3608-feedback surveys and making
meetings at the team or department level, company news- uncivil behavior a dimension upon which employees are rated
letters, and e-mail and/or memos from top management to are measures that an organization can take to begin to deter
address employee questions and concerns. incivility. Finally, stringent selection procedures can be put in
place to keep potential problem cases out of the organization
Foster a Culture of Civility in the first place. Few companies actually conduct effective
background checks on their potential employees. Instead,
In their book entitled The Cost of Bad Behavior, Christine recruiters rely solely on information provided by listed refer-
Pearson and Christine Porath define workplace incivility as ences and the candidate themselves. This selection process is
‘‘the exchange of seemingly inconsequential inconsiderate rarely thorough enough to identify somebody who has a
words and deeds that violate conventional norms of workplace reputation for uncivil behavior. Recruiters and hiring man-
conduct.’’ Examples of common uncivil workplace behaviors agers should also employ their own networks as well as formal
include — but are not limited to — the following: being con- background checks before making hiring decisions.
descending toward others, ignoring the opinions of others,
blaming others for your mistakes, throwing tantrums when you Promote Organizational Justice
don’t get your way, making hurtful remarks to colleagues, and
generally failing to be polite in social situations. Incivility in Ensuring that employees get treated fairly is a basic manage-
the workplace often provides the fodder for negative gossip in ment function. Researchers have been studying fairness in
organizations: ‘‘Did you hear about how Amy yelled at Chris- the workplace–—also known as organizational justice–—since
tine in the staff meeting this morning?’’ or ‘‘You won’t believe the 1960s. Since that time, researchers have learned much
how poorly my boss treated me yesterday! Listen to this . . .’’ about what leads to employee perceptions of organizational

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58 T.J. Grosser et al.

justice. One important form of organizational justice is a situation are greater than the personal, material, or social
procedural justice. Procedural justice is based on the per- resources that can be harnessed to deal with — or prepare for
ceived fairness of the procedures by which outcomes are — the situation’s occurrence. Importantly, interpersonal rela-
determined and allocated. Employees feel unjustly treated tionships are often cited as a primary cause of stress at work.
when the decision rules that determine outcome distribu- Stress-causing relationships can be between an employee and
tions appear to be inequitable or illogical. Empirical studies his or her manager, subordinates, peers, or external stake-
show that procedural justice explanations mitigate the nega- holders. We know from the work on gossip among nurses that
tive effects of uneven reward allocations in organizations. stress prompts gossip. Gossiping with co-workers can be a
For example, the negative effects felt when only a fraction of way to ‘‘vent,’’ or release pent-up stress. Gossiping with a co-
a company’s workforce gets an annual pay increase can be worker, however, about how angry their boss or subordinates
lessened by clearly explaining the methods by which pay make them is not a particularly constructive way for employ-
raises were determined and allocated. ees to deal with stress. This type of gossip can consume
Research has shown that a host of outcomes are associated significant amounts of time from the work day of the gossiper
with employee perceptions of organizational justice. For as well as the gossip receiver. Moreover, this type of gossip
example, procedural justice has a positive association with could have negative ramifications if it were to be widely
organizational commitment. It has also been found to be circulated. The ideal solution to this problem would be to
negatively related to stress in the workplace such that high eliminate the root cause of the employee’s stress. Some-
levels of justice lead to lower levels of stress. We would add times, however, this type of action is either not feasible or
negative gossip to this list of outcomes. We argue that low not practical. Stress is an unavoidable occurrence in the work
levels of organizational justice prompt the generation and lives of many. The next best approach for addressing the
