CASE INCIDENT 2 Trying to Cut the Grapevine Whether or not gossip benefits organizations has become to gossip through evolution. Gossip allowed our tribal a gray area. In some contexts, gossip may be beneficial. ancestors to form bonds while also learning who to Some leaders, such as Aviva Leebow Wolmer, CEO of avoid. According to recent research, negative gossip may Pacesetter, believe that gossip can be harnessed by manag have been used to identify individuals who had broken ers to make a positive impact on the organization. While norms (see Chapter 9) about sharing with the tribe. By Wolmer generally believes gossip has a negative influence. ostracizing the individual who did not act in the best she also thinks that gossip can be used as a way to bond interest of the tribe, the group as a whole benefitted. with coworkers and to create a sense of excitement in the Unfortunately, in the modern-day workplace, office gos- office. In addition, when employees gossip with clients, cli sip may serve to exclude others. And unlike our tribal ents may feel more valued by the company because they ancestors, gossip is often not directed toward employees were given that which they perceive to be the inside scoop. who have acted against a group. Instead, gossip about What about when gossip alienates an employee? a specific individual is often a means of incivility (see According to anthropologists, humans gained the ability Chapter 9). choose to leave for a company with a more positive envi- ronment. Managers can try to avoid this situation by meet- ing with the team and discussing the problem, or creating official policies regarding workplace gossip. An employee can deal with being the target of mali- cious office gossip in several ways. Dr. Berit Brogaard of the University of Miami suggests not confronting the per- son spreading rumors through the grapevine. Instead, reaching out to a supervisor (if they are not also part of the rumor mill) or human resources may beneficial. Alter natively, openly talking about gossip in a blas manner may take away the gossiper's motivation. Like many bul- lying behaviors, gossip is often meant to harm the target emotionally. When the gossiper realizes that he or she isn't achieving this goal, he or she will sometimes stop. Gossip can also harm individuals besides the target. Gossip that targets an individual may splinter an office as people take sides. This can lead to low job satisfaction, lower trust, and a decrease in work productivity as people fail to cooperate with each other. And once the office cul- ture takes a turn for the worse, talented employees may Questions 11-17. What are some tactics employees can use to avoid being the target of office gossip? 11-18. As discussed in the chapter, there are positive ben- efits to gossip. How can managers create policies that target negative gossip while also preserving the benefits of positive gossip? 11-19. As stated above, gossip was originally a way to help group members identify an individual who did not act in the best interests of the group , Can gossip ever serve the same purpose in an office? Why or why not