dissemination of negative gossip in the workplace. There is a problem of stress is to develop effective strategies for coping
body of anecdotal and empirical evidence to support this with it. We argue that helping employees constructively cope
assertion. Quite simply, people often talk negatively about with stress at work will minimize their need to release their
others who treated them poorly or unfairly. The gossip spread stress in more harmful ways, like through negative gossip.
by the office ladies in Japan is a prime example. The office There are a number of things that can be done at the
ladies in her study were spreading negative gossip about organizational level to help employees combat stress. First,
the men who treated them unfairly. In this case we see implementing flexible work schedules can help ameliorate
negative gossip being used as a means to exact revenge upon stress by giving employees more control over their time.
individuals who are not respectful of others in their inter- Flexible work schedules are especially beneficial for relieving
personal dealings. the stress caused by competing work and non-work demands.
Promoting organizational justice can be an effective way Second, career development is a practice that can be imple-
to prevent the negative gossip that plagues many organiza- mented to help employees cope with stress. Career devel-
tions. The best way to enact procedural justice in an orga- opment initiatives provide employees with guidelines for
nization is by allowing employees to have a say in decisions, a achieving various career outcomes. Career paths are made
concept also covered under the term employee voice. The transparent and employees are informed of the skills and
benefits of this have long been known by managers who talents that must be cultivated for various positions. This has
practice participative decision making. Even if the ultimate the effect not only of motivating employees to set challen-
decision is counter to the desires of an employee, he or she ging goals, but also of helping reduce stress by teaching them
will feel that the decision making procedure was fairer if his to effectively prepare for such challenges. Third, role ana-
or her input was honestly considered. Although this process is lysis can reduce stress by making an employee’s role in the
more time consuming than making unilateral decisions, it is organization more clear and transparent. Conflict and inter-
especially useful when employee buy-in is crucial. There are personal tension often arise among co-workers because roles
a number of HRM practices that can be instituted to provide and responsibilities are vague and ambiguous. Role analysis,
employees with more voice, such as: formal dispute resolu- which is aimed at uncovering and addressing these ambigu-
tion and grievance procedures, self-managed work teams, ities, can help to relieve the role strain and role stress that
quality circles, employee suggestion mechanisms, attitude often results from confusion over the scope and responsibil-
surveys, joint consultative committees, and work councils. It ities of a given role. Finally, goal setting can be an effective
should be emphasized, however, that these practices will way to minimize the stress that might come about when
only promote justice perceptions if employees believe that employees don’t understand the performance expectations
their input is being carefully weighed by management during for their roles. Goal setting entails both an employee and his
the decision making process. These practices can easily or her manager agreeing to the goals that an employee will
backfire and lead to even lower justice perceptions if strive to achieve. In addition, timeframes regarding when the
employees come to believe that their feedback is being goals will be accomplished and the criteria by which the goals
dismissed. will be evaluated should also be agreed upon.
Improving the job design of positions can be an effective
way to reduce potential causes of boredom. To do this, one
Provide Mechanisms for Coping with Stress or must address five crucial job characteristics that have been
Dealing with Boredom shown to lead to higher employee motivation and satisfac-
tion. The first characteristic to consider is variety. The goal is
Although there are a number of definitions and measures of for the position to require a range of skills from a worker.
stress, it is a common workplace phenomenon. It is often Furthermore, these skills should be both challenging and
thought of as the experience generated when the demands of interesting to the individual. Second, the position should

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Positive and negative workplace gossips 59

ideally provide an employee with the opportunity to com- understanding of the issue, then he or she can work with the
plete an entire job from start to finish. Third, the position employee on an action plan.
should have the potential to significantly impact the lives or A manager may realize, however, that the root cause of an
work of others, either within the organization or outside of it. employee’s excessive gossip is beyond the scope of his or her
Taken together, these three characteristics contribute to an ability to address. This is because another major driver of
individual’s sense of doing work that is meaningful. Fourth, gossip among individuals is anxiety and/or a persistent psy-
the position should allow for some degree of autonomy. This chological disability. As we explained, excessive stress may
is likely to cause an employee to feel personally responsible drive a person to gossip. It can also be the case that mental
for the outcomes that occur at work. Finally, the position conditions such as depression may be driving this behavior. In
should provide the employee with feedback on his or her situations where a manager does not feel qualified to address
performance. This feedback might be built into the position the root causes of excessive gossip, he or she should refer the
itself, or it may be provided by external sources such as co- employee to an individual specifically trained for these
workers or a supervisor. This feedback provides employees situations. Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) are benefit
with knowledge about the results of their work activities and programs increasingly offered by employers. EAPs are
helps them to appreciate the outcome of their efforts. designed to assist employees with personal problems that
Properly addressing these five areas is likely to eliminate might affect their health, wellbeing, or their work perfor-
many of the root causes of gossip, including boredom. mance. EAPs usually provide counseling and referral services
to employees and their dependents. These programs are
DEALING WITH THE EXCESSIVE GOSSIPER likely to offer services that will greatly benefit those employ-
ees that are being driven to gossip because of chronic anxiety
or another psychological condition.
In some cases, the gossip within an office may largely stem
from a single person. There are a number of reasons why an
individual may engage in excessive gossip at work. Research CONCLUSION
has not progressed far enough at this time for us to exhaus-
tively discuss the characteristics of the typical ‘‘gossip- None of the recommendations offered are silver bullets. Man-
monger.’’ We can, however, suggest two general strategies agers should consider the specific issues that are generating
for the manager faced with a problematic gossiper. negative gossip in their organization before embarking on an
An inveterate gossiper will often be a highly engaged and endeavor to reduce it. A manager must base his or her actions
intelligent member of the workforce who is disgruntled for on the unique situation within the organization. Mitigating
some reason. It may be that this individual is engaged in negative gossip may be as simple as modifying the behavior of
conflict with another co-worker, or does not feel that he or one employee, or it can be as involved as a full-scale organiza-
she is being listened to by management. It may also be the tional culture overhaul. It might be that one bad apple is
case that this person simply doesn’t feel challenged in their responsible for spreading the lion’s share of undesirable gossip
position and uses gossip as a way to ‘‘pass the time.’’ What- in the office. If that is the case, then an intervention focused on
ever the case, the manager’s first step should be to directly that one individual may be sufficient. If, however, the gossip is
confront the individual in a private setting. Instead of being the result of — for example — management mistrust and a
overly disciplinary, the manager should treat this meeting as breakdown in formal communication lines, then a much more
an information gathering session. The goal is for the manager involved effort will be required.
to alert the employee to the issue and also to figure out why it Gossip can be a diagnostic tool for managers. It is akin to
is happening in a non-threatening manner. Sometimes it is an early warning device that alerts the attentive manager to
enough for the manager to simply listen to the employee’s potential problems such as conflicts within work teams or
concerns. In other cases, the manager and employee will trust issues between labor and management. It is important
want to work together to develop a plan of action to correct for managers to be connected to an organization’s informal
the situation. For example, if the root cause of the gossip is communication network. By doing so, managers will learn
interpersonal conflict, then the action plan would likely things they wouldn’t otherwise have learned, and they will
include mediation between the gossiper and the other party be in a better position to control the dark side of the network.
in order to resolve the conflict. Before a manager can help to The informal communication network, or the ‘‘grapevine,’’ is
develop a fix, however, they have to understand what is not likely to go away. Instead of ignoring it or trying to stamp
fueling the gossip for the individual. In the initial meeting, it out with brute force, managers should listen to it and learn
it is important for the manager to criticize the behavior of the from it. The type of gossip that is circulating will dictate what
individual rather than the individual themselves. The man- managers should do, if anything. Listening to the ‘‘grape-
ager should start the meeting by explaining what the proble- vine’’ is therefore the first step managers should take rather
matic behavior is, providing concrete examples of the than attempting to ban gossip. With a little effort, managers
behavior and explanations as to why it causes a problem will find that they can both manage gossip within an orga-
for the organization. This should be followed by exploratory nization and also benefit from it.
questions that are designed to draw information out of the
individual. Example exploratory questions include: ‘‘Why do
you think this is happening?’’ ‘‘What can be done to prevent
this in the future?’’ and ‘‘Tell me more about this.’’ After
the manager has gathered enough information to have an

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60 T.J. Grosser et al.

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

For selected general works on gossip, see Robin Dunbar, For more information on workplace incivility, see Lynne
‘‘Gossip in Evolutionary Perspective,’’ Review of General M. Andersson and Christine M. Pearson, ‘‘Tit for Tat? The
Psychology, 2004, 8, 100—110; Kevin M. Kniffin and David Spiraling Effect of Incivility in the Workplace,’’ Academy of
Sloan Wilson, ‘‘Utilities of Gossip across Organizational Management Review, 1999, 24, 52—71; Christine Pearson
Levels,’’ Human Nature, 2005, 16, 278—292; Ralph L. Ros- and Christine Porath, The Cost of Bad Behavior (Portfolio,
now, ‘‘Rumor and Gossip in Interpersonal Interaction and 2009); Christine L. Porath and Christine M. Pearson, ‘‘The
Beyond: A Social Exchange Perspective,’’ Behaving Badly: Cost of Bad Behavior,’’ Organizational Dynamics, 2010, 39,
Aversive Behaviors in Interpersonal Relationships, Ed. Robin 64—71.
M. Kowalski (American Psychological Association, 2001, 203— For more information on organizational justice, see Jason
232); Ralph L. Rosnow and Gary Alan Fine, Rumor and Gossip: A. Colquitt, Jerald Greenberg, and Cindy P. Zapata-Phelan,
The Social Psychology of Hearsay (Elsevier, 1976); and Sarah ‘‘What is Organizational Justice? An Historical Overview of
R. Wert and Peter Salovey, ‘‘A Social Comparison Account of the Field,’’ Handbook of Organizational Justice, Eds. Jerald
Gossip,’’ Review of General Psychology, 2004, 8, 122—137. Greenberg and Jason A. Colquitt (Erlbaum, 2005, 3—56); and
For selected works on gossip within organizations, see Jerald Greenberg, ‘‘Promote Procedural and Interactional
Nicholas DiFonzo and Prashant Bordia, ‘‘A Tale of Two Cor- Justice,’’ Handbook of Principles of Organizational Behavior,
porations: Managing Uncertainty During Organizational Ed. Edwin A. Locke (Wiley, 2009, 255—271).
Change,’’ Human Resource Management, 1998, 37, 295— For more information on stress in organizations, see James
303; Lea Ellwardt, Giuseppe Labianca, and Rafael Wittek, Campbell Quick, Jonathan D. Quick, Debra L. Nelson, and
‘‘Who Are the Objects of Positive and Negative Gossip at Joseph J. Hurrell, Jr., Preventive Stress Management in
Work? A Social Network Perspective on Workplace Gossip,’’ Organizations (American Psychological Association, 1997);
Social Networks, Forthcoming. Linda Glover, ‘‘Communica- Tabea Reuter and Ralf Schwarzer, ‘‘Manage Stress at Work
tion and Consultation in a Greenfield Site Company,’’ Per- Through Preventive and Proactive Coping,’’ Handbook of
sonnel Review, 2001, 30, 297—316; Travis J. Grosser, Virginie Principles of Organizational Behavior, Ed. Edwin A. Locke
Lopez-Kidwell, and Giuseppe Labianca, ‘‘A Social Network (Wiley, 2009, 499—515).
Analysis of Positive and Negative Gossip in Organizational Other works mentioned in the article include, Dan Barry,
Life,’’ Group & Organization Management, 2010, 35, 177— ‘‘Words May Have Power, but Gossip is a Firing Offense,’’ New
212; Grant Michelson, Ad van Iterson, and Kathryn Wadding- York Times, 22 July 2007, A14; Anthony Bourdain, Kitchen
ton, ‘‘Gossip in Organizations: Contexts, Consequences, and Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly (Har-
Controversies,’’ Group & Organization Management, 2010, perCollins, 2000); Michael McMahon, ‘‘Here’s the Lowdown
35, 371—390; Yuki Ogasawara, Office Ladies and Salaried on Gossip: Grapevine can Supply Helpful Information. But
Men: Power, Gender, and Work in Japanese Companies (Uni- Avoid Malice, Define Limits,’’ The Montreal Gazette, 5 Feb-
versity of California Press, 1998); Kathryn Waddington and ruary 2001, C2; Henry Mintzberg, Mintzberg on Management:
Clive Fletcher, ‘‘Gossip and Emotion in Nursing and Health- Inside Our Strange World of Organizations (Free Press, 1989);
Care Organizations,’’ Journal of Health Organization and and Donald F. Roy, ‘‘‘Banana Time:’ Job Satisfaction and
Management, 2005, 19, 378—394; and Kathryn Waddington, Informal Interaction,’’ Human Organization, 1959, 18,
Gossip and Organizations (Routledge, 2012). 158—168.

Travis J. Grosser is a doctoral candidate in management at the University of Kentucky’s Gatton College of Business
and Economics, and is an associate in the LINKS Center for Social Network Analysis. His research interests include
social networks, negative workplace relationships, gossip, and organizational innovation (Tel.: +1 859 257 2962; e-
mail: [Link]@[Link]).

Virginie Lopez-Kidwell is a doctoral candidate in management at the University of Kentucky’s Gatton College of
Business and Economics, and is an associate in the LINKS Center for Social Network Analysis. Her research interests
include social networks, the role of affect in organizational behavior, as well as power and dependence in
workplace relationships (Tel.: +1 859 257 2962; e-mail: [Link]@[Link]).

Giuseppe Joe Labianca is the Gatton Endowed Associate Professor of Management in the University of Kentucky’s
Gatton College of Business and Economics. He co-founded the LINKS Center for Social Network Analysis

Electronic copy available at: [Link]

Positive and negative workplace gossips 61

([Link]). He has been studying and writing about the interpersonal side of work organizations for the past
two decades, including studies on gossip, conflict, teams, organizational structure and change, and social
networks. His research has been published in Science, Harvard Business Review, the Academy of Management
Journal, the Academy of Management Review, Organization Science, and the Journal of World Business, among
other outlets (Tel.: +1 859 257 3741; e-mail: joelabianca@[Link]).

Lea Ellwardt is a doctoral researcher in organizational sociology at the University of Groningen and is affiliated
with the Interuniversity Center for Social Science Theory and Methodology (ICS, [Link]). Her
research interests include social networks, gossip and trust in organizations (Tel.: +31 50 363 6981; e-mail:
[Link]@[Link]).

Electronic copy available at: [Link]